Latinos for Trump v. Sessions
Filing
1
COMPLAINT AND APPLICATION FOR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF ( Filing fee $ 402 receipt number 0542-14386818). No Summons requested at this time, filed by Latinos for Trump. (Attachments: #1 Exhibit 1 - List of State Governors and Secretaries of State, #2 Exhibit 2 - Cain Declaration 20210118, #3 Exhibit 3 - Global Risk Analysis: Special Report, #4 Exhibit 4-1, #5 Exhibit 4-2, #6 Exhibit 4-3, #7 Exhibit 4-4, #8 Exhibit 4-5, #9 Exhibit 4-6, #10 Exhibit 4-7, #11 Exhibit 4-8, #12 Exhibit 4-9, #13 Exhibit 4-10, #14 Exhibit 4-11, #15 Exhibit 4-12, #16 Exhibit 4-13, #17 Exhibit 4-14, #18 Exhibit 4-15, #19 Exhibit 4-16, #20 Exhibit 4-17, #21 Exhibit 4-18, #22 Exhibit 4-19, #23 Exhibit 4-20, #24 Exhibit 4-21, #25 Exhibit 4-22, #26 Exhibit 4-23, #27 Exhibit 4-24, #28 Exhibit 4-25)(Davis, Paul)
Live ocument! ast pdated: 2/14/2016
D
L U
1
Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda
Former congressional sta喎ers reveal best practices for making Congress listen
Donald Trump is the biggest popular vote loser in history to ever call himself
President-Elect. In spite of the fact that he has no mandate, he will attempt to use his
congressional majority to reshape America in his own racist, authoritarian, and corrupt
image. If progressives are going to stop this, we must stand indivisibly opposed to Trump
and the members of Congress who would do his bidding. Together, we have the power
to resist - and we have the power to win.
We know this because we’ve seen it before. The authors of
this guide are former congressional sta喎ers who witnessed
the rise of the Tea Party. We saw these activists take on a
popular president with a mandate for change and a
supermajority in Congress. We saw them organize locally
and convince their own members of Congress to reject
President Obama’s agenda. Their ideas were wrong, cruel,
and tinged with racism - and they won.
We believe that protecting our values and neighbors will
require mounting a similar resistance to the Trump agenda
-- but a resistance built on the values of inclusion,
tolerance, and fairness. Trump is not popular. He does not
have a mandate. He does not have large congressional
margins. If a small minority in the Tea Party can stop
President Barack Obama, then we the majority can stop a
petty tyrant named Trump.
ho s his ocument y nd or?
W i t d
b a f
We: Are ormer rogressive ongressional
f
p
c
staffers ho aw he ea arty eat ack
w s t T P
b b
President bama’s genda.
O
a
We: See he nthusiasm o ght he rump
t e
t fi t T
agenda nd ant o hare nsider nfo n
a w t s
i
i o
how est o nfluence ongress o o hat.
b t i
C
t d t
You: Want o o our art o eat ack he
t d y p t b b t
Trump genda nd nderstand hat ill
a
a u
t w
require ore han alls e韫�韫�ons.
m t
c & p
You: Should se his uide, hare t, mend
u t g
s
i a
it, ake t our wn, nd et o ork.
m i y o a g t w
To this end, the following chapters o喎er a step-by-step guide for individuals, groups, and
organizations looking to replicate the Tea Party’s success in getting Congress to listen to
a small, vocal, dedicated group of constituents. The guide is intended to be equally
useful for sti喎ening Democratic spines and weakening pro-Trump Republican resolve.
We believe that the next four years depend on citizens across the country standing
indivisible against the Trump agenda. We believe that buying into false promises or
accepting partial concessions will only further empower Trump to victimize our fellow
citizens. We hope that this guide will provide those who share that belief useful tools to
make Congress listen.
P.S. e’re oing his n ur ree me ithout oordina韫�on r upport rom ur mployers. e’re ot tar韫�ng n
W
d
t i o f 韫� w
c
o s
f
o e
W
n s
a
organiza韫�on nd e’re ot elling nything. eel ree o ing ome f s n wi韕�er ith ues韫�ons, dits,
a w
n s
a
F f t p s
o u o T
w q
e
recommenda韫�ons, toriesmabout hat s elpful ere: ezralevin, angelrafpadilla, texpat, Leahgreenb.
s
w i h
h
@
@
@
@
Or mail IndivisibleAgainstTrump@gmail.com nd lease lease lease pread he ord! nly olks ho now
e
. A p
p
p
s
t w
O f
w k
this xists ill se t. lick ere o share n acebook nd ere o share o wi韕�er hank ou! e ill in.
e
w u i C h t
o F
a h t
t T
.T
y W w w
One Page Summary
Here’s the quick and dirty summary of this document. While this page summarizes
top-level takeaways, the full document describes how to actually carry out these
activities.
Ch. 1: How grassroots advocacy worked to stop Obama. We examine lessons from the
Tea Party’s rise and recommend two key strategic components:
1) A local strategy targeting individual Members of Congress (MoCs).
2) A defensive approach purely focused on stopping Trump from implementing an
agenda built on racism, authoritarianism, and corruption.
Ch. 2: How your MoC thinks, and how to use that to save democracy. Reelection,
reelection, reelection. MoCs want their constituents to think well of them and they want
good, local press. They hate surprises, wasted time, and most of all, bad press that
makes them look weak, unlikable, and vulnerable. You will use these interests to make
them listen and act.
Ch. 3: Identify or organize your local group. Is there an existing local group or network
you can join? Or do you need to start your own? We suggest steps to help mobilize your
fellow constituents locally and start organizing for action.
Ch. 4: Four local advocacy tactics that actually work. Most of you have 3 MoCs--two
Senators and one Representative. Whether you like it or not, they are your voice in
Washington. Your job is to make sure they are, in fact, speaking for you. We’ve identiꎈ�ed
four key opportunity areas to pressure MoCs that just a handful of local constituents can
use to great e喎ect. For each of these always record encounters on video, prepare
questions ahead of time, coordinate with your group, and report back to local media:
1. Townhalls: MoCs regularly hold public in-district events to show that they are
listening to constituents. Make them listen to you, and report out when they don’t.
2. Non-townhall events. MoCs love cutting ribbons and kissing babies back home.
Don’t let them get photo-ops without questions about racism, authoritarianism,
and corruption.
3. District oⵟ�ce sit-ins/meetings. Every MoC has one or several district oⵟ�ces. Go
there. Demand a meeting with the MoC. Report to the world if they refuse to listen.
4. Coordinated calls. Calls are a light lift but can have impact. Organize your local
group to barrage your MoCs at an opportune moment and on a speciꎈ�c issue.
2
Ch. 1. How grassroots advocacy worked to stop Obama
“If they succeed, or even half succeed, the tea party's most important legacy may be
organizational, not political.” -Jonathan Rausch
Like us, you probably deeply disagree with the principles and positions of the Tea Party.
But we can all learn from their success in in쳋uencing the national debate and the
behavior of national policymakers. To their credit, they thought thoroughly about
advocacy tactics, as this leaked “best practices” guide demonstrates.
This chapter draws on both research and our own experiences as former congressional
sta喎ers to illustrate the strengths of the Tea Party movement and to provide lessons to
leverage in the ꎈ�ght against Trump’s racism, authoritarianism, and corruption.
What he ea arty ccomplished
t T P
A
The ea arty rganized ffec韫�vely nded ope or
T P
o
e
e
h
f
progressive eform nder bama. heir embers:
r
u
O
T
m
● Changed otes nd efeated egisla韫�on
v
a d
l
● Radically lowed ederal olicymaking
s
f
p
● Forced epublicans o eject ompromise
R
t r
c
● Shaped a韫�onal ebate ver bama’s genda
n
d
o O
a
● Paved he ay or he epublican akeover n
t w f t R
t
i
2010 nd onald rump oday
a D
T
t
These ere eal, angible esults y roup hat
w r t
r
b a g
t
represented nly mall or韫�on f mericans.
o a s
p
o A
Why e re ot he ea arty
W A N t T P
The ea arty’s deas ere rong nd heir ehavior as
T P
i
w w
a t
b
w
o�en orrible. heir embers:
h
T
m
● Ignored eality nd ade p heir wn acts
r
a m
u t
o f
● Threatened nybody hey onsidered n nemy
a
t c
a e
● Physically ssaulted nd pat n taff
a
a s o s
● Shouted bsceni韫�es nd urned eople n ffigy
o
a b
p
i e
● Targeted heir ate ot ust t ongress, ut lso
t
h n j a C
b a
fellow i韫�zens especially eople f olor)
c
(
p
o c
We re e韕�er han his. e re he ajority, nd e on’t
a b
t
t W a t m
a w d
need e韕�y care ac韫�cs o how hat ur ause s ust.
p
s
t
t s
t o c
i j
The Tea Party’s two key strategic choices
The ea arty’s uccess ame own o wo ritical trategic lements:
T P
s
c
d
t t c
s
e
1) They were locally focused. The Tea Party started as an organic movement built on
small local groups of dedicated conservatives. Yes, they received some
support/coordination from above, but fundamentally all the hubbub was caused by a
relatively small number of conservatives working together. To summarize:
● Groups started as disa喎ected conservatives talking to each other online. In
response to the 2008 bank bailouts and Obama’s election, groups began forming
to discuss their anger and what could be done. They eventually realized that the
locally-based discussion groups themselves could be a powerful tool.
3
● Groups were small, local, and dedicated. Local Tea Party groups could be fewer
than 10 people, but they were highly localized and dedicated signiꎈ�cant personal
time and resources. Members communicated with each other regularly, tracked
developments in Washington, and coordinated advocacy e喎orts together.
● Groups were relatively small in number. The Tea Party was not hundreds of
thousands of people spending every waking hour focused on advocacy. Rather,
the e喎orts were somewhat modest. Only 1 in 5 self-identiꎈ�ed Tea Partiers
contributed money or attended events. On any given day in 2009 or 2010, only
twenty local events--meetings, trainings, townhalls, etc--were scheduled
nationwide. In short, a relatively small number of groups were having a big impact
on the national debate.
2) They were almost purely defensive. The Tea Party focused on saying NO to
Members of Congress on their home turf. While the Tea Party activists were united by a
core set of shared beliefs, they actively avoided developing their own policy agenda.
Instead, they had an extraordinary clarity of purpose, united in opposition to President
Obama. They didn’t accept concessions and treated weak Republicans as traitors. To
summarize:
● Groups focused on defense, not policy development. The Tea Party took root in
2009, focused on ꎈ�ghting against every proposal coming out of the new
Democratic Administration and Congress. This focus on defense rather than policy
development allowed the movement to avoid fracturing. Tea Party members may
have not agreed on the policy reforms, but they could agree that Obama,
Democrats, and moderate Republicans had to be stopped.
● Groups rejected concessions to Democrats and targeted weak Republicans. Tea
Partiers viewed concessions to Democrats as betrayal. This limited their ability to
negotiate, but they didn’t care. Instead they focused on scaring congressional
Democrats and keeping Republicans honest. As a result, few Republicans spoke
against the Tea Party for fear of attracting blowback.
● Groups focused on local congressional representation. Tea Partiers primarily
applied this defensive strategy by pressuring their own local Members of
Congress (MoCs). This meant demanding that that their own personal
Representatives and Senators be their voice of opposition on Capitol Hill. At a
tactical level, the Tea Party had several replicable practices, including:
○ Showing up to the MoC’s town hall meetings and demanding answers
○ Showing up the MoC’s oⵟ�ce and demanding a meeting
○ Coordinating blanket calling of congressional oⵟ�ces at key moments
4
Using these lessons to ꎈ�ght the Trump agenda
For the next two years, Donald Trump and congressional Republicans will control the
federal government. But they will depend on just about every member of Congress to
actually get laws passed. And those members of Congress care much more about
getting reelected than they care about any speciꎈ�c issue. By adopting a defensive
strategy that pressures MoCs, we can achieve the following goals:
● Stall the Trump agenda by forcing them to redirect energy away from their
priorities. Congressional oⵟ�ces have limited time and limited people. A day that
they spend worrying about you is a day that they’re not spending on ending
Medicare, privatizing public schools, or preparing a Muslim registry.
● Sap Representatives’ will to support or drive reactionary change. If you do this
right, you will have an outsized impact. Every time your member of Congress signs
on to a bill, takes a position, or makes a statement, a little part of his or her mind
will be thinking, “How am I going to explain this to the angry constituents who
keep showing up at my events and demanding answers?”
● Reaⵟ�rm the illegitimacy of the Trump agenda. The hard truth is that Trump,
McConnell, and Ryan will have the votes to cause some damage. But by objecting
as loudly and powerfully as possible, and by centering the voices of those who are
most a喎ected by their agenda, you can ensure that people understand exactly
how bad these laws are from the very start – priming the ground for the 2018
midterms and their repeal when Democrats retake power.
Shouldn’t e ut orward n lternate, ositive genda?
W P F
a A
P
A
A efensive trategy oes ot ean ropping our wn olicy riori韫�es r taying ilent n n
d
s
d n m
d
y o p
p
o s
s
o a
alternate ision or ur ountry ver he ext our ears. hat t eans s hat, hen ou’re rying o
v
f o c
o t n f y
W i m
i t
w
y
t
t
influence our oC, ou ill ave he ost everage hen ou re ocused n hatever he urrent
y M y w h t m l
w
y a f
o w
t c
legisla韫�ve riority s.
p
i
You ay ot ike he dea f eing urely efensive; e ertainly on’t. s rogressives, ur atural
m n l t i
o b
p
d
w c
d
A p
o n
inclina韫�on s o alk bout he hings e’re or lean limate, conomic us韫�ce, ealth are or ll,
i t t a
t t
w
f ‐ a c
c
e
j
h
c f a
racial quality, ender nd exual quality, nd eace nd uman ights. hese re he hings hat
e
g
a s
e
a p
a h
r
T
a t t
t
move s. ut he ard ruth f he ext our ears s hat e’re ot oing o et he genda; rump
u B t h t
o t n f y
i t w
n g
t s t a
T
and ongressional epublican ill, nd e’ll ave o espond. he est ay o tand p or he
c
R
w a w h t r
T b w t s
u f t
progressive alues nd olicies e herish s o tand ogether, ndivisible ‐ o reat n 韕�ack n ne
v
a p
w c
i t s
t
i
‐ t t
a a
o o
as n 韕�ack n ll.
a a
o a
5
Ch. 2: How your MoC thinks, and how to use that to save democracy
“There go the people. I must follow them, for I am their leader” -Alexandre Ledru-Rollin
This chapter explains how congressional oⵟ�ces and the people within them work, and
what that means for your advocacy strategy.
It’s all about reelection, reelection, reelection
To in쳋uence your own Members of Congress (MoC), you have to understand one thing:
Every House member runs for oⵟ�ce every two years and every Senator runs for election
every six years. Functionally speaking, MoCs are always either running for oⵟ�ce or
getting ready for their next election, a fact that shapes everything they do.
To be clear, this does not mean that your MoC is cynical and unprincipled. The vast
majority of people in Congress believe in their ideals and care deeply about representing
their constituents and having a positive impact. But they also know that if they want to
make change, they need to stay in oⵟ�ce.
This constant reelection pressure means that MoCs are enormously sensitive to their
image in the district or state, and will work very hard to avoid signs of public dissent or
disapproval. What every MoC wants - regardless of party - is for his or her constituents to
agree with the following narrative:
“My MoC cares about me, shares my values, and is working hard for me.”
-What every MoC wants their constituents to think.
If your actions threaten this narrative, then you will unnerve your MoC and change their
decision-making process.
Help, y oC s n afe istrict!
M M i i a S D
If our oC s n eavily emocra韫�c r epublican istrict, ou ay ssume hat hey ave afe
y M i i a h
D
o R
d
y m a
t t h a s
seat nd here’s othing ou an o o nfluence hem. his s ot rue! he eality s hat o oC ver
a t
n
y c d t i
t
T i n t
T r
i t n M e
considers hemselves o e afe rom ll hreats. oCs ho ave othing o ear rom eneral
t
t b s f
a t
M w h n
t f f
a g
elec韫�on 韫�ll orry bout rimary hallenges.
s w
a
p
c
More roadly, o ne tays n oC ithout eing orderline ompulsive bout rotec韫�ng heir
b
n o s
a M w
b
b
c
a
p
t
image. ven he afest oC ill e eeply larmed y igns f rganized pposi韫�on, ecause hese
E t s
M w b d
a
b s
o o
o
b
t
ac韫�ons reate he mpression hat hey’re ot onnected o heir istrict nd ot istening o heir
c
t i
t t
n c
t t
d
a n l
t t
cons韫�tuents.
6
Help, y oCs re ctually retty ood!
m M a a
p
g
Congratula韫�ons! our enators nd epresenta韫�ve re oing hat hey hould o ght acism,
Y S
a R
a d
w t s
t fi r
authoritarianism, nd orrup韫�on. hey’re aking he ight ublic tatements, o‐sponsoring he ight
a c
T
m
t r
p
s
c
t r
bills, nd o韫�ng he ight ay. o ow oes his hange our trategy? wo ey hings o eep n ind:
a v
t r
w S h d t c
y s
T k t
t k i m
1) Do OT witch o arge韫�ng other embers f ongress ho on’t epresent ou. hey on’t
N s
t t
M
o C
w d
r
y T d
represent ou, nd hey on’t are hat ou ave o ay. 韫�ck ith our wn ocal oCs.
y a t d
c w y h t s S w y o l
M
2) DO se his uide o ngage ith our oCs ocally. nstead f ressuring hem o o he ight
u t g
t e
w y M l
I
o p
t
t d t r
thing, raise hem or oing he ight hing. his s mportant ecause t ill elp nsure hat
p
t
f d
t r
t
T i i
b
i w h e
t
they continue o o he ight hing. ongressional taff re arely ontacted hen he oC
t d t r
t
C
s a r
c
w
t M
does omething ood ‐ our fforts ocally ill rovide ighly aluable osi韫�ve einforcement.
s
g
‐ y e
l
w p
h
v
p
r
What Does a MoC’s Oⵟ�ce Do, and Why?
A MoC’s oⵟ�ce is composed of roughly 15-25 sta喎 for House oⵟ�ces and 60-70 for Senate
oⵟ�ces, spread across a D.C. and one or several district oⵟ�ces. MoC oⵟ�ces perform the
following functions:
● Constituent services: Sta喎 connect with both individual constituents and local
organizations, serving as a link to and advocate within the federal government on
issues such VISAs, grant applications, and public beneꎈ�ts.
● Communicate with constituents directly. Sta喎 take calls, track constituent
messages, and write letters to stay in touch with constituents’ priorities, follow up
on speciꎈ�c policy issues that constituents have expressed concern about, and
reinforce the message that they are listening.
● Meet with constituents. MoCs and sta喎 meet with constituents to learn about
local priorities and build connections.
● Seek and create positive press. Sta喎 try to shape press coverage and public
information to create a favorable image for the Representative.
● Host and attend events in district. Representatives host and attend events in the
district to connect with constituents, understand their priorities, and get good local
press.
● Actual legislating. MoCs and sta喎 decide their policy positions, develop and
sponsor bills, and take votes based on a combination of their own beliefs,
pressure from leadership/lobbyists, and pressure from their constituents.
7
What Your MoC Cares About
When it comes to constituent interactions, MoCs care about things that make them look
good, responsive, and hardworking to the people of their district. In practice, that means
that they care about some things very much, and others things very little:
MoC ares ot bout
C
a L A
MoC oesn’t are uch bout
D
C M A
Verified ons韫�tuents rom he istrict
c
f
t d
(or tate or enators)
s
f S
People rom utside he istrict
f
o
t d
(or tate or enators)
s
f S
Advocacy hat equires ffort he ore ffort,
t r
e
‐ t m e
the ore hey are. alls, ersonal mails, nd
m t c
C
p
e
a
especially howing p n erson n he istrict
s
u i p
i t d
Form e韕�ers, weet, r acebook omment
l
a T
o F
c
(unless hey enerate idespread 韕�en韫�on)
t g
w
a
Local ress nd ditorials, aybe a韫�onal ress
p
a e
m
n
p
Wonky .C.‐based ews depends n oC)
D
n
(
o M
An nterest roup’s ndorsement
i
g
e
Your houghul nalysis f he roposed ill
t
a
o t p
b
Groups f ons韫�tuents, ocally amous
o c
l
f
individuals, r ig ndividual ampaign
o b i
c
contributors
A ingle ons韫�tuent
s
c
A oncrete sk hat ntails erifiable c韫�on
c
a t e
a v
a
‐
vote or ill, ake ublic tatement, tc
f a b m a p
s
e
General deas bout he orld
i
a
t w
One ingle sk n our ommunica韫�on le韕�er,
s
a i y c
(
email, hone all, ffice isit, tc)
p
c o
v e
A aundry ist f ll he ssues ou’re oncerned
l
l o a t i
y
c
about.
8
What Your MoC is Thinking: Good Outcome vs Bad Outcome
To make this a bit more concrete and show where advocacy comes in, below are some
examples of actions that a MoC might take, what they’re hoping to see happen as a
result, and what they really doesn’t want to see happen. Some MoCs will go to great
lengths to avoid bad outcomes--even as far as changing their positions or public
statements.
Example ction
A
Desired utcome
O
Bad utcome
O
Letter o onstituent
t C
Cons韫�tuent eels appy hat heir oncerns
f
h
t t
c
were nswered.
a
Cons韫�tuent osts e韕�er n ocial edia
p
l
o s
m
saying t idn’t nswer heir ues韫�ons r
i d
a
t
q
o
didn’t nswer or eeks/months, alls
a
f w
c
Congresswoman ob nresponsive nd
B u
a
untrustworthy.
Indistrict vent
E
Local ewspaper eports hat
n
r
t
Congresswoman ara ppeared t pening f
S a
a o
o
new ridge, hich he elped ecure unding
b
w
s h
s
f
for.
Local ewspaper eports hat rotestors
n
r
t p
barraged ongresswoman ara ith
C
S w
ques韫�ons bout orrup韫�on n he
a
c
i t
infrastructure ill.
b
Town all istening
H / L
Session
Local ewspaper eports hat ongessman
n
r
t C
Bob osted own all nd iscussed is
h
a t
h a d
h
work o alance he udget.
t b
t b
Local ewspaper eports hat ngry
n
r
t a
cons韫�tuents trongly bjected o
s
o
t
Congressman ob’s upport or
B
s
f
priva韫�zing edicare.
M
Policy osition
P
Congresswoman ara otes n ill nd
S v
o a b a
releases ress tatement ailing t s tep
a p
s
h
i a a s
forward.
Congresswoman ara’s hones re
S
p
a
deluged ith alls bjec韫�ng o he ill.
w c o
t t b A
group f ons韫�tuents tage n vent
o c
s
a e
outside er istrict ffice nd nvite ress
h d
o
a i
p
to ear hem alk bout ow he ill ill
h t
t a
h t b w
personally urt heir amilies.
h t
f
9
Ch. 3: Organize a local group to ꎈ�ght for your congressional district
“We need in every bay and community a group of angelic troublemakers.” -Bayard Rustin
The Tea Party formed organically as conservatives upset after the 2008 election came
together in local discussion groups. We believe the same thing is happening now across
the country as progressives - in person, in already existing networks, and on Facebook -
come together to move forward. The big question for these groups is: what’s next?
If you’re reading this, you’re probably already part of a local network of people who want
to stop the Trump agenda - even if it’s just your friends or a group on Facebook. This
chapter is about how to take that energy to the next level, and start ꎈ�ghting locally to
take the country back.
Should I Form a Group?
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel - if an activist group or network is already
attempting to do congressional advocacy along these lines, just join up with them.
Depending on the your Representative’s district, it may make sense to have more than
one group. This congressional map tool shows the boundaries for your that district.
If you look around and can’t ꎈ�nd a group working speciꎈ�cally on local action focused on
your MoCs in your area, just start doing it! It’s not rocket science. You really just need two
things:
● Ten or so people (but even fewer is a ꎈ�ne start!) who are geographically
nearby--ideally in the same congressional district
● A commitment from those people to devote a couple hours per month to ꎈ�ghting
the racism, authoritarianism, and corruption pushed by Trump.
Diversity n our roup eaching ut
i Y G
& R
O
Trump’s genda xplicitly argets mmigrants, uslims, eople f olor, GBTQ eople, he oor nd
a
e
t
i
M
p
o c
L
p
t p a
working lass, nd omen. t s ri韫�cal hat ur esistance eflect nd enter he oices f hose ho
c
a w
I i c
t o r
r
a c
t v
o t
w
are ost irectly hreatened y he rump genda. f ou re orming roup, e rge ou o ake
m d
t
b t T
a
I y a f
a g
w u y t m a
conscious ffort o ursue iversity nd olidarity t very tage n he rocess. eing nclusive nd
e
t p
d
a s
a e
s
i t p
B
i
a
diverse ight nclude ecrui韫�ng embers ho an ridge anguage aps, nd nding ays o
m
i
r
m
w c b
l
g
a fi
w t
accommodate ar韫�cipa韫�on hen eople an’t 韕�end ue o ork chedules, ealth ssues, r
p
w
p
c
a
d t w s
h
i
o
childcare eeds.
n
In ddi韫�on, here here re ocal roups lready rganizing round he ights f hose ost
a
w
t
a l
g
a
o
a
t r
o t
m
threatened y he rump genda, e rge ou o each ut o artner ith hem, mplify hose oices
b t T
a
w u y t r
o t p
w t
a
t
v
and efer o heir eadership.
d
t t
l
10
How to Form a Group
If you do want to form a group, here are our recommendations on how to go about it:
1. Decide you’re going to start a local group dedicated to making your MoCs aware
of their constituents’ opposition to the Trump agenda. This might be a subgroup of
an already existing activist group, or it might be a new e喎ort - it really depends on
your circumstances. Start where people are: if you’re in a group with a lot of
people who want to do this kind of thing, then start there; if you’re not, you’ll need
to ꎈ�nd them somewhere else. The most important thing is that this is a LOCAL
group. Your band of heroes is focused on applying local pressure, which means
you all need to be local.
2. Identify a few additional co-founders who are interested in participating and
recruiting others. Ideally, these are people who have di喎erent social networks
from you so that you can maximize your reach. Make an e喎ort to ensure that
leadership of the group re쳋ects the diversity of opposition to Trump.
3. Email your contacts and post a message on your Facebook, on any local
Facebook groups that you’re a member of, and/or other social media channels
you use regularly. Say that you’re starting a group for constituents of
Congresswoman Sara’s, dedicated to stopping the Trump agenda, and ask people
to email you to sign up.
How o ecruit eople o ake ction?
d I r
p
t t a
Most eople re oved o ake c韫�on hrough ndividual onversa韫�ons. ere re ome ps or aving
p
a m
t t a
t
i
c
H a s
韫� f h
successful onversa韫�ons o nspire eople o ake c韫�on ith our roup.
c
t i
p
t t a
w y g
1. Get he tory. hat ssues oes he ther erson are bout? ow ould he eac韫�onary
t s
W i
d t o
p
c a
H w
t r
Republican genda ffect hem, heir ommuni韫�es, nd heir alues?
a
a
t
t
c
a t
v
2. Imagine hat’s ossible. ow an our roup hange our ommunity’s ela韫�onship ith
w
p
H c y g
c
y c
r
w
your embers f ongress? ow ould our roup, nd thers ike t, rotect ur alues?
M
o C
H c
y g
a o
l i p
o v
3. Commitment nd wnership. sk lear es r o ues韫�on: ill ou ork ith e o old
a o
A a c
y o n q
w y w w m t h
our epresenta韫�ves ccountable? hen, et o pecifics. ho lse an hey alk o bout
r
a
T
g t s
W e c t t t a
joining he roup? hat ork eeds o e one lanning ee韫�ng, esearching ember
t g
W w n
t b d
‐ p
a m
r
a M
of ongress hat hey an ake n? hen ill ou ollow p?
C
‐ t t c t o W
w y f
u
Ask pen‐ended ues韫�ons! People re ore ikely o ake c韫�on hen hey r韫�culate hat hey are
o
q
a m l
t t a
w
t a
w t c
about nd an onnect t o he c韫�on hey re oing o ake. A ood ule f humb s o alk 0% f
a c c
i t t a
t a g
t t
g
r o t
i t t 3 o
the me r ess nd isten t east 0% f he me.
韫� o l a l
a l
7 o t 韫�
11
4. Invite everyone who has expressed interest to an in-person kicko喎 meeting.
Use this meeting to agree on a name, principles for your group, roles for
leadership, a way of communicating, and a strategy for your
Congressman/Congresswoman. Rule of thumb: 50% of the people who have said
they are deꎈ�nitely coming will show up to your meeting. Aim high! Get people to
commit to come--they’ll want to because saving democracy is fun.
a. Manage the meeting: Keep people focused on the ultimate core strategy:
applying pressure to your MoC to stop Trump. Other attendees may have
other ideas-or may be coming to share their concerns about Trump - and
it’s important to aⵟ�rm their concerns and feelings. But it’s also important to
redirect that energy and make sure that the conversation stays focused on
developing a group and a plan of action dedicated to this strategy.
b. Decide on a name: Good names include the geographic area of your
group, so that it’s clear that you’re rooted in the community - eg,
“Springꎈ�eld Indivisible Against Hate.” You are also 100% welcome to pick
up and run with the Indivisible name if you want, but we won’t be hurt if you
don’t.
c. Agree on principles: This is your chance to say what your group stands for.
We recommend two guiding principles:
i.
Donald Trump’s agenda will take America backwards and must be
stopped.
ii.
In order to work together to achieve this goal, we must model the
values of inclusion, tolerance, and fairness.
As discussed in the second chapter, we strongly recommend focusing on
defense against the Trump agenda rather than developing an entire
alternative policy agenda. This is time-intensive, divisive, and, quite frankly,
a distraction, since there is zero chance that we as progressives will get to
put our agenda into action at the federal level in the next four years.
d. Volunteer for roles: Figure out how to divide roles and responsibilities
among your group. This can look very di喎erent depending on who’s in the
room, but at a minimum, you probably want 1-2 people in charge of overall
group coordination, a designated media/social media contact, and 1-2
people in charge of tracking the Congressional oⵟ�ce’s schedule and
events. In addition to these administrative roles, ask attendees how they
want to contribute to advocacy e喎orts: attend events, record events, ask
questions, make calls, host meetings, engage on social media, write op-eds
for local papers, etc etc.
12
e. Adopt means of communication: You need a way of reaching everyone in
your group in order to coordinate actions. This can be a Facebook group, a
Google group, a Slack team - whatever people are most comfortable with. It
may be wise to consider secure or encrypted platforms such as Signal and
WhatsApp.
5. Expand! Enlist your members to recruit across their networks. Ask every member
to send out the same outreach emails/posts that you did.
a. Recruit people for your email list--100 or 200 isn’t unreasonable.
b. We strongly recommend making a conscious e喎ort to diversify your group
and particularly to center around and defer to communities of people who
are most directly a喎ected by the racism, xenophobia, transphobia,
homophobia, and antipathy towards the poor of the Trump administration.
This could include both reaching out through your own networks and
forming relationships with community groups that are already working on
protecting the rights of marginalized groups.
13
Ch. 4: Four local advocacy tactics that actually work
“Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a
chance to change the world” -Dolores Huerta
This chapter describes the nuts and bolts of implementing four advocacy tactics to put
pressure on your three MoCs--your Representative and two Senators. Before we get
there though, there’s one thing all local groups should do:
First, ꎈ�ve steps to gather intel. Before you doing anything else, take the following ꎈ�ve
steps to arm yourself with information necessary for all future advocacy activities.
1) Find your three MoCs, their oⵟ�cial websites, and their oⵟ�ce contact info at
www.callmycongress.com.
2) Every MoC has an e-newsletter. Sign up on their website to receive regular email
updates, invites to local events, and propaganda to understand what they’re
saying.
3) Find out where your MoC stands on the issues of the day--appointment of white
supremacists, tax cuts for the rich, etc. Review their voting history at
VoteSmart.org. Research their biggest campaign contributors at OpenSecrets.org.
4) Set up a Google News Alert (here)--for example for “Rep. Bob Smith”--to receive
an email whenever your MoC is in the news.
5) Research on Google News (here) local reporters have written about the MoC. Find
and follow them on Twitter, and build relationships. Before you attend or plan an
event, reach out and explain why your group is protesting and provide them
background materials and a quote. Journalists on deadline-- even those who
might not agree with you-- appreciate when you provide easy material for a story.
Note n afety nd rivilege
o S
a P
We o ot et now ow rump upporters ill espond o rganized hows f pposi韫�on, ut e
d n y k
h T
s
w r
t o
s
o o
b w
have een nough o e ery oncerned hat inori韫�es ill e argeted r ingled ut. lan our
s
e
t b v c
t m
w b t
o s
o P y
ac韫�ons o nsure hat o ne s sked o ake n ole hat hey re ot omfortable ith‐‐especially
t e
t n o i a
t t o a r t t a n c
w
those oles hat all or emi‐confronta韫�onal ehavior‐‐and e indful f he act hat ot veryone s
r
t c f s
b
b m
o t f t n e
i
facing n qual evel f hreat. embers f our roup ho njoy ore rivilege hould hink
a e
l
o t
M
o y g
w e
m p
s
t
carefully bout ow hey an nsure hat hey re sing heir rivilege o upport ther embers f
a
h t c e
t t a u
t
p
t s
o
m
o
the roup. f ou re oncerned bout oten韫�al aw nforcement n韫�mida韫�on, onsider ownloading
g
I y a c
a
p
l e
i
c
d
your tate’s ersion f he ACLU obile us韫�ce pp n rder o nsure hat ny n韫�mida韫�ng ehavior s
s
v
o t
M
J
a i o
t e
t a i
b
i
captured n lm.
o fi
14
Opportunity #1: Town Halls/Listening Sessions
MoCs regularly hold local “Town Halls” or public listening sessions throughout their
district or state. Tea Partiers used these events to great e喎ect--both to directly pressure
their MoCs and to attract media to their cause.
Preparation
1. Find out when your MoC’s next public town hall event is. Sometimes these are
announced well in advance, and sometimes they are “public” but only sent to select
constituents through mailings shortly before the event. If you can’t ꎈ�nd announcements
online, call your MoC directly to ꎈ�nd out. When you call, be friendly and say to the sta喎er,
“Hi, I’m a constituent, and I’d like to know when his/her next town hall forum will be.” If
they don’t know, ask to be added to the email list so that you get notiꎈ�ed when they do.
2. Send out notice of the town hall to your group and get commitments from members
to attend. Distribute to all of them whatever information you have on your MoC’s voting
record, as well as the prepared questions (next step).
3. Prepare several questions ahead of time for your group to ask. Your questions
should be sharp and fact-based, ideally including information on the MoC’s record, votes
they’ve taken, or statements they’ve made. They should, thematically, focus on a limited
number of issues to maximize impact. Prepare 5-10 of these questions and hand them
out to your group ahead of the meeting. Example question:
“I and many district families in Springꎈ�eld rely on Medicare. I don’t think we
should be rationing health care for seniors, and the plan to privatize Medicare will
create serious ꎈ�nancial hardship for seniors who can’t a喎ord it. You haven’t gone
on the record opposing this. Will you commit here and now to vote no Bill X to cut
Medicare?”
Should ring ign?
I b
a s
Signs an e seful or einforcing he ense f road greement ith our essage. owever, f
c b u
f r
t s
o b
a
w y m
H
i
you’re olding n pposi韫�onal ign, taffers ill lmost ertainly ot ive ou r he eople ith ou
h
a o
s s
w a
c
n g y o t p
w y
the hance o et he ike r sk ues韫�on. f ou ave nough eople o oth sk ues韫�ons nd
c
t g t m o a a q
I y h e
p
t b a q
a
hold igns, hough, hen o or t!
s
t
t
g f i
15
At the Town Hall
1. Get there early, meet up, and get organized. Meet outside or in the parking lot for a
quick huddle before the event. Distribute the handout of questions, and encourage
members to ask the questions on the sheet or something similar.
2. Get seated and spread out. Head into the venue a bit early to grab seats at the front
half of the room, but do not sit all together. Sit by yourself or in groups of 2, and spread
out throughout the room. This will help reinforce the impression of broad consensus.
3. Make your voices heard by asking good questions. When the MoC opens the 쳋oor or
questions, everyone in the group should put your hands up and keep them there. Look
friendly or neutral so that sta喎ers will call on you. When you’re asking a question,
remember the following guidelines:
a) Stick with the prepared list of questions. Don’t be afraid to read it straight
from the printout if you need to.
b) Be polite but persistent, and demand real answers. MoCs are very good
at de쳋ecting or dodging question they don’t want to answer. If the MoC
dodges, ask a follow up. If they aren’t giving you real answers, then call
them out for it. Other group members around the room should amplify by
either booing the Congressman or applauding you.
c) Don’t give up the mic until you’re satisꎈ�ed with the answer. If you’ve
asked a hostile question, a sta喎er will often try to limit your ability to follow
up by taking the microphone back immediately after you ꎈ�nish speaking.
They can’t do that if you keep a ꎈ�rm hold on the mike. No sta喎er in their
right mind wants to look like they’re physically intimidating a constituent, so
they will back o喎. If they object, then say, politely but loudly: “I’m not
ꎈ�nished. The Congressman/woman is dodging my question. Why are you
trying to stop me from following up?”
d) Keep the pressure on. After one member of the group ꎈ�nishes, everyone
should raise their hands again. The next member of the group to be called
on should move down the list of questions and ask the next one.
4. Support the group and reinforce the message. After one member of your group asks
a question, everyone should applaud to show that the feeling is shared throughout the
audience. Whenever someone from your group gets the mike, they should note that
they’re building on the previous questions - amplifying the fact that you’re part of a broad
group.
16
5. Record everything! Assign someone in the group to use their smart phones or video
camera to record other advocates asking questions and the MoC’s response. While
written transcripts are nice, unfavorable exchanges caught on video can be devastating
for MoCs. These clips can be shared through social media and picked up by local and
national media.
After the Town Hall
6. Reach out to media, during and after the town hall. If there’s media at the town hall,
the people who asked questions should approach them afterwards and o喎er to speak
about their concerns. When the event is over, you should engage local reporters on
Twitter or by email and o喎er to provide an in-person account of what happened, as well
as the video footage you collected. Example Twitter outreach:
“.@reporter I was at Rep. Smith’s townhall in Springꎈ�eld today. Large group asked
about Medicare privatization. I have video & happy to chat.”
-Note: It’s important to make this a public tweet by including the period
before the journalist’s Twitter handle. Making this public will make make
the journalist more likely to respond to ensure they get the intel ꎈ�rst.
Ensure that the members of your group who are directly a喎ected by speciꎈ�c threats are
the ones whose voices are elevated when you reach out to media.
7. Share everything. Post pictures, video, your own thoughts about the event, etc, to
social media afterwards. Tag the MoC’s oⵟ�ce and encourage others to share widely.
17
Opportunity #2: Other Local Public Events
In addition to town halls, MoCs regularly attend public events for other
purposes--parades, infrastructure groundbreakings, etc. Like town halls, these are
opportunities to get face time with the MoC and make sure they’re hearing about your
concerns while simultaneously changing the news story that gets written.
Similar to Town Halls, but with some tweaks. To take advantage of this opportunity, you
can follow most of the guidelines above for townhalls (ꎈ�lming, etc). However, because
these events are not designed for constituent input, you will need to think creatively
about how to make sure your presence and message comes through loud and clear.
Tactics for these events may be similar to more traditional protests, where you’re trying to
shift attention from the scheduled event to your own message.
1) Optimize visibility. Unlike in town halls, you want your presence as a group to be
recognizable and attention-getting at this event. It may make sense to stick
together as a group, wear relatively similar clothing / message shirts, and carry
signs in order to be sure that your presence is noticeable.
2) Be prepared to interrupt and insist on your right to be heard. Since you won’t
get the mic at an event like this, you have to attract attention to yourself and your
message. Agree beforehand with your group on a simple message focused on a
current or upcoming issue. Coordinate with each other to chant this message
during any public remarks that your MoC makes. This can be diⵟ�cult, and a bit
uncomfortable. But it sends a powerful message to your MOC that they won’t be
able to get press for other events until they address your concerns.
3) Identify, and try to speak with, reporters on the scene. Be polite, friendly, and
stick to your message. For example, “We’re here to remind Congresswoman Sara
that her constituents are opposed to Medicare cuts.” You may want to research in
advance which local reporters cover MoCs or relevant beats, so that you know
who to be looking for.
4) Hold organizational hosts accountable. Often, events such as these will be
hosted by local businesses or non-partisan organizations - groups that don’t want
controversy or to alienate the community. Reach out to them directly to express
your concern that they are giving a platform to pro-Trump authoritarianism, racism,
and corruption. If they persist, use social media to express your disappointment.
This will reduce the likelihood that these organizations will host the Trump-friendly
MoC in the future. MoCs depend on invitations like these to build ties and raise
their visibility - so this matters to them.
18
Opportunity #3: In-Oⵟ�ce Visits / Sit-ins
Every MoC has at least one district oⵟ�ce, and many MoCs have several spread
through their district or state. These are public oⵟ�ces, open for anybody to visit--you
don’t need an appointment. You can take advantage of this to force a sort of
impromptu town hall meeting by showing up with a small group. It is much harder for
district or DC sta喎 to turn away a group than a single constituent, even without an
appointment.
1) Find out where your MoCs local oⵟ�ces are. The oⵟ�cial webpage for your MoC
will list the address of every local oⵟ�ce. You can ꎈ�nd those web pages easily
through a simple Google search. In most cases, the URL for the a House member
will be www.[lastname].house.gov, and the URL for Senate oⵟ�ces is
www.[lastname].senate.gov.
2) Plan a trip when the MoC is there. Most MoC district oⵟ�ces are open only during
regular business hours, 9am-5pm. While MoCs spend a fair amount of time in
Washington, they are often “in district” on Mondays and Fridays, and there are
weeks designated for MoCs to work in district. The MoC is most likely to be at the
“main” oⵟ�ce--the oⵟ�ce in the largest city in the district, and where the MoC’s
district director works. Ideally, plan a time when you and several other people can
show up together.
3) Prepare several questions ahead of time. As with the townhalls, you should
prepare a list of questions ahead of time. See above for sample questions.
4) Politely, but ꎈ�rmly, ask to meet with the MoC directly. Sta喎 will ask you to leave
or at best “o喎er to take down your concerns.” Don’t settle for that. You want to
speak with the MoC directly. If they are not in, ask when they will next be in. If the
sta喎er doesn’t know, tell them you will wait. Sit politely in the lobby. Note, on any
given weekend, the MoC may or may not actually come to that district oⵟ�ce.
Note that oⵟ�ce sit-ins can backꎈ�re, so be very thoughtful about the optics of your
visit. This tactic works best when you are protesting an issue that directly a喎ects
you and/or members of your group (eg, seniors and caregivers on Medicare cuts,
or Muslims and allies protesting a Muslim registry). Being polite and respectful
throughout is critical.
5) Meet with the sta喎er. Even if you are able to get a one-o喎 meeting with the
member, you are most often going to be meeting with their sta喎. In district, the
best person to meet with is the District Director, or head of the local district oⵟ�ce
you’re visiting. There are real advantages to building a relationship with these
sta喎. In some cases, they may be more open to progressive ideas than the MoC
19
him/herself, and having a good meeting with/building a relationship with a
supportive sta喎 member can be a good way to move your issue up the chain of
command. Follow these steps for a good sta喎 meeting:
a) Have a speciꎈ�c “ask” -- E.g. vote against X, cosponsor Y, publicly state Z,
etc.
b) Leave sta喎 with a brief write up of your issue, with your ask clearly stated
c) Share a personal story of how you or someone in your group is personally
impacted by the speciꎈ�c issue (health care, immigration, medicare, etc).
d) Be polite -- Yelling at the underpaid, overworked, sta喎er won’t help your
cause.
e) Be persistent -- Get their card and call/email them regularly; ask if the MoC
has taken action on the issue.
6) Advertise what you’re doing. Communicate on social media and with the local
reporters you follow what is happening. Take and send pictures and videos with
your group: “At Congresswoman Sara’s oⵟ�ce with 10 other constituents to talk to
her about privatizing Medicare. She refuses to meet with us and sta喎 won’t tell us
when she will come out. We’re waiting.”
20
Opportunity #4: Mass Calls
Mass oⵟ�ce calling is a light lift but can actually have impact. Tea Partiers regularly
쳋ooded congressional oⵟ�ces with calls at opportune moments, and MoCs noticed.
1) Find the phone numbers for your MoC. Again, you can ꎈ�nd your local MoCs and
their oⵟ�ce phone numbers at www.callmycongress.com.
2) Prepare a single question per call. For in-person events, you want to prepare a
host of questions, but for calls, you want to keep it simple. You and your group
should all agree to call in on one speciꎈ�c issue that day. The question should be
about a live issue--a vote that is coming up or a di喎erent action that the member
has just taken or will have the opportunity to take. The next day or week, pick
another issue, and call again on that.
3) Find out who you’re talking to. In general, the sta喎er who answers the phone will
be an intern, a sta喎 assistant, or some other very junior sta喎er in the MoCs oⵟ�ce.
But you want to talk to the legislative sta喎er who covers the issue you’re calling
about. Two ways to go about doing this:
○ Ask to speak to the sta喎er who handles the issue (immigration, health care
etc). Junior sta喎 is usually directed to not tell you who this is, and instead
just take down your comment instead.
○ On a di喎erent day, call and ask whoever answers the phone, “Hi, can you
conꎈ�rm the name of the sta喎er who covers [immigration/health care/etc]?”
Sta喎 will generally tell you the name. Say “thanks!” and hang up. Ask for the
sta喎er by name when you call back next time.
4) If you’re directed to voicemail, follow up with email. Then follow up again.
Getting more senior legislative sta喎 on the phone is tough. The junior sta喎er will
probably just tell you “I checked, and she’s not at her desk right now, but would
you like to leave a voicemail?” Go ahead and leave a voicemail, but don’t expect a
call back. Instead, after you leave that voicemail, follow up with an email to the
sta喎er. If they still don’t respond, follow up again. If they still don’t respond, let the
world know that the MoC’s oⵟ�ce is dodging you.
Congressional emails are standardized, so even if the MoC’s oⵟ�ce won’t divulge
that information, you can probably guess it if you have the sta喎er’s ꎈ�rst and last
name.
● Senate email addresses: For the Senate: the formula is:
Sta喎erFirstName_Sta喎erLastName@MoCLastName.senate.gov. For
example, if Jane Doe works for Senator Roberts, her email address is likely
“Jane_Doe@roberts.senate.gov”
● House email addresses: For the House, the formula is simpler:
Sta喎erFirstName.Sta喎erLastName@mail.house.gov. For example, if Jane
21
Doe works in the House, her email address is likely
“Jane.Doe@mail.house.gov”
5) Keep a record of the conversation. Take detailed notes on everything the sta喎er
tells you. Direct quotes are great, and anything they tell you is public information
that can be shared widely. Compare notes with the rest of your group, and identify
any con쳋icts in what they’re telling constituents.
6) Report back to media and your group. Report back to both your media contacts
and your group what the sta喎er said when you called.
Sample all ialogue
C D
Staffer: Congresswoman ara’s ffice, ow an elp ou?
S
o
h c I h y
Caller: Hi here, ’m ons韫�tuent f ongresswoman ara’s. an lease peak ith he taffer ho
t
I a c
o C
S
C I p
s
w t s
w
handles residen韫�al ppointments ssues?
p
a
i
Staffer: ’m appy o ake own ny omments ou ay ave. an sk or our ame nd ddress o
I h
t t d
a c
y m h
C I a f y n
a a
t
verify ou’re n he ongresswoman’s istrict?
y
i t C
d
Caller ure hing. Gives ame/address]. an sk ho ’m peaking ith?
: S t
[
n
C I a w I s
w
Staffer: Yes, his s eremy mith.
t i J
S
Caller: Thanks, eremy! ’m alling o sk hat he ongresswoman s oing bout he ppointment f
J
I c
t a w t C
i d
a
t a
o
Steve annon o erve n he hite ouse. annon s eported s aying e idn’t ant is hildren o
B
t s
i t W
H
B
i r
a s
h d
w h c
t
go o chool ith ews. nd e an ebsite hat romoted hite a韫�onalist iews. ’m onestly
t a s
w J
A h r a w
t p
w
n
v
I h
scared hat nown acist nd n韫�‐Semite ill e orking eet rom he val ffice. an ou ell e
t a k
r
a a
w b w
f f
t O O
C y t m
what ongresswoman ara s oing o o bout t?
C
S i g
t d a
i
Staffer ell eally ppreciate ou alling nd haring our houghts! f ourse an’t peak or he
: W I r
a
y c
a s
y t
I o c
c
s
f t
Congresswoman ecause ’m ust taff ssistant, ut an ell ou hat ’ll ass our oncerns n o
b
I j a S A
b I c t y t I p y c
o t
her.
Caller ppreciate hat eremy, ut on’t ant ou o ust ass y oncerns n. ould ike o now
:Ia
t J
b I d
w y t j p m c
o I w
l t k
what he ongresswoman s oing o top his.
t C
i d
t s t
[If hey tick ith he I’m ust taffer” ine, sk hem hen ore enior taffer ill et ack o ou
t s w t “ j a s
l a t
w
a m s
s
w g b t y
with n nswer o our uestion.]
a a
t y q
Staffer ’m fraid e on’t ake osi韫�ons n ersonnel ppointments.
: I a
w d
t p
o p
a
Caller hy ot?
: W n
Staffer ersonnel ppointments re he resident’s esponsibility. e ave o ontrol ver hem.
:P
a
a t P
r
W h n c
o t
Caller ut ongresswoman ara as he bility o peak ut nd ay hat his s nacceptable. ther
: B C
S h t a
t s
o a s t t i u
O
members f ongress ave one o. hy sn’t ongresswoman ara oing hat?
o C
h d
s W i
C
S d
t
Staffer s aid, his s he resident’s esponsibility. t’s ot ur usiness o ave osi韫�on n ho
: A I s t i t P
r
I n o b
t h a p
o w
he hooses or is taff.
c
f h s
Caller t s veryone’s usiness f an ho romoted hite upremacy s erving s n dvisor o
: I i e
b
i a m w p
w
s
i s
a a a
t
the resident. he ongresswoman s y lected epresenta韫�ve nd xpect er o peak ut n his.
P
T C
i m e
r
a I e
h t s
o o t
Staffer ’ll ass hat n.
: I p t o
Caller nd t nacceptable hat he ongresswoman efuses o ake osi韫�on. ’ll e o韫�fying y
: I fi i u
t t C
r
t t a p
I b n
m
friends, amily, nd ocal ewspaper hat ur ongresswoman oesn’t hink t’s er ob o epresent s
f
a l
n
t o C
d
t
i h j t r
u
or ctually espond o er ons韫�tuents’ oncerns.
a
r
t h c
c
22
Conclusion
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones
we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” -President Barack Obama
We wrote this guide because we believe that the coming years will see an
unprecedented movement of Americans rising up across the country to protect our
values and our neighbors. Our goal is to provide practical understanding of how your
MoCs think, and how you can demonstrate to them the depth and power of the
opposition to Donald Trump and Republican congressional overreach. This is not a
panacea, nor is it intended to stand alone. We strongly urge you to marry the strategy in
this guide with a broader commitment to creating a more just society, building local
power, and addressing systemic injustice and racism.
Finally, this guide is intended as a work in progress, one that we hope to continue
updating as the resistance to the Trump agenda takes shape. We are happy to o喎er
support to anybody interested in building on the tactics outlined in this guide, and we
hope that if you ꎈ�nd it useful or put any of the tactics described above into action, that
you will let us know how it goes. Feel free to ping some of us on Twitter with questions,
edits, recommendations, feedback/stories about what is helpful here, etc: @ezralevin,
@angelrafpadilla, @texpat (a partial list of Twitter-active folks). Or email
IndivisibleAgainstTrump@gmail.com.
Good luck--we will win.
23
Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. These filings and docket sheets should not be considered findings of fact or liability, nor do they necessarily reflect the view of Justia.
Why Is My Information Online?