The One-Hour Activist: The 15 Most Powerful Actions You Can Take to Fight for the Issues and Candidates You Care about

By Christopher Kush

Book Overview

No matter what your political persuasion, The One-Hour Activist is your guide to influencing lawmakers, candidates, and reporters. The One-Hour Activist reveals fifteen powerful, proven grassroots actions that persuade lawmakers and candidates to see things your way. Each action is designed to grab the attention of your representatives and build relationships that serve your issues over the long run. And each action takes less than an hour to complete, so you can make a difference without giving up your life The One-Hour Activist is packed with insider advice from elected officials, professional organizers, lobbyists, and journalists who share state-of-the-art tips for getting your message across. Real-life examples of effective letters, e-mail, phone calls, public testimony, and news story pitches from concerned citizens just like you illustrate the actions.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0787973009
• ISBN13: 9780787973001
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Length: 209 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Useful and practical

I found this book to be a useful, practical "insider's guide", written by someone who clearly knows what they are talking about. It filled in some gaps in my knowledge, even though I live and operate within the political system in Australia (much of the book focuses on the American political system). It was not difficult to extract information and apply it to my own setting, and has really opened up a whole swag of ideas for me. It is well-written, succinct, and does not beat around the bush. A thoroughly enjoyable book.

Awe-Inspiring

This book was simply inspiring and a definite pleasure to read. I was granted the pleasure of attending a session that was facilitated by Mr. Kush, and reading his book is just like listening to his powerful words again; the book is really that great! The One-Hour Activist has content anyone can enjoy, whether you're a newcomer to grassroots activism or a longtime activist. I learned very much from this book and it kept me reading from front to back- Kush writes the book in such a way as if he were speaking to you. After reading The One-Hour Activist, I felt motivated and compelled to take this book's advice in action. Go out now and buy this book!

Democracy doesn't end with voting!

So many people think that all they can do is vote and then write angry letters or blogs after their candidates fail to perform as promised. This book is, first and foremost, about keeping the pressure on. Making legislators aware of your issues, aware of your story and aware that you aren't going away. There are so many avenues of communication available between constituents and legislators and so few get used (and, no, the email petition isn't one of them). This book will tell you how to get your voice heard!

Learning

I learned so much from this book, I would suggest it for anyone.

A Success

I think we all know that lobbying is a great way to make change... but it is only great if you are effective. This week I had the opportunity to go to Washington DC to lobby on Capitol Hill and receive some great training. One of the trainings I was fortunate to have was Lobby Day Training by Christopher Kush. Having had many trainings I can easily and confidently say that it is the best lobbying training I have ever had. I have never learned so much about little things that make such a big difference so quickly. After the training I went back to my hotel room where I looked over the book and took some notes. (Granted I did not read the entire book because I got to my room at 10:30 and had only gotten 4 hours of sleep the night before.) After looking over the book and getting some sleep I found myself on the Hill the next day. My day on the hill was amazing... it was so successful! As many times as I have been on the hill I think that was the most successful. It was amazing. I received so much support. Since my visits I have returned home and have read "The One-Hour Activist" front to back. It is a great book with so many key things that really help in making your visit so successful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in making changes through policy.Thanks for all of your advice Chris!