Is this typical? People answering the phones for Congress don't

[liveoaktx]

know jack about the congressional opinions so that you have to either be transferred or get a callback from someone in the know?

I'm irritated. In the last session, I tried calling my Rep's office to find out how he was going to vote on DOMA. Nobody knew, there was no one to answer the question, no one knew if the Rep was going to be on the floor that day, nothing. When said Rep was running for Congress, he told the happy crowd "Just call my office anytime and we'll answer your questions".

So, because he's having a town hall meeting this week, I call up, first, the local office, who tell me they don't have anything to do with legislative issues and don't know where he stands. I call up the DC office and the person answering the phone doesn't know either but will have someone call me back.

It seems to me (RANT)that the people answering the phone ought to know some basics-like HOW THEIR REP VOTED and second, a position on something as critical as Social security.

But is this simply MY rep?

[LiberalEsto]

1. They've all been outsourced

to India.

Sorry.

[demnan]

2. The people working in these offices

are usually not in the know about the Congressman's schedule. There is an older lady in just about every Congressional Office though, who is the Congressman's scheduler. Ask to speak to the scheduler, or if the person answering the phone can check with the scheduler.

As far as legislative issues are concerned, the chief of staff probably knows all the answers - if he/she is a good chief of staff then the office is informed. Each Congressman also has a website: http://www.house.gov and you can check there for information on the issues - someone in the office may have done the website, but a lot of this work is also done by the House Information Systems Staff.