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April 2, 1999/16 Nisan 5759, Vol. 51, No. 27
If Moses could lobby Pharaoh, you can lobby Washington
JENNIFER LASZLO
Special to Jewish News
It's Passover, a time to recognize that Moses was the original Jewish political lobbyist. He organized his thoughts and priorities and went to the government to demand action.
Each spring, almost every major Jewish organization in America brings its key activists and supporters to our nation's capital to lobby for political and social causes. Indeed, with the United Jewish Appeal, American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other groups coming to Washington, it is a good idea for activists to spend part of their Passover thinking how their own actions can help tikkun olam (to heal the world).
So how can you, as one lone Jew, make a difference? How can you, too, be like Moses, and achieve great things for people?
1. Draw your target.
"Making the world a better place" has a nice ring to it. It's sweet - but get real. Washington is a town that operates by rules and systems. Define specifically who you want to help, how you want to help them, how much it's going to cost, and which special interests are going to place a black mark by every congressman who votes for the bill. If you need help, call the organization most allied with your vision.
2. Understand the value of the "first-born."
Pharaoh did not give the Jews what they wanted until he saw that not doing what was right cost him the life of his first-born son. To politicians, losing an election is like losing their first-born. Every two years legislators either win re-election or die. It's "survival of the fittest" big-time. If you can't show an elected official specifically how the bill or issue you support will help them get re-elected (or will cause them defeat if they are against it), you will fail.
3. Don't dance the hora alone.
Moses may have been one guy with a speech impediment - but in modern times God has given us the ability to create our own "miracles" with coalitions. Almost no issue succeeds in Washington with only one backer. You need to build a team. A good coalition is like a date of convenience where each dance partner agrees to dress up, go to the dance as friends, and share in the cost of the evening out, but is hoping to go home with someone else. So long as all is understood up front, it works out well - but if the initial goals and expectations are not understood from the get-go, it's a recipe for a broken heart.
4. Collect the gelt.
Ever hear the expression anything worth doing is worth doing well? In politics if it is not done with money, it won't get done at all. Issues need access, public support, or both. Without them you might as well just stay at home and stare at matzo. If your goals are worth achieving, write down and implement a serious fund-raising plan, and don't start the work until you know you will be able to fund it.
5. Don't start five minutes before the Sabbath.
Like Jewish holidays, Congress and the Administration have deadlines. These political deadlines coincide with congressional breaks, the news cycle and elections. Know how much time you have to accomplish your goals, the steps to achieve them, and when each must be done. If you can't put your goals and tasks on a calendar, you will fail.
6. Start by listening.
Moses started with a list of demands, and did not ask the Pharaoh about his long-term objectives. Did Pharaoh want famine, lice, or the death of his first-born? I don't think so. More than a decade ago a congressman shared his secret with me - always start a meeting by asking questions about the other person and their objectives. Nod. Take notes. Smile. If you can find out how to accomplish some of their goals while accomplishing yours, they will be on your side. You won't always agree on everything, but sometimes your best friends are made through silence and a smile.
7. Help people do a mitzvah AND do well.
It's not cynical to say that Washington politicians only do what is in their own interests - it's realistic. Our system was created to make our leaders beholden to the people. When you are on the side of good, show elected officials that being on your side will help them. Help your friends achieve the "the three P's of every successful politician:" power, prestige and popularity. Help them get on TV, raise money and look like heroes in front of opinion leaders back home. Give them a message to sell and the ability to deliver it.
8. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Don't just flash leaders with facts. If this issue is the end-all, be-all of your vision of a better world, make sure that the decision makers know it. Don't nickel and dime them with small priorities that clutter up their plates and dilute your clout. Focus on what really matters.
9. Tell it to Mom.
Women are the ultimate swing voters. They define the outcomes of most close races. If you can't explain how your issue will improve the lives of a single mother in middle America, don't go public. Women care about improving their lives and their children's opportunity to survive and thrive. If you can't help them - they won't help you.
10. The most important decisions you make may be what you will NOT do.
One of the biggest mistakes Jewish leaders and organizations make is trying to do too much at once. Washington is the ultimate town for proving that you have to walk before you run. In an environment that hates radical change, incrementalism is the surest path to victory. Pick your stages and get going.
No matter if you are interested in protecting religious freedom around the world, strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship, or fighting for better public schools here at home - don't leave politics to special interest lobbyists. Take inspiration from Moses. Using proven techniques, you can create your own miracles in our own time.
Jennifer Laszlo is the founder and president of Laszlo & Associates Inc., a strategic and political communications company. She serves on the UJA Young Leadership Cabinet, the National Jewish Democratic Council and is a member of AIPAC.
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