CEO ROUNDTABLE: Let your political voice be heard
Do you have political issues you are passionate about? Have you ever complained about specific government programs or the lack thereof? Have you ever taken the time to write your Congressmen a letter petitioning your views? Have you gone to a town meeting to meet or hear a Congressman?
Do you vote in every election? Are you well informed on political issues, current events, and bills under consideration in Congress? Do others around you agree with your political views? Do you feel your positions on political matters are under due consideration in Congress? Could or should you do more to express those views?
If you answered yes to a few of these questions, you might consider setting up a trip to go to Washington, D.C. and personally lobby your positions to your three Tennessee Congressmen. This is not only a worthwhile gesture, it is necessary if you want your views and opinions promoted further. How does one go about going to Congress?
There is a central switchboard in Washington, D.C. that can readily connect you with any U.S. Congressman’s office. The switchboard number is 202-224-3121. The House and Senate office buildings are as follows:
House: Rayburn, Longworth, Cannon, & O’Neill Buildings – just south of the Capitol.
Senate: Russell, Dirksen, & Hart Buildings – just northeast of the Capitol.
If you wish to make an appointment to see your Congressman, you will be asked to mail/fax/e-mail a short biography of yourself as well as a statement for the purpose of the requested visit. The office contact then will assist you in setting up an appointment based on your time in Washington, your topic(s), and who they have available. You will most likely meet with a key staff person within the Congressman’s office. These are the workers behind the scenes who do the brunt of the work of the office, including advising the Congressman on issues, constituent preferences, priorities, etc. You could end up meeting with the Congressman, but that is unlikely.
Once you have an appointment, it is highly recommended you develop a printed presentation, with supporting documents that embellish your views and opinions. You should leave multiple copies with your contact that can be passed throughout the office, including to the Congressman. The printed presentation can convey your passion about issues better than the memory recall of the contact. Expect your visit will last a maximum of one hour, and structure your presentation according. Most visits will average 30 to 40 minutes of face-to-face time. Get to your points, cover your bases, and answer questions.
A key advantage you walk away with is the ability to have further communications with your contact. For security reasons, you can no longer e-mail directly to the Congressman, but you can e-mail the aides 24 hours a day. Having a contact that will lead to other contacts is a reward for your visiting the Congressman’s office. This gives you a ready conduit for continued communications. You can continue to express your views and opinions from afar.
I have visited the three Tennessee Congressmen two Februarys in a row, including last month. I have met with the following staffers:
1. Sen. Bill Frist Howard Liebengood, Chief of Staff – 2003 461 Dirksen Senate Building Jonathan Vaden, Projects Assistant – 2004
2. Sen. Lamar Alexander Bridget Lipscomb, Legislative Counsel 302 Hart Senate Building
3. Rep. Lincoln Davis Tom Hayden, Legislative Assistant – 2003, 504 Cannon House Building Brandi McBride, Sr. Legislative Asst. -2004
The aides above are exceptionally sharp, capable, and well educated. They are hand picked by the Congressmen and are Tennesseans.
Seeing your Congressmen in Washington, D.C. is perhaps the most valuable way to communicate your positions because it integrates your presence amongst each Congressman’s staff. Individual letters, e-mails, town meetings, meetings in the district or state are additional means to communicate.
The most interesting part of our political system is that every adult American has the right and access to call on the three members of Congress who represent him or her. This is not only a right and a privilege, but a basic way to get things done. Let’s make sure our Tennessee Congressmen know where Warren County is and what our views are.