Should we write and call congressional representative from other states?

[Barry]

I am often hesitant to write or call congressional representatives that are not my representative (ie from another district or state). This leaves me feeling powerless. I presume our Democratic senators ( Diane Feinstein and Kamala Harris) and congressperson (Jared Huffman) already share my opinions and will vote accordingly, so there is no need to contact them. If there is any question of their position (as there is sometimes with Diane) I wouldn't hesitate to write them.

I am uncomfortable with petitioning other senators and representatives because they do not represent me. They represent other people. It feels inappropriate to me to contact them, just as it would be for a bunch of Texans to petition our representatives.

What do you think??

I suppose there could be is a special case of contacting committee members, however, I think the same logic applies: Each representative represents their state or district.

Congresspeople are known to discard communication from people outside their district, but it is easy enough to "spoof" or hide where you are from. But is this proper and in integrity? Or does the ends justify the means?

[jesswolfe]

Barry I have wondered the same thing. I would assume representatives would only care about their local districts, but maybe Senators would want to hear from others? I don't know. I have also wondered if petitions to other countries have an effect.

We can still speak up online and still have an impact. And people who work in those other states would be able to speak up because of business interests. It's a good question. I don't know. But I do know calling, or writing personal letters have a much bigger effect than form letters or petitions.

I'm curious about what others think.

Jessica

[Glia]

An elected legislator serving on a committee, especially serving as a chairperson of a committee, is doing the business of the people rather than just representing his/her district. In this case, they absolutely need to hear from everyone who may be affected by the actions of the committee -- for Congress, that would be every citizen of the country! This is particularly true of a specific bill being considered.

In general it is a good idea to contact your representatives and let them know what you want rather than assuming they are on it. Their staff keeps counts and having statistics showing strong support or opposition can be helpful. It has another more more etherial effect: it lets them know that their constituents are aware, involved, and keeping an eye on their performance. (Sen. Feinstein's office sent me a response letter about net neutrality thanking me for my "engagement on this issue.")

Another route to make your voice heard is petitions and other online actions... certainly some are more effective than others. Petitions can give activist groups an opportunity to demonstrate support or opposition, providing them with some level of clout and credibility.

... I suppose there could be is a special case of contacting committee members, however, I think the same logic applies: Each representative represents their state or district.

[Barry]

There's a new guide about resisting the Trump agenda out:

It's inspired by the very effective, if misguided, tea party movement. You can read it or download it here:
https://www.indivisibleguide.com/

Regarding contacting other Members of Congress (MoC) it states:
"Do NOT switch to targeting other MoCs who don’t represent you. They don’t represent you, and they don’t care what you have to say. Stick with your own local MoCs.”

So I am trying to contact our MoC, Jared Huffman, to see what advice he has for us. I'll let you know if I hear back.

[Glia]

Some of us have the good fortune to have Mike Thompson or John Garamendi as our MoC.

So I am trying to contact our MoC, Jared Huffman, to see what advice he has for us. I'll let you know if I hear back.

[kane]

Thanks Barry, still, I am calling Mitch McConnell's office every day, as their actions will impact all Americans.

Regarding contacting other Members of Congress (MoC) it states:
"Do NOT switch to targeting other MoCs who don’t represent you. They don’t represent you, and they don’t care what you have to say. Stick with your own local MoCs.”

[Barry]

I listened in to the MoveOn.org / Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC aka BoldProgressives.org) that featured Elizabeth Warren and Chuch Schumer, who said some pretty encouraging things about how the tide is turning in favor of protecting Obamacare. After they signed off, there was some surprisingly salient strategy comments from the sponsoring organizations. One of the key messaging strategies was to highlight how the Republicans are betraying Trump voters by gutting programs that support the middle class. They also took some questions, one of which was: "What to do if you are in a blue state?"

They encouraged listeners to still call their MoC (Members of Congress) and register your support for protecting Obamacare. It would be particularly helpful if you found a Trump voter who wants their Obamacare protected, or at least not repealed without replacing it. They said it was also helpful to publish/post real stories of Obamacare making a difference. Your personal posts about Obamacare are welcome in the General Community on WaccoBB!

[jesswolfe]

I realized today while I was listening to Bernie Sanders on Rachel Maddow from last week that we may think our own reps and senators think the same way we do and that its not important to let them know what you think. But what if they don't? What if their views aren't the same as ours? And if they don't hear from a lot of people they may not know how important an issue is for us. They might be tempted to cave on something that is really important because they think that its not that important because they didn't hear a lot about it. But if we tell them, all of us, how important it is to keep ACA or Social Security or Medicare or Planned Parenthood, or, or , they won't be tempted to cave. They will know we are all watching.

So even in blue states its important to speak up. We need our MoC to know how important issues are to all of us. I think a lot of Dems feel betrayed by the compromises of the past that have been pretty damaging. Its time to say NO, this is what is important to us, and you need to hear us!

Jessica

[WhirledWords]

It's hard to know which actions are most likely to effect change. So do as much as we can, as smart as we can, and believe that the cumulative effect will be change.

Regarding Members of Congress in blue states. Let your representatives know which of their policies you care most fervently about. Let them know that if they are in a primary contest, you'll be watching for the blue candidate who best represents your values.