I've been seeing a lot of posts lately from people concerned about the allegations brought up against Trump. It looks like a lot of us are wondering what we can do as individuals to help push forward an investigation into the President-Elect's Russia ties. Granted, there's still a lot of information out there that's unverified, but if the information important enough to be shared with US senators, it's important enough to demand that congress figure out what's going on.
So what can we do? I've got something that's fairly simple, won't take very much time, and could really make an impact if we all pitch in: contact your local members of Congress (MoCs)!
Why you should contact your MoCs
By now, I'm sure many of you have seen the pamphlet Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda. This pamphlet wasn't just written by some random people on the internet, it was written by a group of former congressional staffers that have been up close and personal with DC politics. Put another way, they know what types of tactics will get the attention of your MoCs. While acknowledging that they're not quite as effective as Town Hall participation or office visits, the authors have this to say about mass calls:
Opportunity #4: Mass Calls
Mass office calling is a light lift, but it can actually have impact. Tea Partiers regularly flooded congressional offices with calls at opportune moments, and MoCs noticed.
If you can call your MoCs and get your friends and family to do the same, they will notice. It will get harder and harder to ignore when many people are calling in with the same questions and requests.
How can I find out my MoCs office number?
The first thing you need to do is find out your congressional district, if you don't know it already. This can be done directly from the House of Representatives website where you can enter your address or zip code and find out who your MoC is. From there, you can be redirected to their website where the information should be easily available.
Your senators can be found by a quick Google search or from Wikipedia.
Alternatively, you can use the handy website Call My Congress where you can enter your address and find your MoC's office contact information fairly easily.
What should I say when I call?
Here's an example script based on what I've said. Remember to be courteous, keep it to the point, and prepare just one issue for each call:
"Hi! My name is ___________ and I'm a constituent of Representative/Senator ____________. I'm just calling today because I'm extremely concerned about the allegations about President-Elect Trump's Russia ties. Frankly, I think that we need to put partisanship aside and request a formal investigation into the President-Elect's connection to the Russian government."
That's just a basic idea of where to go with the call; you can expand it or modify it based on your personal concerns. VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure you find out who you're talking to, and their position in the office. If possible, ask for the name of the Constituent Services Representative (CSR). You can find some of their contact information at this website
What happens if I ask for the CSR, but I'm directed to voicemail?
I'm going to shamelessly copy this directly from Indivisible:
If you’re directed to voicemail, follow up with email. Then follow up again. Getting more senior legislative staff on the phone is tough. The junior staffer will probably just tell you “I checked, and she’s not at her desk right now, but would you like to leave a voicemail?” Go ahead and leave a voicemail, but don’t expect a call back. Instead, after you leave that voicemail, follow up with an email to the staffer. If they still don’t respond, follow up again. If they still don’t respond, let the world know that the MoC’s office is dodging you.
Congressional emails are standardized, so even if the MoC’s office won’t divulge that information, you can probably guess it if you have the staffer’s first and last name.
Will this really make a difference?
Yes! But remember, the impact comes from volume. If you can get even a few dozen people in your district or state to contact your MoCs, their staff will take notice that so many people are demanding a formal investigation of Trump. Calling isn't the be all end all of getting involved, but it sure is a good start.
Remember that we're in this together. Your MoCs still represent you even if you didn't vote for them, and they still are deeply concerned about their image and reelection chances. It might seem like each individual is powerless to change the tide of history, but always keep in mind: you play a part in determining whether or not your MoC keeps their job. If we coordinate our efforts, we can do this.
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