Call Your Congressperson
by Joshua Malbin on Jan.25, 2010, under Politics
Does that work? I have no insight from inside an elected representative’s office, but my impression from watching these campaigns mounted semiregularly by the liberal blogosphere over the past few years is that they don’t accomplish much. There’s one going on now to encourage the House to pass the Senate health care bill, if necessary with amendments passed through budget reconciliation.
Set aside the fact that after you subtract one Republican (Cao) and at least ten anti-choice Stupak amendment fanatics who don’t like Ben Nelson’s still evil compromise language, you’re left considerably short of being able to pass anything. Maybe this is just me getting cynical in my old age, but I can’t think of a single example in the last five years when calls to Congress from Daily Kos readers changed a result.
January 25th, 2010 on 3:22 pm
Having insight from inside the office of a local elected official, I would say that calling campaigns can be effective. But I can’t speak to the broader questions of recent national politics. My sense is that when congressmembers aren’t deeply committed to one outcome or another but are just trying to take the temperature, they are most open to influence from calls.
January 25th, 2010 on 7:09 pm
I believe calling your local elected official can make a difference, and I’m sure it makes a difference on the margins to some congresspeople at some times. Unless it changes the overall outcome, though, it seems more useless than other forms of political action, and I just don’t believe it changes outcomes at the national level.