Lessons from Last Minute Lobbying

Last week we had the opportunity to get further insight into two very important aspects of our work: how Congress works (and doesn’t work) and the role of last-minute phone calls in lobbying.

Lora Lumpe, the highly esteemed expert on cluster bombs who used to work at FCNL and now works for Open Society Institute, called on Monday of last week to say that we had the opportunity to finally pass the ban on cluster bombs. She got word that Sen. Feinstein was going to be offering the cluster bomb ban legislation, the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act (S.416), as an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill. We thought the vote on this legislation was going to be in the next couple days.

So the first day I (Stephen) called some key constituents in PA, MI, and NJ--states where one of the senators was crucial to getting the amendment passed. I asked them to call their senator’s office and encourage their networks of friends to do so as well.

The next day Lora sent out a list of senators who had cosponsored S.416 but hadn’t cosponsored the amendment. So we, along with a couple other program assistants, made phone calls to these senators’ offices asking them to cosponsor the amendment. And then on Thursday, Lora sent another list of senators who she thought would vote for the amendment. So we recruited our Thursday volunteer, Merilee Janssen, and we called lots of offices. In total, we called over twenty-five Senate offices.

We would call into a senator's office and ask to speak with their military legislative assistant (LA) or their foreign affairs LA. Almost every time the person who would initially pick up the phone would be a young woman, or an occasional young male who sounded almost the same age as us interns. The phone conversations I (Lizzie) had with these young staffers made me realize that I am not that different. One or two of the staffers said things like “Oh that LA isn’t here right now, can I give you his phone number….o wait, I can’t do that….I can give you his email address…..o wait I don’t know that…..Can I leave a message for you?” These unsure, youthful voices, made me chuckle. They are similar to my first week experiences, where as the front desk person here at FCNL, I received a couple calls that I did not always know what to do with. The phone conversation was one intern to another, which helped me to realize how much young employees and interns really do make the Capitol Hill world go ‘round. Eventually, we would leave voicemails and send in an email follow-up (always important when doing any kind of lobbying!).

In the end, the amendment isn’t going to come up for a vote. However, we still had some great successes:

Some offices we called and left messages for called or emailed us back to ask about the amendment. Merilee reported excitedly that a member of Sen. Specter’s staff said he would vote for the amendment. A great organizer in MI who has worked to get Sen. Levin to cosponsor the cluster bomb ban bill talked to Levin’s chief of staff about the legislation. Many other members of our network became more engaged in the work to end these deadly weapons. And many senators’ offices heard why they should support the ban.

One lessen we learned from this experience was how you measure success. Sometimes success is the passage of a bill. While other times success is one more senator agreeing to vote for legislation, one more member of our network calling their members of Congress, or one more connection with a senator’s staff.

-Lizzie and Stephen

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Flower Lobbying?

In this week's Legislative Action Message, we asked our network to help change the health care debate by taking flowers to their members of Congress. This positive message of "thanks for tackling health care and please work to pass a bill this fall" is already producing excellent results!

It gave Marilyn, one of FCNL's weekly volunteers, her first chance to lobby. Here's what she had to say about the experience:

"Just a few moments ago, I received the opportunity to be a lobbyist for the day! Yesterday, FCNL sent out an alert that proposed a way for people to approach their Representative in Congress in a peaceful, non-aggressive way. Lately, in the news, there have been flare-ups in pockets of the nation over the issue of health care reform. So today, I took a stand for 'practical health care reform with a public option' and lobbied both of my Senators and my Representative.
"I thought it was going to be a scary situation, but it actually turned out great and I ended up receiving passes to the Senate and House Galleries from one of my Senators. In all, I have to say, it was a good day."

We have also been getting lots of positive responses from our network around the country who were eager for a positive way to lobby their members of Congress. Here are some of their responses:

"Thank you for this great idea and the change of spirit this carries to the debate – I love it."
-Johanna, Ph.D. CMT. Sheep Ranch, CA

"Great idea! I will do this."
-Mary, Evansville, IN

"As scheduled, I visited Rep. Wu's office with flowers in a vase, a thank you note, and my position and request printed out. I was very well received by the staff, since Rep. Wu was holding town-hall meetings, and they expressed their appreciation for the gesture. They assured me that they would pass it on to Rep. Wu."
-Karen, Portland (Hillsboro), OR

"I will take a flower, send a flower or call on them personally."
-LM

"Just to keep you advised, I picked up a couple of bunches of flowers and delivered them to Alcee Hastings' and Bill Nelson's satellite offices today in Broward County Florida and spoke briefly with staff at both locations and expressed my gratitude for their public service and told them that the Fort Lauderdale Friends Meeting is in favor of Single Payer and Universal Coverage in the Health Care reform Bills now pending.
"The staff members seemed to be appreciative and promised to relay my concern and support to the Congressman/Senator however they refrained from making any commitment for their principals. In Peace"
-George

"Thanks. Am meeting Sen. Specter's office tomorrow - will also take flower. Why are so many feeling threatened by health insurance reform? Is this societal fear of economy or is it skepticism of big government, or can it be political obfuscation? Why are not those without health care or the slighted not breaking down the doors to counter the smear? Peace"
-Phil, Philadelphia, PA

"I took flowers to a health care forum in Durham North Carolina run by Representative David Price and SEANC the state employees group. Other than folks asking me why I brought flowers I really didn't need to but all thought it was a great idea. The forum was relative civil, few screamers came and those who did were quickly escorted out. Price received a warm reception. The tide seems to be turning."
-Mary

"The visit was reassuring, supportive, and informative. Rudy, Betty, and I navigated to a previously unknown to us local office of our representative John Hall. Betty had brought flowers from her garden which were graciously accepted with genuine appreciation. The peaceful encouraging tone of our meeting was in such sharp contrast to the raucous town hall meetings we'd heard about in the news. It was uplifting to find so capable people working to make things better for all."
-Valery

"Three of us-- Ruth who is a Quaker and reads FCNL, Annette who is a Democratic precinct committee chair, and I-- visited with Harry Mitchell's aide. We took a few red carnations and asked a few questions about Health Care, but mostly heard from him about the views they had."
-Ann

We also had a great report back from one of our colleague organizations, Women's Action for A New Direction (WAND) who loved this idea. Marie and her intern visited 7 representatives' offices and Speaker Pelosi's office bearing flowers.

Marie said this of the experience: "Thank you so much for setting us up for this incredibly democratic (with a small d) experience! The timing was just right--recess so there was time for conversations, and the nation is all about this issue right now. The Organizing for America flyers were just right and your flower idea and very helpful reasons why the House health care bill is good were just the right complement. I knew I wanted to do something sometime for health care, and this addressed my need for that perfectly. Hooray for FCNL!"

She also said that Speaker Pelosi's office "mainly just seemed surprised someone was being nice to them."

Do you have a recent lobbying experience that went well? Have you taken a flower to your members of Congress yet? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

Let's change the debate on health care reform!

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Behind the Lobbying: What makes FCNL tick?

My last time posting the podcast to our dear blog. But this one is a good one. In it Maggie, Christine, and I discuss FCNL's lobbying strategy -- what works, how it works, why it works, and what can be frustrating about it.

Listen in!

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Congress is about to break for the summer

Since I've worked on Capitol Hill, I have noticed that when I get one day off, Congress gets five, and when I get a week off they have the whole month. Why? What is the purpose of recess? This article explains some of that, and reminds me how important it is to lobby your members of Congress while they're home over the break. Make them work for it! If you don't schedule meetings with them, they'll just be left to lie on the beach or canoe or something.

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on being nonpartisan in a partisan world

As the field intern, I spend a lot of time speaking with constituents who want to learn more about FCNL, our positions and how they can become more involved in FCNL's work.

As we enter further into the election season, I've been receiving a lot of messages from constituents asking for advice on who to vote for or requesting that we support their favorite candidate. When I have these conversations with constituents, I usually give them two main reasons why FCNL does not support any candidates for public office:

1. FCNL is not a Political Action Committee. As a 501 (c) (3) and 501 (c) (4) FCNL is legally forbidden from endorsing any candidates for public office.
2. We are able to have stronger relationships with politicians of all political parties if we remain nonpartisan, which makes our lobbying work more effective.

This last July, I inherited a Nalgene bottle from my sister, Claire, who had already decorated the bottle with various stickers. One of the stickers was from an organization that she and I both support. The sticker was endorsing a certain candidate for president of the United States.

After some soul searching, I decided that it was best to cover that sticker up.

First of all, I knew that it would be inappropriate for me to be seen around the office carrying a sticker that was supporting a presidential candidate.

But the more I thought about it, something else bothered me. I agree with the organization that the candidate in question has taken a stance closer to their (and my) position on a certain issue than the other candidate. But his position on that issue is still far from where I would like it to be. I cringe at the idea of congratulating him on his stance, which I believe lacks courage or vision just because I like the other candidate's position even less. I understand why that organization decided to endorse him, but I worry that by doing so, they're saying that this is as good as it's going to get, or as good as the people of the United States deserve. I do not believe that's true.

When I look at the major presidential candidates' stances on any of FCNL's issues, I find the same to be true. While one or the other may take a position closer to FCNL's stance on an issue, neither come close to our statement of purpose. For instance, both support an increase in the size of the military.

Of course it would be ridiculous and false for me to say that the candidates are the same and it doesn't matter which one you vote for. On November 4th, I'm going to walk into my neighborhood polling place and vote for the candidate that I will have decided best reflects my values, which are strongly shaped by FCNL. I encourage all of you to do the same, and I think FCNL has done a great job of supplying you with information about how both major candidates' positions relate to FCNL's values. But FCNL will not be endorsing a candidate that only partially meets our standards. Instead, we will be encouraging all candidates to take more courageous positions on behalf of peace, equality, simplicity and the earth.

That's why it's great that FCNL is nonpartisan! As politicians, maybe Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain have no choice but to cater to pro-war elements in their parties, but I love that FCNL is held to a higher standard. When I go to the polls in November, I will do so with a heavy heart, knowing that, as a pacifist, I will not be voting for a candidate that holds my most deeply held belief and I probably never will. But I will feel better knowing that in the time leading up to the election I have worked hard with FCNL to encourage Sen. McCain, Sen. Obama and hundreds of congressional and senatorial candidates to embrace a world free of war and the threat of war. It will be a small comfort to know that even if I feel like I'm selling out some of my values in the voting box, at least I never felt like I had to at work.

So, FCNL constituents, friends and staff, embrace the freedom that comes with nonpartisanship! Write to Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama to tell them that you are disappointed that they support an increase in the size of the military. Then, write them both another letter congratulating them on their stances on nuclear disarmament. Write to your congressional candidates demanding a ban on cluster bombs, an end to torture and an earth restored. Hold all of your candidates to a higher standard and refuse to congratulate a candidate for merely being the lesser of two evils. If you want more ideas on how to engage with candidates about issues that matter to you in this election, check out FCNL's Make Peace An Election Issue campaign.

And then, after the election, keep working with them. If the candidate that you voted against wins, don't give up. If the candidate that you voted for wins, don't just go back to sleep. Whoever it is, there will still be a lot of work left to do.

As one FCNL staffer has been known to shout when she's had enough of politicians from both major political parties threatening war with Iran or taking away our civil liberties, "thank God we're nonpartisan!"

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2007-2008 Program Assistants Arrive at FCNL's Green Building

A new class of Program Assistants has arrived at 245 Second St NE. We represent a range of ages and backgrounds, as well as diverse regions of the world. We come from France, Oregon, California, Iowa, Missouri, Texas, Rhode Island and New Jersey, and all of us are new to DC.

A picture of FCNL’s program assistants, including three 2nd year PAs:

Clockwise from the top: Danny Hosein, Dan Allen, Nick Bauer, Claire Valentin, Caroline Anderson, Chris Bracken, Maureen Brookes, Joelle Maruniak, Kate Gould, Trevor Keck, Devin Helfrich and Sharon Franklet.

From reading this blog I assume that you are all familiar with Maureen, Devin and Chris, but here’s a bit about the rest of us (in our own words, full biographies available on FCNL’s website):

Danny Hosein joined FCNL in the summer of 2007 as the organization’s first Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow. He discovered his love of politics and activism in San Antonio, where he helped coordinate a relief drive after the South Asian tsunami and a movement encouraging divestment from Sudan on campus. In his free time, Danny enjoys watching sports, reading, volunteering and meteorology.

Born in Waterloo, IA, Dan Allen spent his entire childhood in the great state of Iowa. His interest in politics was spurred by his participation in high school debate and he subsequently volunteered for local congressional and presidential campaigns. In his free time, Dan enjoys consuming (and playing) many sports, traveling, and working on his Spanish.

Nick Bauer comes to FCNL from Rhode Island, where he graduated from Brown University in May of 2007. A “Convinced Friend,” Nick began attending Meetings for Worship with his family in 1997 and is currently a member of Westport Monthly Meeting in Massachusetts. In his free time, Nick enjoys playing Ultimate Frisbee, reading anything he can get his hands on, biking, hiking, sporting argyle socks, and culinary experimentation.

Claire Valentin is originally from Lyon, France and she loves to travel. After graduating from Brown University she traveled across Romania by car with her father- a Romanian native. Most recently, she has visited St. Petersburg and Moscow with her parents, her brother and her little sister. Until the next trip, Claire is exploring the charming streets of D.C. and enjoying the enchanting world of Capitol Hill.

Caroline Anderson came to FCNL in July 2007, after graduating from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in History. She is excited to explore DC, and in her free time enjoys reading in the park, watching movies, and hunting for good restaurants. She has also recently discovered a passion for strategic grocery shopping.

Prior to coming to FCNL, Joelle Maruniak served as a full-time AmeriCorps volunteer in rural Colorado where she split her time working in a homeless shelter and a homelessness prevention program. When she is not working, Joelle enjoys playing the flute and piano, reading, running, and practicing her Spanish.

Kate Gould is greatly inspired by Quaker principles, which she learned from her many years as a camper and counselor in the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Camping Program. Kate also loves wilderness adventures, practicing her Swahili, and exploring the vast networks of cultural diversity in Washington D.C.

Trevor Keck comes to FCNL from San Diego, California. He has traveled in Europe and Morocco, and is proficient in French. During his free time, he enjoys reading, watching films, playing ultimate frisbee, speaking French, traveling, and lounging in quirky coffee shops.

Sharon Franklet came to FCNL's Native American advocacy program in September 2007 from central California, where she worked as a botanist at Pinnacles National Monument. Now in DC, she likes its friendliness, arts, and greenery --yes, the plants!-- as well as the time zone ease of making evening calls to the West Coast.

We’re still settling into our new jobs and homes, but have already delved into the world of Capitol Hill. On Friday we finished three weeks of training, and are full of fresh ideas about how FCNL approaches its work and how to help the organization achieve its goals. Look to this blog as a chronicle of the next 12 months, as we learn more about FCNL, DC, and how to change policy. Hopefully we will offer a new perspective on Washington insider politics. We can’t wait to share our thoughts with you!