Thread: Cotton Aplogizes in Call to Arkansan

Cotton Apologizes in Call to Arkansan


February 4, 2017


Frank Lockwood



WASHINGTON -- A Fayetteville activist who tried and failed to meet with one of Sen. Tom Cotton's staff members got a personal apology from the lawmaker this week -- and an offer to meet soon.


The Republican from Dardanelle phoned Caitlynn Moses of Ozark Indivisible on Thursday afternoon and promised to hold a town-hall meeting later this month.


The time and location are yet to be determined, but the event will be held over the recess for Washington's Birthday, according to Cotton spokesman Caroline Rabbitt on Friday.


Moses and dozens of others had protested outside Cotton's Springdale office Wednesday after one of his staff members canceled, without explanation, a meeting that had already been rescheduled once.


Rabbitt characterized Thursday's conversation as "very cordial." Moses described it as "really cordial."


"He was extremely polite, and I really appreciate him taking time out to talk to me," Moses said.


She hadn't expected to hear from the lawmaker directly, she said. "I thought that I would get a call from his office, but it was really nice that he took the time out of his day to call me himself."


Moses, like many of the other activists, opposes Republican efforts to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, restrict refugee programs and appoint Cabinet members viewed as outside the mainstream.


During her conversation with Cotton, Moses voiced her opposition to education secretary nominee Betsy DeVos, the billionaire philanthropist, school-choice advocate and major Republican donor.


Cotton listened, Moses said, but maintained that DeVos deserved the opportunity to serve.


"He said, 'Give her a chance,'" Moses recalled.


Ozark Indivisible was formed after the election of President Donald Trump and is part of the national Indivisible movement, which was formed to "resist the Trump agenda."


A video posted at indivisibleguide.com encourages like-minded individuals to visit their lawmakers' offices and, "Let them know you care, you vote and you are watching them."


Activists in Northwest Arkansas and Little Rock had accused Cotton of being inaccessible, claiming that voters weren't allowed to enter the congressman's in-state offices without an appointment.


Other delegation members, they said, had an open-door policy.


Rabbitt said Friday that Cotton also emphasizes accessibility.


"He's always been committed to making visitors feel welcome," she said.


Signs on the senator's doors that say "Entrance by appointment only" are coming down, she said.


The staff in the senator's Jonesboro office also has offered to meet with activists there, she added.


On Ozark Indivisible's Facebook page, supporters celebrated news that Cotton will meet with them.


"Do not think for a second that what we're doing doesn't have an impact. We were heard and we were heard in a big way! Keep at it, everyone!," Moses said in an online post.


By early Friday afternoon, the announcement had received more than 500 Likes, 85 Loves and 37 Wows.


Ozark Indivisible members are now calling on other members of the Arkansas congressional delegations to follow Cotton's lead and hold town-hall meetings of their own.


Earlier this week, the protesters had questioned why the Springdale office for Cotton would only meet with five constituents at a time.


During Thursday's phone conversation, Cotton told Moses that the space is too small to accommodate large groups.


The senator said he would work with the group to find a larger venue so that the other Ozark Indivisible members could attend, Rabbitt said.


In the meantime, people can disregard the "Entrance by appointment only" signs.


"They were suggested to us by the sergeant at arms as a security measure," Rabbitt said. "They were never meant to deter people from coming."


Constituents can stop by even if they haven't scheduled a meeting, Rabbitt said.


Some offices have only one or two employees. Calling ahead increases the chances that somebody will be available, she said.


"​​​​​We suggest making prior appointments so that we can ensure we have staff available to assist, but all are welcome to visit any of our offices at any time," she said via email.



http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2...to-arkansan-2/

The group, Indivisible, is part of the anti-Trump movement. Composed of former Congressional staffers. They are instructing people how to copy the Tea Party in how they approach lawmakers, etc.

MoveOn, ACLU, Occupy, are among their friends.



"Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda featured in the press. ... Indivisible movement hopes to be trump card for Trump agenda."






https://youtu.be/P-CHZdTmBA4









https://youtu.be/1JwOLRWaGX4

NOTE FROM THE INDIVISIBLE TEAM



Since this guide went live as a Google Doc, we’ve received an overwhelming flood of messages from people all over the country working to resist the Trump agenda. We’re thrilled and humbled by the energy and passion of this growing movement. We’ll be updating the guide based on your feedback and making it interactive ASAP. You can sign up for updates at ww.IndivisibleGuide.com.


Every single person who worked on this guide and website is a volunteer. We’re doing this in our free time without coordination or support from our employers. Our only goal is help the real leaders on the ground who are resisting Trump’s agenda on their home turf. We hope you will take this document and use it however you see fit.


We want to hear your stories, questions, comments, edits, etc., so please feel free to ping some of us on Twitter: @IndivisibleTeam, @ezralevin, @angelrafpadilla, @texpat, @Leahgreenb. Or email IndivisibleAgainstTrump@gmail.com. And please please please spread the word! Only folks who know this exists will use it.


Good luck — we will win.


INTRODUCTION



Donald Trump is the biggest popular vote loser in history to ever call himself President-Elect. In spite of the fact that he has no mandate, he will attempt to use his congressional majority to reshape America in his own racist, authoritarian, and corrupt image. If progressives are going to stop this, we must stand indivisibly opposed to Trump and the members of Congress (MoCs) who would do his bidding. Together, we have the power to resist — and we have the power to win.




We know this because we’ve seen it before. The authors of this guide are former congressional staffers who witnessed the rise of the Tea Party. We saw these activists take on a popular president with a mandate for change and a supermajority in Congress. We saw them organize locally and convince their own MoCs to reject President Obama’s agenda. Their ideas were wrong, cruel, and tinged with racism — and they won.



We believe that protecting our values, our neighbors, and ourselves will require mounting a similar resistance to the Trump agenda — but a resistance built on the values of inclusion, tolerance, and fairness. Trump is not popular. He does not have a mandate. He does not have large congressional majorities. If a small minority in the Tea Party can stop President Obama, then we the majority can stop a petty tyrant named Trump.




To this end, the following chapters offer a step-by-step guide for individuals, groups, and organizations looking to replicate the Tea Party’s success in getting Congress to listen to a small, vocal, dedicated group of constituents. The guide is intended to be equally useful for stiffening Democratic spines and weakening pro-Trump Republican resolve.




We believe that the next four years depend on Americans across the country standing indivisible against the Trump agenda. We believe that buying into false promises or accepting partial concessions will only further empower Trump to victimize us and our neighbors. We hope that this guide will provide those who share that belief useful tools to make Congress listen.




HERE’S THE QUICK AND DIRTY SUMMARY OF THIS DOCUMENT. WHILE THIS PAGE SUMMARIZES TOP-LEVEL TAKEAWAYS, THE FULL DOCUMENT DESCRIBES HOW TO ACTUALLY CARRY OUT THESE ACTIVITIES.



CHAPTER 1




HOW GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY WORKED TO STOP PRESIDENT OBAMA.
We examine lessons from the Tea Party’s rise and recommend two key strategic components:




A local strategy targeting individual Members of Congress (MoCs).
A defensive approach purely focused on stopping Trump from implementing an agenda built on racism, authoritarianism, and corruption.



CHAPTER 2


HOW YOUR MOC THINKS — REELECTION, REELECTION, REELECTION — AND HOW TO USE THAT TO SAVE DEMOCRACY.
MoCs want their constituents to think well of them and they want good, local press. They hate surprises, wasted time, and most of all, bad press that makes them look weak, unlikable, and vulnerable. You will use these interests to make them listen and act.


CHAPTER 3


IDENTIFY OR ORGANIZE YOUR LOCAL GROUP.

Is there an existing local group or network you can join? Or do you need to start your own? We suggest steps to help mobilize your fellow constituents locally and start organizing for action.


CHAPTER 4


FOUR LOCAL ADVOCACY TACTICS THAT ACTUALLY WORK.
Most of you have three MoCs — two Senators and one Representative. Whether you like it or not, they are your voices in Washington. Your job is to make sure they are, in fact, speaking for you. We’ve identified four key opportunity areas that just a handful of local constituents can use to great effect. Always record encounters on video, prepare questions ahead of time, coordinate with your group, and report back to local media:


TOWN HALLS.
MoCs regularly hold public in-district events to show that they are listening to constituents. Make them listen to you, and report out when they don’t.

NON-TOWN HALL EVENTS.
MoCs love cutting ribbons and kissing babies back home. Don’t let them get photo-ops without questions about racism, authoritarianism, and corruption.


DISTRICT OFFICE SIT-INS/MEETINGS.
Every MoC has one or several district offices. Go there. Demand a meeting with the MoC. Report to the world if they refuse to listen.

COORDINATED CALLS.
Calls are a light lift but can have an impact. Organize your local group to barrage your MoCs at an opportune moment about and on a specific issue.


WHO IS THIS DOCUMENT BY AND FOR?


WE:
Are former progressive congressional staffers who saw the Tea Party beat back President Obama’s agenda.


WE:
See the enthusiasm to fight the Trump agenda and want to share insider info on how best to influence Congress to do that.


YOU:
Want to do your part to beat back the Trump agenda and understand that will require more than calls and petitions.


YOU:
Should use this guide, share it, amend it, make it your own, and get to work.




- See more at: http://www.occupy.com/article/indivi....LB32xtf6.dpuf

No, you won't win. We'll win you over because you're wrong about ACA and you're very wrong to support a "refugee" program, or any immigration program for that matter, and you're wrong about Trump, you're wrong about Betsy Devos, and soon you'll see that.