#1: Stop Bannon - Your Representatives

A quick guide to calling your representatives

Thinking about calling your representatives regarding the Trump appointment of Stephen Bannon as chief strategist? Here are two scripts and some tips.

I made these calls for the first time yesterday; it was straightforward and took less than 10 minutes, and staffers are courteous and professional.

Don’t be intimidated! You don’t need to know everything, just to care about holding legislators responsible for standing up to bigotry. Use the scripts below (which I adapted from ones shared elsewhere), as a jumping-off point but don’t feel like you need to stick to them or even recite them in full.

Why call your reps about Bannon?

Bannon has a public history of championing white nationalism, anti-Semitism, and misogyny. Until August, when he joined the Trump campaign, he ran Breitbart News, a conservative news organization that Bannon has celebrated as ‘the platform for the alt-right.’ The alt-right is openly white nationalist. David Duke, the former leader of the KKK, has said of the appointment that he’s glad Trump is following through on his campaign rhetoric.

If you want a more comprehensive outline of the argument against Bannon, Mother Jones has an excellent one.

Where to call

Call your representatives’ district offices, not their D.C. offices—you’re more likely to reach a human staffer. Look up your elected representatives, then Google them to find their district office numbers (this process takes an extra 30 seconds or so per person).

Script 1

‘Hi! My name is ____, and I’m a constituent of ____. I’m calling to see if and when they will be condemning the appointment of Steve Bannon to the White House. I hope the Senator is looking carefully at what this man has said and the kind of environment it has helped create. I look forward to a strong repudiation of this kind of hate speech and moving forward with true civil discourse and leadership from those in positions of power.’

Script 2

Hi! My name is ____, and I’m a constituent of ____. I’m calling to express my concerns over Steve Bannon being named Chief Strategist to the President-Elect and would like to ask if the Senator is planning to condemn his appointment to the White House.

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that Bannon has a history of promoting white nationalist interests, and the Southern Poverty Law Center recently denounced him as having no business in the White House. Senator Harry Reid has addressed the floor about this issue and Senator Sherrod Brown has called on Trump to remove Bannon. Senator Bernie Sanders, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and others have spoken out as well. I’d urge Senator ____ to join the elected officials who denounce Bannon’s appointment. I would like a return call. My number is ____.

What to ask for

Your senators and congressmembers can’t directly prevent Bannon’s appointment, but they can take action with more influence than most of us have.

If you want to get more specific, here are some things (courtesy of a member of Pantsuit Nation) you can tell staffers that you want from your representatives:

Tell Trump and the nation that they will not work with Bannon.

Do not fund his office or initiatives.

Tell James Comey that if the FBI gives Bannon security clearance, they are going to make him come in and explain that decision.

Do not treat him like any other member of the administration—if they do, they are condoning white nationalism.

Remember, your reps are people too. Be polite but firm in your convictions. If they’ve already spoken out against Bannon, call anyway to thank them and ask them not to back down. Good luck!

Ready for the next thing? Call the GOP leadership.