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Tips for Meeting and Influencing Your Reps
1. Come prepared: Dress with authority. Know some highlights about your Rep
before you meet. (Get a quick overview at: http://congress.org). Print a
list of reasons in favor of your position before you go. If you look and
sound informed, they'll pay more attention to you.
2. Be a potential "lost vote": Elected officials depend on votes from
constituents (voters) in their district. If you tell them they could never
win your vote, they have no incentive to change their vote/opinion as you
want them to do. Give them a reason to vote as you wish - if they won't,
then tell them they'll lose your vote.
3. Be representative: Come as a group of voters from your district, get
your neighbors to sign a petition you can deliver in person, or at least
explain that you are well connected in your community - the more votes you
"represent" the more influence you'll have.
4. Always be cordial and friendly. This is America and democracy in action.
It's ok for others to have different opinions. You won't win anyone over
by attacking them.
1. We can disarm Saddam Hussein without invading Iraq. Iraq has already begun to disarm without an invasion, proof that inspections can work. U.S. intelligence agencies should work with inspectors to stop Saddam Hussein and/or expose his true commitment (or lack thereof) to peace. Pushing forward with war will likely impair peaceful progress and the U.S. will be blamed.
2. A U.S.-led invasion will further inflame relations with Muslim nations and increase terrorism. A unilateral attack (or perception of a unilateral attack) lead by the U.S. would further convince Muslim nations that the U.S. is waging a war against them. Osama bin Laden and other terrorist groups will use this as proof of the need for terrorist tactics against the United States and other allied nations.
3. War will kill Americans and innocent civilians. A war would lead to the deaths of some of our soldiers and many innocent civilians. 50% of the Iraqi population are children. How would you feel if American children were termed "collateral damage"?
4. The U.S.'s current approach to war is destroying our relationships with nations worldwide. We have squandered all the goodwill generated by the September 11 attacks and now, anti-American sentiment is at its highest point in recent history. We should lead by example - if we want peace, we should pursue peace first. If we "go it alone" we'll only encourage more violence, distrust and hatred directed towards American citizens worldwide.
5. War could further destabilize the Middle East. Recently, U.S. "ally" Turkey epitomized Middle Eastern resistance to war by turning down the Bush Administration's $15 billion offer to attack Iraq from Turkish soil. Experts warn that an attack on Iraq could seriously undermine and destabilize regimes in the region whose populations are overwhelmingly opposed to an invasion. One of these, Pakistan, has nuclear weapons.
6. With a tough economy, we want to support Americans, not fund a war in Iraq. The government is currently cutting funds that support critical social issues in the United States - like health care, schools, and the environment - but then prepared to spend billions attacking Iraq. As we are still in preliminary stages of rebuilding Afghanistan; (the United States provided nearly $900 million for Afghan relief and reconstruction) we don't want to spend an additional $60 to $100 billion on war, and then additional billions rebuilding Iraq. If the U.S. attacks Iraq and then leads a reconstruction effort, we will be responsible for both the bill for war AND for rebuilding when our local economy and own social problems still need to be addressed.
7. The majority of Americans don't support a war in Iraq. We don't want Americans killed in a war that most Americans don't support. According to a recent poll taken BEFORE Iraq started destroying its weapons:
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