Does Casey's office answer emails?

[Red Knight]

I sent Casey an email before the funding vote urging him not to fund the war. I explained that I was a supporter and Gulf War vet who made calls for him through my union during the campaign.

No response.

Fine. He votes to fund the war.

I sent him another email expressing my dissappointment and asking for his reasoning. I noted that I receive emails from other senators from other states(granted--form emails that explain their positions) and that it would be nice for him to keep his supporters informed, expecially on votes they disagree with. I even mentioned that it felt sometimes as though the Democrats took their base for granted while the Republicans never did.

You would think that he'd have something ready to go, explaining the vote.

Nothing.

Oh--not entirely true; there was a one sentence reply saying that my email was received and would be reviewed by a staffer. Nothing after that.

Does Casey just not give a crap? Even if he wants to be Governor, he was elected and has some reponsibility to respond to the voters who put him there.

If this is the best we can do we have serious problems. Hey--it's early. But I hope that he gets his act together and becomes a real representative of the people who made his victory possible.

Right now, I'm just not sure he cares, or he has a very incompetant group of staffers. Either way, it's not good.

[Penndems]

1. "Your E-mail was received and is being reviewed by a staffer": Huh?!

If that's the response you got, you don't need to talk to a staffer. You need to speak with either Bob Casey himself, or his Chief of Staff, because there's something seriously wrong here.

When an incumbent public official is up for reelection, one of the aspects the folks back home consider in casting a vote for that candidate is constituent services. If your question isn't answered, or your dilemma hasn't been resolved, then there's a problem - not with Bob Casey per se, but with his staff (and they represent Senator Casey). Answering that question or resolving that dilemma can mean the difference between Bob Casey, Jr. being reelected to the U.S. Senate, or retiring to Scranton. Constituent services are that important.

Call 1-866-802-2833 (the toll-free number to his D.C. office), and ask to speak to his Chief of Staff, and no other staff member. Don't let the receptionist put you through to anyone else. Explain to the COS exactly what you stated in your initial post, and that you voted for Senator Casey. If the COS can't/doesn't/won't resolve the issue, then the next time Bob Casey shows up in your district, talk to him directly. Lay it on the line, and let him know that if his Constituent Services don't improve, then you'll withhold your vote next time.

He'll get the message, believe me.

[Red Knight]

2. Thanks

I'll take the advice.

It's very frustrating in the current political climate. Dems have felt as though they didn't matter for too long. Now--having won congress, we certainly shouldn't get that feeling from our own representatives.

Good advice, thanks again.

[Penndems]

4. My pleasure

There is absolutely no excuse for your inquiry to languish in somebody's E-mail "In" box. Senator Casey's staff people are getting paid (and paid well, I might add) to be his Constituent Services persona. If they aren't doing their job, then something needs to be done.

Please post and let us know when you receive a reply. :)

[PhishWithLemon99]

5. id be very surprised...

if they let you talk to the Chief of Staff.

There's a reason they hire staffers to handle issue correspondence. If the senior staff took those calls, they wouldn't be able to deal with the calls and business they are actually hired to do. Believe it or not, the Chief of Staff does more important things than listen to people bitch about the war on the phone.

Plus, as a general rule, most top-level government officials won't entertain phone calls or visits from people who don't obey the proper protocol and go through the right channels first. If things weren't delegated, nothing would ever get done.

[Penndems]

6. I've done it, Phish :)

When Chuck Robb was our junior Senator here in Virginia, I talked with his Chief of Staff - in person, in the Senator's office, in the Russell Senate Office Building. It can be done.

If Bob Casey's staff is falling down on the job and not responding to constiuent requests, then there's a problem that could potentially cost Casey that seat. If people have to talk to the lead office member that, in and of itself, shows a breakdown in staff efficiency.

"The Chief of Staff does more important things than listen to people bitch about the war on the phone" - you bet, and one of them is to make sure that the people getting paid to listen to people bitch about the war on the phone are responding with a follow-up courtesy letter, or telephone call, and that their concerns aren't being brushed off or relegated to sitting in a computer file. It means a lot to that person, and they'll remember it come Election Day.

When I was living in PA, I'd write or call Senator Spector's or Santorum's offices to express my viewpoint on certain issues, or urging them to vote for or against an amendment or bill. As much as I detested Rick Santorum, his office always responded with a courtesy letter. With Senator Spector, the response was spotty. Sometimes I heard back, other times not. :eyes:

[Hersheygirl]

3. You have got to call his office,

e-mails just sit there. Washington DC office- 202-224-2441. He also has an office in Harrisburg. They take your name and where you are from and pass it on to the senator, I for one, am going to start writing too.

[LynneSin]

7. He can't be any worse than Santorum

I wrote Santorum once about some bill and the only thing I got back from Santorum was a fundraiser letter.

I'm so glad he's gone; although, I've had Biden & Carper as my senators for the past 6 years

[philly_bob]

25. Another Santorum horror story:

I called Santorum's office to comment on some issue or other, and the staffer who answered said "Let me connect you with someone who can help." Then I was connected to Ted Kennedy's office.

I always regret not documenting more fully the incident and using it against him.

[Eurobabe]

8. Yes, I 've received responses to my emails to his office

on several ocassions.

[Red Knight]

9. I received a response

Thanks everyone for their ideas and comments.

I wanted to let you know that I finally did get a response and--hey--better late than never. I am posting the response I received:

Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the war in Iraq. I appreciate hearing from all Pennsylvanians about the issues that matter most to them.

In the last four years, our Commonwealth has suffered the tragic loss of 167 men and women, the third highest number of troop deaths of any state in the country. I strongly believe there is no challenge greater than determining how the United States can salvage our effort in Iraq in a manner that protects our core national interests, does right by the Iraqi people, and changes the mission of our troops.

Since joining the Senate in January, I have consistently called upon the President to change our mission in Iraq and commence the redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq, with a goal of completing that redeployment no later than March 2008. That position has been reflected in the votes that I have cast, the questions I have asked at Foreign Relations Committee hearings, the statements I have delivered on the Senate floor, and countless press interviews. I strongly opposed the President’s decision to escalate U.S. combat troops in Iraq through his so-called “surge.” For that reason, I voted for the first supplemental bill sent to the President’s desk, which called for a more restricted U.S. military mission and a phased redeployment of our combat forces from Iraq. The final supplemental bill was a result of a difficult compromise, but I voted for it after concluding that the continuing impasse and inaction on the part of our government will only jeopardize the safety of our troops in Iraq.

Recently, I joined with eight of my fellow Senators to introduce the Iraq Study Group Recommendations Implementation Act of 2007. The Iraq Study Group (ISG) was created in March of 2006 at the request of a bipartisan group of members of Congress and was co-chaired by former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III and former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Lee H. Hamilton. The ISG’s recommendations, issued in December of 2006 offered a bipartisan approach to bring a responsible end to the Iraq war. Specifically the bill sets a ‘new way forward’ by establishing as United States policy:


A new diplomatic offensive in the region that includes the creation of the Iraq International Support Group;
Giving the highest priority to training, equipping and advising the Iraqi military and security forces;
Assessing the full budgetary and personnel impact of the war in Iraq on the United States Military;
Accelerating and increasing oil production and accountability including equitable distribution of oil revenues in Iraq;
Implementing oversight of economic reconstruction programs in Iraq with the creation of a new Senior Advisor for Economic Reconstruction;
Ensuring that the President includes the cost of the war in his annual budget request; and
Setting conditions that can lead to redeployment of United States combat brigades not needed for force protection by the first quarter of 2008.

I believe that this bill will ultimately result in an end to the impasse between President Bush and the Congress over U.S. Iraq policy. The Iraq Study Group bill offers a comprehensive, detailed and bipartisan alternative to the President’s current “stay the course” policy. Moving on to a new strategy for dealing with Iraq is of paramount importance to the security of our nation and our people.

If you have access to the Internet, I encourage you to frequently visit my web site,
http://casey.senate.gov. In the months ahead, I will continue to develop the site in order to allow you to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington. If you wish to e-mail me, you can do so on the web site.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.



Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator

[Freddie Stubbs]

10. They have responded to my father's email

[sandrakae]

11. No. I have written him letters through his senate site and have not received responses.

Even that Skunk Santorum replied to my letters. Never liked what he said but he replied.

[rep the dems]

12. I got a response when I told him I was dissappointed that he voted

for the shitty compromise bill. Didn't make me feel a whole lot better, but it was something.

[psuag]

13. Sen. Casey is responsive

One of my best friends works for Sen. Casey in his Harrisburg office. Their phones ring off the hook and the Senator gets hundreds if not thousands of e-mails each week. The staff is very dedicated. Many worked for the late Gov. Casey -- as I did. They care very much about each call, letter and e-mail. I know because my friend was on medical leave recently and was worried about her cases while she was on medical leave. You all should know that Sen.Casey's office had NOTHING to work with when he assumed office in January. All the case files for Pennsylvanians needing help were destroyed by Santorum staffers. Nice. Vote Democratic.

[Penndems]

14. It surprises me not one whit that Santorum's staff would do this

Right-wingers are vindictive, spiteful people - and Rick Santorum was one of the worst. There are probably stories from incoming Democratic Members of Congress who have, no doubt, similar stories of walking into their offices and finding files destroyed, and worse.

Good riddance to bad rubbish. :mad:

[philly_bob]

20. Whoa! Is there any confirmation of that file destruction? Is that legal?

That is a scandal.

Easily personalized for the news media. (Joe H is a WWII vet who needed help with his... but
Santorum's ordered his staffers to destroy Joe's file after Santorum lost the election.)

[Penndems]

21. PB, I'm late in answering your reply. Please accept my apology.

I went back to work full-time in public service, and don't have a chance to get on DU as often as I did when I had the luxury of being a stay-at-home spouse. :)

In response to your question, the short answer is this: Somewhere, either up on Capitol Hill or the White House after the general election, a Senator's or Congressperson's staff is gonna do something like this. There are elected officials who don't like losing and giving up power, so their respective staffs do something shitty and vindictive - like destroy constituents' files (and yes, it does get reported to the proper authorities). The people doing the destruction think of it as a prank, but there's nothing humorous about it.

Other than Santorum, the most famous destruction of files in recent memory was in the Bush 41 White House. You may recall the incident with a Bush Administration appointee who saw fit to have someone break into the Federal Records Center in Suitland, Maryland and retrieve the passport files of Bill Clinton, Virginia Kelly (his mother), and Ross Perot. As the FBI investigation became more involved and intense, the Feds seized the PC hard drives in the Immediate Office of the President, as well as some in the Old Executive Office Building. As I recall, there was obliteration of paper files, as well.

BTW, here's something not very many folks know: When former President Clinton was being sworn in precisely at noon on January 20, 1993, two people entered through the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance of the White House to supervise the moving in of the Clinton's personal effects. When they checked out the West Wing offices, they were astonished to discover that all of the aforementioned hard drives had vanished. The Clinton people had to wait for new hard drives to be delivered from the General Services Administration before they could "hit the ground running".

I know this story is true because it was related to me by one of those two people.

[Penndems]

15. Here's a somewhat snarky column from the 7/3 edition of the Hanover (PA) Evening Sun:

Good news: Casey is alive!
By MIKE ARGENTO
Guest Columnist
Article Launched: 07/03/2007 12:04:50 PM EDT


First, the good news, Bob Casey is alive.

As far as I know. I think.

Casey is, of course, one of our U.S. senators, the one who got elected because he wasn't former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Fox News. His election campaign consisted pretty much of pointing out the fact that he had a pulse, had an IQ above room temperature and wasn't an unctuous weasel, which, when it came to defeating Santorum, was more than enough.

All we wanted was a senator who wouldn't be a national embarrassment by making ridiculous proclamations such as saying that homosexuality naturally leads to bestiality and that people do not have a right to privacy, and Bob Casey happened to be the guy who came along at the right time.

Link:
http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_6289101?source=most_emailed

Also at the blog, Keystone Politics:

http://www.keystonepolitics.com/

[FREEWILL56]

16. Very interesting

as casey voted with a few other dems and all republicons to allow the spying. there is a thread on it and he's lost my confidence and future vote.

[Penndems]

17. The Senate has adjourned for August recess, and Senator Casey is back in PA

You can contact his office, and see where he will be holding town hall meetings for his constituents. I'd be interested in learning why he voted in the affirmative.

Contact info: http://casey.senate.gov/contact.cfm

[Yael]

18. I have written 3 and his office has responded to all 3 -- albeit weeks later

The part of their copy/paste that cracks me up the most?

If you have access to the Internet, I encourage you to frequently visit my web site, http://casey.senate.gov . In the months ahead, I will continue to develop the site in order to allow you to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington. If you wish to e-mail me, you can do so on the web site.

I wrote them back the first time I saw that and said, "Folks -- I sent you an email and you responded to me via email. I think it is safe to say that I have access to the internet. You may want to change the wording on that when you respond via email."

Nothing has changed -- still signing off with that tag line that screams "clueless and out of touch".

[Jonathan Pollard]

22. same here

Same here, although I also sent him a fax at the same time to make sure he would be more likely to read what I wrote. Here's what I wrote to him:

Dear Senator Casey,

The greatest threat now is "a 9/11 occurring with a group of terrorists armed not with airline tickets and box cutters, but with a nuclear weapon in the middle of one of our own cities."
- Dick Cheney on Face the Nation, CBS, April 15, 2007

Vice President Cheney should be taken seriously, because he has a fairly good record at predicting terrorist attacks in advance. He started taking the anti-anthrax drug Cipro one week before the first anthrax attack took place and three weeks before it first appeared on Capitol Hill.

http://www.judicialwatch.org/1967.shtml

I am writing to you to make sure that you are aware that as reported in the Washington Post, the FBI and other federal agencies are moving outside of the Washington DC nuclear blast and fallout zone, something that did not happen even at the height of the Cold War. I personally am curious as to the identity of the person who made the decision to make the move, and the evidence for the need to do so, possibly being deliberately kept secret, that factored into the decision.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/25/AR2006122500637.html
Bush and Cheney are making preparations to seize dictatorial power in the event that Congress is wiped out by a nuke:
http://progressive.org/mag_wx051807

Some of those preparations are being kept secret from Congress: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/118489654058910.xml&coll=7

Remember, the person who conducted the anthrax attack against Congress and specifically against the senators who were holding up passage of the Patriot Act is still at large. Because he had access to weapons-grade anthrax from a government facility, he might also be able to get a nuke from the government. And the FBI is refusing to provide Congress with an update on the status of its anthrax "investigation," an indication that the anthrax attacker is being shielded so he can make another terrorist attack:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/12/politics/main2252540.shtml

Yours truly,

XXXXXX

[d_fender]

19. Me too

I also got the auto email response, but no real live response. Keep trying. That is the only advice I can give you.

[JPZenger]

23. Letters Better Than Emails

I believe that letters are treated more seriously by congressional offices than emails. That is because: 1) there is no way to tell whether an email came from their state or district, and 2) so many organizations flood every congressional office with email that it gets lost in the mix.

I sent a fax to my congressman, Charlie Dent, about an issue and he personally called me back.

If you do send a letter or fax, includes multiple methods of contact information, including an email address, so they can decide how they want to respond.

[MrMickeysMom]

24. I've always had good response from phoning his Washington office...

... and not as responsive on the e-mail route.

Casey's office staffer are a HELL of a lot more interested in "talking" than than Arlen, "magic bullet" Specter's staff is, it would seem.