Principle 2: Congress Should Robustly Embrace and Facilitate the People’s First Amendment Rights
by Kathy Goldschmidt
on March 04, 2022
Congress is designed to be more directly connected and beholden to the people than the other branches of our national government, a fact that is deeply embedded into our democratic culture, practice, and expectations. Congress is, therefore, the institution most responsible for ensuring that the People's First Amendment rights are vigorously facilitated in the public policy process.
Read more »
Grassroots Advocacy and the First Amendment
by Kathy Goldschmidt
on March 02, 2022
The freedoms of assembly, speech, the press, and petition are all critically important to the relationship between the institution of Congress and the People as well as between individual Members and their constituents. Organizers of grassroots advocacy help their members engage in almost every one of the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.
Read more »
The Place for “Special Interest Groups”
by Kathy Goldschmidt
on February 28, 2022
Constituents look to the organizations they trust to help them monitor what is happening in Congress and to help them understand when and how to become engaged in the political process. Though they're often denigrated as "special interest groups," they, like congressional staff, play an important role in the democratic dialogue.
Read more »
A Brief History of the First Amendment Right to Petition Government
by Kathy Goldschmidt
on February 25, 2022
The First Amendment right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances is now so little understood that, in a 2011 opinion, the Supreme Court indicated that "Some effort must be made to identify the historic and fundamental principles that led to the enumeration of the right to petition in the First Amendment, among other rights fundamental to liberty." Relying on the work of present-day legal scholars, Kathy Goldschmidt delves into this mysterious First Amendment right, including what can be done to revive it to its original state and what that would look like in today's democracy relying on international examples.
Read more »
Principle 1: Congressional Engagement Should Foster Trust in Members, Congress, and Democracy
by Kathy Goldschmidt
on February 18, 2022
Trust between Members of Congress and those they represent—between Congress and the People—is the foundation of our democracy. If, as at present, Congress and the People are skeptical, dismissive, or mistrustful of one another, democracy cannot flourish.
Read more »
Ten Principles to Drive Engagement with Congress
by Kathy Goldschmidt
on February 11, 2022
Unfortunately, in the past 15 years congressional approval ratings have rarely exceeded 40%, and for much of that time ratings have been in the teens. That the People have so little faith in Congress is not only alarming, it means that the relationship between Senators and Representatives and those they represent has eroded to a degree that is threatening the practice of democracy.
Read more »
2022 Democracy Awards Deadline Extended
by CMF
on February 01, 2022
Congressional Offices: We know how busy you are. We want to give you as ample an opportunity as possible to recognize your office's work over the past year. As such, we have extended the deadline to nominate your office for the 2022 Democracy Awards to Monday, February 28.
Read more »
2022 Democracy Awards Deadline Extended
by Bradley Joseph Sinkaus
on February 01, 2022
We know how busy you are. We want to give you as ample an opportunity as possible to recognize your office's work over the past year. As such, we have extended the deadline to nominate your office for the 2022 Democracy Awards to Monday, February 28.
Read more »
What Does Working in Congress Mean to You?
by CMF
on January 06, 2022
The following quotes were collected by CMF in a 2011 survey of more than 1,400 congressional staff. The survey focusing on the workplace environment of Congress asked this open-ended question: What does working in Congress mean to you? We hope you’ll peruse this list of amazing quotes from patriots who serve under the dome: the staff of the United States Congress.
Read more »
January 6 is Coming – Managers Need to Prepare
by Bradford Fitch
on December 27, 2021
Every staffer who has worked in Congress the past two years personally knows and feels the stress created by the pandemic and the January 6 insurrection, and have noted the significant increases of threats to their bosses and their colleagues. As we approach the one-year mark since the January 6 attacks, mental health experts have said the date and news coverage will trigger painful memories and post-traumatic stress. Managers do not have sit back and simply hope January 6, 2022 will just be another day at the office. They should prepare and be proactive in supporting staff who might need help. Here are five things to consider.
Read more »
|
|