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Strategies for Achieving Strategy Goals

2. Change the issue position of players.

This strategy goal is the most frequently sought. Its effectiveness depends on the power and skill of the player using it and the attitudes of the target players. There are four basic ways to change a player's issue position:

• Make specific promises to do something in exchange for a shift in issue position. In legislatures, this is called logrolling, when one legislator supports one bill in order to win another legislator's support on another issue. Campaign contributors promise money in exchange for support promised by candidates.
• Re-define the policy to accommodate the interests of those opposed without sacrificing the essential ingredients of what you want. This is usually called compromise and is found in all kinds of political bodies that make decisions.
• Make threats to do something unpleasant if the player does not shift position. Lobbyists and legislators sometimes resort to threats if promises do not work.
• Make arguments that use facts and emotional appeals to change the player's mind. This strategy is always necessary, but it cannot be used by itself. It must be accompanied by other strategies in order to work.

The four ways to change issue positions of players are listed in the order of general effectiveness. Promises and compromise are less costly than threats to the player pursuing the strategy. Arguments are made by all players all of the time. Although arguments are a necessary ingredient to any strategy, they never work by themselves. Threats are costly because they can backfire. The player might stick to its own position even more firmly. Threats, therefore, should be used only as a last resort.

The firmer a player's issue position, the more difficult it is to move that player. If the player is on your side, a firm position indicates a reliable ally. If the player is on the opposite side, firmness is a measure of how difficult it will be to get your strategy to work. If you move a player that is -5 to a +1, the chances of success are increased more than if you move a -1 player to a +1. However, it is easier to move the -1 player to a +1. You often have to choose between a sure chance of a small gain against a small chance of a big gain.