I’m a conflict-averse person and find it very uncomfortable to call strangers on the phone. So, it’s a big step for me to call my congressmen. I’ve emailed them on a few occasions despite understanding that if you really want to make a dent, calling is better. But I’ve always resisted out of personal discomfort and by telling myself it won’t make a difference.
It very well may not. But I felt like a hypocrite if I claimed to take seriously the things happening in Washington yet couldn’t take a small step like this to make my voice heard to people who are actually in a position to do something about it. So today I called my Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, and my Representative John Carter. The first two were just voicemails, but the second call went straight to a staffer at Carter’s office.
I shared the same message with all of them, which I’ve copied below. It may have been a bit too verbose (I understand that quantity is probably more effective than quality since ultimately these are just being tallied into a summary report about constituent sentiment on particular issues) but since this was my first one, I had a bit to get off my chest ;). I hope to make more calls in the future where I’ll be more concise and targeted. Here was my message:
Hi, I am a resident of [City, State] and feel compelled to register my extreme displeasure to what's happening in Washington right now. I strongly urge [NAME] to stand up and do their job as a member of what's supposed to be an independent and co-equal branch of government in checking executive overreach. President Trump is dismantling major sources of our soft power around the world by effectively neutering USAID and has let an unelected billionaire corruptly and carelessly do incredible harm to critically important federal agencies through indiscriminate layoffs and morale-killing disrespect. Perhaps most importantly, though, is his utter rejection of the principles of every past American President of our lifetimes, perhaps most clearly represented by Ronald Reagan. I am disgusted by this administration's cowardly submission to Vladimir Putin and its slander of the heroic Ukrainians. Despite their disappointing failure to stand up to Trump's corrupt and lawless behavior in the past, I had thought at least this would be a red line for Republicans like [NAME]. I sincerely hope he starts to speak out against this dangerous and anti-American behavior soon and uses his leverage as a congressman to stand up for the values I thought we held dear. Thank you.
For the voicemails, it was very easy to select the right extension for recording this kind of message and the automated instructions stated what personal information they needed (zip, city, etc.). For the staffer I spoke to, I simply said I wanted to leave a message for the Congressman, she took a few bits of information and let me speak, then promised to share my message. It was all very painless and didn’t involve any waiting on hold in my case.
If you are also concerned about what are leaders are doing in our name, I encourage you to add your voice by calling your congresspeople as well (especially if they’re Republicans as their resistance will be more meaningful). You can find their contact info here, or you can check out the website 5 Calls which provides this information along with suggested scripts for current issues you may care about, if you prefer that approach.