Any Ideas Which Legislators May Be 'on The Fence'

[+washtenaut]

Some may know, but I have no idea which legislators we should be trying to convince. Some are already on our side, some will never be, and some may be swayed to help us.

 

Any ideas as to who we should be focusing on?

[GregS]

Cavanaugh (D) is reported to be considering voting against it, and he is one of the bill sponsors. I had a conversation with his office and suggested he drop it, and that we have a motivated electorate of over three million people. The aide I was talking to said that there have been no sponsors before who have turned on their own legislation. Two days later there was a report in the press saying that is exactly what he may be kicking around. Wouldn't it be sweet if we were to convince him to do that? And because he is a sponsor, it is entirely appropriate that you contact him, even if he is not your district representative.

[+washtenaut]

Definitely Democrats, but the most effective one can be right now is with their own representative. Coffee hours in your district, and take a buddy or two. Talk about the registry access in HB 4834 and let them know it is a violation of your rights and not what the voters had in mind for patients.

 

I keep hearing here to forget contacting folks outside of your district and to forget about emailing and that email-o-matic tool.

 

I have been in close contact with my reps and I think my reps in the House and Senate are on our side. Does that mean I should put down the pen because my fight is over?

 

Any lobbying effort needs to decide who to lobby and who to not lobby. I am surprised with all the legislative savvy people we now have in the organization, we don't know who to target.

 

I've gotten in email discussions with perhaps 10 or so legislators outside of my district. The conversations started because they responded to email-o-matic messages. That tool fell out of favor recently because some reps claimed they didn't read those mass email messages. If even 50 out of 148 don't read those mass emailings, should we stop sending the messages through the email-o-matic?

 

Also, there is no house-wide blocking of email-o-matic messages, according to my representative. So why is that tool out of favor? Do we not have rights to use it, or what??

[+washtenaut]

I think emails to legislators, even out of district legislators, can be effective, especially if these emails include the email IDs of lots of folks in the press. The truth is on our side.

 

At this point I think it can help our cause to show the press and the people that the legislators are aware of the harsh consequences of their bills to patients. These bills often seem innocuous on the surface and a legislator can claim that they didn't know about the bad ramifications, unless we tell them in writing and copy a bunch of the media. They would be harder pressed to say they didn't know after that.

 

This is why I think it would be important to know who to target with our efforts. Why is a list of legislators on the fence unimportant to those fighting for this cause? I must be missing something here. It seems like lobbying 101 to me.

 

Is it publicly naming legislators that may help us, is that the issue? Send me a PM if the issue needs privacy

[+washtenaut]

I gather you feel emails are ineffective following the hand delivery of our Unity Letter. You also seem to feel that no Republican could ever support us on any bill. Let's say we disagree there.

 

It is also pretty apparent you are not the person to ask for a list of legislators possibly on the fence. No problem.

 

I'm having trouble understanding why you seem to be discounting the importance of any list of key names. I think that those names would be very important to those of us that wanted to continuing communicating after the Unity letter.

 

Maybe I'm just slow but now I'm confused a little. Is it your wish that individuals not act outside Unity Messages now?

[Kevin]

I'll continue to write my own letters to reps & sens in or out of my district regardless of a Unity letter, anyone's wish or the best of someone's knowledge. Been writing for 35 years and don't need anyone to tell me how to do it or who or who not to write to.

 

But that's me. What do I know.

[GregS]

Washtenut. I see no one making a move to prohibit you from communicating any way you wish. By all means, contact anyone and everyone, in or out of government who has anything to say regarding the issue. Knock yourself out. It's too bad that you cannot find people to kick you, and we sure wish you would stop with the self flagellation. I am grateful for the effort on everyones' part, to include the group letter.

[+washtenaut]

It's too bad that you cannot find people to kick you, and we sure wish you would stop with the self flagellation. I am grateful for the effort on everyones' part, to include the group letter.

 

I'll have to ask you to explain that one a bit, please.

[Estimated Prophet]

I had a conversation with his office and suggested he drop it, and that we have a motivated electorate of over three million people.

 

Nice. They need to hear that. There are millions of us, and we vote.

[+washtenaut]

I believe that we are past the point where one man typing on a keyboard can yield any kind of real effect with the audience we are trying to reach. We need to turn our efforts outwards and find others that are willing to join us in very specific, coordinated actions that target the legislators that are directly beholden to that individual. We need to organize ourselves as a strong voting bloc, and be able to display it when needed.

 

I certainly DO NOT wish individuals to stop acting. That is precisely the opposite of what I am trying to say. Rather than one person writing five hundred letters, we need 100 people writing five letters, directly to the officials that are accountable for representing those 100 people.

 

Also, I do not believe that there are no Republicans that support us or will be convinced by us to support us. I just don't think they will be swayed by someone outside their district, based on what I have experienced so far. I want to help people to spend their efforts in the most effective ways possible. We do know a lot of things that don't work by now.

 

In addition, I gave you my list of key names: it just doesn't include any Republicans, and includes all Democrats. The reason that list doesn't include any Republicans is that I believe constituent communication is the only thing that will possibly sway these people.

 

I decided to sleep on your opinion and this morning, I still think you are wrong

 

I think now the path to success involves the press as much as the legislature. We need public opinion (and votes) on our side as we really have nothing to offer the legislature for cooperation except votes from this community. If you are saying that a letter alone is unlikely to move any one rep, you could be right. But, I think if you let the rep know that the press knows what they are plotting, it impacts their plans. Hopefully the press will follow through to let the voters know when they are being misled. Public opinion will sway a legislator and I think emails and letters from a single keyboard still have some power to that end - even if they come from outside the rep's district.

 

It is clear Zap, that you and GregS have your own tactics and I hope you get through to your contacts. I am sorry if you feel individuals writing uncoordinated messages is hurting your plan. At this point in time, relying on these contacts and plans has gotten patients nowhere but pushed backwards. Good luck with your contacts, but you may very well be getting played by experienced politicians.

 

I think shining the light of the press on the dealings in Lansing is still an effective tactic. I would still like to continue writing to these legislators and copying the press.

 

So, anyone besides Zap have any ideas of which legislators are on the fence?

 

(Oh, and GregS, I am still waiting to hear from you. I sent you a pm too. Who does 'we' refer to in your statement above (and now just below too)? I'd like to find out why emailing legislators is messing with your plans.

 

'It's too bad that you cannot find people to kick you, and we sure wish you would stop with the self flagellation')

[+washtenaut]

bump

[man of steel]

By Representative's Name

 

Name

District

4834

vote

4851

vote

4853

vote

4856

vote

Term

 

Ananich, Jim

049

no

yes

yes

no

1

Barnett, Vicki

037

yes

yes

yes

yes

2

Bauer, Joan

068

yes

yes

yes

yes

3

Bledsoe, Tim

001

no

yes

yes

yes

2

Brown, Lisa

039

no

yes

yes

no

2

Brunner, Charles

096

yes

yes

yes

yes

1

Byrum, Barb

067

yes

yes

yes

yes

3

Cavanagh, Phil

017

yes

yes

yes

yes

1

Clemente, Paul D.

014

yes

yes

yes

yes

1

Constan, Bob

016

yes

yes

yes

yes

3

Darany, George T.

015

yes

yes

yes

yes

1

Dillon, Brandon

075

no

yes

yes

no

1

Durhal Jr., Fred

006

no

yes

no

no

2

Geiss, Douglas A.

022

no

no

no

no

2

Greimel, Tim

029

yes

yes

yes

yes

1

Hammel, Richard E.

048

no

no

no

no

3

Haugh, Harold L.

042

yes

yes

yes

yes

2

Hobbs, Rudy

035

no

yes

yes

yes

1

Hovey-Wright, Marcia

092

yes

yes

yes

yes

1

Howze, Lisa L.

002

no

yes

no

yes

1

Irwin, Jeff

053

no

no

no

no

1

Jackson, Shanelle

009

yes

yes

yes

yes

3

Kandrevas, Andrew J.

013

yes

yes

yes

yes

2

Lane, Marilyn

031

yes

yes

yes

yes

1

LeBlanc, Richard

018

yes

yes

yes

yes

3

Lindberg, Steven

109

no

yes

yes

yes

3

Lipton, Ellen Cogen

027

no

yes

no

no

2

Liss, Lesia

028

yes

yes

yes

yes

2

McCann, Sean

060

no

yes

yes

no

1

Meadows, Mark

069

yes

yes

yes

yes

3

Nathan, David

011

no

yes

yes

yes

2

Oakes, Stacy Erwin

095

yes

yes

yes

yes

1

Olumba, John

005

no

yes

no

no

1

Rutledge, David

054

no

yes

yes

yes

1

Santana, Harvey

010

no

no

no

no

1

Schmidt, Roy

076

yes

yes

yes

no

2

Segal, Kate

062

yes

yes

yes

yes

1

Slavens, Dian

021

no

yes

yes

yes

2

Smiley, Charles

050

yes

yes

yes

yes

1

Stallworth, Thomas

008

none

none

none

none

1

Stanley, Woodrow

034

no

yes

yes

no

2

Stapleton, Maureen L.

004

no

yes

yes

no

1

Switalski, Jon M.

025

yes

yes

yes

yes

2

Tinsley-Talabi, Alberta

003

no

yes

no

no

1

Tlaib, Rashida H.

012

no

yes

yes

no

2

Townsend, Jim

026

yes

yes

yes

yes

1

Womack, Jimmy

007

yes

yes

yes

yes

2

[man of steel]

Sorry wont post columns correctly

[knucklehead bob]

I would say that's still not right .

[greenbuddha]

Vote them all out and start all over.

[man of steel]

State Representative Harvey Santana is a native Detroiter who graduated from Chadsey High School in 1990. Upon graduation, he joined the United States Navy where he served as a Petty Officer Third Class and served in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

 

All no votes and a Vet.

Has anyone spoke to him?

[+Malamute]

Everyone should thank him for his service in the military, in public office and for his nay votes against these bills.

 

Serious support is deserved.

 

I see a governor in the making!!!!!!

 

Hehehe..

 

...but just saying.

[man of steel]

I started my own pac today.

$5 to Irwin,Santana,Geiss Hammel terms out

$2 to Brown

Olumba no site to donate or $2

Sent 2 cents to Callton did not process yet or?