President-Elect Trump has selected neo-Nazi Steve Bannon as his Chief Strategist. This is a terrible idea. In an administration full of terrible ideas, this is one of the worst. So today’s tiny step was to call my elected representatives and ask them to oppose Steve Bannon’s appointment. My representatives are all Republicans.
This is, roughly, the script I used:
I am a constituent calling to let [name] know about my concerns about the Trump presidency.
I know [name] will be working closely with the Trump administration, so I am relying on [name] to use his influence with the Trump administration to ensure that President-Elect Trump works for all Americans.
I am concened that the appointment of Steve Bannon signals a fascist direction. He is endorsed by David Duke and is openly racist, misogynistic, and a neo-nazi. Steve Bannon does not represent my values. He does not represent Utah’s values. And I hope [name] will make it clear that Steve Bannon does not represent his values, either.
Senator Hatch and Representative Chaffetz’s offices were polite and friendly. Senator Lee’s office corrected my assumption that Senator Lee will be working with Trump; Senator Lee, it seems, repeatedly called for Trump to step down and shares my concerns.
It was quick, easy, and painless to call. Maybe you’d like to call your representatives?
I’ve also signed the Southern Poverty Law Center’s anti-Bannon petition.
This is great, Beth! Thanks for sharing, both your script and the results you’ve got. Of course, with me being on the other side of the border, I’m not in a position to make calls to oppose that specific nomination, but I’ll certainly refer back to this post should a similar-ish situation arise here. And I know of at least one place where I could share your post with American people who are interested in learning about small steps they can take, too.