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WHAT IS LOBBYING AND WHAT DOES
IT TAKE?
Every citizen in our democracy
may express their concerns about government policy to
their representatives, but lobbyists do it more systematically.
Lobbying atempts to shape the opinions of legislators
and others regarding policy by providing information
and cogent argument. Its major tools are simply occasional
discussion with legislators or their aides, delivering
useful articles, reports or other sources of information
to them, the preparation of position papers and other
documents, and telephone follow-up from time to time.
In short, lobbying is political
advocacy without the demonstrations, chants and slogans.
It is usually not over in an afternoon (unless you are
part of a “visit your representative” day)
and does not provide the satisfaction of energetic self-expression,
but requires persistence and patience—lots of
patience.
Lobbyists should be polite,
well-prepared, and respectful. Still, their work will
inevitably produce better results with some legislators
than with others, depending on several factors (to be
discussed, below), but it always takes time because
it requires building a relationship to be effective.
When it is effective, it can moderate the opinions of
legislators, make their voting more thoughtful, even
change their voting patterns. Indeed, at its most effective,
it can hold congress in thrall—the pro-Israel
Lobby has become legendary in this regard.
Legislators, like everyone
else, have consciences and ideals-- some have more and
some less—to which lobbyists may appeal. However,
they are subject to other pressures, often conflicting,
in deciding what position to take on issues. One pressure
is the need to raise money for campaigning. Although
lobbyists cannot “buy” influence (bribery
is illegal), a legislator may listen more attentively
to a lobbyist who represents a source of campaign funds
(eg, AIPAC). The main usefulness of campaign money is
that it can be used to secure votes, and a lobbyist
who represents a voting bloc (eg, AARP) may therefore
also receive extra attention even without making contributions.
The lobbyist with neither
of these assets should not despair, however: like everyone
else, legislators do not enjoy the indignity of voting
against their consciences, nor do they want to lose
the votes represented by lobbyists and their groups,
so compromises can be achieved with patient lobbying.
WHAT
DOES CONGRESS KNOW ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST?
WHY YOU SHOULD LOBBY CONGRESS
Congressmen (or women) are
very busy people. Aside from attending congressional
sessions on federal matters, they deal with a very large
range of issues that affect the states they represent--transit,
education, etc. Much of their time is spent boning up
on issues they must deal with in the Congressional committees
to which they are assigned, particularly if they serve
on busy, important committees. Finally, fund raising
has become increasingly time-consuming and now goes
on from one election to the next.
They do not spend hours
on the internet reading about Palestine or pouring over
reports by human rights organizations as we do! So what
do they know about the Palestinians and where do they
get that information? Congresspeople can avail themselves
of vast library research resources, but their day-to-day
information comes from elsewhere:
1) THE MEDIA: All
Congresspeople follow the major media or get reports
on it, plus the state/local media that might influence
elections. They are NOT exposed to the Guardian or Counterpunch!
Since we all know that the major media are pro-Israel,
we must provide them with balancing material
on Palestinian human rights!
2) LOBBYISTS: Congressmen
are obliged to hear the views of their constituents,
either directly or through their staff, who often become
more knowledgable in particular areas. If developers
want to use state park lands, for example, Congressmen
do not suddenly become environmental specialists: they
learn about the issue by listening to lobbyists from
both the developers and the Sierra Club. In the case
of the Palestinians, Congress has been listening for
half a century to only one side and
it is because human rights advocates for the Palestinians
have left the field to the Zionists and not done the
necessary work.
3) PREDILECTIONS: Everyone
forms a bunch of opinions/prejudices from their families,
friends, random sources, and in the USA these tend to
favor the Israeli side. After all, how many Americans
have even met a Palestinian? But most Americans know
Jewish friends, teachers, doctors, or local shopkeepers
and feel more comfortable with what they imagine is
the democratic Jewish culture of Israel. Moreover, the
Zionist side has always been available in English; the
Palestinians side was presented in English much later:
scads of histories on the Middle East are available
by Zionists in English, but rather few by Palestinians.
We must shape those predilictions with information!
So lobbying is essential education.
Do congressmen have
a conscience or do they only want contributions? Will
lobbying make a difference?
WHO
TO LOBBY AND WHY
Lobbyists for large interest groups like
the National Rifle Association (NRA), professional associations
like the AMA, or labor unions are usually headquartered
in Washington and visit congressional offices there.
It doesn’t matter whether the lobbyists live in
a Senator’s state or a Representative’s
district since their organization is national in scope.
If you are part of a local group or an ordinary citizen,
however, you should live in the electoral district of
the official you are lobbying. That is, you should be
a constituent and represents a vote.
There is one major difference between
lobbying a Senator and a Representative. Senators are
elected by entire states, but Representatives only by
their Congressional Districts (CDs). In a state like
Wisconsin, for instance, some 3 million people might
cast their ballots in a Senate race, but only some 200,000-300,000
might vote in Congressional Districts for a Representative.
Since Senators serve a much larger constituency, it
is more difficult to arrange to see them. Small groups
or individuals who ask for an appointment are much more
likely to be given time with the Senator’s chief-of-staff
or constituent services person than with the Senator
himself. A serious constituent group seeking an appointment
with a Representative, on the other hand, is much more
likely to be granted a half hour with him or her.
Generally, lobbyists prefer to congresspeople
who are sympathetic to their cause or who are at least
inclined to be so. In the case of lobbyists for the
Palestinian human rights, for instance, it would probably
be futile to visit Senator Tom Lantos, a faithful servant
of Israel. However, on the Palestinian issue, it is
very important for lobbyists to visit many moderate
congresspeople who have voted pro-Israel in the past!
They often do so because it is simply easier—they
get no criticism for a pro-Israel vote and might even
get a few contributions. It is the lobbyist’s
job to show them that they have constituents who care
deeply about the issue and that voting for policies
that oppress the Palestinians may cost them votes.
GUIDELINES FOR
VISITING YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE
Once you have decided to be a lobbyist,
a little planning is in order. Organize a small group
of people who broadly agree with your viewpoint—3-6
is a good number—and who would also like to express
their concerns to their Congressperson. Everyone in
the group should be a constituent of the person you
are lobbying—that is, they should live in the
same congressional district if you are lobbying a member
of the House of Representatives and they should live
in the same state if you are lobbying a Senator [click
here to find out who your representatives are].
Discuss with your group what topic
you want to discuss with your congressperson and what
general approach you should take. Focus on an area that
can be covered in the time that will be allotted to
you—don’t try to work in the whole history
of the area or show how much you know. In selecting
a topic or request, remember that while Congressionpeople
like to oblige their constituents, they are unwilling
to commit political suicide to do so. Therefore, asking
them to support an immediate end to all aid to Israel,
for instance, will not earn you good marks for realism
(however desirable an end to aid would be) and it will
not help you build a relationship with your representative.
When you make an appointment [see, “Making
an appointment,” below], you will only be given
a short time-- perhaps half an hour--so come prepared!
Decide beforehand who will make the introductions and
present the reason for your visit. Usually, after that,
an discussion opens up without further formal presentations.
Your congressperson may or may not be well informed
on the topic you want to discuss, and it’s a good
idea to bring along a few pieces of carefully supporting
materials from credible sources that you can leave at
the office. Factual materials from known NGOs are particularly
good sources: congresspeople recognize the importance
of such groups and show that you have read objective
material.
The members of your group should all
be prepared to be polite and respectful throughout your
visit: nothing will be accomplished by rudeness or inappropriate
remarks, and may well be counterproductive.
Making an Appointment:
Step 1. Call your
congressperson’s office and find out who takes
care of appointments and what their e-mail address
or fax number is.
Step 2. Write a polite
letter--e-mail is often okay, a fax is better--asking
for an appointment in the Senator or Representive's
district office and broadly indicating the subject
area (“We are concerned about the situation
in Israel/Palestine,”for instance, or “we
find the current direction of US-Syrian relations
disturbing.”) Indicate how many people you anticipate
will be in your group and that you are all constituents
of the Congressperson, and briefly who you are and
any related affiliations.
You will be expected to accommodate
the Rep's schedule while he/she is in town. Congresspeople
are expected to be in Washington while Congress is
in session and have multiple obligations between session.
Step 3. It is a good
idea to follow up your meeting with a note a few days
later, expressing your appreciation for the opportunity
to meet, reiterating your message, and, perhaps, enclosing
another piece of relevent material.
We strongly suggest that you continue
to be in contact every few months, sending material,
calling to express a concern, writing follow-up letters
by snail mail. . . build a long-term relationship to
make an impact! |
