Overwhelmed? Paralyzed? I got you.

Hey, Friends,

Have you felt paralyzed, overwhelmed, even anxious because of the firehose of Trump actions these past weeks?  Me too.  But that’s their intent—overwhelm us so we don’t know where to turn our attention; it’s Authoritarianism 101.

So, I have developed an Opposition Checklist out of necessity.  I first started a version of this weeks ago to organize my written comments to legislators on their government websites.  But  I found myself paralyzed when I tried to make a call;  my time was limited, and there was just SO MUCH, that I didn’t even know where to start.  Some days, I couldn’t make that call—and that’s not good enough.  I resolved to make it easier.

One day, I found myself writing a checklist on a note pad before making my calls; and once I started, and 30 minutes (and several pages) later, I had a great list to use.  I accomplished those calls—and I felt good.  Then I decided to share my process for others—especially Introverts like myself—who are paralyzed when dialing that phone.

The Opposition Checklist was born, and you can find it on Google Drive and Dropbox,  and Download it; it will be updated.  Let me explain how it works:

Nuts & Bolts:

First, it is a Word Doc, so you will need your Table Tools options to make changes, and you can “Control F” to search for a Topic.  I have alphabetized these Rows by Topic, so start there.  The center column shows what you could say on a CALL.  The last Column titled “Additional Thoughts” is where you personalize and elaborate your Comments.  You could decide to omit the last column during your phone calls but ADD those comments into your emails.  I added examples to get you started—but please make it your own.

Action steps:

Each day, choose three or more Topics to enter into Reps Contact forms on their government websites, found HERE.  I try to stick to one Topic per Contact form, so I may need to go back and submit two additional Topics separately.  But for your calls, you can literally just read down the Column “CONCISE OPINION & OPTIONAL ASK,” reading as many concerns as you have time for!  I often start by saying, “Just a reminder that Trump does NOT have a mandate, as he received less than 1/3 of eligible voters’ votes.”  Never worry about repeating yourself over multiple days.

If you get a live person, you typically can share three Topics.  If you get an answering system, you have options.  My reps now have answering systems with time limits (one is less than 30 seconds, so you barely have time to give your personal info before you’re cut off).  So, you can call three times, reading one Topic each; or call and read your list of Topics, call back, and read some more!  Be sure to record the Rep you contacted and the date.

Personal Information:  If I get a recording, I give my name, city and state, and phone number, so they can adequately log my call; live staff will ask for more, and written Contact forms will automatically require email and street address.  On answering system phone calls, I say I don’t need a reply, because all of my Reps are GOP, and I don’t want to waste my limited time trying to leave my email address.  But on live calls and Contact forms, I say/check Yes, I want a reply, because I want staff to manually have to waste their time (i.e., feel the pain) replying.

Give it a go, and make it your own.   Feel free to contact me if I have missed anything.  You got this!  And remember, you are not alone!

Yours in Solidarity,

Kimberly Kennedy

Jess Craven is a great person to follow on Threads (@jesscraven101), as she encourages and inspires you on how to be an activist and make these calls!