SHARED SACRIFICE THE JOURNAL OF PROGRESSIVE THOUGHT
12 FEBRUARY 2009
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One of the unfortunate side effects of making your living as a political operative are the inevitable interrogations from friends and family
about the issues of the day and what politicians are like "in real life." Family functions, drinks with friends, and even simple phone calls to
relatives, inevitably spiral into a home edition of Meet the Press.
These conversations are mostly benign… usually.
The frustrating encounters are when acquaintances drive full throttle into a rant about how “all politicians are corrupt” and how “average
citizens have no say.”
Don’t get the wrong idea – the reason these conversations are so infuriating isn’t that the skeptics are right and we political operatives
don’t like being presented with the “Truth.” What’s maddening is that these assumptions are so obviously false to those of us within the
political world, that we often don’t know where to begin in offering a calm and believable response.
I won’t waste your time going on about how the vast majority of politicians are good people, and how a few bad apples spoil the whole
batch. Instead, I‘d like to spend this column refuting the oft-repeated “average citizens have no say."
Here’s the big secret every political operative actually wants you to know – you, the citizen, have more power than you realize, from
domestic issues to U.S. foreign policy. Why do we want you to know? An active citizenry makes our jobs easier – it's much easier to
communicate a message to people who are interested than to those who are not.
Most of us are at least somewhat familiar with what we can do to affect policy change (voting being the most obvious), so before delving
into a laundry list of tactics, I’d like to discuss some theoretical concepts from political science that will explain why these tactics actually
work. In my experience, the excuse not to participate isn’t a failure of knowing what to do but a refusal to believe it might actually work. It
represents a failure of:
Political Efficacy
The pessimistic view that “average citizens have no say” demonstrates what political scientists call efficacy.
Political efficacy describes a citizen’s belief (or lack of belief) that they can participate in the political system and that their participation
matters and is influential. Academics will commonly divide the concept into two separate issues: internal efficacy (the belief a citizen can
participate) and external efficacy (the belief that one’s participation matters and is influential).
Numerous studies show a correlation between efficacy and participation. Citizens are more likely to vote, and take other actions, when
they believe those actions are of value and have a chance at success.
It should come of no surprise that there is a litany of variables that can influence political efficacy. Civic education is one of the biggest
factors. Many citizens are skeptical that “one vote counts” and are unaware of how they can actually influence change. Another
significant factor is political affiliation – a citizen tends to feel their opinions (or vote) matters more when the political party they support (or
person they voted for) holds office.
The most common cited excuse not to organize or participate in the political process is external efficacy: “they’ll never listen,” “they don’t
care about my opinions,” or “one person won’t make a difference,” are examples of the phrases used in qualitative analysis of
participation when efficacy is low. (One can only imagine what may have happened to political efficacy among liberal democrats
(especially African Americans) if Barak Obama lost a narrow election to Sen. McCain because Obama “paled around with terrorists.”)
Politicians, operatives, activists, and social movements need to let the public know why their voice matters. We need to demonstrate why
our democracy, established by Jefferson, Madison, Washington and other great minds, is a system (while imperfect) where everyone has
a say and a chance to influence policy. We are always struggling to make our imperfect union, more perfect, and that cannot happen
without citizen participation.
The most important place to start this education is with:
The Electoral Connection
In his seminal 1974 book, Congress: The Electoral Connection, Professor David R. Mayhew offered the hypothesis that Members of
Congress are single-minded seekers of reelection. Furthermore, he argued this office seeking behavior can effectively predict the actions
of elected officials.
The notion that Members of Congress seek reelection was not a revolutionary thought. What was significant, and led to Mayhew's book
becoming required reading for nearly every political science student, was the ability of his approach to make predictions. Like most
theories, it is imperfect: there are other reasons politicians take actions (such as strong ideological beliefs) but most political operatives
will tell you reelection is almost always on a politicians mind.
Mayhew discusses how reelection drives Members of Congress to focus on several different activities: advertising (publicity, visibility,
attending graduations, speeches, interviews, etc), credit claiming, (legislative victories, bringing pork projects home, constituent services,
etc) and position taking (roll call votes and speeches to support a given position).
What does any of this have to do with citizen participation? Simply put: politicians want your vote and support. If enough citizens support a
certain position, elected officials may reconsider their support (or lack of support of a given measure). If they do alter their stance, they’ll
advertise and claim credit for being responsive to the public’s concerns.
A good example is the recent $700 billion bailout passed in October 2008, right before the Presidential Election. Prior to the first vote,
millions of citizens phoned their congresspersons to oppose giving Wall-Street a bailout with any conditions. After the down-vote, Wall
Street promptly dropped hundred of points, and citizens became fearful of what might happen without the bailout. Millions of citizens called
their representatives (some, again) and urged them to pass a bailout with conditions. Enough Members of Congress changed their vote,
and the bill passed. (The sad irony of course is that the Bush administration then ignored these conditions and gave billions in lump sums
to banks that simply hoarded the cash – rather than lending it. But Bush's party paid dearly for that, and other things, because of the
Electoral Connection!)
The point here is that public opinion on a given issue is, perhaps, the most significant factor in determining how an issue will play out in
Washington or state capitals. Why else do you think politicians, interest groups, and corporations spend billions each year on issue
advertising on television? The list of empirical examples goes go on and on – the religious environmental stewardship movement
convincing conservative politicians to support environmental protection measures, the public upheaval in response to Gov. Corzine’s plan
to raise toll prices in New Jersey, and, to borrow some older examples: Vietnam, the civil rights movement and women’s suffrage. These
are all times when public opinion shifted discussion in Washington.
So what does this all mean for public participation in the process?
Politicians want to be reelected and to garner that electoral support they will try to demonstrate they are “in touch” with the constituencies
they represent. Simply put, even though your participation may not be directly related to votes, elected officials have an incentive to be
responsive to your participation. What follows is a list of things you can do to become impact foreign policy change in Washington. Simply
put, in the cliché language of the time:
Yes You Can
Vote: Voting leaders you disagree with out of office is the most direct way to create change. Yes it’s true that an individual vote is unlikely
to be a deciding factor in who wins an election, but you’d be surprised the number of times a few votes actually does make the difference.
Florida in 2000, Ohio in 2004, and this year’s Minnesota Senate race are all good examples. In 1991 a Virginia Assembly race was
decided by one vote and in New Jersey this year a county wide freeholder election was decided by six.
Use voting as an excuse to participate: Call the candidates’ campaign office and ask their position on issues you care about. Express your
opinion, and if the candidate disagrees with you, ask for an opportunity to meet the candidate and discuss the issue. You might get blown
off if the election is a non-competitive race, but more often than not candidates will want to appear responsive voters in an election-year.
Become a precinct or block captain: Political organizations are always looking for dedicated citizens who will take responsibility for
organizing their neighborhood for a given political party or issue campaign. It is a lot easier than you might believe. Captains for political
parties are only asked to go door to door, write their neighbors prior to an election, and then work on Get Out the Vote Activities the
weekend before and the day of the election. Once you are a dedicated volunteer, you will have additional opportunities to discuss issues
with elected officials, and they will take your opinion more seriously because you can help them get votes in addition to your own.
Volunteer on a political campaign IN THE SPRING: Campaigns are usually flooded with volunteers the weeks before an election. The truth
is that campaigns are desperate for volunteers when they are just getting off the ground. If you volunteer early on a campaign you will
have an opportunity to develop a close relationship with the candidate (or elected official) and they will often grant a greater weight to
your opinion as you are a loyal volunteer whose support and effort is an essential ingredient to electoral success.
Become Active with an Existing Foreign Policy Organization: There are literally hundreds of organizations who dedicate themselves to
specific areas of foreign policy. They are experienced in advocating for their issues and many times have lobbying and organizational
structures in place to help reach their goals. Become a member of one or more of these organizations and ask them what type of actions
they are organizing. Join Amnesty International, Citizens for Global Solutions, or the Council for a Livable World, to name just three.
These groups often have highly sophisticated tactics and you can play an integral role in their success. Leaders in Washington are often
responsive to these groups (especially the larger ones) because they carry electoral weight, campaign contributions, and can generate
positive (or negative) media attention for Members of Congress.
Write or all your elected officials, and just don’t do it once: Get in the habit of writing or calling your elected officials. Every office on
Capitol Hill keeps track of how many constituents are upset/concerned about a given issue and most Member of Congress pay close
attention to these numbers as a qualitative measure of public opinion. Your actions can add up – just look at the recent bailout example.
Even better: get together with like-minded neighbors and write letters.
Create a block, town, or community debating society, and invite elected officials to attend: Because most citizens are very passive in their
political tactics, many Congressmen and Congresswomen are always very excited when groups of voters actively seek out opportunities
to engage the political process. Put together a group of concerned citizens and have monthly meetings and/or debates. Keep minutes
and send them to your elected officials, and local newspapers. You might be surprised how many elected officials will contact you to ask if
they can attend a meeting. You might not even need to formally invite your Member of Congress! As single-minded seekers of reelection,
Congresspeople are always looking for new ways to meet individual voters and activists in group settings. They will want to engage with
you, not only because you are voters, but because you also have demonstrated an ability to organize and take action.
Get involved in cyberspace: Internet activism is garnering more and more attention from elected officials in Washington. The Democratic
nature of the information flow on-line provides an opportunity for your voice to be heard. Get active on message boards, and local and
national blogs. You can even do your own research and write your own analysis of the issues. Write blog posts, or even articles and
columns advocating for what you believe – by helping shape public opinion you directly influence the course of policy.
Donate: If you have the money, donate early and often to political campaigns. It’s a sad fact that most candidates spend hours each day
calling wealthy people asking for contributions. Simply put, they need the money to run their campaigns. We all know this is one of the
most significant arguments in favor of publicly financed campaigns, but since the current system isn’t likely to be changed anytime soon, if
you have the money, use it. When your opinion has economic weight behind it, and politicians need your cash to run campaign
advertisements, they will listen very carefully to what you have to say.
Don’t hang up on pollsters: Yes. Polls are long and tedious, and yes, we all hate being interrupted while watching Dr. House unravel his
latest unrealistic medical mystery, but for better or worse, politicians use these surveys as a gauge of public opinion. Most elected officials
do not make decisions based solely on poll results, but they definitely influence the stances they take. Hanging up on pollsters, as
suggested by some prominent political activists, only succeeds in removing your voice from that process. Don’t cut off your hand to spite
your face. (By the way, political surveys are exempt from the national “Do Not Call List.” Going on a long rant about not wanting to be
disturbed wastes your time and makes the life of the minimum wage worker on the other end of the call less pleasant. If you don’t want to
answer, just hang up.)
Finally, and most importantly, be prepared for setbacks: Like all attempts at change, sometimes tactics take longer to work, some might
not work at all. You’ll need to determine what can be successful in given circumstance, and be prepared to experiment and work trial by
error. You might discover that some Members of Congress are more than happy to offer lip-service to your opinions in an attempt to
appear responsive than actually be responsive. When discussing foreign policy, especially security issues, some officials may hide behind
a cloak of government secrecy claiming “there are things I know I just can’t tell you.”
Don’t give up – your efforts will pay off in the long run as you persuade people in your community individual by individual. History is
riddled with examples where change first must take place at the societal level before government follows. We can change the world by
changing ourselves.
If you encounter a grumpy old politician who is too set in his or her ways, then get involved with campaigns that oppose their reelection.
Make some noise and keep at it. Eventually, if you perform well, elected officials will wake up and take your opinions into account – to
save their own skin.
Last but not least, always remember:
Decisions Are Made By Those Who Show Up – Voting is Not Enough
In the face of policy decisions we disagree with, the worst possible action would be to give up.
In my experience, too often citizens wave the white flag when confronted with objectionable actions in Washington or state capitals. Many
take it as a sign that good government and citizen involvement is impossible, and withdrawing from the system will at least prevent them
from raising their blood pressure above recommended levels. This apathetic reaction occurs across all spectrums of the electorate, rich,
poor, geography, race, profession or even education.
A primary goal of activists, educators, political operatives, and organizations needs to be to confront this destructive absence of political
efficacy. While activism and involvement might not be met with immediate success a sure way to ensure failure is to not even try. It’s also
a good way to slowly watch representative democracy die.
Politicians like being politicians. They enjoy the power they have gained, they enjoy being important and feeling like they can be a force
for good in the world. In order to continue having this positive feeling they must be reelected. By understanding the electoral connection,
citizens can have more success in their attempts at change.
Steven D'Amico is a Democratic political campaign manager.
"Politicians like being politicians. In order to continue having this positive feeling they must be reelected. By understanding the electoral connection, citizens can have more success in their attempts at change."
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"...the religious environmental stewardship movement convincing conservative politicians to support environmental protection measures, the public upheaval in response to Gov. Corzine’s plan to raise toll prices in New Jersey..."
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SERIOUSLY, GET INVOLVED
12 Feburary 2009
by Steven D'Amico
Copyright 2009 Shared Sacrifice Media