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Legislative Town Hall Workshop
Aug 13 2020
Organizer: FairVote Washington
Have you ever wondered what lobbying looks like, or how to persuade a legislator to support your agenda? Town halls are one of the most effective ways to engage with your legislators. Join our legislative team for an interactive workshop to learn how to be effective as a citizen lobbyist at town halls and campaign events. During this workshop, you can expect to learn:
- How to craft a great town hall question
- How to read your audience and adjust your message to resonate with the person you're trying to persuade
- How to find upcoming events with your legislators
Location: Virtual
Olivier Doulier/Getty Images
Democracy reform advocates sent a letter to those assembling former Vice President Joe Biden's platform, asking them to put reform proposals front and center.
Democracy reform groups to Biden: Don't you forget about us
Jul 21 2020
Democracy reform advocates have gone public with a concern they've been harboring privately for months: Joe Biden and the Democrats are not making fix-the-system proposals a big enough part of their campaign.
A coalition of 29 groups pressed the party's platform committee on Monday "to adopt a sweeping pro-democracy set of reforms, and make their passage and implementation a top priority in 2021."
Although Biden is viewed as a reliable supporter of items on the group's agenda — expanding voting rights, curbing money's sway over campaigns, bolstering government ethics and calibrating the balance of power — the former vice president is seen by advocacy groups as giving such desires insufficient notice. With the campaign now galvanized by the coronavirus pandemic and its crippling of the economy, the ability of other issues to break through could prove extremely difficult.
<p>The plea comes as the pandemic has forced Democrats to scale back plans for their convention in Milwaukee in four weeks, which would normally be a moment to showcase not only Biden but also the Democrats' plans for the country if empowered for the next four years</p><p><p style="text-align: center;" id="sufn"><a style="font-weight: bold;margin:40px auto;font-size:2rem" href="https://thefulcrum.us/st/newsletters">Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter </a></p></p><p>The letter from the so-called <a href="https://declarationforamericandemocracy.org/" target="_blank">Declaration for American Democracy</a> coalition was sent to Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, chairwoman of the platform drafting committee and an apparent potential running mate.</p>
<p>Last week's highly touted agreement on platform issues hammered out between representatives of Biden and his main rival for the nomination, the much more progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, made almost no mention of democracy reform. It was focused instead on the economy, health care, criminal justice reform, climate change, education and immigration — all topics where there's already high-profile contrasts between Biden and President Trump. </p>
<p><a href="https://thefulcrum.us/directory/common-cause" target="_self">Common Cause</a>, one of the signatories on this week's letter, posted an online petition calling on Biden to create a Democracy Reform Task Force.</p>
<p>It listed the issues that Biden-Sanders task forces will cover in search of common ground between the party's liberal and more moderate wings. </p>
<p>"Notably absent from the list? Democracy reform," the petition said. "If democracy reform is really a priority for Biden and his campaign — they must invest time, manpower and resources into it."</p>
<p><div class="x12"><div class="htlad-Desktop_Content_Banner"></div></div></p><p>This week's letter, signed by other notable groups such as <a href="https://thefulcrum.us/directory/public-citizen" target="_self">Public Citizen</a> and the League of Conservation Voters, reminds Biden that he was a supporter of HR 1, the comprehensive election law, campaign finance and government ethics overhaul that got significant press attention when the Democrats pushed it to passage as one of their first acts upon taking over the House last year. Senate Republicans immediately tossed it to the disregard pile.</p>
<p>The letter outlines four general areas that need to be addressed in the platform:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Protecting voting rights to make sure every eligible voter is able to cast ballots safely and securely, free from discrimination and voter suppression.</li><li>Ending the corrupting power of big money in politics by advancing a constitutional amendment effectively overturning the <a href="http://thefulcrum.us/citizens-united" target="_self">Citizens United</a> decision by the Supreme Court a decade ago, and by requiring disclosure of the sources of so-called <a href="http://thefulcrum.us/dark-money" target="_self">dark money</a> contributions.</li><li>Restoring ethics and accountability in Washington by reducing the power of lobbyists and strengthening oversight and enforcement of federal conflict-of-interest laws.</li><li>Protecting the rule of law by restoring the system of checks-and-balances to ensure the president and his advisers are not above the law.</li></ul>
<p>"By including a bold, comprehensive plan to end corruption, restore ethics and accountability in government, and protect the right to vote, you will show voters across the country that, like them, you believe our democracy works best when it represents everyone," the letter concludes.</p>
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Democracy would benefit if every college student learned how to lobby
Jun 25 2020
Liska was most recently the senior coordinator for university and alumni relations at the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars.
<p>As we continue down this swirling whirlpool of virus-induced uncertainty, a great deal of discussion has occurred in the D.C. government affairs space about how trade associations and lobbying firms will operate in our new normal.<br></p>
<p>With Capitol Hill offices physically closed, normal legislative business disrupted and access to members and staff restricted more than ever, new methods of advocacy must be created. But there's been little talk about how citizen advocacy can adapt — especially on the part of young Americans. </p>
<p>With Congress passing unthinkably-large spending packages in record time, it's crucial all Americans be given the tools, perspective and encouragement to stay active in the public policy process despite our new reality. </p>
<p>Much of my professional career has been spent teaching civics to college students, and I've learned that to truly make a difference, a war in two theaters must be won: first, to reteach civics and "unlearn" misinformation; and second, to pull back the veil and show students how to apply directly the methods of advocacy. </p>
<p><p style="text-align: center;" id="sufn"><a style="font-weight: bold;margin:40px auto;font-size:2rem" href="https://thefulcrum.us/st/newsletters">Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter </a></p></p><p>For several years, I managed an academic public policy program at a nonprofit in Washington. It attracted thousands of college students to the capital each year. We wanted undergraduates to understand Congress and the public policy process, but with a twist:</p>
<p>After they were taught techniques of effective advocacy, they got a shot at trying them out on one of their own members of Congress. I helped facilitate almost 900 such face-to-face sessions for my students over five years. </p>
<p>Long before they set foot in a House or Senate office building, though, it was clear many weren't prepared. Most arrived for the semester with little civic understanding. </p>
<p>Some barely knew the three branches of government. Others had no concept of how laws were made. And, with the oversaturation of opinion masquerading as news, many couldn't tell fact from fiction. Some pointed to "House of Cards," one of the worst depictions of modern Washington there is, as an illustration of truth. And sadly, some thought that simply having an opinion was all they needed to debate policy. </p>
<p><div class="x12"><div class="htlad-Desktop_Content_Banner"></div></div></p><p>So how do we fix this?</p>
<p>Foremost, young Americans must be taught civics more properly. The approach at my high school in Connecticut relied on memorization of the congressional districts and a spirited viewing of "Schoolhouse Rock!" ("I'm just a bill, sitting here on Capitol Hill.") This simply is not enough. </p>
<p>Comprehensive instruction must include how, and why, young people should visit Congress or a state legislature, with insight into the legislative dynamics and political realities. Students should be taught to spot misinformation, reject it entirely. And they need to learn how to articulate their wants and needs to those in power.</p>
<p>Which leads to the experiential piece. Many of the Founders felt it critical to incorporate civic learning into all levels of education, suggesting citizens actively attend official functions to understand personally how governments work.</p>
<p>The Philadelphia physician Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and delegate to the Continental Congress (and also founder of Dickinson College, my alma mater) envisioned an education rooted in republican principles. <a href="https://explorepahistory.com/odocument.php?docId=1-4-218" target="_blank">In a 1786 treatise</a>, he was so supportive of in-person encounters with the government that he suggested colleges be located only in county seats, so students would be easily able to witness local legislating and court proceedings. </p>
<p>Such access is just the first step. Students should take field trips and participate in lobby days, where they can hear directly from legislative staff and legislators about effective advocacy. They can see what works and what doesn't, and gain valuable insight into the kind of information lawmakers need when considering legislation. </p>
<p>Most of all, though, these young citizens would be more emboldened with the courage they need to continue a lifetime of advocacy.</p>
<p>To assure such repeated exposure to the halls of government, part of the responsibility lies with members of Congress and their staff. Thankfully, in all my hundreds of meetings on the Hill, only a handful of offices were unresponsive and fewer still were hostile to the idea of meeting with students. </p>
<p>But to help young citizens learn more about civics, legislators must make time for these constituents, explain their bills in plain English — and actually have a conversation. Politically-charged form letters do not make for good constituent correspondence. And with video conferencing now so commonplace, the opportunity for someone from a Senate or House office to appear in a virtual classroom to discuss lawmaking has never been easier. </p>
<p>Today's students are tomorrow's leaders, so institutions of learning must not cut back or eliminate civics. While all 50 states require some element of civic learning, many have shrunk or modified the curriculum — and, wrongly, some study-in-D.C. programs have eliminated any instruction related to advocacy.</p>
<p>Decisions about our future are made in Washington and in state capitols every day, with or without our input, so now is the time to double-down on what we can teach students about advocacy by involving all stakeholders: Legislators, lobbyists, educators and community groups. </p>
<p>By strengthening civic engagement, especially with young people, we might be able to equip a critical mass of Americans with the tools they need to inject a renewed sense of life in our democracy. </p>
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Crystal Canney ran for Maine state Senate in 2018.
Claim: One of Bloomberg's former state directors is a registered lobbyist for Saudi Arabia. Fact check: True
Jun 23 2020
On June 15, Crystal Canney filed a short form registration statement with the U.S. Department of Justice as a political consultant to render services to the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia.
Canney is the former Communications Director for Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and in January was Maine's state director for the Michael Bloomberg campaign.
In November, Saudi Arabia's Washington embassy signed a one-year, $1.5M contract with the Des Moines-based Larson Shannahan Slifka Group.
In her filing, Canney describes her services for Saudi Arabia as providing strategic and government affairs advice including public relations and communications services. She will also engage in outreach and engagement with the public and media groups as well as have oversight of other consultants.
