Skip to main content

How to Make the Call...

Very good advice- short and to the point makes all the difference in the world!

 "Friends! As some of you know, I used to work on Capitol Hill as the person in charge of all the incoming phone calls to my Senator's office. I have some insider tips to make calling your reps easier and quicker.
  1. Give your name, city, and zip code, and say "I don't need a response." That way, they can quickly confirm you are a constituent, and that they can tally you down without taking the time to input you into a response database.
  2. PLEASE ONLY CALL YOUR OWN REPRESENTATIVES! Your tally will not be marked down unless you can rattle off a city and zip from the state, or are calling from an in-state area code. I know you really want to give Mitch McConnell a piece of your mind, but your call will be ignored unless you can provide a zip from Kentucky. And don't try to make this up; I could often tell who was lying before I even picked up the phone from the caller ID. Exceptions to this are things like Paul Ryan's ACA poll.
  3. State the issue, state your position. "I am opposed to a ban on Muslims entering the US." "I am in favor of stricter gun control legislation including background checks." "I am in favor of the Affordable Care Act." That's it. That's all we write down so we can get a tally of who is in favor, who is against. It doesn't matter WHY you hold that opinion. The more people calling, the less detail they write down. Help them out by being simple and direct.
  4. Please be nice! The people answering the phones on Capitol Hill already had the hardest job in DC and some of the lowest pay as well, and for a month now their jobs have become absolute murder, with nonstop calls for 9 hours every day. Thank them for their hard work answering the phones, because without them our Senators could not represent us.

    What does this sound like?

    "Hi, my name is Mark, I'm a constituent from Seattle, zip code 98***, I don't need a response. I am opposed to any ban on Muslims entering the United States and I encourage the Senator to please oppose implementation of any such ban. Thanks for your hard work answering the phones!"

    This is how I wish every caller had phrased their message. It makes it easier for the people answering the phones and takes less time and emotion than a long script. I know that you want to say why, but keeping it short and sweet helps the office answer more calls per hour, meaning more people get heard. The bigger the tally, the more powerful our voice.

    Also, when you're reading off the same script as 100 other callers that day... well...they can tell.


Pick one issue each day, use this format (I am in favor of _____ or I oppose ______), and call your 2 Senators and 1 Representative on their DC and State Office lines, and you'll be on your way to being heard."

And please, make yourself heard!!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On the shooting of Congressman Scalise

So much happened in these past two weeks since we’ve seen you last, but I want to take a moment to talk about the shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise and 4 others at the republican congressional team’s baseball practice in Alexandria, VA on Wednesday morning. I think I speak for everyone in this room and for Cumberland Valley Rising when I say that we condemn this violent and cowardly attack, and that our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during their long road to recovery, both physical and emotional. Sadly, this episode is one in a long line of violent attacks born out of the increasing political and cultural polarization over the past several years. It is not an isolated incident—this is NOTHING NEW. We condemn this attack. Just as we condemned the stabbing of three brave men in Portland a few weeks ago, who intervened on behalf of two young Muslim women who were being attacked by an Islamophobe. This attack resulted in the death o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Weekly Actions - 5/24/2017

Environmental Justice Sub-Committee The Environmental Justice Sub-Committee is having a pot-luck meeting THIS FRIDAY evening from 6-8 PM to discuss the importance of preserving our natural environment for the health of generations to come. How we use energy, the Climate, the EPA, our air quality, and our watershed are all currently under pressure from forces that would abuse them for profit. For more information: Check out this Facebook Event or email Jeff Adams at jeffpauladams@gmail.com. Economic Justice Sub-Committee With Pennsylvania state budget negotiations right around the corner, the Economic Justice Sub-Committee is looking to join a collaborative, statewide effort to support “Pennsylvania Choice,” a non-partisan campaign for a People’s Budget. Please check out more info here: http://pachoice.org/. The efforts will kick-off with a statewide Day of Action on June 5 th in Harrisburg, and will continue with educational updates an...
Post a Comment
Read more

Call for Action on Investigation of Russian Interference in our Election

Russian interference in our election is a serious threat to our democracy.  There must be a thorough and legitimate investigation of that interference, including possible collusion between the Russian government and members of the Trump campaign.  On May 17 the Deputy Attorney General appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as a Special Counsel to investigate this matter.  This is a good first step which we applaud.  However, by itself, this Special Counsel is not sufficient to adequately address the issues involved.  First, the Special Counsel’s investigation will be done very much in secret and only addresses prosecutable crimes committed by Americans.  It will not address Russian actions, nor our future responses to such actions.  Secondly, the Special Counsel is subject to being fired by President Trump.  Third, the report will not be made public. In...
Post a Comment
Read more