Unite and Conquer: How to Build Coalitions That Win--and Last

by Kyrsten Sinema, Janet Napolitano (Foreword)

Old-school divide-and-conquer tactics—demonizing opponents, frightening voters, refusing to compromise—may make us feel good about the purity of our ideals, but it’s no way to get anything done. Worse, this approach betrays some of the most cherished ideals of the progressive movement: inclusion, reason, justice, and hope.

Illuminated by examples from her own work and a host of campaigns across the country, Kyrsten Sinema shows how to forge connections—both personal and political—with seemingly unlikely allies and define our values, interests, and objectives in ways that broaden our range of potential partners and expand our tactical options.

With irreverent humor, enthralling campaign stories, and solid, practical advice, Sinema enables us to move past “politics as war” and build support for progressive causes on the foundation of our common humanity.

Genres: Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jim]

A lightweight and easy read by Arizona State Sen. Kyrsten Sinema about how to actually achieve some success in politics despite being a far-left member of a minority party in a conservative state. There's a favorable back cover blurb from Clint Bolick of the Goldwater Institute.

[Tamara Hermes]

Excellent Perspective on Politics

Many great ideas are presented in this book. I wish there was more coalition building in our national politics instead of constant division. It’s unfortunate Sinema wasn’t able to get buy-in on her strategies. Would love to see her run for office again.

[David Holly]

Good basic organizing info

I like the way this gets to the basics of interest-based coalition building. Good book that helped me understand better how to build coalitions.

[Shannon]

Update: 10 years later Jesus this was awhile ago I have very different feelings about this book/author but 😵‍💫