you know the GOP is going to be dirty as hell, so we need to be that way also, otherwise we will keep losing Presidential elections

You have no obligation to tell the truth to a liar.

this seems idiotic to me, but them's the rules. some people say that other people may have an interest in that district and that actually living there isn't a requirement, but then that logic works for people outside the u.s. as well, and that's still nominally illegal.

given that, there's clearly nothing wrong with saying you're considering a donation to one candidate or the other in that race, even if you live outside that district/state.

so it becomes a pretty minor inaccuracy to simplify by saying you're in the district. if you're worried about ethics in this area, there are much bigger fish to fry.

And there's far too much of that kind of justification for slimy actions being offered on DU recently.

Running a fever today and unable to call.


Sen. Cotton

we must have witnesses and documents at the impeachment trial. From the background noise on the calls, it sounds like their phone lines are busy today.

Hope you feel better soon.

I hope our fellow Arkansans are speaking up too.

Im gonna dial them up this afternoon if Im able to.

unless it's a "white lie," like telling a friend they look great when you really don't think so.

But I really wouldn't take it too seriously: the senators' offices you are calling, pretending you are a constituent, don't really believe you anyway, and/or don't really care about these calls (that's been shown to be the case). They know their constituents, and they know who they are bound to obey, too (the party).

So, probably, your means will not lead to the ends you desire anyway. Sorry to be cynical; I'm just trying to be realistic.

In the end, I always think it's best to stick to your own ethical code. Ends justifying the means have led to some of the most horrific of society's acts. I'm not a fan of the tactic.

"WHY YOU SHOULD NOT CALL MEMBERS WHO AREN’T YOURS." They say it could even be counterproductive

https://indivisible.org/resource/not-call-members-arent

Calling Members of Congress (MoCs) that are not yours is actually counterproductive to successfully deploying constituent power. The only Members of Congress you should be calling are YOUR two Senators and YOUR Representative in the House. There are no exceptions. Here’s why.

• Members of Congress don’t care what people outside of their district (for House) or state (for Senators) think. ...

• When you call a MoC who isn’t yours, you make it harder for actual constituents to reach their own MoCs. ...

• Calling from out of district/state gives MoCs an excuse to dismiss legitimate concerns about an issue. For example, if Senate staffers have the sense that most phone calls are coming in from out of state, they will tell their boss that. ...

But wait, aren’t there exceptions?

No. There are no exceptions. Not even if:

• The issue is of national importance. ...

• The MoC is in House or Senate leadership. ...

• The senator is a swing vote. ...The MoC is on a specific committee of jurisdiction over an issue ...

All Senators and Representatives in Washington, are part of the national government, not state governments.
This is my nation, therefore they ALL represent my needs and desires regardless of where I live.

In fact, as an expat without a current USA address, I can claim my intention to return to any state to settle anywhere. Thus I am a constituent of all Senators and Representatives.

I do think constituency does, and should, go by where you currently live, rather than where you intend to live in the future, though.

It's far better to spend your time communicating with your own people in Congress. Instead of shotgunning multiple representatives and Senators, focus on your own district's representative and your state's senators. Communicate regularly, politely, and sensibly on whatever topics interest you. Repetition of contact matters.

If your congressional folks are of your own party, don't just stop there. Help them during election campaigns. Meet them in person and express your support. Do a little volunteer work with their campaign. If you do those things, your later communications will be taken ore seriously.

If they're with the opposing party, just communicate regularly, stay polite, but state your positions clearly and logically. Tie issues to your state's or district's concerns.

The thing is that most communications you make will not be read by the actual representative or Senator. They just get tallied and counted on one side of an issue or another. Staff people do that. However, if you are a very good writer and can concisely and clearly make an argument, your communication may be one of those passed on for an actual reading. That should be your target.

If you get a response from their offices, it will probably be a stock response that is pre-prepared. You'll recognize it as that. If, on the other hand, you get a reply that directly deals with the points you raised, you'll know that someone actually read your message and took it seriously. Usually, that's also a staff member, but once in a while, you might get a reply dictated by the actual office-holder. When that happens, you'll know that you're being noticed and heard.

Contacting people in Congress from outside of your own state or district is a complete waste of time. At best, your communication will get tallied, but nobody will take it seriously. Trust me - even the newest staff member can recognize a letter from a non-constituent.

They’re acting like children.

And the ethics change when dealing with children or with grownups who are acting like children.

rep or senator in Maine?

Is it ok for a rep from a gerrymandered district rigged for the republican vote to refuse calls from a neighboring district affected by decisions made in that district?

Is it ok for a senate vote that could be the difference between removing or not removing a dangerous president to come down to a senator in a red state who will only allow his/her red state constituents to register their opinions?

IOW, you're from Nebraska, you call for a Maine senator or representative, and when asked, you tell the staffer that you are a Maine resident (or give them a Maine zip code instead of your actual zip code). Is that ethical?

districts are represented by congresspeople who got there by ill means -- whether Koch money, Russian money, gerrymandering, voter suppression, wingnut media dominance -- name your caper -- so if you are "represented" by a false representative, must you behave as if you have honest representation?

As far as I know, there is no law allowing a congressional rep or senator to prohibit any person from calling their offices and making comments -- yet that has become a standard practice.

If you need to make your voice heard, then, in the spirit of free speech, you should be able to do so. If you are not under oath and need to say you're from Maine to get through to Maine, then, I believe there is no law against it and that with all things mentioned taken into consideration, it is ethically justified.

If I am wrong about the legal issue, please let me know

It is a lie, and not an inconsequential one.

are you telling a lie? is telling a lie ethical? can't believe people saying that is ok! WTF????

request it from your own House member. I am good friends with the Democratic Congressman from the next district over but if I need something, he will flat out tell me that I must ask my own representative.

I certainly made sure he knew how much I appreciated the hard work the House has been doing

However, I do not think it matters if you are giving an opinion on an issue of national importance. I shall have to ask.

Here is an example:
My Family had been trying to get my dad's war record. His Bronze Star and its documents were destroyed in a fire , so we wanted a replacement of the documents at least.
I had become friends with Retired Speaker of the House Jim Wright and asked him how to go about it and he said we HAVE to go through the Representative for the District in which he lived and not the one where I currently live. (Then he asked me where he was when he enlisted and when I told him he said that a warehouse full of records burned in St Louis and the records for several states were in there. So they do not exist. ) It turns out my mom ad sister had already done that but I did not know.

I have written to Sen Lamar Alexander on occasion and include that he was once my governor and that I actually voted for him. I will be calling him about the vote to allow Bolton to testify.

Senator Edward Kennedy's secretary once said that his office received many calls from other states, begging for his help because they weren't getting it from their own. They did this because they had faith in him that he would do what he could. The secretary said "he truly was America's Senator" - and he usually passed in along to either the caller's CongressMember or Senator wondering why that person felt the only option was to call his office.

will be devastating to me and many others.

I can look myself in the mirror after I pick and choose which senators I call so that my opinion might make a tiny difference.

Those of you that are judgey of those of us that will have a life crisis on our hands if trump gets away with his crimes, those of us who call and lie about where we live so we can make more of a difference, then please, don’t call. Do what you need to do to look at yourself in the mirror.

I can live with this slip in my ethical constitution.