Step Up the Fight Against Political Corruption

 

Senator Dianne Feinstein

SF Office: (415) 393-0707
DC Office: (202) 224-3841
LA Office: (310) 914-7300
Fresno Office: (559) 485-7430
San Diego Office: (619) 231-9712

If you can't get through to one office, try another.  There is no benefit to calling one office over another. Leaving a voicemail is as good as reaching a live person. Hate the phone? Resistbot is your friend.

Senator Kamala Harris

SF Office: (415) 981-9369
DC Office: (202) 224-3553
Sacramento Office: (916) 448-2787
LA Office: (213) 894-5000
San Diego Office: (619) 239-3884

Call the SF office first, but try the other offices if you can’t get through. If you can’t get a live person, leave a voicemail and also send a follow-up email written in your own words. Hate the phone? Resistbot is your friend.

 

Note: only one of the following two Congresswomen represents you. To find out which one, click here.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi

SF Office: (415) 556-4862

DC Office: (202) 225-4965

Call the SF office first, but try the DC office if you can’t get through. If you get voicemail, hang up and try a few more times to talk to a real person. Don’t give up! Short direct messages are most effective. Hate the phone? Resistbot is your friend.

Rep. Jackie Speier

San Mateo Office: (650) 342-0300

DC Office: (202) 225-3531

Keep calling if you don’t get through. Voicemails are logged daily into a central report across offices. Hate the phone? Resistbot is your friend.

 

Call Script

My name is __________. I am a constituent, and my zip code is _______. I am a member of Indivisible SF.

Our political system has become awash in dark money bribes masquerading as free speech. Regulatory agencies have been captured by the industries they're supposed to be overseeing. Essential government services have been crippled by funding cuts and restrictions on their enforcement powers. Trump and his administration cronies shamelessly and blatantly use their high offices for personal enrichment.

As my representative I want you to aggressively fight against political corruption in all of its forms.

Context

Over the past two decades the number of white-collar crimes prosecuted by the Justice Department have been cut almost in half. Federal law enforcement agencies have become enablers rather than prosecutors. Tax evasion by billionaires and mega-corporations is the norm, Amazon is one of the richest corporations in the world but it pays no income tax at all. Wall Street crooks who looted the economy and threw millions of people out of their homes and out of their jobs walked away with multi-million dollar payouts and not even the pretense of a slap on the wrist. The legal bribery of campaign contributions is used to buy laws and regulations that enrich the already obscenely wealth at the expense of voters like us who pay the price.

Background:

Over the past two decades the number of white-collar crimes prosecuted by the Justice Department have been cut almost in half. Federal law enforcement agencies have become enablers rather than prosecutors. Tax evasion by billionaires and mega-corporations is the norm, Amazon is one of the richest corporations in the world but it pays no income tax at all. Wall Street crooks who looted the economy and threw millions of people out of their homes and out of their jobs walked away with multi-million dollar payouts and not even the pretense of a slap on the wrist. The legal bribery of campaign contributions is used to buy laws and regulations that enrich the already obscenely wealth at the expense of voters like us who pay the price.

“President Trump, his family and more than a few of his appointees are using his presidency to enrich themselves. They are spending taxpayer dollars for their own benefit. They are accepting sweetheart deals from foreigners. And they are harnessing the power of the federal government on behalf of their businesses. There’s a word for this: corruption. They don’t even try very hard to hide it.”

— New York Times column, 1/25/19

Corruption is destroying America and it must be fought by:

  • Passing all of the provisions in HR.1 the “For the People Act.”

  • Halting confirmation of industry-insiders to regulatory agencies and commissions until some consumer representatives and advocates for the public interest are included.

  • Enacting legislation to prevent the revolving door of office-holders and bureaucrats who take cushy jobs from lobbyists and the corporations they've done legislative and regulatory favors for.

  • Enacting legislation to restore the authority and fully fund regulatory agencies like the SEC, EPA, FDA, and CFPB.

  • Fully funding the Justice Department & the IRS and ensuring that they investigate and prosecute “white collar” crime.

  • Enacting a national Anti-Corruption Act similar to those being passed or considered on the state and local levels.

Trump and his Republican Party cronies have created a culture of corruption where it’s expected that those with public power will wield it for private gain. This culture of corruption has wide-ranging effects from higher prices for shoddy goods and an increasingly polluted environment to stagnant wages, growing income inequality, and a system of injustice for all. When the interests of foreign governments are put first, it’s at the expense of America’s safety. When the priorities of elected leaders and government officials are shaped only by those with money or power, then the needs of the American people are sacrificed for the greed of the few.

It is corruption in our political process that thwarts the needs and dreams of “We the People.” Today, most federal politicians spend between 3 and 7 hours a day fundraising from big donors instead of working on issues that matter to voters. They get huge sums of money in the form of campaign donations from the special interests who lobby them. In return, they create laws favorable to these special interests – even when those laws hurt voters.

America may be politically divided and polarized in terms of party loyalty, but that's NOT the case regarding issues that most people see as crucial to their lives and future. For example:

  • 55% of voters favor new gun-control legislation vs 26% who oppose.

  • 59% of voters favor legislation to combat climate change vs 15% who oppose.

  • 60% of voters favor legislation to reduce income inequality vs 13% who oppose.

  • 61% of voters favor higher taxes on incomes over $50 million vs 20% who oppose.

  • 64% of voters want laws allowing them to buy drugs from Canada vs 32% who oppose.

  • 67% of voters favor laws requiring employer-paid maternity leave vs 23% who oppose.

  • 73% of voters favor enacting an infrastructure spending bill vs 12% who oppose

  • 73% of voters say the tax system favors the wealthy vs 14% who disagree.

  • 83% of voters favor strong net neutrality rules vs 16% who oppose.

All of these issues (and so many more) have strong bipartisan support among voters but none of them have been enacted into law because of political corruption. Throughout American history, sex and corruption have been the two issues most likely to drive an elected politician from office – either forcing a resignation or resulting in a decisive defeat at the polls. Though politicians do sometimes lose re-election bids because of their positions on policy issues, nothing motivates voters to “throw the bums out” more than anger over corruption (or sex). According to polls, 75% of 2018 voters in battleground House districts said cracking down on Washington corruption was a top priority.

If we can make the 2020 elections about corruption & abuse of power, climate change, and health care we have a good chance of winning. If the Republicans make the 2020 elections about white fear, grievance, and resentment, immigrants, and the scare-word “socialism” they will probably win.

References

 

This Week's US Congressional Call Scripts:

 
Democracy Reform, Mueller Investigation, Congressional OversightAnna KrasnerPelosi, Speier, Feinstein, Harris