Representative Matt Wingard: Responding to a critic

Wingard Report excerpt:

Below is a quote from Tim Lussier from “Do not be a no person”. After the quote Representative Matt Wingard responds.

Tim Lussier:
The journey of a hundred miles starts with one step. When Mahatma Gandhi took the first step on his 241 mile walk to the ocean to protest the British tax on producing salt (an effective ban), he wasn’t just saying No. He was actually saying Yes to freedom. His “Yes to Freedom” walk started a movement, which helped end the colonial rule over India. Remember: don’t be just a No person, but instead give a Yes. In his book The Power of a Positive No, William Ury describes the Yes, No, Yes response. You start with a Yes statement where both parties can agree. The second statement, the No, is what you can’t do, where you politely draw your line in the sand. Your third statement is a Yes–an offer to join in your compromise or alternative. In August of this year, I read a news report with the headline, “Lack of Vitamin D in Children ‘Shocking'”. I emailed Representative Matt Wingard and asked “Wouldn’t a Democrat say we must help them, whereas a conservative would say they must learn to help themselves?”

Rep. Wingard responded:
“Actually, you have phrased this as a Democrat would.

In reality, Democrats would respond to this problem by creating a permanent government program that would run inefficiently and never come to an end, even when the problem was solved.

Republicans would support a program to educate people about the issue and encourage private industry to solve it… such as, by encouraging manufacturers and builders to put UV emitting rays in all new showers that time out after 4 minutes. Ideas such as that.”

Representative Wingard didn’t say No to helping people. He actually was saying Yes. He suggested an effective and innovative way to solve the problem and end the issue of vitamin deficiency in children.

So according to Mr. Ury’s book, the way you can build bridges, while standing your ground is by saying Yes, No, Yes. Rep. Wingard said “Yes, we must help people. No, we cannot have a government program that will last forever. Yes, please join me in an innovative and effective way to end this problem.” Too often Republicans are seen as just saying No to a problem.

Instead, try finding ways to say Yes more often.