Grassroots, individual lobbying

[ElSapo]

I had the good fortune the other day to sit in on a "How To" session for grassroots lobbying. I reported on a federal lobbyist for the National Education Association teaching school administrators how to lobby effectively on a smaller basis.

Since it seems like some of her thoughts could be useful to Internet poker players now, I thought I'd pass them on. Take them for what they're worth, use them as you want, this is just some of the basics I recall, and in no particular order. I'm only passing this on, these are not my ideas.

1. While congressional reps have higher-profile offics in Washington, it's often easier to make an impact at the District-level office even though you normally think of these as a resource for constituents with smaller problems. Asking questions the District office can't answer, or managing to overwhelm phone lines there (they aren't set up to handle large-volume calls), can send that office to the higher ups asking what is being done.

2. These days, fax seems to be the most effective way to make contact. Email is good because it's immediate, but there's something about a physical thing representative of your comments that will command attention. Problem is, post 9-11 and post anthrax letters, all mail sent to Capitol Hill is filtered throuh a mail facility and delayed weeks. A fax managed to combine the physicality of your issue with immediacy. If you do choose to email, make sure you include your name and address (preferably an address in that reps district or state).

3. Be well informed, professional and polite. It helps to know the name and number of the bill, and where it is in the legislative process. Stay informed. Letting a representative or his staff know you are serious will go a long way towards getting them to take you seriously.

4. Take staffers seriously. Some of the people working in a representative's office will be young, but this doesn't mean they are inexperience. And they remain the gateway to the person that they work for. Be polite to them, and assume they understand the issue until you hear otherwise.

5. Lobbying can take on different forms. Letters to the Editor, speaking with representatives at "visibility events" like a parade or fundraiser, blogs and websites, can all be methods of getting your message heard.

6. Talk about numbers. Representatives care about one thing, generally -- votes. You have to talk in numbers they understand, and that generally translates to the number of people affected. Talk about how many people want the thing you want, and if possible bring that down to the district or state level (though that may be hard to do with internet poker, I suppose).

7. Remember that there are no permanent enemies or friends. A representative who opposes you now could become a supporter later, and vice versa. Now more than ever (though perhaps it doesn't feel that way), this is the age of research-based legislation. Lawmakers want to know either that they are doing the right thing (or, cynically, that there is something in it for them).

8. Don't give up. If your passion dies, so does your cause. In general, it takes around seven years to get a new major piece of federal legislation passed and signed into law. Rome was not built in a day, and so you have to be realistic in your expectations. Even if all you manage to do is open up a avenue of communication on an issue, you need to see that as a victory because that's a difficult thing to do.


ElSapo