Republicans have a huge robocall effort today to sic their teabaggers on key Dem Congressmen. That sucks, but it illustrates a point that I cannot stress enough: these calls make a difference.
Do you know your Representative’s staffers on a first-name basis? Maybe you should. They appreciate hearing a friendly voice once in a while.
Switchboard: (202) 224-3121.
Guide for first-timers here.
***Update***
It will help to point out to your Rep that 95% of these angry callers wouldn’t vote for a Democrat if Jesus Christ showed up at their door and told them to.
Seanly
Unfortunately, my rep is the reprehensible Joe Wilson, may he rot in hell. I do have friends who are represented by Clyburn, may he continue to bring highway dollars to this state.
Nick
@Seanly: To his credit, John Spratt, despite representing a borderline teabagging district, also does a lot of that.
JMY
Somehow, someway, the fact that several Democratic Congressmen and women are so spooked by the right-wing that they either refuse to vote for HCR or are “undecided”, is all Rahm’s fault, which means it’s all Obama’s fault. SMH.
FormerSwingVoter
@Seanly: Why do people keep saying this? Does anyone really think that the wingnuts don’t bother calling Democrats?
Lurker
I just passed along that information to one of Adam Schiff’s staff members, and she agreed with that point. She said she’s been getting a lot of calls both for and against HCR.
I asked her where Representative Schiff stood on health care reform, and she said he’s “for it.” I failed to ask if that meant he would specifically pass the Senate bill as-is with a packet of reconciliation fixes, though I did ask for Rep. Schiff do that.
This is better than a few weeks ago, where Rep. Schiff’s office would not reveal where he stood on HCR.
Nick
Depending on the district, I’m not so sure this is true. There are districts, like Alabama-2, Mississippi-1, Mississippi-4, Texas-17, Utah-2, Idaho-1, Tennessee-6 where teabaggers clearly voted for their Democratic congressman.
cfaller96
Jesus Christ is doing canvassing for elections? WHY DIDN’T SOMEONE TELL ME THIS??!!????
Kryptik
So…wait. Robocalls? Like…taped message calls? The kinds that Congressmen themselves likely use for their campaigns?
Do they really fall for that shit? If a Congressman changes their vote off a set of Robocalls, then Christ, they must be useless. How many VOTERS actually change their vote off robocalls?
jibeaux
@Kryptik:
I think the robocalls are to the human, or at least semi-human, teabaggers, to encourage them to call in their semi-human voices.
Lurker
@Kryptik: the robocalls target constituents, not Congressmen. The whipped-up constituents are then encouraged to call their Congressmen and demand that they stop HCR.
EDIT – damn, jibeaux beat me to it.
ocean man
Well i called my congressman Ben Chandler, a blue dog, just a few minutes ago. Spoke to Frank the intern. The conversation lasted under a minute. Stated who I was and my town. Told Frank that I wanted Ben Chandler to pass the Senate HCB, despite it being a crappy bill- and yes I was going to say shitty and changed it to crappy. I asked how old ben kenobi was going to vote. Frank explained he was just an intern and not authorized to speak on his behalf but would be happy to pass on my wishes. For good measure I also asked to pass financial reform, anything for gawd’s sake. Frank was happy to oblige.
Rather a let down. Two years ago I spoke to congresswoman Diane Degillette(sp?- Denver Dem) office and spoke to an intern for several minutes. The female intern let me vent about the absurd credit card industry, asked a few questions and even validated me. She asked for my address and sent a nice letter a few days later.
I am going to ben chanlers lexington office and scream get off my lawn a few times after the gym i think.
ppcli
“It will help to point out to your Rep that 95% of these angry callers wouldn’t vote for a Democrat if Jesus Christ showed up at their door and told them to.”
You mean they wouldn’t vote for a Democrat, *especially* if Jesus Christ showed up at their door and told them to.
They’d have their high-calibre pistol in their hands before he could say “blessed are the peacemakers”: “Off my porch, you hippie weirdo, or I’ll blow you away on the count of three”.
Kryptik
@jibeaux:
@Lurker:
Ah. Well, there’s egg on my face.
Still, even when this crap isn’t terribly well hidden, why do Congressmen leave themselves so easily cowed by obvious top-down phone campaigns like this?
Punchy
It would help if the Rep wasn’t so dumb as to be told this, considering it’s as obvious as hookers in Vegas.
Xantar
@Kryptik:
Honest question and not trying to be rhetorical: is it really that obvious from the Congresscritter’s point of view when a top down phone campaign is being waged? It’s not like teabaggers call in with a set script that they read off. They are being encouraged to call in with their own words (such as they are). I suppose staffers can figure it out if people are mouthing obviously rehearsed talking points, but it’s not so easy if the sentiments are actually genuine (such as it is).
Johnny Dollah
I called Rep. David Price’s office (D-NC-4). His staffer assured me that Price supports comprehensive health care reform but said he hadn’t spoken with him about the Senate bill and therefore didn’t know whether he would vote to pass it as-is.
The staffer was interested in my position on the matter–I told him to pass the stupid thing and fix it later. While I don’t have a sense of whether Price is on the fence or not, I do get the sense that phone calls will make a difference here. I don’t think these guys (in general) know what their constituents want with respect to HCR. So anybody else in the triangle who’s got five minutes should give Rep. Price’s office a call at 202-225-1784.
harlana peppper
just . . . fuck . . . them . . . all
with a glowstick
fuck’em
Scruffy McSnufflepuss
@ppcli:
Exactly. Jesus is a pacifist Hippie. Bring us Barabbas, he’s the neocon Jesus.
Doug Z
What can I do if my rep and senators are on board (I live in Chicago) Can I call other reps?
Tim F.
@Xantar:
No, it’s not. All the Congressperson knows is that suddenly a ton of constituents are calling his or her office. They have better things to do (e.g., constituent services, legislating, running for office) than dedicate paid staff to tracking every wingnut group that sends out a mailer or robocall.
If anyone thinks that their Congressperson should know when this sort of thing happens, and has ready access to that knowledge, then maybe he or she should send their Rep’s political staff regular updates. They would no doubt appreciate the help.
Houstonian
Just called Sheila Jackson Lee’s office (TX-18). Added my voice to encourage the Congresswoman to please vote for the Senate healthcare bill.
I told the staffer I understood there was a big Republican effort to call today against the bill, and she said, “Yes, there is.” I guess they’ve been getting a lot of calls. I followed that with Tim’s comment:
And the staffer laughed and said, “I know, I know.” So then I reiterated that if they didn’t pass it, there really wasn’t going to be another chance for a long time and that this is why the Democrats were elected and it needed to get done.
I also asked where Sheila Jackson Lee was with it at the moment. The staffer said that the Congresswoman was still deliberating but that it was “most likely a go.” I feel relatively confident she’ll vote for it when the time comes, but will still keep pressing.
Calls matter. They really do. Please call!
Kryptik
@Xantar:
They may not have a script…but if we’re somehow aware of it, and there’s no visible other explanation that a huge spike of calls like that could be attributed toward, you’d think it’d kinda narrow things down. I mean…it’d be different if it was another group organizing the calls somehow, but when the NRCC itself is paying for these things, and we somehow know more about it being done than the Congressmen…
ruemara
It might also help if anyone from Michigan-Stupak’s district-can get on the horn and blast his office with 2 words, Hyde Amendment. He’s shaking fists and threatening to kill health care if his amendment language isn’t in the bill.
Tim F.
@Doug Z: Honestly, call your Reps and thank them for being on the right side. It will be a refreshing change from the endless wingnut crap that Democratic Reps’ staff field every day.
If you want to get the attention of Reps in other districts, convince friends or family to make the call. If you’re really desperate then google a zip code in their district.
KDP
Called Pete Stark. Still no committed position that his interns can pass on. I passed on my understanding that Republicans were planning a call-in campaign opposing HCR, and making the point re: 95% of those callers would not vote for a Democratic candidate under any circumstances. Told her that I have been calling in for weeks to express my support for HCR.
jibeaux
@Johnny Dollah:
He’s a good rep and a levelheaded guy. I doubt he’s going to be a problem. These guys with their little ideological axes to grind like Stupak, on the other hand, make me wanna holler.
Tsulagi
@Punchy:
__
You would think, but then there is the counter datapoint of one super majority party spending a year diddling their own legislation in their quest to get approval from one or two “serious adults” in the other party. Long after all sentient organisms on the planet knew it wasn’t going to happen. So there is that supporting Tim’s supposition some may still be clueless on that point.
Doug Z
@timf
Thanks. I did call Durbin’s office (again) the other day and tell his aide I thought he did a great job last week at the summit.
BTW – Burris’ people are very cool.
inkadu
After about eight calls during this whole process, I’ve dispensed with the flowery language to my congresscritter, the appeals to their decency, the explanation of the political reality, the weight of history, etc. Now it goes like this: “Pass the damn bill!”
Kirk Spencer
So I broke down and called my rep’s office. The staffer actually laughed.
Nathan Deal, Tea Party (/sarcasm) candidate, announced his resignation from Congress this past Monday, effective next week. See, he’s running for Governor.
Unless they vote within the next 4 days, he won’t be there for it. Even if they do vote in that period, he’s riding on a platform that specifically mentions his resistance to it.
Of course we’ve got more reason to like him up here. Since he couldn’t wait another few months we have to have a special election. In the middle of 10.5% unemployment and large budgetary shortfalls several northern counties are going to have to get together several thousand MORE dollars.
The only good news is that’s one less vote against it – and the house only needs a majority.
LongHairedWeirdo
Called Adam Smith(D-WA) – terminally wishy-washy.
Dr. Morpheus
@Kryptik:
Yeah, depressing isn’t it?
My representative is the reptilian scum Tim Johnson. I, and others, have staged demonstrations at least half a dozen times since the Senate passed their bill at his office in Champaign Illinois and he’s still officially has “no position”.
Which is bullshit of course, he voted against the house bill when it passed so we know where he really stands.
Dr. Morpheus
@ruemara:
He was on Chris Mathews last night and bald-face lied about how his amendment is, “nothing more than insuring that the Hyde Amendment applies to HCR”.
Yeah, bullshit, because he knows as well as anyone else that the Hyde amendment ALREADY applies to HCR regardless of whether or not his poison pill amendment is a part of HCR or not.
Dr. Morpheus
@Doug Z:
Yes they are, aren’t they?
I’m seriously wondering if maybe Burris isn’t really all that bad despite the association with Blagojevich.
He may be egotistical, he may have gotten his seat in an underhanded manner. But frankly he seems to be honestly putting forth an effort to uphold liberal principles in the Senate.
Zuzu's Petals
Just called Matsui’s office to express support for HCR, and to encourage her to vote for Senate bill and reconciliation. The staffer said Matsui wants to see HCR pass “any way it can.”
I mentioned the GOP robocalls and the fact that they weren’t gonna vote for a Dem no matter what, and she laughed and said “That’s pretty much how I see it too.” I said I just wanted her to know there was a LOT of support for HCR and reconciliation out there, and she thanked me and said “That’s important to know.”
So yeah, it means something to them to get supporting calls, even if they’re on board.
Mumphrey
Most of the teabag clowns wouldn’t vote for Jesus himself if he were a Democrat.
Now I have to go and call my senators (Webb & Warner) and congressman (Connolly). I’m pretty lucky, really, as far as my representation goes. If only we didn’t have Governor Regent University running things in the state capital… Well, only 3 years and 11 months more of him, thank God. Maybe this one-term-and-out thing isn’t so bad after all…
Macha Maguire
Has someone told the Coffee Party about this?
Seems to be what they exist for… to counter tea party crazinesses…
TooManyJens
@Dr. Morpheus:
I especially liked the way that he had town hall meetings all over the district last year except in C-U, where he might have actually had to face large numbers of opponents.
Edna Harding
Called Senator Bill Nelson, FL office and got voice mail was full Thank you.
Called Congresswoman Kosmas’ office, for at least the fifth time and am still hearing there isn’t really a bill to vote on. I reminded the staffer that the debate has gone on for a yeaer. We all know the process – pass the Senate Bill (she knows what in it) and fix it in reconciliation. Reminded her that I vote in primaries and every election and will NOT vote for a democrat who screws us on heath care reform
Edna Harding
Called Senator Bill Nelson, FL office and got voice mail was full Thank you.
Called Congresswoman Kosmas’ office, for at least the fifth time and am still hearing there isn’t really a bill to vote on. I reminded the staffer that the debate has gone on for a yeaer. We all know the process – pass the Senate Bill (she knows what in it) and fix it in reconciliation. Reminded her that I vote in primaries and every election and will NOT vote for a democrat who screws us on heath care reform
jayackroyd
Another good long run strategy is to try to help staffers, giving them heads up on relevant information you run across on line.That also means knowing your Congresscritter’s issues.
mcc
MoveOn issued an email today talking about this “code red” thing and trying to raise money for “a final push of our own to fight back and pass health care reform” against it.
st paulie girl
Just called my rep, Betty McCollum (D, MN-4), and talked to a very nice but very tired staffer. Apparently there are tons of calls coming in–a mix of for and against. Didn’t get an official, enthusiastic “yes!” but she did state that McCollum is committed to reform. Every friendly voice helps. Keeping calling.
st paulie girl
Just called my rep, Betty McCollum (D, MN-4), and talked to a very nice but very tired staffer. Apparently there are tons of calls coming in–a mix of for and against. Didn’t get an official, enthusiastic “yes!” but she did state that McCollum is committed to reform. Every friendly voice helps. Keep calling.
Nancy Irving
“…if Jesus Christ showed up at their door and told them to.”
They’d get out the hammer and nails, IMO.