Building on the 80%: Coalition Work in a Divided County

Around the tables where this coalition formed sat people who, by every rule of modern politics, were supposed to be adversaries: farmers and organizers, conservatives and progressives, church volunteers and county officials.

What we found is that on the questions that matter — feeding neighbors, supporting local farms, preparing for the next disruption — we agree roughly eighty percent of the time. The other twenty percent makes the most noise and works hard to convince us we are enemies.

Coalition rule of thumb: build on the 80%. Let the 20% shout at an empty room.

People who arrived as opposites left as partners, and in more cases than anyone predicted, as friends. That is the quiet, replicable achievement underneath every pound of food this network moves.