Times a thousand, Ali. My rep is the infamous Thomas Massie. I have despised him for all his 14 years pretending to care about the people in KY-4. But I frequently email him with polite suggestions like "abolish ICE." And sincere thanks for actual good deeds like forcing doj to start releasing epstein docs.
Emails arent as effective as phone calls, but staff get paid to keep count of them, and that matters.
Strategically donate a few bucks to folks that could make a difference. For example, Chaz Molder, well-liked Democrat mayor in the heart of deep red Tennessee, is running against Andy Ogles in Tennessee's 5th.
Ogles is an anti-American, anti-muslim "man" whose claims to have been an economist and worked for the police stopping international pedo rings are met with, well, facts to the contrary. He continues to support Jeffrey Epstein's former best friend in everything he does.
“If true, DOGE’s alleged compromise of SSA systems threatens the security of the 2026 election bc the DHS’s “SAVE” voter purge system—which 27 states have already begun using—decides who to purge based on info from SSA’s systems. The GOP’s Save America Act wld force all 50 states to use “SAVE”. 1/”
I live in North Carolina. I wrote Tom Tillis: "If you had showed as much spine before you dropped out of congress, I would have voted for you. Now, all I can say is, good riddance, you coward!"
As for my other senator, Budd, well, he's a lost cause, so ef him!
How should we apply this when calling our Democratic Senators who support Orange Turd's plans by voting unanimously for nominees such as Lil' Marco and vote for Charlie Kirk day but fail to suggest that it be expanded to include Hortman and Hoffman as an anti-political violence day?
Fuck republicons and Schiff and Padilla. And as for Liccardo, has he done anything besides turn Oxygen in Carbon Dioxide since entering the House?
“If true, DOGE’s alleged compromise of SSA systems threatens the security of the 2026 election bc the DHS’s “SAVE” voter purge system—which 27 states have already begun using—decides who to purge based on info from SSA’s systems. The GOP’s Save America Act wld force all 50 states to use “SAVE”. 1/”
Tell those Democrats - IF you can prove it (and AIPAC watch can help) - that you know about their AIPAC money, and if they don't adjust their voting to put Americans' interests in front of what Bibi Netanyahu wants ...
there's a lot of ways you can pick to finish that thought
"Some Republicans in Congress want to go big this year. Don’t count on it happening.
One of the top wishes among GOP House members meeting in Florida this week is a second Republican mega-bill (“reconciliation” in DC talk) that would sidestep Democrats and the Senate filibuster.
Just don’t ask what it would do. Even Republicans can’t say. Which is only one reason to be deeply skeptical of the effort.
President Donald Trump — whose influence is critical to any GOP legislation — spent nearly an hour talking to House Republicans at their agenda-setting retreat Monday, and barely mentioned any new initiatives. The one bill he showed any notable enthusiasm for, requiring proof of citizenship to vote, is stuck in the Senate and going nowhere.
Otherwise all he offered was a passing rehash of the scattershot bills he mentioned at his State of the Union speech last month, and which quickly faded into obscurity.
Yes, the GOP walked a tightrope on reconciliation to pass tax cuts last year with the One Big, Beautiful Bill. But they barely managed that, and it was under far more favorable circumstances. They had the wind at their back after the 2024 election, a rare topic (tax cuts) that unites the GOP, a larger House majority, and an engaged Trump who kept Republicans in line.
None of those factors are at play now as, depending on who you talk to, Republicans hope to address health care, prices, inflation, or something else while navigating a political thicket months before Election Day.
The House majority is so small it frequently fails to pass even routine bills. Some Republicans are retiring or have lost primaries, leaving them less susceptible to Trump’s pressure, while others eye their own reelection needs.
But they want to move a complex bill with many moving parts and potentially divisive topics in an election year, with Trump focused overseas? Good luck." (Bloomberg)
“If true, DOGE’s alleged compromise of SSA systems threatens the security of the 2026 election bc the DHS’s “SAVE” voter purge system—which 27 states have already begun using—decides who to purge based on info from SSA’s systems. The GOP’s Save America Act wld force all 50 states to use “SAVE”. 1/”
She's doing her best to warn ar least half a country that seems clueless to the potential damage because a lot of them have never seen or been taught this kind of authoritarianism before -- or had relatives who lived under Jim Crow, which was in effect a closed fascist state
I'm in Michigan and left two angry (but not threatening) voicemails for my Democrats in the Senate who have been huge disappointments. It was satisfying. Gotta make the calls, y'all
NH is weird. It is generally a red bastion in all its state-level offices, yet all of its federal congresscritters are Democrats. I wish there was a NH GOP person in Washington I could call, but all I’ve got is a couple decent Dems and a couple weak-ass enabling ones. Who I have expressed my opinions to already, but they may be weak-ass but they aren’t protecting the pedophile warmongering fascist. 🤷
On one trip to D.C., my wife set up a meeting with our (Republican) Representative. He was surprisingly gracious when we met, which I expected to last at most 5 minutes. My wife threw out a question about gun control, which led to a conversation lasting half an hour. I doubt we changed his opinion on anything, but he definitely got an earful.
Sometimes a personal encounter with these characters actually is worth the effort.
Can I chime in? I've had a lot of experience calling my Republican senators and House member. A few things I've learned:
• If at all possible, try to talk to a live human being. Settle for voicemail only as a last resort. If you get a recording, keep calling. If you still can't get through, then call back after hours and leave a VM.
• Call multiple offices. House members usually have an office in their district as well as DC. Senators typically have multiple offices across their states. Hit 'em all.
• Definitely remain civil. But that doesn't mean you can't be strident.
• If you happen to have ANY background that could be presented as a Republican credential, use it to your advantage. If you've ever voted for even Republican in the past, let them know. (And if you're an Independent, mention that, too.) If you come from a family of Republicans, mention that, even if you're not one. Many years ago, early in my career, I worked for a communications firm that had the RNC as a client; I was just about the only non-Republican in the firm, but I still play the card when talking to Republican legislators. They're more likely to listen to you if they think you're a Republican or an Independent.
• If you're dealing with a House member or Senator who is utterly hopeless (which is most of them), once you've delivered your message, make it about the assistant you're talking with. You won't change the senator's mind, but you might rattle the aide. For example, I ask the aide if she's a Christian. (She always is.) When she says yes, I ask if she doesn't worry about what it does to her soul to align herself with a senator who supports (pick your issue) kidnapping people off the street because their skin is brown / imprisoning young children in gulag conditions / cutting food and health benefits for poor children / protecting pedophiles. I tell her that she will have to answer for her actions one day, and as a fellow Christian I'm worried about her soul. I can almost promise you that you will notice a change in the tone of the conversation. If nothing else, it gives them something to think about, and I always ask them to pass my concern on to the whole staff. These people tend not to think of themselves as part of an apparatus that does evil. Don't let them run from what they're part of.
• Finally, if you live in a city where the Congress member has an office, the best option of all is to go in person. They will generally send someone out to meet you in the lobby (if their office is a suite in an office building) or invite you into the office to talk. It's a whole different dynamic when they see you face-to-face, and they have to account for their time. Plus, if you're there in person, it will usually be a much longer conversation than if you're on the phone.
Times a thousand, Ali. My rep is the infamous Thomas Massie. I have despised him for all his 14 years pretending to care about the people in KY-4. But I frequently email him with polite suggestions like "abolish ICE." And sincere thanks for actual good deeds like forcing doj to start releasing epstein docs.
Emails arent as effective as phone calls, but staff get paid to keep count of them, and that matters.
How effective is emailing my representatives? Can someone tell me that?
No Republican Congresscritters for me! Go MA! 💙 (for as long as that lasts 🤞)
Also -
Strategically donate a few bucks to folks that could make a difference. For example, Chaz Molder, well-liked Democrat mayor in the heart of deep red Tennessee, is running against Andy Ogles in Tennessee's 5th.
Ogles is an anti-American, anti-muslim "man" whose claims to have been an economist and worked for the police stopping international pedo rings are met with, well, facts to the contrary. He continues to support Jeffrey Epstein's former best friend in everything he does.
https://chazmolder.com
I have a good Rep. I call my Senators all the time, because they're assholes.
Ta, Ali. Vote them ALL out of office. Until then, make calls, send emails, and protest. #Resist.
All of this. Even without the war (!!) and the stealing through the no-bid contracts, and the ICE kidnappings --
do people REALLY understand what is at stake and why people need to call even their Republican Senators to vote against this SAVE Act?
Do people understand that even if we’re registered we would have to RE-REGISTER ALL OVER AGAIN at Donald Trump’s behest
AND
that that would feed your voter data into a system DHS mans, via Palantir, against pretty much every federal & state privacy law currently in place
and that via that system Donald Trump and Palantir would be the entities that would decide whether or not to purge your voting record or not?
Are people getting all that?
Jenny Cohn has this from a DOGE whistleblower’s report
https://bsky.app/profile/jennycohn.bsky.social/post/3mgqouzqj7c2w
“If true, DOGE’s alleged compromise of SSA systems threatens the security of the 2026 election bc the DHS’s “SAVE” voter purge system—which 27 states have already begun using—decides who to purge based on info from SSA’s systems. The GOP’s Save America Act wld force all 50 states to use “SAVE”. 1/”
I live in North Carolina. I wrote Tom Tillis: "If you had showed as much spine before you dropped out of congress, I would have voted for you. Now, all I can say is, good riddance, you coward!"
As for my other senator, Budd, well, he's a lost cause, so ef him!
How should we apply this when calling our Democratic Senators who support Orange Turd's plans by voting unanimously for nominees such as Lil' Marco and vote for Charlie Kirk day but fail to suggest that it be expanded to include Hortman and Hoffman as an anti-political violence day?
Fuck republicons and Schiff and Padilla. And as for Liccardo, has he done anything besides turn Oxygen in Carbon Dioxide since entering the House?
Also --
even without the war (!!) and the stealing through the no-bid contracts, and the ICE kidnappings --
do people REALLY understand what is at stake and why people need to call even their Republican Senators to vote against this SAVE Act?
Do people understand that even if we’re registered we would have to RE-REGISTER ALL OVER AGAIN at Donald Trump’s behest
AND
that that would feed your voter data into a system DHS mans, via Palantir, against pretty much every federal & state privacy law currently in place
and that via that system Donald Trump and Palantir would be the entities that would decide whether or not to purge your voting record or not?
Are people getting all that?
Jenny Cohn has this from a DOGE whistleblower’s report
https://bsky.app/profile/jennycohn.bsky.social/post/3mgqouzqj7c2w
“If true, DOGE’s alleged compromise of SSA systems threatens the security of the 2026 election bc the DHS’s “SAVE” voter purge system—which 27 states have already begun using—decides who to purge based on info from SSA’s systems. The GOP’s Save America Act wld force all 50 states to use “SAVE”. 1/”
Tell those Democrats - IF you can prove it (and AIPAC watch can help) - that you know about their AIPAC money, and if they don't adjust their voting to put Americans' interests in front of what Bibi Netanyahu wants ...
there's a lot of ways you can pick to finish that thought
Yep. I called my representatives. But then I called them all feckless cunts and they hung up. Sorry, can't take assholes seriously.
"Some Republicans in Congress want to go big this year. Don’t count on it happening.
One of the top wishes among GOP House members meeting in Florida this week is a second Republican mega-bill (“reconciliation” in DC talk) that would sidestep Democrats and the Senate filibuster.
Just don’t ask what it would do. Even Republicans can’t say. Which is only one reason to be deeply skeptical of the effort.
President Donald Trump — whose influence is critical to any GOP legislation — spent nearly an hour talking to House Republicans at their agenda-setting retreat Monday, and barely mentioned any new initiatives. The one bill he showed any notable enthusiasm for, requiring proof of citizenship to vote, is stuck in the Senate and going nowhere.
Otherwise all he offered was a passing rehash of the scattershot bills he mentioned at his State of the Union speech last month, and which quickly faded into obscurity.
Yes, the GOP walked a tightrope on reconciliation to pass tax cuts last year with the One Big, Beautiful Bill. But they barely managed that, and it was under far more favorable circumstances. They had the wind at their back after the 2024 election, a rare topic (tax cuts) that unites the GOP, a larger House majority, and an engaged Trump who kept Republicans in line.
None of those factors are at play now as, depending on who you talk to, Republicans hope to address health care, prices, inflation, or something else while navigating a political thicket months before Election Day.
The House majority is so small it frequently fails to pass even routine bills. Some Republicans are retiring or have lost primaries, leaving them less susceptible to Trump’s pressure, while others eye their own reelection needs.
But they want to move a complex bill with many moving parts and potentially divisive topics in an election year, with Trump focused overseas? Good luck." (Bloomberg)
Even without the war (!!) and the stealing through the no-bid contracts, and the ICE kidnappings --
do people REALLY understand what is at stake and why people need to call even their Republican Senators to vote against this SAVE Act?
Do people understand that even if we’re registered we would have to RE-REGISTER ALL OVER AGAIN at Donald Trump’s behest
AND
that that would feed your voter data into a system DHS mans, via Palantir, against pretty much every federal & state privacy law currently in place
and that via that system Donald Trump and Palantir would be the entities that would decide whether or not to purge your voting record or not?
Are people getting all that?
Jenny Cohn has this from a DOGE whistleblower’s report
https://bsky.app/profile/jennycohn.bsky.social/post/3mgqouzqj7c2w
“If true, DOGE’s alleged compromise of SSA systems threatens the security of the 2026 election bc the DHS’s “SAVE” voter purge system—which 27 states have already begun using—decides who to purge based on info from SSA’s systems. The GOP’s Save America Act wld force all 50 states to use “SAVE”. 1/”
Great reporting. It all seems overwhelming to this old man
Jenny is brilliant
She's doing her best to warn ar least half a country that seems clueless to the potential damage because a lot of them have never seen or been taught this kind of authoritarianism before -- or had relatives who lived under Jim Crow, which was in effect a closed fascist state
I will start following her on BlueSky where I have a small presence but have been fairly inactive the last few months.
Her feed will keep you busy
Her work is meticulously detailed
I became first familiar with it when she worked with Stacey Abrams' Fair Election Alliance
Abrams is another person I hope rises to high political office.
Lies …. The WH says never happened.
I'm in Michigan and left two angry (but not threatening) voicemails for my Democrats in the Senate who have been huge disappointments. It was satisfying. Gotta make the calls, y'all
Is Peters retiring? Or just giving up DSCC chairmanship?
NH is weird. It is generally a red bastion in all its state-level offices, yet all of its federal congresscritters are Democrats. I wish there was a NH GOP person in Washington I could call, but all I’ve got is a couple decent Dems and a couple weak-ass enabling ones. Who I have expressed my opinions to already, but they may be weak-ass but they aren’t protecting the pedophile warmongering fascist. 🤷
Thank you for those tips. I'll take your advice, and do my best to refrain from calling Nick Langworthy (NY23). a liar who has no shame.
On one trip to D.C., my wife set up a meeting with our (Republican) Representative. He was surprisingly gracious when we met, which I expected to last at most 5 minutes. My wife threw out a question about gun control, which led to a conversation lasting half an hour. I doubt we changed his opinion on anything, but he definitely got an earful.
Sometimes a personal encounter with these characters actually is worth the effort.
Can I chime in? I've had a lot of experience calling my Republican senators and House member. A few things I've learned:
• If at all possible, try to talk to a live human being. Settle for voicemail only as a last resort. If you get a recording, keep calling. If you still can't get through, then call back after hours and leave a VM.
• Call multiple offices. House members usually have an office in their district as well as DC. Senators typically have multiple offices across their states. Hit 'em all.
• Definitely remain civil. But that doesn't mean you can't be strident.
• If you happen to have ANY background that could be presented as a Republican credential, use it to your advantage. If you've ever voted for even Republican in the past, let them know. (And if you're an Independent, mention that, too.) If you come from a family of Republicans, mention that, even if you're not one. Many years ago, early in my career, I worked for a communications firm that had the RNC as a client; I was just about the only non-Republican in the firm, but I still play the card when talking to Republican legislators. They're more likely to listen to you if they think you're a Republican or an Independent.
• If you're dealing with a House member or Senator who is utterly hopeless (which is most of them), once you've delivered your message, make it about the assistant you're talking with. You won't change the senator's mind, but you might rattle the aide. For example, I ask the aide if she's a Christian. (She always is.) When she says yes, I ask if she doesn't worry about what it does to her soul to align herself with a senator who supports (pick your issue) kidnapping people off the street because their skin is brown / imprisoning young children in gulag conditions / cutting food and health benefits for poor children / protecting pedophiles. I tell her that she will have to answer for her actions one day, and as a fellow Christian I'm worried about her soul. I can almost promise you that you will notice a change in the tone of the conversation. If nothing else, it gives them something to think about, and I always ask them to pass my concern on to the whole staff. These people tend not to think of themselves as part of an apparatus that does evil. Don't let them run from what they're part of.
• Finally, if you live in a city where the Congress member has an office, the best option of all is to go in person. They will generally send someone out to meet you in the lobby (if their office is a suite in an office building) or invite you into the office to talk. It's a whole different dynamic when they see you face-to-face, and they have to account for their time. Plus, if you're there in person, it will usually be a much longer conversation than if you're on the phone.
These are fantastic points.