5 ms·
If you really want to get Feinstein's attention, an internet petition, even an incredibly well-written one like TFA, isn't likely to do much. You need to pick u
by rosser 13y ago
If you really want to get Feinstein's attention, an internet petition, even an incredibly well-written one like TFA, isn't likely to do much. You need to pick up the phone and interact with a human being in her office, making sure that person understands the importance of this issue to you, one of her constituents.
If her staffers start being effectively being DDoSed from doing their jobs by phone calls about NSA surveillance, she will hear about it.
Source: my cousin and his wife were both Senate staffers for a number of years.
- lambdasquirrel 13y agoSo a logistics question then. How many staffers are there for a typical Senator's office?
- testrun 13y agoI do not agree. The SOPA petition worked. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sopa-petition-gets-millions-of-signatures-as-internet-piracy-legislation-protests-continue/2012/01/19/gIQAHaAyBQ_story.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sopa-petition...)
- otterley 13y agoI suspect the SOPA petition alone was less effective than Google asking users to phone their Congressperson on every single search result page.
- rhizome 13y agoMy belief is that silly internet petitions such as this are designed to steer people away from more effective techniques.
- enraged_camel 13y agoNot only that, but they also give people the impression that they did something useful and meaningful. So they are doubly dangerous.
- rhizome 13y agoI wouldn't be surprised if the page was created by Feinstein's staffers.
- rubbingalcohol 13y agoYour comments on this subject are less than worthless. Anyone who has been paying attention knows that Feinstein is a cancer on our democracy who needs to go. ANYTHING that raises awareness of her shadiness is better than nothing. Trying to tear down the hard work of activists when you yourself have brought nothing to the table is just pathetic. Shame on Feinstein and shame on you.
- nicarus1984 13y agoCriticism, disagreement, and debate bring about more awareness on the topic and generally invites people to derive their own thoughts and opinions on the subject. For that you should be thanking him rather than shaming them.
- rhizome 13y agoANYTHING that raises awareness of her shadiness is better than nothing I disagree. Wasted effort is worse than nothing, it's a net negative. I suggest a Kickstarter to fund a lobbyist.
- ams6110 13y agoYes. If Feinstein is a "cancer on our democracy" why are we bothering with a petition or calling her office? What is that going to accomplish? You think you can talk her into resigning with a petition? You shoud be spending your energies raising awareness, yes... but with the objective of voting her out of office, not voicing a disagreement with her position.
- rhizome 13y agoIf you think about it in a results-oriented manner, in order to "vote her out," what is needed is an opponent whose strengths outweigh the forces keeping her in place. Next on the list of possibilities as I see them is to create a force of voice that she must listen to. I don't think an internet petition is as effective here (keep in mind that the vast majority of IPs have zero effect, so the odds are against this one), so the alternative is purchasing enough vocal power to drown out the lobbyists who have her ear and direct her toward unfavorable positions. An ideological position based on the malleable concept of representative democracy is already on shaky ground, so putting oneself in her place, learning about her motivations, and playing to those will operate the machinery of predictable political action much more efficiently. "Know your enemy" is a better action-plan than "designate an enemy and say the same thing as you would with anybody else." In other words, calling her a "cancer" isn't enough.
- zmanian 13y agoWe've evaluated our options for influencing Feinstein's office directly and there is no precedent for a citizen movement causing the Senator to change a publically announced position. We are trying to adopt a strategy more like the 2nd Amendment groups to discredit and delegitimize.
- refurb 13y ago2nd amendment groups like the NRA use the direct method, not petitions. They send out pre-written postcards for the member to fill out and send in. They also send out contact information for all the member gov't representatives, phone numbers included, and tell them to call. The grandparent is right. Give people the number to Feinstein's office and tell them to call and say: 1. I live in Feinstein's district 2. I oppose X 3. If Feinstein votes for X, I will vote against her next election. The call can take less than 1 minute, but her staff will record the comments and present them to Diane.
- jff 13y agoRuger actually set up a site where you could put in your zip code and get back your representatives all the way up the tree to the President. Then, if you wanted, they provided a form for entering your information and any personal comments, and would send an email to all your representatives on your behalf.
- zmanian 13y agoEFF has a great action site on this issue. https://action.eff.org/o/9042/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=9437 https://action.eff.org/o/9042/p/dia/action3/common/public/?a...
- rhizome 13y agoAre you saying that internet petitions have been effective for specific 2nd Amendment issues? Cite?
- zmanian 13y agoIf all we were about was building a petition site I'd agree with you. Restore the Fourth SF has already written an SF City Council resolutions, gotten an Apple Shareholder proposal and organized two public protests. This is just the opening salvo of our efforts to specifically target Senator Feinstein. Tangible public interest gives currency and credibility when talking to the press and other activist groups.