A Congressional Staffer Makes a Case for the First Branch

Eric Harris, communications director for Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis), took to Sunday’s Washington Post “Outlook” page. He writes:

“As a communications director for Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), answering constituent calls is not usually in my job description; in most offices on Capitol Hill, staff assistants and interns pick up. But with phones ringing off the hook since Donald Trump became the 45th president, the policy experts and I have been pitching in — and all of us have been on the receiving end of a nonstop barrage of indignation and frustration from constituents, many of whom have never been in touch before. So I have something to say to the hordes of furious callers who continue to bombard our office on a daily basis: Thank you.”

If ever the case was made for the First Branch’s centrality to our Democratic Republic…. Can one imagine the judiciary fielding tons of calls? The executive branch taking note of individuals’ fears, concerns, and complaints—and trying to find ways to help?

Read more at https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/03/16/this-is-what-its-like-answering-all-those-phone-calls-to-congress/

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Topics: Representation & Leadership
Tags: Eric Harris