Comments on: Stroll On Washington

By: Kenny Jacobs

Kenny Jacobs — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:16:09 +0000

Why not have a lobby day in every congressional office in the country? No need to go to DC for a lobby day. The next step is to lobby all the state reps.

By: jp

jp — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:21:36 +0000

This is all just BS and not even worth going on about anymore.
Toodles and good luck with that.

By: BJohnM

BJohnM — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:32:03 +0000

I think your most important point is the one about numbers. To have any impact at all, with or without Congress in session, it has to be a crushing crowd…and if it turns into a small crowd, you are correct that it will be used against us. Congress critters will see this as a weak lobby, and we’ll get even less attention.

I went to the very first march way back, and it was great experience. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but now’s not the time.

By: brandin jackson

brandin jackson — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:38:56 +0000

i think that the march is going to be amazing i cant wait to be apart of it!!!!

By: Michael Ditto

Michael Ditto — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:29:14 +0000

Well there’s that, obviously. But I mean in principle I think there’s work to be done at the federal level as much as the state. I don’t discount doing some kind of event, but I do think a march on any date is a waste of time.

We already had a march on Washington, and it was a total disappointment. If it weren’t for the embezzlement of $750,000, it wouldn’t have gotten any press coverage at all. And then there’s the other three marches. About one every 8 or 10 years.

Remember the pro-choice march on Washington in 2004? Me either. It was the largest march on Washington in the history of marches on Washington, and it got as much media coverage as any other traffic jam in DC.

Marches are dumb whether or not Congress is in session.

By: Swampfox

Swampfox — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:18:34 +0000

The economy is in the tank and some leaders want to march on Washington with an unemployment rate at over nine percent. It is the wrong time.

By: Jim Burroway

Jim Burroway — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:07:33 +0000

Re: Actually I could see value in doing a citizen lobby day…

Of course, that would only have value if Congress were in session and senators and representatives are actually in town. But Congress will be in recess for the Columbus Day holiday when this so-called march takes place.

By: Michael Ditto

Michael Ditto — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:04:57 +0000

Actually I could see value in doing a citizen lobby day where you do organizing in every congressional district and then send one or two from each district to lobby all on the same day. Then people could group up and descend on all 535 offices of senators and representatives on the same day. That would make an impact. And then instead of a “march” and a rally, it could be strategy and training meeting, maybe a fundraiser, and a party.

We do exactly that at the state level in Colorado every year and it actually, really makes a difference.

Neither federal nor state legislators typically get in-person visits from constituents. All they ever talk to in person is lobbyists, staffers, donors, and the press–none of whom typically has our community’s best interest at heart.

By: JJ in Chicago

JJ in Chicago — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:01:00 +0000

Jim, you are not alone.

While I respect Cleve’s passion and his dedication to equality, his actions highlight the misplaced priorities that I often mention when I post here or elsewhere.

That is, the tone deafness of activists on the coasts, such as San Francisco or New York. This includes various national non-profits too.

People in Maine need to focus on their state.

New York may still have a shot at a marriage bill, even with the shakeup in Albany.

Here in Illinois, we almost got a civil unions bill, but it fell through.

I won’t even get into the economic reasons of wasting money for this ….

By: Lindoro Almaviva

Lindoro Almaviva — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:19:53 +0000

This is sounding worse by the minute. And I was going to start a savings fund to go there. Guess I’ll go to my fall opera orgy at Lincoln Center instead.