One thing I ’ ve learned in a lifetime spent walking the halls of state capitols and the U . S . Congress is how vitally important individual voices are in the legislative process . Even though this cuts across what the public believes about government , each of us can have a profound impact on the policy choices our elected officials make each and every day . Those who participate make a real and lasting difference . I recall learning early in my lobbying career about the “ power of the people ,” and how constituent phone calls or contacts
|
at the right time can move a vote on a bill from “ maybe ” to “ yes ” or even “ no .” I ’ m pretty sure I ’ ve never moved a “ yes ” vote to a “ no ” vote with the power of logic or a well-drafted speech , but I have watched constituents persuade elected officials to take a particular position thousands of times . Simply put , when a bill is introduced , changed , passed , defeated or any number of other moves during the legislative process , it is constituents doing the heavy lifting and making this happen . Throughout my career , I ’ ve reminded myself to stay out of the way and let an official ’ s constituents do the talking for me . |
The reasons for this are very straightforward . One of the universal truths in American politics is that elected officials want to keep their job . This isn ’ t “ right ” or “ wrong ,” it just is . So , when constituents ( read “ the boss ”) reach out on a bill or policy , they get listened to . Another universal truth is that the vast majority of people never contact elected officials about anything , ever . Although the media makes it seem as if millions of Americans regularly participate in policy matters , they do not . Put these realities together and you begin to see how individual |
ADOBE STOCK ( 2 ) |