5 ms·

> Using technology to bypass the expensive outreach vectors traditional candidates are stuck with. This is a huge frustration of mine. It is nearly impossible

> Using technology to bypass the expensive outreach vectors traditional candidates are stuck with. This is a huge frustration of mine. It is nearly impossible to get the attention of politicians unless I'm willing to spend a vast amount of my time on the phone, because they don't pay attention to email, social media, etc. It would be awesome to have a social media platform that is dedicated to political communication. And with ample features related to communicating about policy. Like for example: 1) The ability to search for a pending bill based on the text of the bill, highlight text, and comment directly on it. 2) The ability to +1 someone else's comments in a meaningful way. 3) The ability to publicly challenge a politician's claims through research, data citations, or other types of analysis. 4) The ability to find the appropriate politicians/appointees for a specific concern. 5) The ability to facilitate directional communication from politicians on specific issues. It would be great if a politician had a common platform to explain in detail why they voted yay/nay or abstained from voting for something, with quick crossreferences, data visualization, etc.

davidw 10y ago
I have a feeling part of why they don't use tech solutions is that the 'cost' of making a statement is valuable information: if a ton of people are willing to spend 10 minutes to make a call, that tells you something. Having 100 people, half of them Russian bots, click on a "+1" button, might not tell you as much.
- tptacek 10y ago
  I know this to be the case. But then, that suggests to me that this is another place where tech has a chance to make a dent, not by short-circuiting the "proof of work", but by coordinating the effort so that people know how and when to put it in.
- tptacek 10y ago
  I know this to be the case. But then, that suggests to me that this is another place where tech has a chance to make a dent, not by short-circuiting the "proof of work", but by coordinating the effort so that people know how and when to put it in.
- saosebastiao 10y ago
  It's a costly signal [0], that's for sure. But what is unfortunate is that it is a signal that is far more costly for some than it is for others. It's the reason why minorities, immigrants, renters, etc., are underrepresented in local politics...angry white-haired retired homeowners with nothing better to do than complain about other people parking in "their" space are the ones that can show up to meetings. Everybody else has far more pressing things to do. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signalling_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signalling_theory
  - davidw 10y ago
    Like you say, that's especially true at the local level. So I don't know what the answer is, but I don't think it's "just" removing the "costly signal".
- smacktoward 10y ago
  Having worked myself as a constituent contact in a Congressional office, I can tell you from experience that you are exactly right. Someone who's willing to hand-write a letter and pay for a stamp is seen as a more motivated constituent -- more likely to care enough about the issue to have it decide how they'll vote in November, in other words -- than someone who makes a call; and the caller is more motivated than someone who clicks "send" on an email; and the emailer is more motivated than someone who signs a Web petition. For a long time, in fact, this mindset meant that a really effective way to "hack" the Congressional contact system was to send your message in a telegram -- because if you were willing to pay to have a messenger run your message across town and deliver it by hand, you were assumed to be very motivated indeed! (I doubt that's true anymore, of course; not least because I'm not sure you can send telegrams anymore. But now I'm wondering if you could get the same effect these days by sending your message via FedEx's most expensive service...)
  - davidw 10y ago
    I asked this elsewhere, but does being a donor matter at all for calls/letters? If so they check the dollar amount?
    - msrpotus 10y ago
      They legally aren't allowed to check but if a staffer or politician recognizes someone's name and remembers that they met at a fundraiser, it obviously influences them, at least subconsciously.
    - smacktoward 10y ago
      I was never asked to; Congressional offices and campaign offices are supposed to be legally distinct, and that information would have all been held by the campaign. That being said, once the sums you contribute get large enough you will almost certainly get to be known around the office -- either explicitly (e.g. the Chief of Staff tells all the people who handle correspondence "Bob Smith is a good friend of the Congressman's, if you find any messages from him bring those straight to me") or implicitly (e.g. the staff of the Congressional office notices that when Bob Smith comes in to meet with the boss he's ushered right in and stays for a long time). So large contributors' messages can easily get special attention, even without that kind of direct connection to their contributions ever being made.
smacktoward 10y ago
> It is nearly impossible to get the attention of politicians unless I'm willing to spend a vast amount of my time on the phone, because they don't pay attention to email, social media, etc. Mail them a letter. Yes, a letter, on paper. They take those very seriously -- especially when so many of them come in that their office is filled to the rafters with them.
mynameishere 10y ago
It is nearly impossible to get the attention of politicians unless I'm willing to spend a vast amount of my time on the phone I almost hate to reveal this "secret" since I thought it was pretty well-known, but if you contribute to your Representative's campaign, there's a pretty good chance you can get a one-on-one or at least attendance to a dinner event. This is much easier with state politicians.
- davidw 10y ago
  I wonder if they listen more to phone calls or letters if you're a donor. And if so, what kind of dollar amount makes your call 'matter'? I'd happily donate $5 to the local Republican congressman if he'd take my calls more seriously.
  - nickff 10y ago
    My understanding is that the staffs keep their bosses informed about the volume and tone of constituent feedback; if many people are calling in with similar views on an issue, the congressperson will do whatever the constituents want. Being a big donor, or even better, a representative of big donors means that you can influence the congressperson when there is no strong public sentiment, or if you have a very strong policy point.
  - mynameishere 10y ago
    Five dollars? No. Just search for "[your representative's name] dinner event" and you can find the typical cost of access. For instance, my Rep has required 500 dollar contributions in the past. If you're actually interested, just call up the local party HQ and ask for the next event.
    - davidw 10y ago
      I know that $5 isn't going to get you "real access". It's a token amount so that you can truthfully say you're a donor. My thought was along the lines of "Hi, I'm a donor to XXXX's campaign, and I feel YYYY about ZZZZZ". Make a difference, or not?
specialist 10y ago
All good suggestions. Legislating is an information processing task. They're just doing triage. It's your job to get their attention. The only way I've ever gotten my way is when I show up with a crowd. Then whoever's sitting in the chair will do whatever it takes to make you go away. Politics of Attention https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Attention-Government-Prioritizes-Problems/dp/0226406539 https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Attention-Government-Priorit...

davidw 10y ago

I have a feeling part of why they don't use tech solutions is that the 'cost' of making a statement is valuable information: if a ton of people are willing to spend 10 minutes to make a call, that tells you something. Having 100 people, half of them Russian bots, click on a "+1" button, might not tell you as much.

tptacek 10y ago
I know this to be the case. But then, that suggests to me that this is another place where tech has a chance to make a dent, not by short-circuiting the "proof of work", but by coordinating the effort so that people know how and when to put it in.
tptacek 10y ago
I know this to be the case. But then, that suggests to me that this is another place where tech has a chance to make a dent, not by short-circuiting the "proof of work", but by coordinating the effort so that people know how and when to put it in.
saosebastiao 10y ago
It's a costly signal [0], that's for sure. But what is unfortunate is that it is a signal that is far more costly for some than it is for others. It's the reason why minorities, immigrants, renters, etc., are underrepresented in local politics...angry white-haired retired homeowners with nothing better to do than complain about other people parking in "their" space are the ones that can show up to meetings. Everybody else has far more pressing things to do. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signalling_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signalling_theory
- davidw 10y ago
  Like you say, that's especially true at the local level. So I don't know what the answer is, but I don't think it's "just" removing the "costly signal".
smacktoward 10y ago
Having worked myself as a constituent contact in a Congressional office, I can tell you from experience that you are exactly right. Someone who's willing to hand-write a letter and pay for a stamp is seen as a more motivated constituent -- more likely to care enough about the issue to have it decide how they'll vote in November, in other words -- than someone who makes a call; and the caller is more motivated than someone who clicks "send" on an email; and the emailer is more motivated than someone who signs a Web petition. For a long time, in fact, this mindset meant that a really effective way to "hack" the Congressional contact system was to send your message in a telegram -- because if you were willing to pay to have a messenger run your message across town and deliver it by hand, you were assumed to be very motivated indeed! (I doubt that's true anymore, of course; not least because I'm not sure you can send telegrams anymore. But now I'm wondering if you could get the same effect these days by sending your message via FedEx's most expensive service...)
- davidw 10y ago
  I asked this elsewhere, but does being a donor matter at all for calls/letters? If so they check the dollar amount?
  - msrpotus 10y ago
    They legally aren't allowed to check but if a staffer or politician recognizes someone's name and remembers that they met at a fundraiser, it obviously influences them, at least subconsciously.
  - smacktoward 10y ago
    I was never asked to; Congressional offices and campaign offices are supposed to be legally distinct, and that information would have all been held by the campaign. That being said, once the sums you contribute get large enough you will almost certainly get to be known around the office -- either explicitly (e.g. the Chief of Staff tells all the people who handle correspondence "Bob Smith is a good friend of the Congressman's, if you find any messages from him bring those straight to me") or implicitly (e.g. the staff of the Congressional office notices that when Bob Smith comes in to meet with the boss he's ushered right in and stays for a long time). So large contributors' messages can easily get special attention, even without that kind of direct connection to their contributions ever being made.

smacktoward 10y ago

> It is nearly impossible to get the attention of politicians unless I'm willing to spend a vast amount of my time on the phone, because they don't pay attention to email, social media, etc. Mail them a letter. Yes, a letter, on paper. They take those very seriously -- especially when so many of them come in that their office is filled to the rafters with them.

mynameishere 10y ago

It is nearly impossible to get the attention of politicians unless I'm willing to spend a vast amount of my time on the phone I almost hate to reveal this "secret" since I thought it was pretty well-known, but if you contribute to your Representative's campaign, there's a pretty good chance you can get a one-on-one or at least attendance to a dinner event. This is much easier with state politicians.

davidw 10y ago
I wonder if they listen more to phone calls or letters if you're a donor. And if so, what kind of dollar amount makes your call 'matter'? I'd happily donate $5 to the local Republican congressman if he'd take my calls more seriously.
- nickff 10y ago
  My understanding is that the staffs keep their bosses informed about the volume and tone of constituent feedback; if many people are calling in with similar views on an issue, the congressperson will do whatever the constituents want. Being a big donor, or even better, a representative of big donors means that you can influence the congressperson when there is no strong public sentiment, or if you have a very strong policy point.
- mynameishere 10y ago
  Five dollars? No. Just search for "[your representative's name] dinner event" and you can find the typical cost of access. For instance, my Rep has required 500 dollar contributions in the past. If you're actually interested, just call up the local party HQ and ask for the next event.
  - davidw 10y ago
    I know that $5 isn't going to get you "real access". It's a token amount so that you can truthfully say you're a donor. My thought was along the lines of "Hi, I'm a donor to XXXX's campaign, and I feel YYYY about ZZZZZ". Make a difference, or not?

specialist 10y ago

All good suggestions. Legislating is an information processing task. They're just doing triage. It's your job to get their attention. The only way I've ever gotten my way is when I show up with a crowd. Then whoever's sitting in the chair will do whatever it takes to make you go away. Politics of Attention https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Attention-Government-Prioritizes-Problems/dp/0226406539 https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Attention-Government-Priorit...