House Republicans are admitting that it wasn’t president-elect Trump, but a wave of angry constituent phone calls that caused the members to back off their plan to weaken the independent ethics safeguards.
Despite the media’s best efforts to give Trump all of the credit, Robert Costa reported on why Republicans quickly backed down:
Most members tell me blizzard of angry constituent calls were most impt factor in getting the House to sideline the amdt
— Robert Costa (@costareports) January 3, 2017
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
The lesson that every American can learn from the House Republican flip-flop is that people power works. Now that Republican heads are on the chopping block, the House GOP majority is signaling that can be pressured by their constituents.
For those of you who were wondering what you can do to combat the Trump/GOP agenda, a hint of what is possible was revealed today. House Republicans are going to do their best to ignore the will of the people, but if the people stand up and scream loud enough and long enough, Republicans who are already fearing for their own job security will have no choice but to hear.
Notice that it wasn’t emails or online petitions that made House Republicans listen. It was phone calls. Lots and lots of phone calls. Anyone who wants to make Republicans feel the heat needs to commit to calling the D.C. offices of their Representatives and Senators.
The media was wrong to give Trump any credit. The reality is that the people aren’t behind the unpopular president-elect or his agenda, and it will be the people, not the next president, who hold Republicans accountable.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
