An Idea to Make DC More Nervous

Greider has a piece in The Nation saying people in DC are beginning to jitter. Greider's not prone to irrational exuberance. He writes:

Welcome to Mardi Gras, Washington-style. It feels like carnival time, when up is down and down is up, when humble folks parade as kings and queens and the reigning royals are dressed as clowns. As someone who has written about these heretical ideas for decades, I feel a bit giddy at the opportunities for real change, though mindful that the anarchy may not last long.

Greider giddy? Well, the Post has a piece chronicling the nervous ticks appearing. The long knives are definitely being unsheathed for Mr. Geithner, and none too soon. During the campaign, Mr. Obama showed a good ability to lose underlings quickly if they were damaging, it's a trait that would serve him well now.

An Idea

Greider writes:

The center is not holding. That's good news for the Republic, because the center has long been subservient to the demands of financial power. Cynics will say this is a passing tempest that will come to nothing. They might be right. But reformers should make the most of it, at least to agitate the fears of elected politicians--including the president.

We need to make DC much, much, much more nervous. Here's a way to start. There's one issue that 263 Congresspeople and 20 Senators don't want to face next November, that's their vote for the $700 billion Wall Street Bailout last fall. You can follow the links above to see how your Congressperson or Senator voted. You can also go here to Open Secrets, plug in your elected officials name and see how much money they've received from Wall Street.

Then write an email to ten friends asking them to write ten friends saying our Congressperson or Senator voted for the Wall Street Bailout. We need to make them understand we will remember this when we vote next year in the primaries and general election. What needs to be done is get a buzz going in these districts and states loud enough for your elected official to hear in DC. A buzz that gets into the reptilian part of every elected officials brain. A buzz loud enough that makes them understand it doesn't matter how money they raise, they're going to lose votes. We are paying attention and a electoral buzz saw is coming their way.

Here is a sample email:

Dear Friend,

Wall Street received $700 billion from our Congress last year. Congressman Frank voted for the Wall Street Bailout. In the last election he received $350,000 from Wall Street and the banks in the last election. Barney's been in the Congress for 3 decades and that's too long.

The only way we're going to get needed change is if we get new faces in Congress. We need to let Congressman Frank know, we understand what he's done and is now doing, and WE ARE NOT GOING TO FORGET. It's time our elected officials started working for us and quit working for Wall Street.

Let's start by getting this message around, please write ten friends, relatives, or co-workers.

Thanks,
Citizen

The more agitation that can be created in the districts and states in the next few months, the greater chance something of value will be gained on financial reform. But, its probably going to take a lot of new faces in 2011 for things to really move.