The Best Ways to Get the Word Out About a New Health Care Bill
You probably didn’t hear much about the Senate version of the health bill because a small committee worked on it in secret . They are currently planning zero public hearings and are trying to send them to the Congressional Budget Office before releasing any text to the American people. If you think this is not okay – regardless of your attitude to healthcare – it’s time to get those phones back in your hands.
Your first call should be to your senator’s main number (in the state or Washington office, that’s fine). To get bonus points, call or ask your health care worker – there is a list here.
Appeals have the greatest impact if your Senator is one of the Republicans who are writing the bill . You can also name the moderate Republicans who are most likely to be influenced . But what if your personal senators are not on any of these lists? First, call yourself anyway; add a dot to their “voters who are crazy about it” count. Then take action to connect with other people.
It’s tricky, though: calling out a congressman who doesn’t represent your state or district is pretty much a waste of time. So how do you get the message across to the leaders of the House of Representatives, Senate, or the head of a committee? There are three things you can do, whether you are worried about medical care or other concerns:
- Connect with the job title , not the person . A member of Congress’s phone number is for voters, not the general public. Leave these lines open and instead look around the office for the position they occupy. I can’t seem to find such a number for Mitch McConnell, but there is a telephone line for the Speaker of the House that is different from Paul Ryan’s usual number. And instead of pestering Nancy Pelosi, write or call theDemocratic leader’s office . Each committee also has its own contact information. You can call any House Intelligence Committee leader, for example, without having to clog MP Nunez or Schiff’s phone lines.
- Ask the representative to put pressure on the person who bothers you. This works best if you have a member of Congress who shares your views on the issue. Let them know that you care about what is going on and ask them how they are going to confront their colleagues.
- Let your friends pick up the phone. Any pick words for Pat Toomey? Write to a friend in Pennsylvania and explain why they should pick up the phone. Want to send a message to Lindsay Graham? See if your South Carolina buddy agrees with you and convince him to call or write. Involving others in politics is not cheating; these are all part of how democracy works. But don’t be surprised if your friend disagrees with you. In the end, each of us gets our vote.
These three tactics are effective ways to get your message across. Citizens who live in areas where famous politicians live will be glad that their phone lines are not so heavily loaded, and you will not waste your time on phone calls that are not recorded.