Should I bother with my repuke Senators?

[Bouncy Ball]

My senators are (gag) Kay Bailey Hutchinson and John Cornyn. One of them co-sponsored the FMA (PUKE).

I have written to them with my concerns in the past. Respectful, but firm letters in which I do not identify myself as a Dem, but simply as one of their constituents.

Here is the kind of response I get:

Hutchinson sends me form letters on a topic I didn't write to her about. When I wrote to her about the FMA, her staffers sent me back a form letter about the war in Iraq and how rah-rah yippee she thought it was. When I wrote to her about Iraq, her staffers sent me an almost unintelligible letter about the economy.

I can't decide if Cornyn's responses are better or worse: he gives none. That's right, NONE. I have written him the same letters--respectful but FIRM, persuasively stating my view as a constituent.

I get nada. Not even a fuckyouverymuch, GodblessAmerica, I want to make endless love to bush letter. Crickets chirp.

So. Considering that I have ZERO Democratic representation on ANY level of government, are they worth my time and energy?

I'm also thinking about my reps in the house.

Is it better to call and talk to a staffer and HOPE they give the message? Keep writing and sending letters off to senators who couldn't give a flying shit if I paid them to?

On one hand, I want to say "what's the fucking point?" but on the other hand, they ARE supposed to be working for US (though the little shit stains most likely don't think that way).....

[cheezus]

1. no, go on the offensive. NOW

pick labels that stick and hammer on them day in and day out until they're out of office.

[Bouncy Ball]

2. Could you elaborate on that, please?

What do you mean? Write LTTEs? Pick labels?

[cheezus]

3. sounds like a start

use every means at your disposal to undermine them. Find a label (ala flip-flopper, anti-family, etc... be creative!) and take every opportunity you can to reinforce that label. LTTE is fine, but a whisper campaign is better. Find the slimeyest mud you can and every time they come up (or you bring them up), don't be afraid to throw a big handful of it.

[Bouncy Ball]

5. Hmmm

thank you! Thinking like a repuke, you are! ;-)

Will do.

[senseandsensibility]

18. I think the poster is referring to "letters to the editor"

LTTE of your local rag might be more effective than writing to the Senators.

[Justitia]

4. Hi there from a fellow ignored constituent!

I'm in TX too and I get exactly the same response as you!

I get the same crazy, non-matched form ltrs from Hutchinson (except when I send stuff thru Planned Parenthood), and
ZERO from Cornyn.

I've been writing, calling Hutchinson for a long time and Cornyn since he took office.

So, I hate to discourage you, but I think they are hopeless.

INSTEAD, I seek out all the good dem Congresscritters here in TX and send them thankful stuff all the time (Lloyd Doggett, Chris Bell, Scott Hochberg, Sheila Jackson-Lee, etc).

I think a good alternative is to SHORE UP the good dems we have and keep 'em going strong. :toast:

[Bouncy Ball]

13. Yeah that's an idea I hadn't thought of

but do they take you as seriously when you aren't in their district?

[Bouncy Ball]

14. I think I WILL send a letter to ALL Texas Dems in the house

and let them know I am a Democrat without representation at any level of government and I depend on them to stay strong and OPPOSE the republicans no matter how small the Dems numbers may be.

[OhioBlue]

6. I would continue to send the letters

My senators - Voinovich(R) and DeWine(R) form letter from Voinovich, on topic (but he was running for reelection) and nothing from DeWine. I will continue to write and e-mail, but in Ohio, I think the best use of time is to point out the truth to people that are independent, or repugs that aren't hard core (you cannot reason with some) I really beleive there is a great chance of swinging Ohio to Blue. I really thought the job loss alone would provide a landslide for Kerry.

[Bouncy Ball]

10. Yeah

of course I am in Texas, but I remind myself Texas was blue not too long ago.

It will be again, dammit.

[hopein08]

7. Feeling your pain...

My senators are (Yick) Rick Santorum and (Spineless) Arlen Specter. I wrote both of them through congress.org got these reponses...

Specter...a form email detailing to which email address, phone number, snail mail address......I should send my concerns on A, B, C, or D. Of course, the gist of the email was, I'd love to hear from you but if you can figure out what I'm saying...wait, how would that happen?!

Santorum...a five page snail mail letter yammering on about the details of something or another that is so wonderful in his opinion. By the end I wasn't sure what I had written him about.

I've emailed Specter since (over the course of two or three years) and gotten the extact same form email every single time.

This is a bit of a digression, but since you mentioned FMA, my college history club took a trip to D.C. and the pres. contacted Santorum's office for tickets to the Senate gallery. When I asked her (a Dem.) why she picked Mr. Beastiality over Specter, she said it was because of the Anita Hill thing. My jaw seriously dropped!

Anyway, I know exactly how you feel.

[Bouncy Ball]

11. WOW, LOL

My condolences. Your senators are as bad or possibly worse than mine!

[hopein08]

15. It's so hard,

to tell which Repuke is the worst, isn't it?!

Do you at least have a good Rep.? I've got an ultra-conservative "fall-in-line no matter what" who promised to serve no more than six terms during his first race in 1994. When he was asked a month or so ago if that meant he will not run in 2006, he answered that that was a pledge made more "on behalf of the party" (i.e. Contract with America) rather than as a promise he planned to stick to.

[Bouncy Ball]

16. A good representative?

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

No. I have a repuke representative, too.

Oh and my representative in Austin is a HUGE ASSHOLE REPUKE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER. He wants us to be able to take GUNS INTO SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES. Yeah. He's just batshit crazy.


I have ZERO Democratic represenation on ANY level of government.

[hopein08]

17. My Dem. mayor just got indicted

by the state Attorney General and faces 25 years in prison for three felonies including improper use of his office in trying to get a racetrack and casino built in the city and creating a dummy corporation to purchase properties to aid that.

That's my Democratic representation!

[NuttyFluffers]

8. stop wasting your time.

if you want to do something fun though... you could be a mole of sorts. just register republican, work your way through campaign heirarchy, and then be a sloth and waste their money.

... yeah, i haven't the stomach for that either.

i'm really getting the sinking feeling that i've become radicalized without my consent -- my country left me.

[bobbieinok]

9. imagine how much 'fun' it is to live in OK.....

[Bouncy Ball]

12. Ick, I know!

My condolences.