How do you get your State representatives to listen to you?

[Dem Agog]

I tried calling up my state's two Senators today, both Republicans. I called their DC offices and spoke to the people who answered the phones.

I gave them my name, said I was a constituent, and that I wanted them to pass along the message that I felt they should support, and if necessary take action to instigate, a move to impeach the President.

They're both Republicans (South Carolina, oh joy). The people who answered the phones just sounded bored. "Okay I'll pass that along, thanks. Bye."

The first one asked what city I was from. The second one didn't ask that.

How do you get them to listen?

[Debi]

1. Hold a 'coffee' at your house, invite all your family and friends

and have everyone give them lots of money. Then they will listen to you. :eyes:

[Skidmore]

2. Try this

and let me know the response.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4713346

[shraby]

3. Let them know you are a Republican.

If they think Republicans are yelling, they might listen.

[LaurenG]

4. As far as I know you DON'T

I have tried everything to get mine to listen but they are way too small in the brain to consider any point of view but their own. I think it comes from having their republican heads placed deeply inside the ass of president *bush.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Tell them you'll give them $50k for their re-election campaign!

[whistle]

6. Put salt on their tails......no government official listens to voters...

...anymore, they listen to their bosses and lobbyists who pay them bribes, then try to convince voters that what they are doing is helping us.

Think about it, the country has 297.8 million people, represented by 434 House of Representative Congress people and 100 Senators. That is an average of 552,060 per Congress person, they don't give a rat's ass about common folk, they only care about the top 5% of the wealthiest of their constituents and the most influential lobbyists who will pay these corrupt bastards off.

Until the people have representation based on ten times the number of federal Representatives (yes, that's correct, at least 5,340 congress persons) we will see nothing flowing down to average Americans in our lifetimes. Next to go will be unions and then social security and bingo an underprivileged class like the U.S. has not known in over a century and a half.

[Dem Agog]

7. Okay so then my 2nd question...

Why bother calling or contacting them at all?

I see lots of people here yelling about calling our Senators, but if the truth is they don't listen, why bother?

Should I just ignore those calls to action?

[MaineDem]

8. Good luck

Ask to speak with a Legislative Aide rather than the intern who answers the phone. Won't always work but worth a try.

Heck, ask to speak with the Senator's Chief of Staff.

Call your local in-state office and ask to speak with a Regional Representative, again instead of the intern answering the phone. Locally, though, you're more likely to get a full-time staffer answering.

Bottom line, though, unless you have a connection you're probably just one more call with not a lot of weight behind it. Like all of us. Sad, isn't it?

They do log the calls and count the pros and cons.