Question for discussion.

If you are in a state where your reps very reliably vote "blue", is it counterproductive to contact them all the time for each individual thing? They often reply via (form) letter and it seems a waste.

I, live in same said state and have decided that calling on these issues is fertile too. I, after reading beagles take on how we as a country can make choice a constitutional right not a risk to the whim of appointed judges through adding an amendment am writing my congress and senators a letter to ask them to propose on the floor bills to add amendments protecting basic rights such as freedom to safe abortion, freedom to chose our marriage partners and the right to have health care open and affordable to all. These amendment ideas have a flying chance in hello of passing now with the way things are packed but who knows in two years after midterms. Constitutional amendments have longevity more so than legistration and laws especially with a packed Supreme Court.

It doesn't hurt to ask them to come out loudly for the ERA.

Thanks fori. I will be adding to reintroduce that amendment too. I think it failed by three states when orginally passed the senate and house...

I think it is never counter productive to contact our Representatives, no matter how trivial or often. I live in Paul Ryan's district, and receive form responses from him and Senator Ron Johnson.

While I realize that my district is very heavily Republican and therefore the majority of correspondence they receive supports them, I resent it when they tell the country that they do not hear from people who disagree with their positions. I am vigorous in my opposition, and ignored. But I will continue my efforts, and I will continue to receive the same form letter responses from them. Or, in the case of phone calls, "Thank you. Your response is duly noted." I hope that no matter how few my fellow opponents in this district number, at least we are duly noted in Ryan's and Johnson's files.

Why would it be counter productive or unnecessary if your state is blue? Those reps need support for their positions, just as my reps need to know there is opposition. Fill their inboxes, mail boxes, and office phones with support!

I agree-- it's as important to voice your support as it is to voice your opposition. Of course, I'd tailor the content and frequency of contact to the situation. Your vote is just the first show of support.

A long time ago, I worked on two different constituent management systems that captured information, by voter, about their positions on specific issues. This information could be queried along with other information, such as voting history (did they or not), donations, organization memberships and family relationships for targeted outreach such as general newsletter kinds of updates or invitations to events. It is also used to develop and refine campaign strategies. It can be helpful to the offices to know who their influencers are come reelection.

Also, while your positions may be aligned for the major issues-- are you in agreement on all? I don't always agree with my same-party senator (so far so good on cabinet approvals but I am holding my breath the remaining cabinet nominations).

Helpful input, Funky.

I was speaking literally of people having to print, stuff and send envelopes to me. I have gotten 5 or 6 since Nov

Yes, I understood. It would be great to have a way to say, "save the cost of printing, posting and use it to further our mission" -- or to request email contact only.

Still, I think it's important to not have anyone walk away thinking it's a waste of time to reach out to their legislators-- pro or con.

I can press a button on Ryan's email that says whether I do or do not need a response. I always request a response.

I want a response to my US mail letters, sort of as proof that they were at least received. If you do not want a response, you can include that as the last line of your letter, and no response will be sent. In fact, I think I may test that by requesting "no response" to see if my letters are actually read! It usually takes six to eight weeks to get any response at all from my reps regardless of my method of contact, so I'll make myself a memo!

According to my young friend who worked for the governor, all US mail responses are sorted into the type of canned response required, and the responses are handled by computer from printing to stuffing to stamping.

I had that option with Cruz but not Cornyn.

Cattyles, since you don't have that option with Cornyn, does he respond to all your messages?

No, not by email or regular mail. I already have an acknowledgement from Cruz.

ETA-I received an email acknowledgement from Cornyn after about 8 hours.

Kinda scary to think that they might not even be tabulating. My guess would be that they rely on sophisticated marketing surveys to guide their positions, what they pay attention to, and how to respond, so as to be able to keep their jobs and keep their employers happy. That said, there's still somewhat of an art to PR. I've been in the biz for a while, it still mystifies me a lot of the time. Your most responsive representatives will be the ones who are up for re-election in two years.

Don't forget them when they vote for good amendments and bills. Everyone likes to be appreciated.

Reposting this as encouragement to remain active:

Our vice president today blatantly disregarded the separation of church and state. He proclaimed his religious beliefs while on the clock and inserted his intentions in how they influence his representation of our country.

A complete and utter disregard for our Constitution.

Here is a report from Texas.

http://m.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/26/1625085/-Profiles-in-Cowardice-Senators-Ted-Cruz-John-Cornyn-avoid-constituents-Houston-police-called?_=2017-01-26T07%3A06%3A20

Thanks for the info, Texanjana. Will do.