Hey friends, fellow changemakers, and all you amazing people ready to make a difference.
The Power of the Ping
Cathy, one of our Saturday protesters recommended that we decide and emphasize one issue a week that we pick up the phone and call Emmer and our other politicians about.
We could make that call while standing at our Honk and Waves. What a simple way to double our impact with no additional effort.
But do they really listen to little old me?
The answer is a resounding YES.
Think of it like this: every call you make is a little ping on their radar. They've got staff whose whole job is to keep a tally of these pings—who's calling, what they're calling about, and whether they're for or against a certain issue.
That's a real metric, not just a feeling.
The more pings they get on an issue, the more they know it's a priority for their community.
So, when you call, you’re not just one voice; you’re call is a metric that demonstrates people care, and that's a language they understand.
It's a Numbers Game
Here's the secret sauce: politicians and their staff are constantly trying to figure out what the public wants.
They get thousands of emails, but an email is easy to write and send.
A phone call? That takes a few minutes of your time, and that effort shows you’re serious.
A high volume of calls on a single issue is a flashing red light for them. It tells them, "Hey, this isn't just a handful of people; this is a movement!"
You might think one call won't change anything, but your one call, plus my one call, plus your neighbor's one call—suddenly that's a flood. And when that flood hits their office, they have to pay attention.
Your Voice Matters More Than You Think
In politics, the noisy phone gets the policy. A study by the Congressional Management Foundation found that constituent visits and phone calls are among the most effective ways to influence a lawmaker's decision.
They specifically noted that a few dozen calls on an issue can get the attention of a politician's office. A few hundred? Especially if it’s all calls about the same issue.
That can change their mind or at least make them think twice. So, when you pick up that phone, you're not just speaking for yourself; you're speaking for the quiet people who are counting on you. It's proof that you’re a force to be reckoned with.
Let's Get to It!
So, what are we waiting for? Let's take a page from Cathy’s book and start dialing. We're not just making noise; we're generating valuable data. We're not just complaining; we're offering a clear, quantifiable message.
Each time you call, remember that you’re part of something big. You’re a ping that helps create a tidal wave of change. Let's make some waves, folks. Let's get our voices heard and prove that we, the people, have the power to make a real difference, one phone call at a time.
The Minnesota Legislative Coordinating Commission has a Find Your Representative tool that includes contact information.
Please comment below on both whether you think this is a good task we could all accomplish at the protests… and the issues you personally think we should call about.
I think one of the main topics needs to be that our elected officials need to step up and exercise their Oath of Office - defend the Constitution from all enemies - yes Neon God Trump and his Maga minions are the true enemy from within.
I’m totally in support of making a phone call to our representative each week. I especially like the idea of one topic. So what is the topic for the week of September 14?