5 ms·

https://resistbot.io/ https://resistbot.io/ makes it real easy to contact your representatives in a manner they are more likely to see.

by levi_n 10y ago

Sk1pp 10y ago
This only gave me the option to send to my senators (when starting), this issue is currently headed to the house. EDIT: from the FAQ looks like there is a house command but it is only active to more "experienced" users. EDIT EDIT: https://resistbot.io/privacy.html https://resistbot.io/privacy.html worth reading before you use, there are some clauses in there that are a little sketchy.
sparky_z 10y ago
This service seems short-sighted to me. It might trick a few representatives the first time around, but if it actually succeeds in bringing in a high volume of low-effort responses it will only devalue itself the way email is currently devalued (possibly along with some collateral damage to the credibility of the class of high-effort correspondants it is disguising its users as). The way to improve politics isn't to make political engagement as casual and low effort as possible.
- therealdrag0 10y ago
  It seems like to SOME extent it is. Seems like part of lobbyist influence comes from planting seeds in legislators minds, as their full-time job. Most people have an opinion but can't be bothered to lobby for their own interests because they have their own full time job. We need transparent ways for representatives to poll what constituents want. Really there should be a state sponsored electronic voting system for stuff like this. #ArmChairPhilosophy
dogas 10y ago
I disagree. The best option is to call. You likely won't talk to the rep themselves, but you will either leave a message or talk to one of their staffers. It will bubble up to them. If a rep gets a ton of calls against a particular piece of legislation, they may change their position for fear of not being re-elected. https://callyourrep.co/ https://callyourrep.co/
- forgotmysn 10y ago
  This is purely anecdotal, but I found the idea that calling is more effective than writing or emailing to be a myth. I interned for a Congressman in their DC office, and we interns were responsible for taking and responding to all in-bound communication. While we did assemble the metrics of which issues we received the most communication on each week, I never got the impression that those numbers impacted policy positions in the least. I don't think the Congressman or his CoS ever saw them. That said, the Congressman I served was also part of the party leadership, so my experience may have been the exception, partly for that reason.
  - wgyn 10y ago
    Here's an existence proof that congresspeople pay attention to calls from their constituents: https://twitter.com/RepJudyChu/status/845044275427659776 https://twitter.com/RepJudyChu/status/845044275427659776. What's perhaps striking is the low number of total calls regarding AHCA (439 support, 6 against) compared to the total population of her district (~700k). Unless I'm misinterpreting, this seems like pretty strong evidence that a call to your representative can have a massively disproportionate impact?
    - psherman 10y ago
      Small correction: you flipped the yes/no counts.
    - forgotmysn 10y ago
      As our resident security expert pointed it, it really depends on the office. My evidence is purely anecdotal, but it mirrors the experiences that friends of mine who interned in other offices had. One more thing that I can add is that most of the Reps we worked for had been in their seat for 15+ years, and it may be that they consider their seats safe enough that they don't need to reference the daily numbers much, or they have a deep enough understanding of their constituency that they can instinctively know how they will feel or react to an issue. Or it could be N number of other things.
    - 10y ago
callureps 10y ago
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/03/16/this-is-what-its-like-answering-all-those-phone-calls-to-congress/?utm_term=.9e1f9adf1dee https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/03/16/... Resistbot, can you easily convert these texts and faxes into phone calls by providing the number of the office... So that I can call with a single tap, after organizing my message? And then ask me to report my outcome?

https://resistbot.io/ https://resistbot.io/ makes it real easy to contact your representatives in a manner they are more likely to see.

by levi_n 10y ago

https://resistbot.io/ https://resistbot.io/ makes it real easy to contact your representatives in a manner they are more likely to see.

Sk1pp 10y ago

This only gave me the option to send to my senators (when starting), this issue is currently headed to the house. EDIT: from the FAQ looks like there is a house command but it is only active to more "experienced" users. EDIT EDIT: https://resistbot.io/privacy.html https://resistbot.io/privacy.html worth reading before you use, there are some clauses in there that are a little sketchy.

sparky_z 10y ago

This service seems short-sighted to me. It might trick a few representatives the first time around, but if it actually succeeds in bringing in a high volume of low-effort responses it will only devalue itself the way email is currently devalued (possibly along with some collateral damage to the credibility of the class of high-effort correspondants it is disguising its users as). The way to improve politics isn't to make political engagement as casual and low effort as possible.

therealdrag0 10y ago
It seems like to SOME extent it is. Seems like part of lobbyist influence comes from planting seeds in legislators minds, as their full-time job. Most people have an opinion but can't be bothered to lobby for their own interests because they have their own full time job. We need transparent ways for representatives to poll what constituents want. Really there should be a state sponsored electronic voting system for stuff like this. #ArmChairPhilosophy

dogas 10y ago

I disagree. The best option is to call. You likely won't talk to the rep themselves, but you will either leave a message or talk to one of their staffers. It will bubble up to them. If a rep gets a ton of calls against a particular piece of legislation, they may change their position for fear of not being re-elected. https://callyourrep.co/ https://callyourrep.co/

forgotmysn 10y ago
This is purely anecdotal, but I found the idea that calling is more effective than writing or emailing to be a myth. I interned for a Congressman in their DC office, and we interns were responsible for taking and responding to all in-bound communication. While we did assemble the metrics of which issues we received the most communication on each week, I never got the impression that those numbers impacted policy positions in the least. I don't think the Congressman or his CoS ever saw them. That said, the Congressman I served was also part of the party leadership, so my experience may have been the exception, partly for that reason.
- wgyn 10y ago
  Here's an existence proof that congresspeople pay attention to calls from their constituents: https://twitter.com/RepJudyChu/status/845044275427659776 https://twitter.com/RepJudyChu/status/845044275427659776. What's perhaps striking is the low number of total calls regarding AHCA (439 support, 6 against) compared to the total population of her district (~700k). Unless I'm misinterpreting, this seems like pretty strong evidence that a call to your representative can have a massively disproportionate impact?
  - psherman 10y ago
    Small correction: you flipped the yes/no counts.
  - forgotmysn 10y ago
    As our resident security expert pointed it, it really depends on the office. My evidence is purely anecdotal, but it mirrors the experiences that friends of mine who interned in other offices had. One more thing that I can add is that most of the Reps we worked for had been in their seat for 15+ years, and it may be that they consider their seats safe enough that they don't need to reference the daily numbers much, or they have a deep enough understanding of their constituency that they can instinctively know how they will feel or react to an issue. Or it could be N number of other things.
  - 10y ago

callureps 10y ago

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/03/16/this-is-what-its-like-answering-all-those-phone-calls-to-congress/?utm_term=.9e1f9adf1dee https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/03/16/... Resistbot, can you easily convert these texts and faxes into phone calls by providing the number of the office... So that I can call with a single tap, after organizing my message? And then ask me to report my outcome?