A big challenge for me as I train prospective advocates is nailing down just what barriers stand in their way and keep them from taking action on the causes that are most important to them. These barriers are incredibly important for us to understand because there is no substitute for the effectiveness of a real person, telling their story, to show how a political issue is playing out in the real world.
The reality of these barriers is that they often go unstated – almost intentionally hidden – and we have to work to tease them out. That means I find myself asking leading questions to help folks dig deeper. Sometimes I have to come right out and ask something like: “is this the question you really want to ask me? Or is there something more?”
In doing so lately, I’ve noticed that my training needed to speak directly to one barrier in particular – just how damn confusing our policy system (the actual legislative process) can really be.
Too often, as we consume the soundbites of back-to-back panels of pundits on the news, we can find ourselves confused as to why the politics we see playing out on the screen don’t align with the process we’re taught in civics class. For me the answer is just a given. I live in this work and it isn’t surprising. But for the vast majority of folks who casually follow the political world, this reality can be infuriating.
I’m about to make it worse.
Take this quote, directly from Congress.gov:
“The process by which a bill becomes law is rarely predictable and can vary significantly from bill to bill. In fact, for many bills, the process will not follow the sequence of congressional stages that are often understood to make up the legislative process.“
Overview of the legislative Process, congress.gov
I want you to read that again. Just like I ask the advocates I train to do. Then maybe read it a third time. Because right there, on the official, public-facing website of our legislative branch, Congress admits to the public: we don’t work the way you think we work; the way you’re taught we work.
In essence? Schoolhouse Rock! lied to you.
Yes, there’s an overall trajectory that legislation follows. But the details of the process? Almost never the same from one bill to another. Our process is not “one size fits all.” The hard reality is that our policy process is more like “one size fits one.” If we don’t acknowledge that, and prepare ourselves for it, the process alone becomes a daunting barrier. It will frustrate us, and keep us from showing up.
So what do we do?
If you care deeply about an issue, so much so that you’re willing to pick up the phone, write a letter, or even go meet with an elected official about it, you’re going to confront this barrier. You’re going to meet it head on. In this case, the action you can take is pretty straightforward: ask the questions you feel embarrassed to ask.
The real problem with this particular barrier to advocacy is that it makes us feel small, even uninformed. When we have to ask questions that seem basic, we feel basic. We don’t feel like we are equipped to be a part of the debate. And that will throw up just enough friction to keep us out of it.
To overcome that friction, we have to embrace the discomfort of asking those questions. Like so many other things we face in life, the obstacle is the way. Asking some key questions as you prepare to participate can help you move past this friction before it ever becomes a problem. Here are a few to ask your advocacy team to help you get started:
- What are the most important steps in the process for this bill?
- What committees will this bill face and who are the elected officials we need to work with on those committees?
- Can this bill be introduced in both houses of the legislature, or do we need to focus on one house at a time?
- How many hearings will this bill need under normal rules?
- Is this a bill that could be wrapped into another bill that’s moving?
These are going to seem basic. But their value is their simplicity – they are all focused on “this bill” and it’s unique path in the legislative process. How we ask these questions matters. We have to think in the context of One Size Fits One. When we focus the conversation on one measure, and not all the ephemera that surround it’s process, we can manage our expectations and focus our efforts. We can live in the context that matters to this one issue, and not get frustrated, or distracted, by the “should be” conversations when the process doesn’t match our expectations.
Give it a shot. See if it helps make your efforts a little more attainable! More importantly, see if if makes you feel just a smidge more ready to jump into the fray yourself.
Part of the Possible 