Former congressional staffers

reveal best practices for

making Congress listen

INDIVISIBLE:
A PRACTICAL GUIDE for
RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA

Updated on March 9, 2017

 NOTE FROM THE INDIVISIBLE TEAM
Since this guide went live as a Google Doc, weve received an overwhelming flood of messages from
people all over the country working to resist the Trump agenda. Were thrilled and humbled by the
energy and passion of this growing movement. Well be updating the guide based on your feedback
and making it interactive ASAP. You can sign up for updates at www.IndivisibleGuide.com.

Every single person who worked on this guide and website is a volunteer. Were doing this in our free
time without coordination or support from our employers. Our only goal is to help the real leaders
on the ground who are resisting Trumps agenda on their home turf. We hope you will take this
document and use it however you see fit.

We want to hear your stories, questions, comments, edits, etc., so please feel free to ping some of
us on Twitter: @IndivisibleTeam, @ezralevin, @angelrafpadilla, @texpat, @Leahgreenb. Or email
contact@indivisibleguide.com.

And please please please spread the word! Only folks who know this exists will use it.

Good luck we will win.

NOTE TO IMMIGRANTS AND NONCITIZENS

The US Constitution ensures equal representation for all individuals living in the United
States, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, or immigration
status. Noncitizens, though they may lack the right to vote in federal elections, have the
right to have their voices heard by their representatives in Congress.
This guide is intended to serve as a resource to all individuals who would like to more
effectively participate in the democratic process. While we encourage noncitizens to
participate to the extent that they are able, individuals should only take actions that they
are comfortable taking, and they should consider their particular set of circumstances
before engaging in any of these activities.
Individuals are under no obligation to provide any personally identifiable information to a
member of Congress or their staff. Individuals may be asked for their name and zip code,
but this is only to confirm that the person is a constituent, and providing this information
is strictly voluntary. NO ONE is required to provide any additional information, such as
address, social security number, or immigration status.

Updated on March 09, 2017, to reflect IndivisibleGuide_2017-03-09_v10.docx

Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.
org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.

A Partial List of Contributors to the Indivisible Guide:

Angel Padilla, Billy Fleming, Caroline Kavit, Emily Phelps, Ezra Levin, Gonzalo Martnez de Vedia, Indivar Dutta-
Gupta, Jennay Ghowrwal, Jeremy Haile, Leah Greenberg, Mary Humphreys, Matt Traldi, Sara Clough, and Sarah
Dohl.

2INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA

INTRODUCTION

Donald Trump is the biggest popular-vote loser in history to ever call himself President. In
spite of the fact that he has no mandate, he will attempt to use his congressional majority
to reshape America in his own racist, authoritarian, and corrupt image. If progressives
are going to stop this, we must stand indivisibly opposed to Trump and the Members of
Congress (MoCs) who would do his bidding. Together, we have the power to resist and
we have the power to win.

We know this because weve seen it before.

The authors of this guide are former WHO IS THIS DOCUMENT BY AND FOR?
congressional staffers who witnessed
We: Are former progressive congressional
the rise of the Tea Party. We saw these
staffers who saw the Tea Party beat back
activists take on a popular president with President Obamas agenda.
a mandate for change and a supermajority
We: See the enthusiasm to fight the Trump
in Congress. We saw them organize locally
agenda and want to share insider info on
and convince their own MoCs to reject
how best to influence Congress to do that.
President Obamas agenda. Their ideas
were wrong, cruel, and tinged with racism You: Want to do your part to beat back the
Trump agenda, and understand that will
and they won.
require more than calls and petitions.
We believe that protecting our values, You: Should use this guide, share it, amend
our neighbors, and ourselves will require it, make it your own, and get to work.
mounting a similar resistance to the
Trump agenda but a resistance built
on the values of inclusion, tolerance, and fairness. Trump is not popular. He does not have
a mandate. He does not have large congressional majorities. If a small minority in the Tea
Party could stop President Obama, then we the majority can stop a petty tyrant named
Trump.

To this end, the following chapters offer a step-by-step guide for individuals, groups, and
organizations looking to replicate the Tea Partys success in getting Congress to listen to a
small, vocal, dedicated group of constituents. The guide is intended to be equally useful for
stiffening Democratic spines and weakening pro-Trump Republican resolve.

We believe that the next four years depend on Americans across the country standing
indivisible against the Trump agenda. We believe that buying into false promises or
accepting partial concessions will only further empower Trump to victimize us and our
neighbors. We hope that this guide will provide those who share that belief with useful
tools to make Congress listen.

INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA3

 ONE-PAGE SUMMARY

Heres the quick-and-dirty summary of this document. While this page summarizes top-
level takeaways, the full document describes how to actually carry out these activities.

CHAPTER 1
How grassroots advocacy worked to stop President Obama. We examine lessons from the
Tea Partys rise and recommend two key strategic components:

1. A local strategy targeting individual Members of Congress (MoCs).

2. A defensive approach purely focused on stopping Trump from implementing an

agenda built on racism, authoritarianism, and corruption.

CHAPTER 2
How your MoC thinks reelection, reelection, reelection and how to use that to save
democracy. MoCs want their constituents to think well of them, and they want good, local
press. They hate surprises, wasted time, and most of all, bad press that makes them look
weak, unlikable, and vulnerable. You will use these interests to make them listen and act.

CHAPTER 3
Identify or organize your local group. Is there an existing local group or network you can
join? Or do you need to start your own? We suggest steps to help mobilize your fellow
constituents locally and start organizing for action.

CHAPTER 4
Four local advocacy tactics that actually work. Most of you have three MoCs two
Senators and one Representative. Whether you like it or not, they are your voices in
Washington. Your job is to make sure they are, in fact, speaking for you. Weve identified four
key opportunity areas that just a handful of local constituents can use to great effect. Always
record encounters on video, prepare questions ahead of time, coordinate with your group,
and report back to local media:

1. Town halls. MoCs regularly hold public in-district events to show that they are
listening to constituents. Make them listen to you, and report out when they dont.

2. Other local public events. MoCs love cutting ribbons and kissing babies
back home. Dont let them get photo-ops without questions about racism,
authoritarianism, and corruption.

3. District office visits. Every MoC has one or several district offices.
Go there. Demand a meeting with the MoC. Report to the world if they refuse
to listen.

4. Coordinated calls. Calls are a light lift, but can have an impact. Organize your
local group to barrage your MoCs with calls at an opportune moment about and
on a specific issue.

4INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA

CHAPTER 1: HOW GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY WORKED TO
STOP PRESIDENT OBAMA

If they succeed, or even half succeed, the Tea Partys most

important legacy may be organizational, not political.
Jonathan Rauch

Like us, you probably deeply disagree with the principles and positions of the Tea Party. But
we can all learn from their success in influencing the national debate and the behavior of
national policymakers. To their credit, they thought thoroughly about advocacy tactics, as
the leaked Town Hall Action Memo demonstrates.

This chapter draws on both research and our own experiences as former congressional
staffers to illustrate the strengths of the Tea Party movement and to provide lessons to
leverage in the fight against Trumps racism, authoritarianism, and corruption.

THE TEA PARTYS TWO KEY STRATEGIC CHOICES

The Tea Partys success came down to two critical strategic elements:

1. They were locally focused. The Tea Party started as an organic movement built on small
local groups of dedicated conservatives. Yes, they received some support/coordination
from above, but fundamentally all the hubbub was caused by a relatively small number of
conservatives working together.

Groups started as disaffected conservatives talking to each other online. In

response to the 2008 bank bailouts and President Obamas election, groups
began forming to discuss their anger and what could be done. They eventually
realized that the locally based discussion groups themselves could be a powerful
tool.

Groups were small, local, and dedicated. Tea Party groups could be fewer than
10 people, but they were highly localized, and they dedicated significant personal
time and resources. Members communicated with each other regularly, tracked
developments in Washington, and coordinated advocacy efforts together.

Groups were relatively few in number. The Tea Party was not hundreds of
thousands of people spending every waking hour focused on advocacy. Rather,
the efforts were somewhat modest. Only 1 in 5 self-identified Tea Partiers
contributed money or attended events. On any given day in 2009 or 2010, only 20
local events meetings, trainings, town halls, etc. were scheduled nationwide.
In short, a relatively small number of groups were having a big impact on the
national debate.

INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA5

 WHAT THE TEA PARTY ACCOMPLISHED WHY WE ARE NOT THE TEA PARTY
The Tea Party organized to end hope for The Tea Partys ideas were wrong, and their
progressive reform under President Obama. behavior was often horrible.
Their members: Their members:
Changed votes and defeated legislation Ignored reality and made up their own facts
Radically slowed federal policymaking Threatened anyone they considered an
enemy
Forced Republicans to reject compromise Physically assaulted and spat on staff
Shaped national debate over President Shouted obscenities and burned people in
Obamas agenda effigy
Paved the way for the Republican takeover Targeted their hate not just at Congress, but
also at fellow citizens (especially people of
in 2010 and Donald Trump today color)
These were real, tangible results by a group that We are better than this. We are the majority,
represented only a small portion of Americans. and we dont need petty scare tactics to win.

2. They were almost purely defensive. The Tea Party focused on saying NO to Members of
Congress (MoCs) on their home turf. While the Tea Party activists were united by a core set
of shared beliefs, they actively avoided developing their own policy agenda. Instead, they
had an extraordinary clarity of purpose, united in opposition to President Obama. They
didnt accept concessions and treated weak Republicans as traitors.

Groups focused on defense, not policy development. The Tea Party took root
in 2009, focused on fighting against every proposal coming out of the new
Democratic Administration and Congress. This focus on defense rather than policy
development allowed the movement to avoid fracturing. Tea Party members
may not have agreed on the policy reforms, but they could agree that Obama,
Democrats, and moderate Republicans had to be stopped.

Groups rejected concessions to Democrats and targeted weak Republicans. Tea

Partiers viewed concessions to Democrats as betrayal. This limited their ability
to negotiate, but they didnt care. Instead they focused on scaring congressional
Democrats and keeping Republicans honest. As a result, few Republicans spoke
against the Tea Party for fear of attracting blowback.

Groups focused on local congressional representation. Tea Partiers primarily

applied this defensive strategy by pressuring their own local MoCs. This meant
demanding that their Representatives and Senators be their voice of opposition
on Capitol Hill. At a tactical level, the Tea Party had several replicable practices,
including:

Showing up to the MoCs town hall meetings and demanding answers

6INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA

 Showing up to the MoCs office and demanding a meeting

Coordinating blanket calling of congressional offices at key moments

USING THESE LESSONS TO FIGHT THE TRUMP AGENDA

For the next two years, Donald Trump and congressional Republicans will control the
federal government. But they will depend on just about every MoC to actually get laws
passed. And those MoCs care much more about getting reelected than they care about
any specific issue. By adopting a defensive strategy that pressures MoCs, we can achieve the
following goals:

Stall the Trump agenda by forcing them to redirect energy away from their
priorities. Congressional offices have limited time and limited people. A day
that they spend worrying about you is a day that theyre not ending Medicare,
privatizing public schools, or preparing a Muslim registry.

Sap Representatives will to support or drive reactionary change. If you do this

right, you will have an outsized impact. Every time your MoC signs on to a bill,
takes a position, or makes a statement, a little part of his or her mind will be
thinking: How am I going to explain this to the angry constituents who keep
showing up at my events and demanding answers?

Reaffirm the illegitimacy of the Trump agenda. The hard truth is that Trump,
McConnell, and Ryan will have the votes to cause some damage. But by objecting
as loudly and powerfully as possible, and by centering the voices of those who are
most affected by their agenda, you can ensure that people understand exactly
how bad these laws are from the very start priming the ground for the 2018
midterms and their repeal when Democrats retake power.

SHOULDNT WE PUT FORWARD AN ALTERNATE, POSITIVE AGENDA?

A defensive strategy does not mean dropping your own policy priorities or staying silent
on an alternate vision for our country over the next four years. What it means is that,
when youre trying to influence your MoC, you will have the most leverage when you are
focused on the current legislative priority.
You may not like the idea of being purely defensive; we certainly dont. As progressives,
our natural inclination is to talk about the things were for a clean climate, economic
justice, health care for all, racial equality, gender and sexual equality, and peace and
human rights. These are the things that move us. But the hard truth of the next four
years is that were not going to set the agenda; Trump and congressional Republicans
will, and well have to respond. The best way to stand up for the progressive values and
policies we cherish is to stand together, indivisible to treat an attack on one as an
attack on all.

INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA7

 CHAPTER 2: HOW YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS THINKS,
AND HOW TO USE THAT TO SAVE DEMOCRACY

There go the people. I must follow them, for I am their leader.

Alexandre Ledru-Rollin

This chapter explains how congressional offices and the people within them work, and what
that means for your advocacy strategy.

ITS ALL ABOUT REELECTION, REELECTION, REELECTION

To influence your own Member of Congress (MoC), you have to understand one thing: every
House member runs for office every two years and every Senator runs for election every six
years. Functionally speaking, MoCs are always either running for office or getting ready for
their next election a fact that shapes everything they do.

To be clear, this does not mean that your MoC is cynical and unprincipled. The vast majority
of people in Congress believe in their ideals and care deeply about representing their
constituents and having a positive impact. But they also know that if they want to make
change, they need to stay in office.

This constant reelection pressure means that MoCs are enormously sensitive to their image
in the district or state, and they will work very hard to avoid signs of public dissent or
disapproval. What every MoC wants regardless of party is for his or her constituents to
agree with the following narrative:

My MoC cares about me, shares my values, and is working hard for me.
What every MoC wants their constituents to think

If your actions threaten this narrative, then you will unnerve your MoC and change their
decision-making process.

HELP, MY MoC IS IN A SAFE DISTRICT!

If your MoC is in a heavily Democratic or Republican district, you may assume that they
have a safe seat and theres nothing you can do to influence them. This is not true! The
reality is that no MoC ever considers themselves to be safe from all threats. MoCs who
have nothing to fear from a general election still worry about primary challenges.
More broadly, no one stays a MoC without being borderline compulsive about
protecting their image. Even the safest MoC will be deeply alarmed by signs of
organized opposition, because these actions create the impression that theyre not
connected to their district and not listening to their constituents.

8INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA

 HELP, MY MoCs ARE ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD!

Congratulations! Your Senators and Representative are doing what they should to fight
racism, authoritarianism, and corruption. Theyre making the right public statements,
co-sponsoring the right bills, and voting the right way. So how does this change your
strategy? Two key things to keep in mind:
1. Do NOT switch to targeting other MoCs who dont represent you. They dont
represent you, and they dont care what you have to say. Stick with your own local
MoCs.
2. DO use this guide to engage with your MoCs locally. Instead of pressuring them to
do the right thing, praise them for doing the right thing. This is important because
it will help ensure that they continue to do the right thing. Congressional staff are
rarely contacted when the MoC does something good your efforts locally will
provide highly valuable positive reinforcement.

WHAT DOES A MoCs OFFICE DO, AND WHY?

A MoCs office is composed of roughly 15-25 staff for House offices and 60-70 for Senate
offices, spread across a D.C. office and one or several district offices. MoC offices perform the
following functions:

Provide constituent services. Staff connect with both individual constituents

and local organizations, serving as a link to and an advocate within the federal
government on issues such as visas, grant applications, and public benefits.

Communicate with constituents directly. Staff take calls, track constituent

messages, and write letters to stay in touch with constituents priorities, follow
up on specific policy issues that constituents have expressed concern about, and
reinforce the message that they are listening.

Meet with constituents. MoCs and staff meet with constituents to learn about
local priorities and build connections.

Seek and create positive press. Staff try to shape press coverage and public
information to create a favorable image for the MoC.

Host and attend events in district. Representatives host and attend events in the
district to connect with constituents, understand their priorities, and get good
local press.

Actual legislating. MoCs and staff decide their policy positions, develop and
sponsor bills, and take votes based on a combination of their own beliefs, pressure
from leadership/lobbyists, and pressure from their constituents.

INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA9

 WHAT YOUR MoC CARES ABOUT
When it comes to constituent interactions, MoCs care about things that make them look
good, responsive, and hardworking to the people of their district. In practice, that means
that they care about some things very much, and other things very little:

MoC CARES A LOT ABOUT MoC DOESNT CARE MUCH ABOUT

Verified constituents from the district People from outside the district (or state
(or state for Senators) for Senators)
Advocacy that requires effort the more Form letters, a tweet, or a Facebook
effort, the more they care: calls, personal
comment (unless they generate
emails, and especially showing up in
person in the district widespread attention)
Local press and editorials, maybe national Wonky D.C.-based news (depends on the
press MoC)
An interest groups endorsement Your thoughtful analysis of the proposed
bill
Groups of constituents, locally famous A single constituent
individuals, or big individual campaign
contributors
Concrete asks that entail a verifiable action General ideas about the world
vote for a bill, make a public statement,
etc.
A single ask in your communication A laundry list of all the issues youre
letter, email, phone call, office visit, etc. concerned about

10INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA

WHAT YOUR MoC IS THINKING: GOOD OUTCOME VS. BAD OUTCOME
To make this a bit more concrete and show where advocacy comes in, below are some
examples of actions that a MoC might take, what theyre hoping to see happen as a result,
and what they really dont want to see happen. Some MoCs will go to great lengths to avoid
bad outcomes even as far as changing their positions or public statements.

EXAMPLE ACTION DESIRED OUTCOME BAD OUTCOME

Letter to Constituent feels happy Constituent posts letter on social media
Constituent that their concerns were saying it didnt answer their questions
answered. or neglected their questions for weeks/
months, calls Congressman Bob
unresponsive and untrustworthy.
In-district Event Local newspaper reports Local newspaper reports that protestors
that Congresswoman barraged Congresswoman Sara with
Sara appeared at questions about corruption in the
opening of new bridge, infrastructure bill.
for which she helped
secure funding.
Town Hall / Local newspaper reports Local newspaper reports that angry
Listening Session that Congressman Bob constituents strongly objected to
hosted a town hall and Congressman Bobs support for privatizing
discussed his work to Medicare.
balance the budget.
Policy Position Congresswoman Congresswoman Saras phones are deluged
Sara votes on a bill with calls objecting to the bill. A group of
and releases a press constituents stage an event outside her
statement hailing it as a district office and invite press to hear them
step forward. talk about how the bill will personally hurt
their families.

INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA11

 CHAPTER 3: ORGANIZE A LOCAL GROUP TO FIGHT FOR
YOUR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

We need in every bay and community a group of

angelic troublemakers.
Bayard Rustin
The Tea Party formed organically as conservatives upset after the 2008 election came
together in local discussion groups. We believe the same thing is happening now across the
country as progressives in person, in already existing networks, and on Facebook come
together to move forward. The big question for these groups is: whats next?

If youre reading this, youre probably already part of a local network of people who want to
stop the Trump agenda even if its just your friends or a group on Facebook. This chapter is
about how to take that energy to the next level and start fighting locally to take the country
back.

SHOULD I FORM A GROUP?

Theres no need to reinvent the wheel if an activist group or network is already
attempting to do congressional advocacy along these lines, just with them. Depending
on your Representatives district, it may make sense to have more than one group. This
congressional map tool (https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/map) shows the
boundaries for your district.

If you look around and cant find a group working specifically on local action focused on
your Members of Congress (MoCs) in your area, just start doing it! Its not rocket science. You
really just need two things:

Ten or so people (but even fewer is a fine start!) who are geographically nearby
ideally in the same congressional district

A commitment from those people to devote a couple hours per month to

fighting the racism, authoritarianism, and corruption pushed by Trump

DIVERSITY IN YOUR GROUP & REACHING OUT

Trumps agenda explicitly targets immigrants, Muslims, people of color, LGBTQ people,
the poor and working class, and women. It is critical that our resistance reflect and
center the voices of those who are most directly threatened by the Trump agenda. If
you are forming a group, we urge you to make a conscious effort to pursue diversity
and solidarity at every stage in the process. Being inclusive and diverse might include
recruiting members who can bridge language gaps, and finding ways to accommodate
participation when people cant attend due to work schedules, health issues, or
childcare needs.
In addition, where there are local groups already organizing around the rights of those
most threatened by the Trump agenda, we urge you to reach out to partner with them,
amplify their voices, and defer to their leadership.

12INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA

HOW TO FORM A GROUP
If you do want to form a group, here are our recommendations on how to go about it:

1. Decide youre going to start a local group dedicated to making your MoCs aware
of their constituents opposition to the Trump agenda. This might be a subgroup
of an existing activist group or it might be a new effort it really depends on your
circumstances. Start where people are: if youre in a group with a lot of people
who want to do this kind of thing, then start there; if youre not, youll need to find
them somewhere else. The most important thing is that this is a LOCAL group.
Your band of heroes is focused on applying local pressure, which means you all
need to be local.

2. Identify a few additional co-founders who are interested in participating and

recruiting others. Ideally, these are people who have different social networks
from you so that you can maximize your reach. Make an effort to ensure that
leadership of the group reflects the diversity of opposition to Trump.

3. Email your contacts and post a message on your Facebook page, on any
local Facebook groups that youre a member of, and/or other social media
channels you use regularly. Say that youre starting a group for constituents of
Congresswoman Sara, dedicated to stopping the Trump agenda, and ask people
to email you to sign up.

HOW DO I RECRUIT PEOPLE TO TAKE ACTION?

Most people are moved to take action through individual conversations. Here are some
tips for having successful conversations to inspire people to take action with your group.
1. Get the story. What issues does the other person care about? How would the
reactionary Republican agenda affect them, their communities, and their values?
2. Imagine whats possible. How can your group change your communitys
relationship with your MoC? How could your group, and others like it, protect our
values?
3. Commitment and ownership. Ask a clear yes or no question: will you work with me
to hold our representatives accountable? Then, get to specifics. Who else can they
talk to about joining the group? What work needs to be done planning a meeting,
researching a MoC that they can take on? When will you follow up?
Ask open-ended questions! People are more likely to take action when they articulate
what they care about and can connect it to the action they are going to take. A good
rule of thumb is to talk 30% of the time or less and listen at least 70% of the time.

INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA13

 4. Invite everyone who has expressed interest to an in-person kickoff meeting.
Use this meeting to agree on a name, principles for your group, roles for
leadership, a way of communicating, and a strategy for your MoC. Rule of thumb:
50% of the people who have said they are definitely coming will show up to your
meeting. Aim high! Get people to commit to come theyll want to because
saving democracy is fun.

Manage the meeting: Keep people focused on the ultimate core strategy:
applying pressure to your MoC to stop Trump. Other attendees may have
other ideas or may be coming to share their concerns about Trump
and its important to affirm their concerns and feelings. But its also
important to redirect that energy and make sure that the conversation
stays focused on developing a group and a plan of action dedicated to
this strategy.

Decide on a name: Good names include the geographic area of your

group, so that its clear that youre rooted in the community e.g.,
Springfield Indivisible Against Hate. You are 100% welcome to pick up
and run with the Indivisible name if you want, but we wont be hurt if you
dont.

Agree on principles: This is your chance to say what your group stands for.
We recommend two guiding principles:

Donald Trumps agenda will take America backwards, and it must

be stopped.

To work together to achieve this goal, we must model the values

of inclusion, tolerance, and fairness.

As discussed in the second chapter, we strongly recommend focusing

on defense against the Trump agenda rather than developing an entire
alternative policy agenda. Defining a proactive agenda is time-intensive,
divisive, and, quite frankly, a distraction, since there is zero chance that we
as progressives will get to put our agenda into action at the federal level
in the next four years.

Volunteer for roles: Figure out how to divide roles and responsibilities
among your group. This can look very different depending on whos in
the room, but at a minimum, you probably want 1-2 people in charge of
overall group coordination, a designated media/social media contact, and
1-2 people in charge of tracking the congressional offices schedule and

14INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA

 events. In addition to these administrative roles, ask attendees how they
want to contribute to advocacy efforts: attend events, record events, ask
questions, make calls, host meetings, engage on social media, write op-
eds for local papers, etc.

Adopt means of communication: You need a way of reaching everyone in

your group in order to coordinate actions. This can be a Facebook group,
a Google group, a Slack team whatever people are most comfortable
with. It may be wise to consider secure or encrypted platforms such as
Signal and WhatsApp.

5. Expand! Enlist your members to recruit across their networks. Ask every member
to send out the same outreach emails/posts that you did.

Recruit people for your email list 100 or 200 isnt unreasonable.

We strongly recommend making a conscious effort to diversify your group

and particularly to center around and defer to communities of people
who are most directly affected by the Trump administrations racism,
xenophobia, transphobia, homophobia, and antipathy toward the poor.
This could include both reaching out through your own networks and
forming relationships with community groups that are already working
on protecting the rights of marginalized groups.

ALREADY HAVE A GROUP?

Sign up at www.indivisibleguide.com. Were creating a public directory of groups to

help you make connections on your home turf. Well also be sending special updates to
group leaders to help build local congressional action plans.
Your group may be pursuing the Indivisible strategy as your main goal or as part of a
broader mission. Whatever works!

INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA15

 CHAPTER 4: FOUR LOCAL ADVOCACY TACTICS THAT
ACTUALLY WORK

Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a

potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.
Dolores Huerta

This chapter describes the nuts and bolts of implementing four advocacy tactics to put
pressure on your three Members of Congress (MoCs) your Representative and two
Senators. Before we get there though, there are a few things all local groups should do:

Begin with these five steps to gather intel. Before anything else, take the following five
steps to arm yourself with information necessary for all future advocacy activities.

1. Find your three MoCs, their official websites, and their office contact info at
www.callmycongress.com.

2. Sign up on your MoCs websites to receive regular email updates, invites to local
events, and propaganda to understand what theyre saying. Every MoC has an
e-newsletter.

3. Find out where your MoCs stand on the issues of the day appointment of white
supremacists, tax cuts for the rich, etc. Review their voting history at VoteSmart.
org. Research their biggest campaign contributors at OpenSecrets.org.

4. Set up a Google News Alert (http://www.google.com/alerts) for example for Rep.

Bob Smith to receive an email whenever your MoCs are in the news.

5. Research on Google News (https://news.google.com/news) what local reporters

have written about your MoCs. Find and follow those reporters on Twitter, and
build relationships. Before you attend or plan an event, reach out and explain
why your group is protesting, and provide them with background materials and
a quote. Journalists on deadline even those who might not agree with you
appreciate when you provide easy material for a story.

NOTE ON SAFETY AND PRIVILEGE

We do not yet know how Trump supporters will respond to organized shows of opposition,
but we have seen enough to be very concerned that minorities will be targeted or singled
out. Plan your actions to ensure that no one is asked to take on a role that they are not
comfortable with especially those roles that call for semi-confrontational behavior and
be mindful of the fact that not everyone is facing an equal level of threat. Members of your
group who enjoy more privilege should think carefully about how they can ensure that they
are using their privilege to support other members of the group. If you are concerned about
potential law enforcement intimidation, consider downloading your states version of the
ACLU Mobile Justice app to ensure that any intimidating behavior is captured on film. Please
familiarize yourself with your state and local laws that govern recording, along with any
applicable Senate or House rules, prior to recording. These laws and rules vary substantially
from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

16INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA

OPPORTUNITY 1
TOWN HALLS/LISTENING SESSIONS
MoCs regularly hold local town halls or public listening sessions throughout their
districts or state. Tea Partiers used these events to great effect both to directly
pressure their MoCs and to attract media to their cause.

PREPARATION
1. Find out when your MoCs next public town hall event is. Sometimes these
are announced well in advance, and sometimes, although they are technically
public, only select constituents are notified about them shortly before the event.
If you cant find announcements online, call your MoC directly to find out. When
you call, be friendly and say to the staffer, Hi, Im a constituent, and Id like to
know when his/her next town hall forum will be. If they dont know, ask to be
added to the email list so that you get notified when they do.

2. Send out a notice of the town hall to your group, and get commitments from
members to attend. Distribute to all of them whatever information you have on
your MoCs voting record, as well as the prepared questions.

3. Prepare several questions ahead of time for your group to ask. Your questions
should be sharp and fact-based, ideally including information on the MoCs
record, votes theyve taken, or statements theyve made. Thematically, questions
should focus on a limited number of issues to maximize impact. Prepare 5-10
of these questions and hand them out to your group ahead of the meeting.
Example question:

I and many district families in Springfield rely on Medicare. I dont think we

should be rationing health care for seniors, and the plan to privatize Medicare
will create serious financial hardship for seniors who cant afford it. You havent
gone on the record opposing this. Will you commit here and now to vote no on
Bill X to cut Medicare?

SHOULD I BRING A SIGN?

Signs can be useful for reinforcing the sense of broad agreement with your message.
However, if youre holding an oppositional sign, staffers will almost certainly not give you
or the people with you the chance to get the mic or ask a question. If you have enough
people to both ask questions and hold signs, though, then go for it!

INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA17

 AT THE TOWN HALL
1. Get there early, meet up, and get organized. Meet outside or in the parking lot
for a quick huddle before the event. Distribute the handout of questions, and
encourage members to ask the questions on the sheet or something similar.

2. Get seated and spread out. Head into the venue a bit early to grab seats at the
front half of the room, but do not all sit together. Sit by yourself or in groups of
two, and spread out throughout the room. This will help reinforce the impression
of broad consensus.

3. Make your voices heard by asking good questions. When the MoC opens the
floor for questions, everyone in the group should put their hands up and keep
them there. Look friendly or neutral so that staffers will call on you. When youre
asking a question, remember the following guidelines:

Stick with the prepared list of questions. Dont be afraid to read it

straight from the printout if you need to.

Be polite but persistent, and demand real answers. MoCs are very good
at deflecting or dodging questions they dont want to answer. If the MoC
dodges, ask a follow-up question. If they arent giving you real answers,
then call them out for it. Other group members around the room should
amplify by either booing the MoC or applauding you.

Dont give up the mic until youre satisfied with the answer. If youve
asked a hostile question, a staffer will often try to limit your ability to
follow up by taking the microphone back immediately after you finish
speaking. They cant do that if you keep a firm hold on the mic. No staffer
in their right mind wants to look like theyre physically intimidating a
constituent, so they will back off. If they object, then say politely but
loudly: Im not finished. The MoC is dodging my question. Why are you
trying to stop me from following up?

Keep the pressure on. After one member of the group finishes, everyone
should raise their hands again. The next member of the group to be called
on should move down the list of questions and ask the next one.

4. Support the group and reinforce the message. After one member of your group
asks a question, everyone should applaud to show that the feeling is shared
throughout the audience. Whenever someone from your group gets the mic, they
should note that theyre building on the previous questions amplifying the fact
that youre part of a broad group.

18INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA

 5. Record everything! Assign someone in the group to use their smart phone or
video camera to record other advocates asking questions and the MoCs response.
While written transcripts are nice, unfavorable exchanges caught on video can
be devastating for MoCs. These clips can be shared through social media and
picked up by local and national media. Please familiarize yourself with your state
and local laws that govern recording, along with any applicable Senate or House
rules, prior to recording. These laws and rules vary substantially from jurisdiction
to jurisdiction.

AFTER THE TOWN HALL

1. Reach out to media, during and after the town hall. If theres media at the town
hall, the people who asked questions should approach them afterward and offer
to speak about their concerns. When the event is over, you should engage local
reporters on Twitter or by email and offer to provide an in-person account of what
happened, as well as the video footage you collected. Example Twitter outreach:

.@reporter I was at Rep. Smiths town hall in Springfield today. Large group
asked about Medicare privatization. I have video & happy to chat.
Note: Its important to make this a public tweet by including the period before
the journalists Twitter handle. Making this public will make the journalist more
likely to respond to ensure they get the intel first.

Ensure that the members of your group who are directly affected by specific
threats are the ones whose voices are elevated when you reach out to media.

2. Share everything. Post pictures, video, your own thoughts about the event, etc.,
to social media afterward. Tag the MoCs office and encourage others to share
widely.

INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA19

 OPPORTUNITY 2
OTHER LOCAL PUBLIC EVENTS
In addition to town halls, MoCs regularly attend public events for other purposes
parades, infrastructure groundbreakings, etc. Like town halls, these are opportunities to
get face time with the MoCs and make sure theyre hearing about your concerns, while
simultaneously changing the news story that gets written.

Similar to town halls, but with some tweaks. To take advantage of this opportunity, you
can follow most of the guidelines above for town halls (filming, etc.). However, because
these events are not designed for constituent input, you will need to think creatively about
how to make sure your presence and message come through loud and clear.

Tactics for these events may be similar to more traditional protests, where youre trying to
shift attention from the scheduled event to your own message.

1. Optimize visibility. Unlike in town halls, you want your presence as a group to
be recognizable and attention-getting at this event. It may make sense to stick
together as a group, wear relatively similar clothing / message shirts, and carry
signs in order to be sure that your presence is noticeable.

2. Be prepared to interrupt and insist on your right to be heard. Since you wont
get the mic at an event like this, you have to attract attention to yourself and your
message. Agree beforehand with your group on a simple message focused on
a current or upcoming issue. Coordinate with each other to chant this message
during any public remarks that your MoC makes. This can be difficult and a bit
uncomfortable. But it sends a powerful message to your MoC that they wont be
able to get press for other events until they address your concerns.

3. Identify, and try to speak with, reporters on the scene. Be polite and friendly,
and stick to your message. For example, Were here to remind Congresswoman
Sara that her constituents are opposed to Medicare cuts. You may want to
research in advance which local reporters cover MoCs or relevant beats, so that
you know who to look for.

4. Hold organizational hosts accountable. Often these events will be hosted

by local businesses or nonpartisan organizations groups that dont want
controversy or to alienate the community. Reach out to them directly to express
your concern that they are giving a platform to pro-Trump authoritarianism,
racism, and corruption. If they persist, use social media to express your
disappointment. This will reduce the likelihood that these organizations will host
the Trump-friendly MoC in the future. MoCs depend on invitations like these to
build ties and raise their visibility so this matters to them.

20INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA

OPPORTUNITY 3
DISTRICT OFFICE VISITS
Every MoC has at least one district office, and many MoCs have several spread through
their district or state. These are public offices, open for anybody to visit you dont
need an appointment. You can take advantage of this to stage an impromptu town hall
meeting by showing up with a small group. It is much harder for district or DC staff to
turn away a group than a single constituent, even without an appointment.

1. Find out where your MoCs local offices are. The official webpage for your MoC
will list the address of every local office. You can find those webpages easily
through a simple Google search. In most cases, the URL for a House member will
be www.[lastname].house.gov, and the URL for Senate offices is www.[lastname].
senate.gov.

2. Plan a trip when the MoC is there. Most MoC district offices are open only during
regular business hours, 9am-5pm. While MoCs spend a fair amount of time in
Washington, they are often in district on Mondays and Fridays, and there are
weeks designated for MoCs to work in district. The MoC is most likely to be at the
main office the office in the largest city in the district, and where the MoCs
district director works. Ideally, plan a time when you and several other people can
show up together.

3. Prepare several questions ahead of time. As with the town halls, you should
prepare a list of questions ahead of time.

4. Politely, but firmly, ask to meet with the MoC directly. Staff will ask you to leave
or at best offer to take down your concerns. Dont settle for that. You want to
speak with the MoC directly. If they are not in, ask when they will next be in. If the
staffer doesnt know, tell them you will wait until they find out. Sit politely in the
lobby. Note, on any given weekend, the MoC may or may not actually come to
that district office.

Note that office sit-ins can backfire, so be very thoughtful about the optics of
your visit. This tactic works best when you are protesting an issue that directly
affects you and/or members of your group (e.g., seniors and caregivers on
Medicare cuts, or Muslims and allies protesting a Muslim registry). Being polite
and respectful throughout is critical.

INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA21

 5. Meet with the staffer. Even if you are able to get a one-off meeting with the
MoC, you are most often going to be meeting with their staff. In district, the best
person to meet with is the district director, or the head of the local district office
youre visiting. There are real advantages to building a relationship with these
staff. In some cases, they may be more open to progressive ideas than the MoC,
and having a good meeting with/building a relationship with a supportive staff
member can be a good way to move your issue up the chain of command. Follow
these steps for a good staff meeting:

Have a specific ask e.g., vote against X, cosponsor Y, publicly state Z,

etc.

Leave staff with a brief write-up of your issue, with your ask clearly stated.

Share a personal story of how you or someone in your group is personally

impacted by the specific issue (health care, immigration, Medicare, etc.).

Be polite yelling at the underpaid, overworked staffer wont help your

cause.

Be persistent get their business card and call/email them regularly; ask
if the MoC has taken action on the issue.

6. Advertise what youre doing. Communicate on social media, and tell the local
reporters you follow what is happening. Take and send pictures and videos with
your group: At Congresswoman Saras office with 10 other constituents to talk to
her about privatizing Medicare. She refuses to meet with us and staff wont tell us
when she will come out. Were waiting.

22INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA

OPPORTUNITY 4
COORDINATED CALLS
Mass office calling is a light lift, but it can actually have an impact. Tea Partiers regularly
flooded congressional offices with calls at opportune moments and MoCs noticed.

1. Find the phone numbers for your MoCs. You can find your local MoCs and their
office phone numbers at www.callmycongress.com.

2. Prepare a single question per call. For in-person events, you want to prepare a
host of questions, but for calls, keep it simple. You and your group should all agree
to call in on one specific issue that day. The question should be about a live issue
e.g., a vote that is coming up, a chance to take a stand, or some other time-
sensitive opportunity. The next day or week, pick another issue, and call again on
that.

3. Find out who youre talking to. In general, the staffer who answers the phone will
be an intern, a staff assistant, or some other very junior staffer in the MoCs office.
But you want to talk to the legislative staffer who covers the issue youre calling
about. There are two ways to do this:

Ask to speak to the staffer who handles the issue (immigration, health
care, etc.). Junior staff are usually directed to not tell you who this is, and
just take down your comment instead.

On a different day, call and ask whoever answers the phone, Hi, can you
confirm the name of the staffer who covers [immigration/health care/
etc.]? Staff will generally tell you the name. Say Thanks! and hang up.
Ask for the staffer by name when you call back next time.

4. If youre directed to voicemail, follow up with email. Then follow up again.

Getting more-senior legislative staff on the phone is tough. The junior staffer will
probably just tell you I checked, and shes not at her desk right now, but would
you like to leave a voicemail? Go ahead and leave a voicemail, but dont expect
a call back. Instead, after you leave that voicemail, follow up with an email to the
staffer. If they still dont respond, follow up again. If they still dont respond, let the
world know that the MoCs office is dodging you.

Congressional email addresses are standardized, so even if the MoCs office wont
give you an email address, you can probably guess it if you have the staffers first
and last name.

INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA23

 Senate email addresses: For the Senate, the formula is: StafferFirstName_
StafferLastName@MoCLastName.senate.gov. For example, if Jane Doe
works for Senator Roberts, her email address is likely Jane_Doe@roberts.
senate.gov

House email addresses: For the House, the formula is simpler:

StafferFirstName.StafferLastName@mail.house.gov. For example, if Jane
Doe works in the House, her email address is likely Jane.Doe@mail.house.
gov

5. Keep a record of the conversation. Take detailed notes on everything the staffer
tells you. Direct quotes are great, and anything they tell you is public information
that can be shared widely. Compare notes with the rest of your group, and
identify any conflicts in what theyre telling constituents.

6. Report back to media and your group. Report back to both your media contacts
and your group what the staffer said when you called.

24INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA

SAMPLE CALL DIALOGUE
Staffer
Congresswoman Saras office, how can I help you?
Caller
Hi there, Im a constituent of Congresswoman Saras. Can I please speak with the staffer who
handles presidential appointments issues?
Staffer
Im happy to take down any comments you may have. Can I ask for your name and address
to verify youre in the Congresswomans district?
Caller
Sure thing. [Gives name/address]. Can I ask who Im speaking with?
Staffer
Yes, this is Jeremy Smith.
Caller
Thanks, Jeremy! Im calling to ask what the Congresswoman is doing about the
appointment of Steve Bannon to serve in the White House. Bannon is reported as saying he
didnt want his children to go to a school with Jews. And he ran a website that promoted
white nationalist views. Im honestly scared that a known racist and anti-Semite will be
working just feet from the Oval Office. Can you tell me what Congresswoman Sara is going
to do about it?
Staffer
Well I really appreciate you calling and sharing your thoughts! I of course cant speak for
the Congresswoman because Im just a staff assistant, but I can tell you that Ill pass your
concerns on to her.
Caller
I appreciate that Jeremy, but I dont want you to just pass my concerns on. I would like to
know what the Congresswoman is doing to stop this.
[If they stick with the Im just a staffer line, ask them when a more senior staffer will get
back to you with an answer to your question.]
Staffer
Im afraid we dont take positions on personnel appointments.
Caller
Why not?
Staffer
Personnel appointments are the Presidents responsibility. We have no control over them.
Caller
But Congresswoman Sara has the ability to speak out and say that this is unacceptable.
Other members of Congress have done so. Why isnt Congresswoman Sara doing that?
Staffer
As I said, this is the Presidents responsibility. Its not our business to have a position on who
he chooses for his staff.
Caller
It is everyones business if a man who promoted white supremacy is serving as an advisor to
the President. The Congresswoman is my elected representative, and I expect her to speak
out on this.
Staffer
Ill pass that on.
Caller
I find it unacceptable that the Congresswoman refuses to take a position. Ill be notifying my
friends, family, and local newspaper that our Congresswoman doesnt think its her job to
represent us or actually respond to her constituents concerns.

INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA25

 CONCLUSION

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some
other time. We are the ones weve been waiting for. We are the
change that we seek.
President Barack Obama

We wrote this guide because we believe that the coming years will see an unprecedented
movement of Americans rising up across the country to protect our values, our neighbors,
and ourselves. Our goal is to provide practical understanding of how your Members of
Congress (MoCs) think, and how you can demonstrate to them the depth and power of
the opposition to Donald Trump and to Republican congressional overreach. This is not a
panacea, and it is not intended to stand alone. We strongly urge you to marry the strategy in
this guide with a broader commitment to creating a more just society, building local power,
and addressing systemic injustice and racism.

Finally, this guide is intended as a work in progress, one that we hope to continue updating
as the resistance to the Trump agenda takes shape. We are happy to offer support to
anybody interested in building upon the tactics outlined in this guide, and we hope that if
you find it useful or put any of the tactics described above into action, you will let us know
how it goes. Feel free to ping some of us on Twitter with questions, edits, recommendations,
feedback/stories about what is helpful here, etc.: @IndivisibleTeam, @ezralevin,
@angelrafpadilla, @texpat, @Leahgreenb. Or email contact@indivisibleguide.com.

Good luck we will win.

26INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE for RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA