The E-Mail I sent Nancy Skinner (Dem Candidate for 9th District, MI)

[IdaBriggs]

Ms. Skinner is running against entrenched Republican incumbent Joe Knollenberg, Bush Patsy. Her website is here: http://www.nancyskinner.campaignoffice.com/index.asp I am currently awaiting her reply. *I have cross posted this in the General Discussion: Politics forum, because I want to know what other (non-Michigan) people think of my questions.*

Subject: I am interested in where you stand on seven issues:

1) The War on Iraq -- if elected, will you pledge to attend the funeral of every service person in your district who is killed in the Iraqi war? Do you know how many our district has already sacrificed? Do you plan on visiting our wounded veterans? What is your stance on providing services to veterans who are homeless, or otherwise financially devastated after providing their services to our country? What is your opinion on the situation created by toxic exposure to "depleted uranium"? And what do you plan on doing to help get us out of the mess that has been created?

2) The (upcoming) War in Iran -- what is your stance on dropping nuclear weapons on Iran? What is your view of "bunker buster" bombs? What level of awareness of the culture and history of the Middle East can you provide that will help prevent future diplomatic faux paus?

3) Republican Corruption -- how do you want it investigated? What do you plan on doing about it if elected? How can *YOU* personally, as an elected representative of our district, impact this issue? For example, there are numerous reports in the newspapers about "missing money" that has been given to companies who did not provide promised services for 9/11, the Iraq war, and Hurricane Katrina relief -- how do you plan on addressing these issues?

4) Impeachment -- where do you stand? Are you aware of the reports by Representative Conyers? Do you plan on supporting impeachment proceedings if elected? Are you aware of the legal investigations that have already been completed that support impeachment? Or are you one of the "let's win in 2008" folks?

5) Bush's Character -- do you believe George W. Bush is a good man? Do you believe he has intentionally misled this country into an unnecessary war?

6) Climate Change / Global Warming -- what do think about the science behind Al Gore's new film, "An Inconvenient Truth?" What do you think you can do to help with this issue?

7) Election Integrity -- what is your stand on "the glitch factor" that keeps favoring Republican candidates? Are you aware of the number of convicted computer felons who are currently employed by the two companies who are responsible for counting our votes? What is your stance on "voting" being privatized in such a fashion? Are you aware of how many of the 42,000 "problems" reported by www.verifiedvoting.org in 2004, how many of them were 'machine' related, or how many of them occurred in Michigan? And what is your opinion of this piece of information regarding the Max Cleland / Saxby Chambliss senate race in 2002?

Accusations of fraud have been made in a Project Censored article, claiming that "On Nov. 3, 2002, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll showed Democratic Sen. Max Cleland with a 49-to-44 point lead over Republican Rep. Saxby Chambliss. The next day, Chambliss, despite trailing by 5 points, ended up winning by a margin of 53 to 46 percent. This was, in other words, an unbelievable 12-point turn around over the course of one day!" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Cleland )

I am not going to number this last question, but I am going to ask it anyway:

Do you believe that honestly answering any of the above questions would cost you votes in our district?

Respectfully,
Ida M. Briggs
w/Contact Info

[SharonRB]

1. Hi, Ida

I will be at her office on Sunday if you'd like me to hand deliver a copy.

:hi:

[IdaBriggs]

2. That would be sweet! What will you be doing there?

Is this a volunteer thing?

[SharonRB]

3. Yes, I've been volunteering on her campaign

On Sunday we'll be there doing e-mail blasts, etc. for people to vote for her in the DFA runoff on Monday. I'll have lots of reminders in various places around DU.

I'll print out your post and bring it with me. Not sure if she'll be there Sunday or not, but I'll be sure she gets it. You do know that's an awful lot of very specific questions, though.

[IdaBriggs]

4. Yup. I really want to know where she stands on stuff.

I am *not* interested in supporting a politician of any stripe who will "take the safe approach" -- I want someone who will stand up for what she believes in, and tell me what she's interested in. I get that everyone has an agenda for why they are going to Washington -- I want to know if she thinks she's going there to do the same type of job that I think she should be doing.

Its coming down to this for me -- will I vote for her in the fall against Joe? Damn straight. Will I volunteer my time, energy and maybe some money to get her elected? Only if I think she's worth my time.

I'd like to meet her, personally. I would love to sit down and talk with her about my questions -- on the record. These are important questions; I want some answers.

[skinner4congress]

5. Hi Ida

As you may know, Nancy started as an environmentalist and pioneered progressive radio to get our voices heard. She would be happy to address any questions you may have. Please understand, however, that much of your support is needed. Things are very hectic at the office right now, but Sharon has generously offered to deliver us your questions this weekend and we will do our best to get back to you. Thank you for your support.

Amy
Skinner4Congress

[IdaBriggs]

6. Thank you, Amy. You can also print them out directly from here....

Inquiring minds want to know! Also, I'm looking for ON THE RECORD ANSWERS that I can share with appropriate people (including the folks on this website). :) Best, Ida M. Briggs

[bfealk]

7. Amy, Just Print them from here. Certainly you know how to copy and paste

[Lefty48197]

8. Here's a better question:

If you're elected to Congress, will you vote for Dennis Hastert or Nancy Pelosi for Speaker? No further questions.

[IdaBriggs]

9. Any word on when I should expect some answers?

I'm not trying to be a pain; I e-mailed it last week, and with folks printing it off and handing it to her on Sunday, I was kind of hoping....?

Patience = Not my favorite virtue! :)

[SharonRB]

10. Ida....

I gave it to someone on her staff yesterday. You have no idea how busy she and her staff are right now between the DFA poll, upcoming fundraising events, etc. I'm sure Nancy will get to them, but I don't know how long it will take. She's in fundraising mode right now, which is the key to her winning the race. If you could boil it down to the 4 or 5 most important questions, it might be easier to get answers more quickly. I'm not trying to make excuses, but that was a ton of questions and will really take some time to think through -- some of them are a bit ahead of the game. Please be patient -- she's a great candidate and the more you read about her, the more you'll learn that.

[JordanLFW]

12. doh..

you beat me to it Sharon!

How 'bout Nancy though, in first place in the DFA poll!

[SharonRB]

13. I hope my answer was okay with Nancy.

I know how busy she is right now.

Keep your fingers crossed that she stays in first place all week. I know people on DU who read about her are pretty impressed and are voting for her if they don't have someone in the race themselves.

[IdaBriggs]

15. It was a great answer -- it didn't offend me, and it reinforced that

she's a good candidate, who is worth waiting for an answer! :)

[SharonRB]

16. Thanks for your patience, Ida

If I know of an event Nancy will be at that you might want to attend, I'll post it here.

(Actually, I'm not sure, but she may be attending the Bernie Sanders event this coming Sunday at the UAW in Warren. I posted details in another thread. I'll be there.)

[JordanLFW]

11. busy week

I really doubt Nancy is ignoring you or scared to answer. The campaign is pretty busy right now. With the DFA Contest going on, Governor Granholm's Summer Sizzler tonight, the FEC quarter ending at the end of the month, there is a lot of stuff to get done.

Have you seen her BuzzFlash interview? http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/06/06/int06023.html

I'm sure she could always use more volunteers if you wanted to ask her in person ;)

[IdaBriggs]

14. Sharon has already hit me up! (LOL!)

And I'm going to give the same answer I gave her -- I'll definitely vote for her, but I want to have my questions answered before I "commit" to anything else. Also, we have some personal stuff happening at the moment (infertility / trying to get pregnant -- woo hoo!), so at the moment, I'm an anxious sideliner!

It is awesome, though, to see the great response she is getting in this forum! I have a lot of respect for John Ashcraft, and he spoke highly of her, too.

And don't you know that *I* am the most important person asking questions? :rofl: ;)

[skinner4congress]

17. I showed Nancy your questions

I know I said this before, and Sharon and Jordan have only reinforced it. Please realize how busy we are at the moment. We are nearing the end of our second quarter and are making final arrangements for two huge upcoming events. Once this quarter is over, and things start flowing more smoothly, Nancy will be happy to address your most pressing concerns. Thank you for understanding.

Amy
Skinner4Congress

[IdaBriggs]

18. So, I'm kicking this, because I still want a response.

I know she's busy with ten thousand things -- but, hey! I'm one of those "crazy voters" who want to know where she stands on the issues that are important to me.

I sent it to her e-mail headquarters back when I originally posted here, and I still haven't received a response. Is this one of those "waste time calling people who don't care / ignore the ones who do" situations?

[weeksbr1]

19. Calm down Ida....

It's only been like a week. Campaign are one thing after another. Sometimes it's a pain when people don't just fall in line, but it deffinitely nags at you when you're trying to work. So, I'm sure she'll get back to you. Just TRY to be patient. And also, I was wondering... how does trying to get pregnant interfere with your ability to help with the campaign? You can't possibly sit around all day doing that? If I'm mistaken, God I want your life! :yourock:

[IdaBriggs]

21. Actually, its been two, and I'm not throwing a fit (yet) -- just reminding

folks I haven't forgotten.

WARNING: POSSIBLY TOO MUCH INFORMATION, BUT YOU ASKED, SO I'M ANSWERING:

As for the pregnancy, I am going through a donor egg cycle (my sister is donating -- yeah!) in Portland, OR as I have an extremely rare medical condition where my ovaries don't function, but my uterus does. I have now been pregnant three times, and miscarried all three times. This is the last time we are trying, and if it doesn't work, we will be moving on to other means of becoming parents (read: adoption).

God, I wish all I had to do was sit around all day trying to get pregnant! LOL! I am hormonally whacked out, taking four different medications at six different times AT THE MOMENT (the multiple shots will be starting in about a week or so, but I've still got a couple of weeks before the "twice daily" ones kick in), running back and forth to the doctors offices for blood tests and ultra sounds, coordinating the stupid paperwork (because everyone under the sun wants copies of *EVERYTHING* like you wouldn't believe, and after eight years of infertility stuff, my medical records are scattered hither and yon between my regular physician, my (local) reproductive endocrinologist, my regular OBGYN, and the good folks in Portland) AND I'm coordinating the travel arrangements for both my sister and I with our respective others for the big trip to Portland (one week each totally separate because of the fact she needs to be there several days in advance of "retrieval" while we need to be there for nearly a week prior to "transfer" but we won't know WHEN until we see how she begins to respond to the meds, so everything has to be ready to "go" at a moment's notice), AND coordinating her medical appointments (she's been amazing), PLUS getting all of our "stuff" done because I swear to GOD none of this can be easy, or it just won't work (at least that's my current theory).

Today, for example, I spent the morning at two different doctor's office (one for blood work, the other being the nutritionist), and then made an appointment for a recommended series of visits to an acupuncturist (!) who sounds really nice, and hey, if it works and I get pregnant, I'll stand on my head, sing the star spangled banner, while simultaneously reciting the alphabet backwards, so who am I to complain about being stabbed with acupuncture needles, right?

Oh, and I still have to put together a "contract" between my sister and I where she promises not to try to get custody of any beautiful, wonderful babies that result, while I swear I won't dump them on her when they become obnoxious teenagers!

Plus I have a full time contract at the moment, and they keep having this "weird" idea that I should be like, working or something. :eyes:

So, of course I came home to discover that nearly three thousand dollars worth of medication (NOT COVERED BY INSURANCE) which requires refrigeration (!) is currently at the post office, and I can't get to it until 8:30 a.m. tomorrow, which since I'm supposed to be at work in Romeo (I live in Waterford) at 9:00 a.m., and my sister is in Utica, I'm not sure *what* I'm going to be doing about, because she needs it so she can start taking stuff on Monday!!!

(Did I mention this whole thing is extremely stressful?)

But, on a positive note, last week we (my husband and I -- aka, world's greatest husband) met with the psychologist (required AGAIN) so we could explain ONE MORE TIME just why the hell we even *WANT* children (apparently my flip answer of "so we can have little slaves who will run around and fetch and carry for us" isn't really what they are looking for), and we "passed", so we have been deemed by real live professionals to be "fit for parenthood" because due to my medical condition, and the *X(#*& new regulations imposed by Junior's administration, despite the fact we're spending tens of thousands of dollars, turning our lives completely upside down, and putting ourselves through a humiliating series of medical treatments and tests and procedures (which might fail and break my heart), we still need to justify why we have the completely normal desire to HAVE A FAMILY TO A TRAINED PROFESSIONAL!!!

And the moral of this story is: if you can get pregnant without half a dozen people in the room, DO IT!!!

But overall, I am a very lucky person. (Rinse & Repeat) So I just need to keep reminding myself of that.

But I need to keep my focus on what I'm doing right now until we get through the first week after transfer, and the most important thing I am doing is trying to get pregnant / stay pregnant / have healthy babies.

(And on a positive note, the clinic I am working with in Portland has a 90% success rate at the moment, with a 50% chance of twins!)

Oh, and I'm also working on something with Mr. Gore's office, but I'm still waiting for them to respond, so if anyone knows someone who can get my project moved to the head of the line, drop me a PM, because its kind of a big deal, but its got to be "non-partisan" plus its not "a done deal" yet, so I haven't been talking about it on DU.

[weeksbr1]

28. Sorry...

I guess I just learned a lesson about assumptions... now I'm going to go in my room and cry for a little while to think about how horribly rude I seemed... again... really sorry. :cry:

[IdaBriggs]

29. No, no! Its okay! Your assumption was perfectly normal -- its *MY* life

that is on the weird side! Please don't get upset about seeming rude, because you weren't! Yesterday wasn't one of the most pleasant days on the planet, and any excuse to rant about it was most welcome! (Everyone needs a small pity party once in a while, you know.) Plus, you gave me a chuckle as I pictured someone thinking of a solid month or so of sexy nighties, etc. -- :woohoo: If only! :)

You put the "you rock" icon in there, so I knew you were just doing some friendly teasing -- and heaven knows I'd love a month or so of "nothing to do but get pregnant the old fashioned way" (and so would the hubby! :woohoo: again!), so, who wouldn't have a moment or two of envy for a brief "live like a pasha" fantasy?

Infertility stuff totally sucks, and fortunately, I can blame Reagan -- did you know he refused to fund infertility research for what turned into TWELVE YEARS because (thanks to his whack job interpretation of his stupid religion) he was worried that it was too much like "playing God?"

:banghead:

Anyway, its one of the many blessings we have thanks to President Clinton -- one of the first things he did within a week or so of being in office was sign an executive order allowing funds to go for infertility research (which we were now woefully behind on, because England had started this stuff in 1978!), which brought the cost of a "standard" in vitro fertilization cycle down from the $60-75K range into something affordable by the first time we tried it in 1999 w/donor to about $18K. God bless him!!! With one out of five couples facing these issues, its once again thanks to the foresight of a good man that good things can happen. Junior and his crowd have been throwing more paperwork at us, and making it more difficult. Would you believe I actually had to sign a form saying whether or not I wanted my sister tested for communicable diseases someday in the future if we decide to donate any leftover embryos to another couple? She had to test clean before she was acceptable, and has to test again in six months thanks to the new regulations, but if she gets something five years from now, its not like it can magically fly from her to Portland, infiltrate its way into the clinic, read the labels to find our frozen embryos, and then contaminate all of them -- its a case of GIVE ME A BREAK STUPID REGULATIONS and WHY do I have to fill out paperwork like that???

:banghead:

Back to today -- I wasn't offended, and I apologize if I hurt your feelings. As I said, I'm a little stressed out, and a tad hormonal. Its only going to get worse -- I am SUCH a joy to be around! (snicker)

[SharonRB]

20. Ida

I'm sure she'll get back to you. If you could narrow your questions down a bit to the four or five most important points, it would really help and make it a whole lot easier for Nancy. She barely has time to breathe these days.

[IdaBriggs]

22. I can certainly understand that -- see answer to weeksbr1! LOL!

On a positive note, I haven't forgotten about Nancy, even with my own hectic personal life. I'm not sure which one or two I would consider MOST important. I'll think about it, though.

Here's a hint, though: She can find out how many soldiers our district has lost by going to my "Naming Names" post. We've lost two in Waterford so far. :(

[SharonRB]

23. LOL -- probably TMI for a lot of people here, but you had already

PMd me about it, so I knew, but, of course, would never have said anything to anyone else. I sincerely wish you luck -- sounds like you're on the right track.

[IdaBriggs]

24. Thank you, Sharon. I was having "a moment" when I responded

yesterday -- the panic about getting the three thousand dollars worth of meds away from the post office -- and having someone ENVY ME for having nothing else to do except get pregnant seemed to require SOME kind of response. When I think about it (if you don't know that its an infertility related thing), it does probably sound a little crazy -- maybe one month solid of sexy nightgowns, and a husband with a hunted look in his eyes?

:rofl: Don't I wish! :rofl:

Instead, meaningful moments involve preparing the injections for my tuckus, and an apology from my beloved for any pain he might be causing me prior to the stabbing, which I, brave soul that I am, have learned to tolerate with a forced smile (because he feels so guilty about doing it, even though we *have* to), and very little whimpering. Worse part of all, he then gets to deal with me dancing the emotional mood swing waltz ("Ahhhh! There's a puppy wearing a bandanna on television -- Waaah!" (me crying) promptly followed two minutes later by "That *(#&% Dick DeVos lying through his teeth again -- SCREAM/RANT!!!"), but he loves me anyway! :) (swoon!)

[SharonRB]

25. Your hubby seemed like a really nice guy when I met the two of you n/t

[IdaBriggs]

26. Thank you, again! He is! He is truly the most wonderful man on the planet!

And I'm not prejudiced or anything! LOL! He's in Columbus at the moment, so I've been "abandoned" until Sunday evening. Where are Nancy's offices? Maybe I might wander down for a few hours on Sunday ... just saying MAYBE because I am *NOT* going to make any sort of commitment until I am fully satisfied, etc. (Don't you love the disclaimers?) So, where is the office, and what are the hours they're looking for folks on Sunday? :)

[SharonRB]

27. Actually, now I don't think anyone is going to be in this weekend

I was supposed to go in and do some data entry on Sunday, but I don't think anyone will be there. For future reference, though, it's at 33401 Woodward, near 14-1/2 & Woodward, on the west side of the street, right next to President Tuxedo. It's hard to miss -- there's a big picture of Nancy in the window and a big "Skinner for Congress" sign.

[IdaBriggs]

30. Its Thursday after a long holiday weekend. What do I need to do to

get some answers to ANY of my questions?

Seriously, folks, this is starting to get annoying. I am going to bitch about this here in the DU Michigan forum, but I'm officially starting to get pissy (and its not a hormone thing!).

I sent this e-mail TO THE CAMPAIGN at [e-mail] on FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2006 around 2:30 p.m. I have not received ONE RESPONSE FROM THE CAMPAIGN to my original e-mail. This isn't intended as a slam to any of the good folks who are perusing this board who are helping out the campaign -- I'm talking an "official" response. I'm talking even a plain old fashioned "we got your e-mail, and we're looking into it."

I cannot believe that my questions are so outrageous there aren't even any "standard" answers prepared for them. These are the questions that are being discussed every day in my neighborhood, at my work, and in my family (even amongst the politically unaware).

War -- Corruption -- Impeachment -- Climate Change -- Clean Elections -- these are the things I want my representative to be focused on, and from everything I'm hearing, Nancy is supposed to be a bright woman. Has she not noticed we have a bunch of folks getting shot at in Iraq? Etc.?

Maybe I am being hormonal. For some reason, the complete lack of "official" response is really irritating me today. And I also want to be fair about this: Did it disappear into cyberspace? Maybe they never even received it? Are they having some issues with THEIR e-mail? Did I even send it to the right place?

Frankly, I'm flabbergasted.

[skinner4congress]

31. Nancy's answers

As you may know, Nancy's email gets flooded with hundreds of emails per day, so I apologize for the slow response. Most of your questions should already be answered on our website on www.skinnerforcongress.com

A couple of your most pressing questions seem to concern Iraq and the environment. Nancy is in full support of Rep. John Murtha's plan to re-invigorate our global anti-terrorism effort (redeploy, replace, reallocate, and reconstitute.) Nancy would also like to add restoring our relations with the community of nations is just as prevalent. As long as Congress rubber-stamps Bush policies, we will continue on the wrong path.

It is no secret that Al Gore is a personal hero of Nancy's. She began to use her business skills to push for environmental causes after reading his book: Earth in the Balance. Again, we have a section about Nancy's outstanding environmental record on our website.

After visiting our website, if you feel there are still a couple matters that hasn't been addressed to your satisfaction, please let us know and we will get back to you.


Amy
Skinner4Congress

[IdaBriggs]

33. Amy, I *did* visit the website, which is where I got the e-mail address.

You might even notice that I referenced it in in my original posting (which implies that I looked at the website, and didn't find clear answers to my questions).

Is there no system in place to even *RESPOND* to e-mails from interested people?

I will grant you that my *VERY SPECIFIC* questions are that -- SPECIFIC. I am pleased that she likes Al Gore. "6b) What do you think you can do to help with this issue?" is the only question where the "talking points" even come close to addressing the concern:

An environmental crisis: Even when this administration attempts to shut them down, our own scientists are sounding the warning that we may have already tipped the balance on climate change. Katrina may be a preview of more destructive hurricanes and other climate-related disasters.

An aggressive national program to move to renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies is imperative. Market-based mechanisms like emissions trading for carbon and other greenhouse gases will harness the power of innovation to get us there more quickly.

Which means what, exactly? :shrug: What does she plan on doing to help us move to renewable energy?

I am *ONE PERSON* bitching about the fact there has been no response on a forum where I'm lucky enough to have access to folks who will respond. How many of those other "hundreds of e-mails" are being ignored? (I know, I know -- working for free....sigh...)

And sending people to read stuff like this --

We must restore fiscal responsibility and fix our flawed trade agreements. Michigan’s economic future depends on it.

-- is a waste of time. You might as well tell me --

We must all win millions of dollars by playing the Irish lottery.

because its just as meaningful. Its nothing but buzzwords, with no STRENGTH in it. Why not say, "Water is Wet" and "Unemployed People Usually Want Jobs" -- DUH! Give me some SPECIFICS. Tell me how she is going to make a difference. Lots of people *know* that things are bad, and we need a change -- TELL ME HOW SHE INTENDS TO DO THE JOB I'M HIRING HER FOR!!! What does she want to accomplish, and how will we know if she is successful?

Keep in mind that I am woefully ignorant of how to run a campaign, so I'm willing to be schooled politely.

Tell you what: let's help Nancy get some publicity here on DU.

I want SPECIFIC ANSWERS (and not those nambly pambly talking points on the website). I'm spending way more time than I really want to becoming educated about politics, and I want to make sure that *SHE* knows more than I do. So let's start simple:

Get SPECIFIC ON THE RECORD ANSWERS FOR QUESTION ONE to start. (I will retype it in this post.) I will post her answers in GD, and then ask all the Michigan folks in our very busy forum to help me keep it kicked over in GD for a couple of days. Maybe some of the good folks who read GD will be motivated enough to send her some money. Maybe not. But its worth a try, don't you think?

So, if you are in agreement, let's start with "IDA ASKS THE UNTHINKABLE" (:eyes:) and begin with Question One:

1) The War on Iraq --

a) if elected, will you pledge to attend the funeral of every service person in your district who is killed in the Iraqi war?

b) Do you know how many our district has already sacrificed?

c) Do you plan on visiting our wounded veterans?

d) What is your stance on providing services to veterans who are homeless, or otherwise financially devastated after providing their services to our country?

e) What is your opinion on the situation created by toxic exposure to "depleted uranium"?

f) And what do you plan on doing to help get us out of the mess that has been created?
(You can cut and paste the "support the Murtha plan" here, of course, but I hope she has some other ideas, too.)

[weeksbr1]

42. Ida, it's been a month, you're going to be disappointed...

Do you think if/when she answers you, you are going to be inspired by something. If the idea of getting rid of Knollenberg doesn't inspire you enough, then there's no hope for you! Her answers are as follows...

1a - yes
b - yes (then one of her staffers or interns will google it then she'll tell you the exact up to the minute answer)
c - yes
d - it's terrible what happens to our soldiers and for many it only gets worse when they come back home. i will do everything i can to reduce veteran poverty.
e - it's a horrible situation
f - murtha plan, cut and pasted as suggested by you.

Do you think she's going to say that she's never going to visit our wounded vets, she has no idea how many people have died, she think that depleted uranium exposure is a good thing, vets should get jobs instead of being poor and leaching off the gov't, and that she's never gone to a funeral in her life, why start now?

Be real Ida. Softball questions like these should be saved for "professional" reporters to ask. ;)

[IdaBriggs]

46. Ah, but you are almost missing the point --

I want her to be bringing them up in public, so she can be showing just how terrible of a job the other guy is doing.

When she pledges to attend funerals, she makes the point that "the other guy" isn't doing that.

When she talks about how many deaths we've had in our district, she's showing that she gets the fact the war is impacting US personally.

When she talks about what *she* is going to do, she is reminding people that "the other guy" isn't doing Jack Shit.

Get the idea? I want her folks (who should already have fricking canned answers to this stuff, because they should be using it in every conversation they are having) to FORMALLY ANSWER so I can start using her answers myself.

"Unlike Joe, Nancy is going to attend funerals, because SHE CARES about honoring our troops. She is APPALLED at the problems facing our troops when they come home -- no jobs, medical problems thanks to Depleted Uranium, and a lack of resources thanks to Washington budget cuts!" Etc.

Yup, I'm evil. And if Nancy isn't, she's probably not qualified for the job. :evilgrin:

[skipos]

32. I have family spread out all over the place

and they can be a little lazy about politics. So I take it upon myself to call different campaigns about getting bumperstickers or other crap that I then send to my family members. At the very least it reminds them that they should vote and who they should vote for. Regardless, I'd say people from these campaigns call me back about 20% of the time and send me the stuff they say they will about 20% of the time. It is annoying but I try to remindsmyself that they are

1. probably unpaid volunteers
2. probably a bit overwhelmed
3. probably hearing from hundreds of people like me

It is easy to get lost in the shuffle.

[IdaBriggs]

34. Sigh. I get that. Its one of the reasons the Katrina response was so

horrible, at least from the Red Cross perspective. Thousands of people were calling begging to help, but the folks who could tell them what to do were completely overwhelmed. Plus, in southeastern Michigan, we used to have eight full time staff doing the "volunteer coordination" stuff, and now (thanks to budget destruction) two PART TIME PEOPLE who are NOT working part time are trying to do the same amount of work.

Sorry, off topic rant. :)

I hope Nancy's office is getting flooded with hundreds of inquiries -- that would be awesome!!! :)

[Lefty48197]

35. Here's the ONLY question that I DEMAND be answered by Nancy Skinner

are you a Democrat? Good enough for me. Run Nancy Run. Don't be distracted by people who don't want you to focus on getting elected.

[SharonRB]

36. You've got your answer on that one, Lefty!

I saw Nancy today, and she's insanely busy. But it looks like she's going to take the time to show up at our DU meetup, at least for a while, unless something she absolutely can't get out of comes up. I'm getting ready to start a thread about the date and Nancy's expected appearance.

[IdaBriggs]

37. Time for the weekly kick. Close to four weeks w/No Response.

Good thing I actually care. :eyes:

[SharonRB]

38. Ida -- Nancy has a new campaign manager

I met him yesterday, and he said to give him a call and he'd be happy to answer your questions. Give him a call at the office -- his name is Darren. You really need to understand how busy Nancy is and that to answer all of your questions in writing would take her hours.

Hopefully you can come to the meetup.

[skinner4congress]

39. Yes, thank you Sharon

The best thing you can do right now is to call our office and speak directly to Daren, our new campaign manager who ran Howard Dean's Michigan campaign. He would be happy to answer any and all questions you may have.

Or, if you prefer to speak to Nancy in person, please attend the DU picnic on August 5 where she will be attending. You can also catch her at the Birmingham 'Day on the Town' tomorrow evening. Thank you for your support Ida.



Amy
www.skinnerforcongress.com

[IdaBriggs]

40. I'll call Daren, since I might be in Portland during the picnic.

If I'm not there, I'll definitely be at the DU Meetup!

Now, don't laugh when I ask this next question: what kind of hours are you folks working? Should I call before 5:00 p.m.? When is the best time to call? :) Best, Ida

[SharonRB]

41. They're usually there until about 7, Ida.

Thanks for being understanding about this. I just think Daren may be your best bet right now.

[cbarry]

43. Did you get some answers?

Did you get to talk to anyone at Nancy's office?

They are all good questions Ida but to be honest, if I were the candidate, I would definitely have a staffer respond to you, rather than do so myself. In fact it would probably be a letter of canned responses to each topic, with my name signed by a staffer. I probably would not even see it or your questions. (though I would hope my staffer would respond within a few days)

I certainly would not let myself get mired down in the specifics that you asked ... not so much because the answers I gave would cost me votes, but because they would cost me time. When dealing with voters, once you say something like "I will do xyz specifically" then you get nailed with all the other voters who jump in and say "why?" "how?" "it can't be done." It never ends. While that dialog may seem to be good for the voters, it actually eats away the time and resources of the candidate. By the time I would've answered all of your questions and dealt with the inevitable follow up questions, I could've knocked on dozens of doors or been on the phone raising money. However, if I met you somewhere at a function, or door-to-door, I would have no problem talking to you with that level of detail. It might take some more time than just sticking to talking points, but it would be time better spent than answering all of your questions in a letter.

That's not to suggest that Nancy takes that approach, and by the way I am not affiliated with her campaign in any way, so my opinion shouldn't reflect negatively on her. I am just saying that if you get a staffer on the phone to fully discuss your questions, I think you are getting alot. Especially since you appear to be likely to vote for her anyway; or at least unlikely to vote for her opponent. I don't have any idea how Nancy's campaign deals with this kind of thing ... this is just how I would handle a letter like that, based on my experience as a campaign volunteer and congressional staffer.

cheers, cb

[SharonRB]

44. Great answer and welcome to DU, cbarry

Nancy's campaign manager has offered to answer the questions if Ida will call him. You're exactly right in what you said.

[IdaBriggs]

45. Honestly, I got caught up in some personal medical stuff.

I'll be calling this week.

I would be happy with some "canned" answers from a staffer, which would imply that someone has been talking about my issues. Some of the questions are blunt "yes/no" ("Will you pledge to attend funerals?") while others are deliberately open ended so she can tell me why she is qualified for the job she is applying for ("What will you bring to the table as expertise?").

One of the most important points for me is that *THESE ARE THE ISSUES* that get my activist blood boiling -- these are the things that motivate me to head down to a campaign office, and help make phone calls. This stuff is impacting my life (and that of the other people in my district), and I don't want some namby-pamby "see how nice I talk" person -- I want some blunt speech, ala Carl Levin, or John Conyers.

She only has a 2% chance of winning (based on incumbency rates), and she'd better raise some hellfire if she wants to get anything accomplished. If her opponent isn't blackened by the char from her righteous wrath, she's not getting anywhere.

My uneducated opinion, of course, and I'm just a programmer, so what do I know? :shrug:

[cbarry]

48. Some just can't be answered on paper ..

Like the will you attend funerals question ... for example, if I pledge to attend all funerals, then what do I do when a funeral conflicts with an important vote? If I don't pledge to attend all funerals, then every right-wing nutbag with a flag draped around him is going to say I hate America. Of course if I pledge to attend and then miss a funeral then I've broken my promise to our military families. I mean, I could explain all of that to you in person and you would understand it, but it just can't be put on paper in a way that wouldn't be spun out of control or misunderstood.

[SharonRB]

50. Exactly!

There's no way Nancy could promise to be at EVERY funeral in the district. She's trying to get elected to do a job in Washington. Knowing her, I'm pretty sure she'd try to attend at least some, but she can't necessarily leave DC at the drop of a hat everytime. Of course, it would be nice if there are no more funerals to attend -- that would be the best-case scenario.

[bfealk]

47. That wouldn't work for me

If I were a challenger, I would want to do things different than the incumbent to show people that I care and I'm engaged. Canned responses from a staffer is just what Joe would do and I have received many of those type letters over the years.

[cbarry]

49. I would use canned responses & staff

for 3 reasons: 1. I can't imagine having so much time & money that I would ever be able to stop door knocking, phoning, or working an event, during a campaign, in order to respond personally to voters' questions. 2. anything that I put on paper is subject to attack and I will have to defend what I say. I am confident I could do so, but if I am defending my ideas, then I am not on message promoting myself. Canned responses are planned as part of the campaign, and usually tested in some way. As a candidate, I would be more comfortable with a response that is planned than in a response that I whip up on my own. 3. If my opposition knew I was answering mail personally, he would enlist as many people as he could to swamp me with mail.

That said, canned responses are better than they used to be ... it's not too difficult to make sure that a constituent doesn't get the same letter twice. (Of course you might get the same letter as your neighbor ... :) )

[Lefty48197]

51. Why don't we all send lists of inflammatory questions to N. Skinner

and then DEMAND that she answer our questions? How about if every f*cking Democrat in Michigan writes a list of questions to her demanding answers?

[pwreid]

52. Do I detect a note of sarcasm? Or maybe frustration?

I agree with Randi Rhodes when she (basically) said in June the day Nancy was on her show, ..."I'm not concerned with where Nancy Skinner is an issues. The main thing is which party controls Congress." I discussed this subject with John Conyers Jr. at the Livingston County Annual Dinner in May. He agreed that the main thing is electing Democrats to Congress and that a majority of Democrats in Congress is the only thing that can turn our country around.

[SharonRB]

53. Randi loves Nancy

When I met her in April, she said to tell Nancy to let her know what she can do and she'll do it. I'm glad she's in our court.