4 ms·
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 "sec
by 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 agoI 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 agoMy 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 agoFive 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 agoI 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?