The Inside/Outside Game - A Series on Activism

[Editorial]

There has been much discussion over Rep. McBride decision not to fight the Republican ban on bathrooms. There are some who think she should fight the ban and others like me who think that she did the right thing.

There is something in politics call the inside game and the outside game and they work hand in hand. Perplexity AI put it this way…

Answer:

The insider-outsider theory in politics describes a dual approach to achieving social and political change by combining efforts from within established institutions (inside game) and outside of them through grassroots movements (outside game).

Inside Game

The inside game involves:

• Working within existing political structures
• Lobbying elected officials and policymakers
• Running for office or securing government positions
• Advocating for policy changes through formal channels
• Building relationships with decision-makers

Insiders often have more knowledge of local institutional contexts and can more easily develop rapport with key stakeholders.

Outside Game

The outside game focuses on:

• Grassroots organizing and community mobilization
• Protests, demonstrations, and direct action
• Developing alternative systems and models
• Shifting public opinion through awareness campaigns
• Creating pressure that forces institutions to respond

Outsiders may be valued for their objectivity and ability to ask "naive" questions that challenge assumptions.

Synergy and Challenges

The inside-outside strategy aims to create synergy between these approaches:

• Inside players can funnel resources to outside movements
• Outside pressure creates opportunities for insiders to push for bigger changes
• Combined efforts can more effectively shift public opinion and policy

However, tensions can arise between "moderate" insiders and "radical" outsiders due to differing tactics and immediate goals. Successful implementation requires coordination to leverage complementary strengths.

Rather than a strict dichotomy, researchers suggest viewing insider/outsider status as existing on a continuum that can shift based on context. This more nuanced view recognizes the complexity of researchers' and activists' identities and positionalities when engaging in social change efforts.

In an article by Peter Dreier in Horizon Institute, he writes…

The insiders, elected officials and lobbyists, see their job as pushing through changes in law that can alter the living conditions, incomes, and access to opportunity and environment of our citizens. Legislating involves the "art of compromise" that requires the skills of brokering deals, negotiating, and forging consensus.

Outsiders -- community activists, street protestors and radicals -- need different skills. They often view compromise as "selling out" by politicians tied to corporate and elite interests. Activists believe that the influence of campaign contributions, and the trade-offs required by legislative give-and-take, make most elected officials undependable allies.

[…]

Smart liberal and progressive elected officials understand that they really need "radical" protestors to change the political climate and make reform possible. When "disruption" is taking place in the streets, policymakers can appear statesmanlike and moderate when they forge compromises to win legislative victories.

I see Rep. McBride working the inside game to bring about reform, working within the system to bring about change, working to build a coalition in the House to overturn the bathroom policy. She also took the moral high ground with “Doing the job the voters sent me to do!” and not get involved in their petty Republican politics.

Now it our job to get public opinion behind us, showing how petty and mean spirited the Republicans are. We need to drum up support for her… “Look what the petty little Republicans are concentrating on, what about tackling the high cost of food, the lack of affordable rents, the crumbling  

bridges!”

So we as outsiders have our part to do... Speak up about the bigotry, the animosity, and how petty they are forcing her to go back to her office every time she has to go. Yes, and even point out how the Republicans are doing nothing about the sexual predators in their midst who have been accused of having sex with minors.

The Dreier article ends with...

Historians can debate how to divvy up the credit for future victories, but we already know that we won't see any progress without both noisy protestors and sympathetic politicians.

[/Editorial]

This is the first in a series on activism.