This morning, at 5:55AM Eastern, the President of the United States announced via Twitter that transgender persons will be banned from serving in the armed forces in any capacity. Two things happened immediately thereafter. First, his opponents immediately expressed outrage and dismay at this attack on the rights of a vulnerable group of people. And second, many of his opponents set to arguing among themselves about whether and to what degree this transgender ban was a distraction from the current effort of the United States Senate to fund a taxcut to the wealthiest Americans by slashing healthcare benefits and subsidies to the poorest.

It is a distraction in that it has altered both the media and public discourse to include transgender rights rather than a laser focus on healthcare, and has encouraged infighting among the president’s opponent’s about this issue’s relative importance. However, to call it JUST a distraction is short-sighted. When people say that this or that is “just a distraction” they often mean that it’s “not important to me personally.”

One of the keys to following this presidency is the understanding that nearly everything he says and does is a distraction but also that nothing is. What I mean by that is this: the president and his administration can offer up multiple controversial policies with minimal effort, and if any of them succeed that one will be declared the most important and celebrated as a triumph.

As a political strategy it has the potential to be very effective. It can split the opposition into camps fighting each other about what issues are worthy of focus. It can overwhelm those who are already despairing into feeling that there is too much and nothing can be done. It can goad the opposition to rapidly shifting focus and eroding follow through on prior efforts.

However, what the administration’s strategy offers in breadth it lacks in depth. It’s true that none of us can do everything at once, but all of us can do at least two things. Most of these statements from the president are mere statements and have no orders or legislation behind them. Opposition can be emphatically voiced while work continues on other topics. One effective way to oppose this type of strategy is for each of us to pick two topics to focus our efforts. The first should be some major piece of legislation or policy currently considered by Congress, whether the budget, healthcare, or immigration. The second should be whatever issue is most important to you in your own life or is an immediate concern. Call or write to your Congressional Delegation about each of these. Express your personal connection. Voice your opinion. Avoid arguing with others about what’s most important, they have their own assignments. Focus on what you can do, and do that.