At this point, I have to agree that the ruin likely caused by a sudden stop in federal borrowing is better than the alternative. But I’ve worked in a senator’s mailroom – Specter’s, actually, back when he wore an R – and don’t think the mass mailings will have any effect. What your readers should expect is that postcards will show up in mailbins, which their congressmen will never see and which will be reported only as “we got a lot of identical letters from that debt guy’s mass mailing campaign, mostly from people outside your district, just like before.”
What might get their attention a little more would be open statements to the effect of, “I will never vote for you cowards again if you raise the debt ceiling one more time, and yes, we’re watching you during this lame-duck period.” And then people have to be willing to follow through.
I consider the republic dead and further elections pointless, but if there’s any value left in voting then we have to be willing to destroy the GOP politically if it refuses to improve. Otherwise, what are you telling readers to say – “Don’t raise the debt ceiling or we’ll grumble about it and keep voting for you”? Besides, the congressmen now have two years to not care what we think.
I’d love to see the proposal taken even further. Hold a food-and-music kind of party in each Republican congressman’s district, with everyone sharing a clever slogan about how we’re ready to annihilate “our” party politically unless they grow a spine. Festive, in-person and attention-getting. Congressmen would pay more heed to that.
Kris Schnee
