Sigh. Re: this post, I got a letter from the Color of Change people, relating their experiences with the CBC on its proposed joint-hosting venture with FOX:

I wanted to let you know that we’re directing calls to a few key CBC members: Bennie Thompson (chair of the CBCI board), Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (chair of the CBC), and Maxine Waters and Barbara Lee (cause they’re likely to be sympathetic and should be on our side — maybe we can convince them to speak out or do something).

We’ve got a pretty cool phone-call tool here.

The tool selects one of those four randomly, gives a phone number and a script particularly tailored to them. Once you make the call, you give us feedback so we can track if you reached someone and what they said; then it serves up the next name / phone number / script to call.

We sent out an email to the signers of our first outreach on this, asking them to call.

Apparently, staffers at Thompson’s office and Kilpatrick’s office are telling folks not to call there. I had the same experience.

Day before yesterday, people at Thompson’s office told me I should call Kilpatrick, and when I did, Kilpatrick’s office told me I should call the Institute. The Institute was letting it’s phone ring all day, and they didn’t return my call.

Yesterday I called the Congressional offices again, and attempted to deliver our message about the Fox / CBCI partnership. When I called Kilpatrick’s office, they cut me off and said I was calling the wrong place, that I should call the CBC. I said “Congresswoman Kilpatrick is the chair of the CBC,” but the staffer wasn’t having any of it. “This is her legislative office.” He basically told me I should only call about legislative issues. I asked him if this meant he wouldn’t be relaying my message to the Congresswoman. He wouldn’t exactly say yes to that, but I got the distinct impression that was the case. Finally, I let him transfer me to the phone number for the CBC, which he insisted was where I should be calling. It went to voicemail, and I left a message.

It appears that some of our members are getting the same treatment as they call and try to voice their opinion to elected officials on something that is very much within the control of those elected officials. It really frustrates me because it feels like everyone who’s responsible is avoiding responsibility. No one picks up the phone at the CBC Institute or the CBC itself, and the offices of two members in leadership positions (Kilpatrick and Thompson) are telling us we shouldn’t call. It’s like they’re plugging their ears.

But this isn’t a reason not to call — if anything, it’s a reason to call more. The more of us that call, the less ability they have to ignore us. We need to pull their fingers out of their ears.

Your elected reps in action. Pick up the phone and annoy someone today.