Everyone on this site should listen to this
Chronicle Podcast of a conversation with Bono because it provides excellent comments on effective activism which bridges the red/blue divide. In essence, Bono discusses that he had an epiphany about the emergency in Africa. He realized that the issue was so pressing, he could not afford to "split the country." He had to gain the support of the right and the left. To do this, he courted American Evangelicals-- Effectively.
More on the flip.
When he started the polls showed that only 6% of American Evangelicals supported AIDS relief efforts in Africa. Bono turned that around by appealing to this group in their terms, using the Bible to establish Jesus' dealings with lepers as a precedent for helping victims with AIDS.
Clearly, this appeal worked. Jesse Helms did a mea culpa after speaking to Bono.
This should provide food for thought. Because there are a lot of issues that American Evangelicals, because of their religious beliefs, should share with progressives.
One comment we should all ponder for a lot of reasons:
Bono: I was really taken aback by these people [American Evangelicals]. And I started to see that they have an idealism. It may not be an idealism that
I share in every which way, but they were a huge resource I could tell that. They were ready to get to work. And, by the way, they really have. Its an amazing thing to see how busy these people can get. Of course, I remember the night of the election, and we went to bed thinking it was John Kerry that was President. And a lot of people thought that because all those young people out late at night must be Democrats. But they weren't, they were these people. So they are a resource, and even if you disagree on gay rights say, find them offensive, they have their convictions. And turned on to these issues they can be a really really important part of a success story.
Bono has been criticized for being too close to GW. But, Bono's really been effective in advocating on his issue. And his advocacy has been effective because it has been cooperative, not combatitive. Bono praises GW for putting more money into AIDS relief for Africa then any other President, such that the US government is the largest purchaser and distributor of condoms in the world. And credit for this success can be squarely laid at Bono's feet. There is a lot to learn here. Bono's techniques are scalable and can, and should, be adapted to incorporate American Evangelicals into progressive causes on a local level. And progressives need to emulate the energy and dedication of American Evangelicals.
Edit: Title changed to mislead people into reading this thing.