Give Us Liberty Page 19

  In his heart, C.L. is a proud American who believes our best days are still ahead of us if we stay true to our founding principles and committed to the values that made us strong. “My early activities were inspired by Frederick Douglass,” he explains. “Douglass believed in equal opportunity, individual freedom, and liberty. We should strive to live up to his courageous example and fight for what we believe is right.”

  For C.L., the Santelli rant was a call to arms. He started hearing rumors about upcoming local tea parties and found an event coming up in Shreveport, so he decided to go and see for himself. The Tea Party movement had found a new member.

  “The organizers thanked me and asked me if I’d like to say a few words,” he explained. “After the confrontation, I was fired up.” C.L. spoke again in Shreveport at a July 4 event and again his words were inspiring to the Tea Party nation. Someone in the crowd videotaped the message and it was soon forwarded to activists across the country.

  “I started to get questions from the press,” C.L. said. “They wanted to know why I would be involved with the movement.” The premise of the question insulted C.L. It was based on the assumption that an African American couldn’t possibly identify with a conservative, small government message.

  Undaunted, C.L. started to attend more events. Brendan Steinhauser of FreedomWorks saw footage of his speeches and invited him to appear on the main stage at the 9/12 march on Washington.

  “I said that Americans, regardless of race, gender, or circumstance, would not be ruled over. Our freedoms come from our Creator, not the government. I believe politics has become about walls of divisiveness to keep us separated. I wanted to invoke the spirit of Reagan to tear down these walls.”

  6. LOBBYING ELECTED OFFICIALS

  EVERYONE IS FAMILIAR WITH the slick, well-funded special interest lobbyists who constantly roam the halls of congressional office buildings in Washington, D.C., and your state capital. But in the eyes of elected officials, the most effective lobbyists are their constituents. Politicians are keenly aware of the fact that it is their constituents who hold the keys to their political futures. As a result, constituent concerns are of prime importance to politicians. The best way you can affect the outcome of legislation is to directly communicate your views to your lawmakers.

  We believe that government goes to those who show up. If you aren’t the ones showing up in your lawmaker’s office, on the phone, and in the mailbox, those that are showing up are the entrenched special interest groups that don’t necessarily have your best interests in mind. The simple act of making a visit to your local district office, or making a phone call can make a big difference. Most offices have a formula when it comes to constituent contact. For instance, one phone call equals another hundred people who feel the same way, so your voice is magnified many times over.

  Effective grassroots lobbying can be done at the local, state, and national levels. The same general principles apply, and the following advice can be read in that context.

  Remember, lawmakers work for you (and since the number-one concern of all politicians is to get reelected, be sure you communicate your concerns with your own elected officials first). To assist you, this section provides you with tips on effective communication strategies with your elected officials.

  Knowing Your Lawmaker’s Office

  Whether local, state, or federal, the personnel of the offices of your elected officials are similar. Most legislators have a staff to assist him or her during his or her term in office. To be effective in communicating with these offices, it is useful to know the titles and principal functions of the staff. Commonly used titles include the following:

  Administrative Assistant or Chief of Staff

  This staff person reports directly to the member of Congress or state legislator. He or she usually has overall responsibility for evaluating the political outcome of various legislative proposals and constituent requests. This person is in charge of overall office operations, including the assignment of work and the supervision of key staff. You should always attempt to speak to this person if you can’t speak directly to the legislator. The next time you are in Washington, D.C., be sure to stop by your congressional and senate offices and pick up business cards with contact information for key staff members, usually available at the reception desk.

  Legislative Director or Legislative Assistant

  The legislative director is usually the staff person who monitors the legislative schedule and makes recommendations regarding the pros and cons of particular issues. In some congressional offices there are several legislative assistants and responsibilities are assigned to staff with particular expertise in specific areas. For example, depending on the responsibilities and interests of the legislator, an office may include a different legislative assistant for health issues, environmental matters, taxes, and so on. If you can’t get ahold of the administrative assistant or chief of staff, the legislative director or legislative assistants are your second most important points of contact with the legislator’s office.

  Press Secretary or Communications Director

  The press secretary’s responsibility is to build and maintain open and effective lines of communication between the legislator, his or her constituency, and the general public. The press secretary is expected to know the benefits, demands, and special requirements of both print and electronic media, and how to most effectively promote the legislator’s views or position on specific issues. This person is often the most sensitive to bad PR or good PR, so keep that in mind when you are trying to get a public statement of some kind from the lawmaker. Often a well-placed call to the press secretary will go a long way to making sure that the legislator faces bad PR if he or she goes against the wishes of his or her constituents.

  Personal Secretary or Scheduler

  The scheduler is usually responsible for allocating a legislator’s time among the many demands that arise from congressional responsibilities, staff requirements, and constituent requests. The scheduler may also be responsible for making necessary travel arrangements, arranging speaking dates and visits to the district, and so on. If you are looking for dates and times of town hall meetings or if you would like to invite your legislator to speak at or attend one of your events, call his or her office and ask to speak to the scheduler. There is often a district or state scheduler as well for congresspeople and senators.

  Caseworker

  The caseworker is the staff member usually assigned to help with constituent requests by preparing replies for the legislator’s signature. The caseworker’s responsibilities may also include helping resolve problems that constituents present in relation to federal agencies, such as Social Security and Medicare issues, veteran’s benefits, passports, and so on. There are often several caseworkers in a congressional office.

  Other staff titles

  Other titles used in a congressional office may include executive assistant, legislative correspondent, executive secretary, office manager, and receptionist. The legislative correspondents, or LCs, usually are the ones who write responses to constituent letters and e-mails. If you can’t reach the chief of staff, legislative director, or legislative assistants, try to talk to an LC who works on the issue that you are concerned about.

  Grassroots Lobbying Tips

  The most effective way to articulate your views to your elected officials and to affect the outcome of legislation is to sit down and speak with your legislators face-to-face (or with their key staff if they are not available). Usually, either one-on-one meetings or small groups is best. While these personal visits are extremely productive, they also require the most amount of planning. Here are some things to remember:

  IF YOU ALREADY HAVE APPOINTMENTS SCHEDULED with your lawmakers, be on time.

  EXPLAIN HOW THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION WILL directly affect you. Use specific examples.

  ALWAYS BE POLITE. YOU WILL NEVER CONVINCE your lawmaker or their staff with rudeness, vulgarity, or threats. Even if you disagr
ee with the position of your legislator, be courteous and calm. There will be other issues in the future and you’ll want to be able to meet with the legislator again.

  FOLLOW UP YOUR VISIT WITH A LETTER. REGARDless of how your meeting goes, send a letter to your legislator or the staff person you met thanking him or her for their time and reiterating the points you discussed. This gesture will help the cause and pave the way for future meetings.

  In my role as legislative liaison for North Carolina FreedomWorks, I monitor the North Carolina General Assembly. When issues of interest to our more than forty thousand activists arise, I e-mail a copy of the proposed legislation and a FreedomWorks analysis. Activists visit legislators in their home districts, attend committee meetings to speak for or against the proposal (often filling every chair in a committee room), go door to door at the legislature speaking with legislators, send letters and e-mails, and make telephone calls. North Carolina FreedomWorks activists are known for virtually shutting down the e-mail and voice mail systems at the North Carolina General Assembly. But it takes coordinated efforts to make an impact in this way. That’s why I think that it’s important that other groups have legislative liaisons as well.

  —KATHY HARTKOPF, HILLSBOROUGH, NORTH CAROLINA

  Writing Your Elected Officials

  If you haven’t communicated with an elected official before, and you want to get started, the simplest thing you can do is utilize the results-oriented method of letter writing. A letter is an easy way for you to let lawmakers know your views as a voting constituent on specific issues, encourage them to vote your way, and let them know you’ll watch how they vote on a particular issue and keep that vote in mind when it comes time for their reelection.

  Try to keep your letter short and to the point, with just enough facts and figures to further enhance your statement. Never lie or make a statement you can’t back up with evidence. Always let your lawmakers know how a specific issue will affect you; make sure they understand that you live and vote in their district or state, and therefore, what affects you may affect other constituents as well.

  Always use the letterhead of your local group and identify yourself as the chapter leader when writing your elected officials. Handwritten letters are best in the age of e-mail and faxes. A handwritten letter will stick out, and usually legislative offices require their staff to send a response to all handwritten letters. One tactic that FreedomWorks has used to great effect is delivering handwritten letters to congressional district offices. Your group can collect letters from friends, families, and colleagues and schedule a time to hand-deliver them to your congressman’s district office. This is a great activity for your organization to do in order to communicate your views to elected officials.

  Here are the four important things to remember when writing your letters:

  HOW TO ADDRESS YOUR REPRESENTATIVE: Address your letters to “The Honorable ———,” and begin the letter “Dear Senator” or “Dear Representative.” If writing to a committee chairman or Speaker of the House, address them as “Mr. Chairman” / “Madam Chairwoman” or “Mr. Speaker” / “Madam Speaker.”

  BE BRIEF, SPECIFIC, AND COURTEOUS: Ideally, letters shouldn’t exceed one page, and the purpose of your letter should be stated clearly in the first paragraph. If your letter pertains to specific legislation, identify it accordingly. To make sure your letter is as productive as possible, always be courteous, even if you disagree with the lawmaker’s position.

  ASK THEM TO RESPOND: Always ask for a response of some kind to your letter. You’ll want a hardcopy of your legislator’s positions on these issues for future reference and to document his or her positions.

  WHEN IN DOUBT, ASK FREEDOMWORKS: Remember that the resources of the FreedomWorks national office are at your disposal. The grassroots team always stands ready to assist you. If you need ideas on what to write, or even if you have problems locating the mailing address, contact FreedomWorks and we will be happy to assist you.

  Faxing

  Nearly all state legislators and U.S. senators and representatives have public fax numbers, but we are always available to assist you in acquiring a fax number that you cannot find. Faxing allows you to send a full, letter-length message to your lawmaker in a matter of minutes. When preparing a fax message to a lawmaker, follow the same basic guidelines used when mailing a letter via regular mail. You also want to make sure your fax number is clearly visible, in case your legislator wishes to respond to you via fax.

  Be sure to call the office and follow up on your faxed letter. Make sure that the office received it and ask for a written response from your lawmaker. Group leaders should coordinate campaigns to fax dozens of letters to lawmakers right before a critical vote. This can be a very effective tactic in the days leading up to a vote on an important issue that you care about. These minicampaigns should also be employed when coverage of the issue picks up in the media or when there are committee meetings about the bill that you are concerned with.

  E-mail

  E-mail allows you to communicate with your legislators in the quickest and easiest manner. Unfortunately, because of the incredible volume of e-mail legislators on the state and federal levels receive, the impact of an individual e-mail as opposed to an individual letter is limited. This does not mean that e-mailing your elected officials is useless as a lobbying tactic. It just takes large amounts of e-mail on an issue to catch the legislator’s attention.

  Large e-mail campaigns that generate short, simple messages at a critical time (such as right before a vote or election) can have a huge impact and make great activities for your chapter. Alternatively, try to gain access to the e-mail addresses of the legislative staff. Your e-mail will more likely be read and recorded if you are in direct contact with them. Again, follow the basic guidelines for a written letter when you send an e-mail message.

  ACTIVIST SPOTLIGHT: DEBBIE DOOLEY AND JENNY BETH MARTIN

  Back in the 1980s, Debbie Dooley was proud to vote for Reagan. It’s been a long time since the Atlanta native has felt the same pride in the voter’s booth. Over the years, Debbie had became equally disgusted with both parties. But two things changed to draw her back into the process: the birth of her grandson and the bailouts following the housing crisis.

  The only problem was that she had no idea how to hold an event and did not know if she could find anyone else to join her. “I contacted FreedomWorks and found out about a conference call for folks looking to host tea parties across the nation. I got a chance to meet folks on that call who felt the same way I did—even a few in Atlanta.”

  One of the other participants was Jenny Beth Martin from Atlanta. The two connected and got to work.

  Jenny Beth had always been politically active and was a veteran of the fight against big government. But the recession was taking a toll on the family and affected her ability to take part. Still struggling to get by, Jenny Beth eventually got involved with Smart Girl Politics, a national network of conservative women. Soon after, she encountered Debbie Dooley on the FreedomWorks call. The next day, Debbie secured a demonstration permit. In less than a week, a Tea Party was scheduled in Atlanta for February 27, 2009.

  On the day of the event, rain poured on the statehouse steps. They had no stage, no sound system. They used a nearby statue as a podium. Despite all the challenges, more than 300 citizens arrived to proclaim their opposition to the reckless government spending.

  Debbie and Jenny Beth threw themselves into the cause and became more involved with FreedomWorks and the growing Tea Party patriots group. In addition to a full-time job, Debbie estimated she was spending thirty hours a week on the cause. “I didn’t even have time for TV anymore,” she said with a laugh. “Aside from watching University of Alabama football games, of course. We have to have some priorities in life.”

  Phone Calls

  As bills move through the legislative process, you will find there simply isn’t enough time to write your legislators immediately before a key vote on a cer
tain issue. When you need to get in touch with your legislator immediately to let him or her know of your support for lower taxes, less government, and more freedom, your telephone calls become the most effective means of communicating your views. During the months-long debate over Obamacare, FreedomWorks members placed hundreds of thousands of phone calls to lawmakers in Washington and around the country. The phone lines were so busy during some days that the Capitol switchboard was giving everyone busy signals. When that happens, we encourage our members to start calling local, district offices.

  Here are four things to remember when calling your elected officials:

  IDENTIFY YOURSELF AS A CONSTITUENT: As someone who lives and votes in the district or state, your phone calls carry the most weight. Calls to representatives outside your district or state are helpful as well, but be sure to contact your legislators first. Encourage your friends and fellow activists to call after you have placed yours.

  STATE YOUR POINT QUICKLY AND CLEARLY: Be sure to limit your telephone call to one subject, and be brief and specific. Your phone call should last only a few minutes. Let your legislator know why you’re calling, giving a specific bill number if possible. As with any communication with your elected officials, remember to always be courteous.

  REQUEST THAT YOUR LEGISLATOR FOLLOW UP WITH A LETTER: Be sure to give your name and home address and request that your legislator follow up with a letter. You took the time to call, so ask your legislator to take the time to respond. Be sure to get the name of the person you talked to. Remember that the chief of staff, legislative director, and legislative assistants are the people who you should ask for when you call.

  IDENTIFY YOURSELF AS THE LEADER OF YOUR LOCAL GROUP: Over time this will begin to resonate with the offices of elected officials as you build relationships with them. As your group grows in strength and gains credibility, the fact that you are calling on behalf of your group will mean much more. Organized activists make a much bigger impact working together than they do working alone. And your legislators know this, which is why you should remember to mention that you are involved with a local group.