Action and community Challenge: Call your reps about the ACA

[tassosss]

In today's news, the GOP has begun the process to repeal Obamacare aka the Affordable Care Act.

Vox has details here: Senate Republicans just introduced Obamacare repeal Democrats can't stop
and more about the process they are using here: The Senate’s complicated plan to repeal Obamacare, explained by an expert on Congress
(I like and trust Vox's political coverage. If you have other links that are relevant, even those with different takes or views, please feel free to share them in comments. I will try for multi-sourcing.)

This is where YOU come in. This is what this community is about. We have 105 subscribers. I'm challenging all of you who are American citizens (and not DC residents, sorry folks) to call your Senators in the next two days to voice your opinion. Come back here and tell us you did it! How inspiring would it be to see comments from people who took action!

Remember how yesterday's action was to program your representatives phone numbers into your phone? This is where it pays off. If you've done it, you get to skip the "oh my god, I have to find their phone number!" step!

A step by step guide.
0. If you haven't programmed your reps numbers into your phones, do it now. We'll wait. You'll earn this shiny badge.



1. Make a ten minute appointment with yourself to get this done! Put it on your calendar. Right now. No seriously, pull up whatever calendar you use and do it. Lunch break, before work, after work.

2. Set a calendar or alarm reminder for that appointment so you don't forget. I totally understand the impulse to let it be something that you do "tomorrow," but resist. Keep that appointment.

3. Here's your script from the "We're His Problem Now" google doc I would suggest copying the script into a word processor and filling in all the blanks before using it.

(If you use a subsidized plan) I’m ---- -----, a constituent calling to let <Senator/Representative ____> that I depend on <an ACA health plan, Medicare, Medicaid> for my health insurance coverage. I want the <Senator/Rep> to protect <ACA/Medicare/Medicaid> from cuts or changes that would result in a loss of coverage for me and millions of other Americans. Please ask <him/her> to fight for my right to health care!

(If you don’t use a subsidized plan) I’m ---- ---- a constituent calling to let <Senator/Representative ____> know that I want <him/her> to stand up for the subsidized health care plans that cover millions of Americans. Please ask <him/her> not to support cuts to Medicaid or Medicare or changes to the ACA that would result in a loss of coverage. Affordable health care is a priority issue for me and I will be paying close attention to how <Senator/Representative ____> votes.

4. Call your Senators! Republican or Democrat, both sides need to hear from us. Don't think about it too hard, don't give yourself time to walk away, don't work yourself up about it. You've got this. You really do.

5. Come back here and tell us you did it! You'll earn an awesome badge. If you call both Senators you get two!





6. Earn extra credit! Call your House Representative too!



7. Come back here and comment about how it went! I would love to see at least ten comments! My plan is to call before work tomorrow morning.

8. Bask in the glow of making your voice heard. Remember, the GOP is counting on the "silent majority" to stay silent. Don't.

Comments

[sathari]

As it happens, my daily calls to my Senators today were about the ACA! But they were more general (the script from "We're His Problem Now").

In that spirit, I did my best to come up with a more specific script that tries to frame our objections to the Enzi resolution in particular, based on the Vox articles and the links to the government documents therein. If anyone can tweak it to be more accurate or easier, go for it!

Script:

Hi, I’m ________ and I’m a constituent of the Senator asking him to oppose the budget resolution introduced by Senate Budget Committee Chair Michael Enzi, because the reconciliation instructions contained in it are directing committees to create budgetary savings from repealing key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Based on estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, these measures would leave approximately 22 million Americans without health care coverage. Again, I’m calling on the Senator to oppose Senator Enzi’s budget resolution.

[tassosss]

Oh thanks for this! This is great.

And go you for daily calls!

[sathari]

Yay! I'm glad it's good! Seriously, I took one look at the combination of the Vox articles and the government documents linked therein, and went, "...wow, the Machiavellian genius of this is that it's going to be REALLY REALLY hard for anyone to object to in the kind of concise and coherent way that seems to be what works for making calls to our elected officials. *rolls up metaphorical sleeves*"

And, aw, thanks! (I made my calls today with that script, by the by! *grabs for shiny badges*) Seriously, the thing about Trump's Presidency is that there's never a shortage of phonecall fodder.

Now I just have to decide if I want to get on the Stop-Sessions train tomorrow (while I find him just as bad a pick as anyone else does, if he's out for the AG's office, that frees him up for the Supreme Court, which is even worse) or do a rather more targeted call to my one Senator who looks from his website-soundbytes like he might be a potential Democratic ally on some things (especially with enough constituents urging him to be *winkwink*), to see if I can get his office to send me a more detailed description of his position than I can tease out of his website and those of the relevant Senate committees. (I'm actually leaning to the latter because it's a serious nerd move and also gives them a clue that I mean business, especially since the luck of the draw keeps sending me to the same staffer in his office.) (I don't know if you've read the Vorkosigan Saga, but now I'm remembering these overlapping charts that some of the characters use for planning out their strategy for negotiating with the members of a political body by looking at how their positions on a set of issues interact, and I WANT SOME NOW.) (Wow, that was long, I think I'm awkwardly brainstorming at you?)

[tassosss]

Brainstorm away! That's what this comm is for, and if you want to put a main post to the comm to that effect, go for it. As a fellow nerd, I'm all for charts and overlaps.

I haven't researched Sessions beyond general news awareness. Him on the Supreme Court would be AWFUL.

[sathari]

Thanks! I'll try to get up a brainstorming master post this weekend!

Yeah, I keep going back and forth on whether I want to be vocal about not having him as AG or just being glad that he's not getting tapped for the Supreme Court, because at least this way a) his influence is much more time-limited and b) he can be removed.

[teaotter]

Sessions is a bad egg, even according to conservatives at the National Review.

If the information in this essay is correct, he supports asset-forfeiture and opposes sentencing reform, as well as opposing legalizes marijuana.

[tassosss]

Okay, my senators are called. It took less than five minutes for both of them. My representative didn't have anyone answering and the mailbox was full so I didn't get through to him. I'm not surprised since hes part of democratic leadership.

all three badges scored.

[sporky_rat]

I despise the telephone with the distaste of a thousand blazing suns, but since I had the chance to call Thad Cochran and let him know just what I think, I did it.
(The young lady answering the phone was very nice. She seemed rather surprised.)

(I even have a tag on my journal called 'mr cochran i'm looking at you' for government stuff.)

Now to call the other one.

edit: I called Mr Wicker as well. The young lady answering his phone was very nice as well. We both ended up doing the very southern phone ending.

I'm not sure I can bring myself to call Mr Palazzo. He grates on my nerves. I'll try.

edit no.2: Called Mr Palazzo. Very nice young man named Connor (and if they give you their name, it's always a good idea to use it) giggled at my description of what my life would be like without the ACA (up sugar creek without a paddle) and said he would pass my comments on to Mr Palazzo.

Re: all three badges scored.

[tassosss]

I'm so proud of you!! Calling is HARD. Both the people I spoke with this morning were very nice, too. I like your description too. :)

Re: all three badges scored.

[sathari]

Fellow-phone-hater, I salute you in your efforts! Also, I love your tag.

[untonuggan]

I called one of my Senators to thank him for supporting the ACA. I have PMS and I think the other two also support it, so I am saving spoons for further actions.

[sathari]

That's awesome! Thank-you calls are an excellent thing.

[j00j]

Called both senators and my representative. Senators went to voicemail unfortunately, got an enthusiastically supportive human at rep's office (I'm in Philadelphia, everybody but Senator Toomey's a fan).
Also called Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell's offices. At least got a polite human at McConnell's office; Ryan's was a machine as usual.
Already had Senators & rep in my phone; added Ryan and McConnell as I'm sure they'll be hearing from me again.
Hoping to acquire the spoons to call Dem leadership as well to emphasize how important this is to me and mine.

[tassosss]

Awesome! Go you! That's a really good day's work.

Ooh, I should add Ryan and McConnell's offices to my phone too.

[sathari]

...ooh, thank you for suggesting a level in badass that I had more or less backburnered, namely the calls to the parties' leadership. (I've been focusing on the people over whose head I can hold my future voting behavior so far.)

[snickfic]

Both my senators have already been vocally arguing against repealing the ACA or making other changes, but this afternoon I called them both and thanked them!

I'm now working up the gumption to call my representative about an unrelated issue. Ugh. This phone calling thing is supposed to get easier with time, right? :|

[tassosss]

Yeah, I'm in Maryland and am in the same boat, so my calls were more of the keep doing what you're doing variety. Though we have one new senator, so I wanted to let him know that we're paying attention.

Theoretically, phone calls get easier. I don't think it's true in practice. I just have to call before I think about it too hard or else, it's procrastination station. It's also why I'm a fan of making a time and putting it on the calendar - no excuses for being too busy.

[sathari]

Ugh, phonecalls, I am with you. I am not sure it gets easier, but I'm LOVING the whole "script" thing, whether they're mine or someone else's.

[bridgetmkennitt]

I called both of my senators this morning and told the current GOP one that I was disappointed in him since he voted yay and I told the incoming Democratic one that I was pleased that she voted nay on the repeal advancement (I'm actually pretty happy that I get to finally call the incoming senator. Now that she's sworn in, I have a number to call!).

[tassosss]

Awesome! That's great that you get to now call your new senator. I have a new senator too (D) and it's a good feeling.