Tennessee Alliance for Progress
Common Vision Project Leaders
Session on Strategy and Power
May 16, 2008
A Workshop Facilitated by the Grassroots Policy Project


Friday Morning

I. Introduction: This Political Moment

- A. Current Social, Economic and Political Climate: How did we get here?
- B. Understanding how Corporate-Conservative Forces Have Gained Power.
- C. How progressives can build power to advance an alternative agenda. 

We will introduce and illustrate a framework for understanding power called the Three Faces of Power.
  • First Face: Direct political engagement, around legislation, elections, legal action.
  • Second Face: Getting things onto the political agenda (usually requires coordinated efforts of multiple groups)
  • Third Face: Shaping the terms of the debate and how people understand the issues of the day.
II. Building Progressive Power in Tennessee

What are our long-term goals? What would a progressive agenda look like? What will it take to be able to move a progressive agenda in Tennessee?

III. Applying the Three Faces of Power

- A. Developing a Progressive Infrastructure (2nd Face): We will explore examples of political infrastructure: what holds it together? What roles, functions, do each of the groups in an infrastructure play? How is it coordinated?

- B. Using and Developing Progressive Worldview (3rd Face).

Friday Afternoon

III. Working with Progressive Worldview (continued from before lunch)

IV. Building Progressive Infrastructure in Tennessee.

V. Strategy development for TAP

- A. What does all of this suggest for roles and functions for TAP?
- B. What does it suggest for relationships among allied groups in Tennesee?
- C. Working together in new ways.
- D. Identifying next steps.