The protests continue, especially given that the Senate began its recess this week, and of course the calls flooded in. The largest issues, in no particular order, were: the potential defunding of Planned Parenthood, town halls, the Affordable Care Act—keep it, repeal it, replace it—, and the press briefing debacle that happened today.
It always makes me happy though when somebody calls in about an obscure bill because 1. I like being the first person to log it and 2. It helps me learn a bit more each day.
I really do learn a lot from the constituents I talk to. One man (who shall remain anonymous)
calls in about every day to tell me how the US is moving closer to fascism and his experience living under a communist government. Most of the people who call are older, and so it’s always interesting to hear them compare then and now. And of course, because I’m a writer, I love hearing stories—some of which move me to tears. It sounds real corny, but it's true.
calls in about every day to tell me how the US is moving closer to fascism and his experience living under a communist government. Most of the people who call are older, and so it’s always interesting to hear them compare then and now. And of course, because I’m a writer, I love hearing stories—some of which move me to tears. It sounds real corny, but it's true.
Those are my general thoughts. As always, it’s been an eventful week. The building went on lockdown Wednesday because of the protesters. From my (two week) perspective at the office, I find protesters at an interesting point in politics. On the one hand, it makes me happy that people care and that they are taking the time out of their day to stand and express their concerns. On the other hand, it is difficult to respond to people whose only volume level is SHOUT.
In terms of project developments, I really value the comments ya’ll post because you have some wonderful questions. I’ve been doing more research on the Classical civilizations side, and it turns out there is a substantial amount of papers and ancient thought devoted to ignorance (particularly political ignorance) in Ancient Greece. I think this concern over voter ignorance ties well to internet infrastructure and could serve as a bridge connecting the ancient and modern worlds.
So that’s about it. Thursday was an interesting day—I went back to BASIS (sigh) to work on some Speech & Debate stuff, and I saw three English teachers and a drama teacher. Yay, Ms. Markel!
Then I drove down to the office, and for some reason, this guy wanted a picture with me—maybe because I was interning for a senator, I don’t know.
Then I drove down to the office, and for some reason, this guy wanted a picture with me—maybe because I was interning for a senator, I don’t know.
(That’s a complete joke. I asked for the picture.)
So I met Senator Flake! It was pretty funny; I had just picked up the phone when he entered, and at the end of each call, we thank the constituent for their time and promise to relay their message to the Senator. So he asked me what I'd promised to pass on to him. And I got to tell him! Literally.
And then we had an awkward conversation because if you couldn’t tell from this blog, I am incredibly awkward. But he was so nice, and he thanked me for working at the office (sir, sir, sir).
Me: Senator:
Afterward, he stopped by a few times to ask what constituents were calling about, and I got to share a few of the stories people had shared with me. So there! When we say we’ll pass your message along to the Senator, if we can, we tell him in person.
(*Of course, you are an intelligent BASIS-affiliated individual who realizes that this would be a very inefficient long-term method of communicating messages to senators and that even less would get done in the Senate, but still. It happens sometimes.)
(*Of course, you are an intelligent BASIS-affiliated individual who realizes that this would be a very inefficient long-term method of communicating messages to senators and that even less would get done in the Senate, but still. It happens sometimes.)
OMG Nicole! I am so so so excited for you :D Look at you talking to the senator, and making a awkward conversation (but no, I'm actually, quite literally, so happy for you)! This post was so funny, and I loved the little anecdotes. Quick question: have you actually tried to talk to the protesters? Or do you mostly watch from inside the building (is that the right phrase?)? I can't wait to hear more about the phone calls next week :D
ReplyDeleteI have not--mostly because I don't want to create any difficulties for my site-mentor if somehow they figured out I worked for the Senator. Most of the time, the office sends out more senior staff to talk to the protesters. That being said, I've included a video link below of a few of the protesters expressing their concerns. I actually saw them filming when I left the office. Look for the yellow balloons and the Pinnacle Bank sign (that's our building).
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdLmCc8uWG0
Here's something to think about: most of the protesters gather at around 3:00, and from what I've seen, the majority are in their 40s and 50s. Obviously, younger people are working or in school, but I still think that's interesting.
Hi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteIt's awesome that you met Senator Flake! Now that you have further developed the connection between ancient and modern societies, I can better understand why you focus on internet access as a factor of voting, which I think is very nuanced and interesting. I know you said that the majority of callers are older, but when younger citizens call, do they share ideas on similar topics, or are they focused on other topics than older callers?
Thank you for all your niceness! For a lot of the callers, I have to judge their age based on voice, but I would say last week, a lot of younger people--often college students--were calling in about transgender kids being allowed into the bathroom of their choice and environmental regulations.
DeleteSomething that surprised me was that older people were the ones who most often called in to support Planned Parenthood. They were also the most likely to call in to oppose DeVos (citing their grandchildren's education as a concern). And of course the ACA, but I'm sure you guessed that.
Hello Nicole! This question may be a little weird, but did protests exist in Ancient Greece? If there were any, how do they compare to today's protests? Also, what do you think makes a protest effective?
ReplyDeleteOh yes (also in Ancient Egypt; there was a gravediggers protest which I thought was cool enough to mention). And protests did occur in Ancient Greece, and some were in fact responsible for Athens' transition to a democracy. The historical record is a bit vague on the details, but I'd imagine these protests were smaller than some of the mass protests we have in the world today.
DeleteTo be effective, a protest must effect change (long-term change). I would say this depends on having a significant, committed number of people willing to protest a cause for a length of time. (You have to have your protesters). But it also depends on the specificity and feasibility of protesters' demands. On a somewhat related note, there's an interesting book by Hannah Arendt called "On Revolution" where she argues essentially why the American Revolution was successful while the French Revolution largely failed. It's beautifully written, and though I have qualms with parts of it, I think she does make some very good points.
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DeleteWow I didn't know that you don't see the senator often. I always thought that you and other staff members would be in constant communication with the senator informing him of constituents thoughts and comments. Did senators in ancient Greece have constituents or staff to help them?
ReplyDeleteMost of the time, the Senator is in DC, but our office does keep in contact with the Washington office and regarding constituent opinions, he is able to see the log where all staffers record calls.
DeleteAncient Athens actually didn't have a senate; Rome, however, did. I don't know the specific answer to your question, but I'd imagine senators then did have a staff to help them draft legislation, gain popular support, etc. The extent and duties of this staff probably depended on where you are coming from in history as the Roman Senate grew and shrunk in power.
Hi Nicole, I am continually fascinated by your whole project and the opportunities it provides you with! (meeting Senator Flake!! that's so cool.) I loved hearing about the different issues different people are concerned with, and also your growing connection between modern and ancient societies! Something that interested me in particular this week, though, was the caller that thought we were getting closer to fascism? I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter. Keep up the good work :)
ReplyDeleteHe's an interesting guy (who calls almost every day), and I think it is an interesting connection to explore given Steve Bannon's statement that the media is the opposition party. On the other hand, I think it would be equally problematic had Bannon declared that the media was the state's best friend. Which is worse?
DeleteI was recently watching a lecture by a political science professor (delivered a few years ago, but still relevant I think). He argued that it wasn't an accident that Congress was the first branch of government listed in the Constitution, and he argued that the House and Senate, not the president, were the centerpiece of American government. So I think one of the most important things to fight to protect would be the powers of Congress (to check presidential powers).
Hi Nicole! That's so amazing that you got to interact with Senator Flake and gain some direct experience with him! As far as the phone calls, does it concern you that it is mostly older people calling? Does it reflect poor voter interest/efficacy, especially in younger people? What are the differences between the patterns of their concerns based on differences in age? Additionally, did you notice any patterns in the protestors and the subject of the protests that are worth noting? I'm excited to keep learning!
ReplyDeleteTo answer your last question first, the issues that concerned the protesters were largely the ones people were calling in about.
DeleteIt does concern me a little that it is mainly older voters who are calling in, largely because it means their voices are being heard at a greater level than younger people's. However, I think that more than low interest in young people, I think it reflects a fact: more older people are retired, so they have more time to call in. And call in they do--about the ACA, Planned Parenthood, independent investigations into Russian interference in our elections.
Younger people (often in college) call in too, largely about environmental issues and recently about transgender rights issues.
Hi Nicole! It is amazing to hear that you got to talk face-to-face with Senator Flake this week. Not many people get that opportunity, even less get to work with him. How did Senator Flake respond to you telling him about what the constituents called about? I'd love to hear more about your project!
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you (although that sounded mildly like a town hall jab). When I told him about the constituents, he just kind of nodded. He didn't whip out his legislation-writing pen or anything. Awkwardly, everything I told him was something he'd made a statement publicly against before, but he was still nice about it. Is that helpful?
DeleteWow, Senator Flake did the opposite of flake out on you. How big is your office? Was this the first time that you have met Senator Flake? I feel as though a senator's office would not be too large, but maybe I am wrong, as most of my feelings from politics have come from fiction, such as Parks and Rec. I hope you continue your research into protests, as it would be interesting to compare the American protest goals and the Ancient protests goals.
ReplyDeleteMy office is a cubicle. The office itself has about 8 rooms for the permanent staffers, plus a big centerspace for about five cubicles. It's pretty small because most of what we do can be done on paper or a computer. Constituents do come in for casework issues, but the majority of communication happens by phone or email.
DeleteAnd I would love to continue my research into protests too, but unfortunately BASIS ed (sigh) wanted us to submit our abstracts about a week ago, and I focused mine on the relation between infrastructure and political efficacy. So the protests bit was a kind of fun tangent.
Hi Nicole! I'm sure you have a good number of stories from the callers. Other than the ancient tie to political ignorance, have you noticed any more connections to Haitian government? I know it's not your main focus, but I think you had such an interesting opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been looking out for them, but I did have one man call yesterday who definitely could have been helped out by an internet connection.
DeleteHey Nicole! You are so incredibly lucky you got to meet Senator Jeff Flake! Please tell us more about him! When you met him was he how you thought he would be? I would also like to know how big the office is. Is it ever stressful taking the calls?
ReplyDeleteJoanna
I suppose he was quieter than I thought; when I met him, he would ask me questions and let me speak. The office can comfortably fit about fifteen people, giving them ample space to do their work.
DeleteAnd it was definitely stressful taking calls! Last week, a lot of people were calling about when the next town hall would be and the line I was given was "I don't know", which, as you can imagine did not make many people happy. Luckily, there's a teletown hall being arranged now, which takes a lot of the pressure off.
Hi Nicole! You bring up a very good point about the protestors. Even though their way of showing it is a bit in your face, they definitely care about politics and political issues that will affect them. It's also really cool that you met Senator Flake!
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you. That's basically the line I give to angry people when they call; their anger shows that they care, and regardless of their opinion, I'm glad they care enough to voice it. (Very corny).
DeleteHi Nicole! It sounds like you're learning a lot at Senator Flake's office. I also think it's cool that you got to meet him and hear stories from his constituents. What are some examples of the obscure bills that get called in?
ReplyDeleteAny bill that people have to call by number. The website here: https://www.congress.gov/search?q=%7B%22congress%22%3A%22115%22%2C%22chamber%22%3A%22House%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22bills%22%7D&pageSort=documentNumber%3Adesc
Deletehas all of the bills currently being debated in the House and Senate, and a brief glance will show you a ton that you had no idea existed. A lot of the ones people call in about are related to environmental issues.
Wow, Nicole! Your project keeps getting more interesting, and it's really cool that you got to share some of your stories with Senator Flake. By the way, what are some of the things we can learn from Ancient Greece that could apply to how to address voter ignorance today?
ReplyDelete