Glossary of Terms
Anti-partisanism:
Anti-partisanism is a political philosophy that opposes political parties due to their inherent divisiveness. It also rejects ideologies and even the existence of political “sides.”
Stakeholder:
A stakeholder is any person or group who is directly affected by a policy issue. They have a “stake” in it.
Stakeholder-centric policymaking:
Stakeholder-centric policymaking is an approach to crafting legislation that, first and foremost, responds to the concerns of all those who are directly affected by the issues that policies are meant to address
Solutions-oriented politics
Solutions-oriented politics is an approach to politics that treats political issues as problems to be solved, not battles to be won
Cooperative politics
Cooperative politics is a style of politics in which lawmakers, regardless of their political views, treat other lawmakers as partners in a joint endeavor of governance, not opponents
Optimization-based politics:
Optimization-based politics is based on the idea that the only things that matter in determining policy–in any area–is what works and what works the best, for everyone. Value judgments have no place in policy deliberations.
Fifty percent-plus politics:
Fifty percent-plus politics refers to the partisan approach to politics, where parties and candidates who reach the 50% threshold of support claim a mandate to pursue one-sided policy agendas. All they need is 50-plus of the vote.
We’re-right-they’re-wrong politics
We’re-right-they’re-wrong politics describes a partisan approach to policymaking that is based on value judgments instead of what policies work the best overall, for all stakeholders
Attribution of malice
Attribution of malice is a common political tactic wherein parties and candidates take well-intentioned policies of their opponents and put the worst imaginable spin on their opponents’ motivations
Invoking bogeymen
Invoking bogeymen is another common political tactic that involves referencing entities associated with political issues that one side sees as sinister and linking these individuals or groups to their opponents’ positions on the issues. This lets partisans foster hostility toward these viewpoints without having to address them substantively.
UNO
UNO is the abbreviation for three of the cardinal virtues of anti-partisanism: unity, neutrality and objectivity
Democracy 2.0
Democracy 2.0 refers to the anti-partisan endgame, the complete remaking of society via the establishment of a new, party-free, partisanism-free, democratic system
Partisan political culture
Partisan political culture describes the current status quo, where people on both sides see themselves as being engaged in an ongoing conflict with people on the other side, an enduring struggle to dictate the terms of national life. Consequently, every part of life becomes politicized. Everything becomes political.
Partisan industrial complex (PIC)
Partisan industrial complex is the term for the special interests who fund the bulk of our politics. These groups and individuals subsidize national polarization by leveraging their financial and other forms of support to force candidates and parties to back maximally partisan, one-sided policies.
Si dividit moritur
Si dividit moritur is Latin for “If it divides, it dies.” It articulates the anti-partisan vision for a transformed society. All spheres of life should be redesigned so as to eliminate division. Any aspects of any area of life that don’t facilitate unity should be eliminated. If it divides, it dies.
Wait for the Facts
“Wait for the Facts” describes both the mentality that people should be universally conditioned to adopt after a high-profile, violent or otherwise outrage-inducing event and a multipronged strategy for managing community response in the aftermath of such an event. The tactics focus on cutting off lawless expressions of rage and redirecting that energy into actions that promote peace and unity.
Human justice
Human justice refers to the concept that the equality of all people lies in their humanity. It is a counterpoint to “social justice,” which roots its ideas of justice in people’s identity groups.