Make it personal when dealing with Congress

Veterans issues have come up during the current presidential campaign, and they’re expected to continue to maintain a presence during the primaries and into the general election.

But during the organization’s annual Washington Conference, two congressional staffers urged Legionnaires to push candidates to talk actual policies, rather than just paint broad strokes.

Chris Bennett, legislative assistant for U.S. Rep Tim Walz, and Mike Wakefield, military legislative assistant for Rep. Mike Coffman, spoke to the Legion’s Legislative Commission on Feb. 22. Both of their bosses serve on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

“Everybody is going to want to say they support veterans,” Bennett said. “There’s not going to be a lot of policy talk on the big stage. I would urge you guys to force people to talk about real policies – not just say they love vets.”

One day before hundreds of Legionnaires will descend upon Capitol Hill to meet with the Senate and House members, Bennett and Wakefield gave Legionnaires tips on how to work with members of Congress and their staffs.

Both also said the average staffer spends about two years working for a member of Congress, so it’s always a good idea to remind them of legislative efforts previously supported by their bosses.

“It’s always best to call or email during a week when Congress is not in session,” Wakefield said.

Both said it’s best to go into a meeting with a member of Congress or their staffers with plenty of background information in order to have a frame for a conversation. And Bennett said it’s also best to be able to cite personal examples, rather than relying on numbers.

“When you bring in the personal story, it’s a lot easier for the staffer (and) the congressman to relate to,” Bennett said. “When you start bringing in statistics, you might be right and you might have a point with it, but people will glaze over. When you bring in a story … it has a lot more impact.”