3 ms·

Won't do much. Calling an office has marginal value as we tended to ignore those kinds of complaints. If someone actually wanted to do something, they'd either

Won't do much. Calling an office has marginal value as we tended to ignore those kinds of complaints. If someone actually wanted to do something, they'd either have to show that they are a donor (but at that point you may as well donate to their opponent during primaries) or truly organize and become an advocate (but at that point you may as well run for office). Personally, I'd love to run on a campaign financing reform platform, but there is just too much inertia, and the existing marble cake federalism makes it even more difficult.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago
> Calling an office has marginal value as we tended to ignore those kinds of complaints I’ve literally worked to amend legislation as a rando who called in on issues. Few times at the state level. Twice federally. Most electeds are stretched thin; calling out an issue could cause a staffer to dig into it where they previously wouldn’t have. (Also note: these are state offices.) On the other hand, I’ve watched numerous bills die on the vine because overworked reps noted no voters picked up the phone or wrote in. > at that point you may as well donate to their opponent during primaries You’re trying to guide other electeds’ attention to the issue. > I'd love to run on a campaign financing reform platform This is probably the most-common ex-politico pitch out of Silicon Valley.
- alephnerd 2y ago
  With a seat like CA-16 a rando making a call isn't going to have a drastic shift. It's one of the prime fundraising seats in California due to the Tri-Valley (Danville, Alamo, Orinda, Lafayette, Blackhawk, San Ramon), and the local GOP collapsed after Catherine Baker quit due to Trump and increasingly unfavorable demographics. > I’ve literally worked to amend legislation as a rando who called in on an issue Yeah, but there's a difference between someone like you who actually has the potential of becoming a donor and an actual rando making a call. > This is probably the most-common ex-politico pitch out of Silicon Valley You ain't wrong XD > On the other hand, I’ve watched numerous bills die on the vine because overworked reps noted no voters picked up the phone or wrote in. That is true, but it requires significant organization. Like if a person is able to organize around 20-50 people calling the same day with the exact same message and show that they are in the same district, then you might have an impact.
  - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
    > With a seat like CA-16 a rando making a call isn't going to have a drastic shift Sure, calling that representative is unlikely to have an effect. I’m talking about every other representative going from getting zero calls on this to one. That increases the chances of the bill (in its initial form) being reïntroduced, ethics investigations, calls for investigations, et cetera. Mostly because it increases the chances of the corrupt representatives’ political opponents connecting the dots. > there's a difference between someone like you who actually has the potential of becoming a donor and an actual rando making a call Nope, talking back when I had no money. (Having money helps get your call through. But just calling enough to gain familiarity and credibility with a staffer grants as much influence as tens of thousands of dollars federally and thousands locally.) > if a person is able to organize around 20-50 people calling the same day with the exact same message and show that they are in the same district, then you might have an impact You may still be over-indexing to federal politics. Zero to one call on a bill or issue can be the difference between a staffer being assigned to look at it or not.
    - alephnerd 2y ago
      > I’m talking about every other representative going from getting zero calls on this to one. That increases the chances of the bill (in its initial form) being reïntroduced, ethics investigations, calls for investigations, et cetera. Mostly because it increases the chances of the corrupt representatives’ political opponents connecting the dots. Fair enough. I'd agree, but it would need to be a sustained campaign or it would peter out. > Having money helps get your call through. But just calling enough to gain familiarity and credibility with a staffer grants as much influence as tens of thousands of dollars federally and thousands locally I 100% agree. Becoming a known quantity helps. > You may still be over-indexing to federal politics Most likely
      - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
        > it would need to be a sustained campaign or it would peter out Not really. You’re trying to light a fire, not stoke it. Sometimes there isn’t kindling. The fact that CA-16 is a donor hotbed leads me to suspect that isn’t the case here.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago

> Calling an office has marginal value as we tended to ignore those kinds of complaints I’ve literally worked to amend legislation as a rando who called in on issues. Few times at the state level. Twice federally. Most electeds are stretched thin; calling out an issue could cause a staffer to dig into it where they previously wouldn’t have. (Also note: these are state offices.) On the other hand, I’ve watched numerous bills die on the vine because overworked reps noted no voters picked up the phone or wrote in. > at that point you may as well donate to their opponent during primaries You’re trying to guide other electeds’ attention to the issue. > I'd love to run on a campaign financing reform platform This is probably the most-common ex-politico pitch out of Silicon Valley.

alephnerd 2y ago
With a seat like CA-16 a rando making a call isn't going to have a drastic shift. It's one of the prime fundraising seats in California due to the Tri-Valley (Danville, Alamo, Orinda, Lafayette, Blackhawk, San Ramon), and the local GOP collapsed after Catherine Baker quit due to Trump and increasingly unfavorable demographics. > I’ve literally worked to amend legislation as a rando who called in on an issue Yeah, but there's a difference between someone like you who actually has the potential of becoming a donor and an actual rando making a call. > This is probably the most-common ex-politico pitch out of Silicon Valley You ain't wrong XD > On the other hand, I’ve watched numerous bills die on the vine because overworked reps noted no voters picked up the phone or wrote in. That is true, but it requires significant organization. Like if a person is able to organize around 20-50 people calling the same day with the exact same message and show that they are in the same district, then you might have an impact.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  > With a seat like CA-16 a rando making a call isn't going to have a drastic shift Sure, calling that representative is unlikely to have an effect. I’m talking about every other representative going from getting zero calls on this to one. That increases the chances of the bill (in its initial form) being reïntroduced, ethics investigations, calls for investigations, et cetera. Mostly because it increases the chances of the corrupt representatives’ political opponents connecting the dots. > there's a difference between someone like you who actually has the potential of becoming a donor and an actual rando making a call Nope, talking back when I had no money. (Having money helps get your call through. But just calling enough to gain familiarity and credibility with a staffer grants as much influence as tens of thousands of dollars federally and thousands locally.) > if a person is able to organize around 20-50 people calling the same day with the exact same message and show that they are in the same district, then you might have an impact You may still be over-indexing to federal politics. Zero to one call on a bill or issue can be the difference between a staffer being assigned to look at it or not.
  - alephnerd 2y ago
    > I’m talking about every other representative going from getting zero calls on this to one. That increases the chances of the bill (in its initial form) being reïntroduced, ethics investigations, calls for investigations, et cetera. Mostly because it increases the chances of the corrupt representatives’ political opponents connecting the dots. Fair enough. I'd agree, but it would need to be a sustained campaign or it would peter out. > Having money helps get your call through. But just calling enough to gain familiarity and credibility with a staffer grants as much influence as tens of thousands of dollars federally and thousands locally I 100% agree. Becoming a known quantity helps. > You may still be over-indexing to federal politics Most likely
    - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
      > it would need to be a sustained campaign or it would peter out Not really. You’re trying to light a fire, not stoke it. Sometimes there isn’t kindling. The fact that CA-16 is a donor hotbed leads me to suspect that isn’t the case here.