My friend, a young, media-savvy local political figure, is battling for for changes that would make both her and her nasty, old-school, street-fighting opponent more accountable to their shared constituency, On paper, she has much more legitimacy than he does. However, he is fighting her tooth and nail, deliberately undermining the work of his own organization and slandering her and her supporters in an effort to protect his own privilege.
How can she expose what this guy is doing without stooping to his level? What are the risks she might not be aware of in dealing with something like this ? Personal experiences are very welcome, as are other resources.
My friend needs to keep her supporters focussed on her positive message while also subverting/undermining this man's message. Among the negatives she needs to communicate are: he's out of touch with the constituents, doesn't respond to their needs, and hasn't done so for at least a decade; he's been mobilizing his staff to work against the interests of his own organization; he's been using funds and resources to his own advantage at the expense of his organization and constituency,; he misrepresents the views of the organization to others; and he works less than half time.
For legal reasons, she's unable to call any of this out as the cronyism, open contempt for his own constituents, deliberate obfuscation, etc. that it is. She can, however, make it visible indirectly.
Although a lot of his resistance stems from simple older white male entitlement and the fact that this privileged dude has had his own way for many years, my friend fears being painted as agist (chichis not the case her camp contains many other responsive and dynamic individuals of all age groups). The obvious gender dynamic is, well, obvious, and is being addressed by others. It also leads him to drastically underestimate her determination and support, which is one of her huge advantages. |
