Dear Representative Sewell

Via Twitter
The Honorable Terri A. Sewell
Representative from the Alabama 7th Congressional District
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC.

Dear Representative Sewell,

In my campaign as a Republican in the Alabama 6th Congressional district, I have been saying that something is fundamentally wrong with Congress, and it critically needs addressing by the American people and Congress.

I have made "fixing Congress" and "changing the way Washington works" of utmost primacy in my campaign platform.

In my diagnosis, Congress will not fix itself of its own accord, and only the American people acting in unison can force needed changes to be made.

My idea has been to try to make the 2014 elections a linchpin whereby the incumbent Congress is forced by the voters to agree on a grand reform plan prior to election day in November.  (It is possible that the grand reform plan would include a constitutional amendment, and, if it did, that there would not be certainty that the amendment would be ratified, but that possibility would still leave the great accomplishment that Congress confronted the problem and agreed on a grand reform plan.)

The 2014 elections would then be a referendum on the grand reform plan.  If the voters think that Congress and their Representatives and Senators have done a credible job in the grand reform plan that Congress has proposed, that can be a significant factor for voters in deciding to vote for their incumbents.  If Congress is not able to agree on a grand reform plan before election day, or if the voters think the grand reform plan does not do enough for change and is too much preservation of the status quo, that would be a compelling reason to vote against incumbents.

The effectiveness of this national battle plan  depends entirely on how publicized the plan is, and how credible will be the threat to the incumbent Congress if it does not agree on a grand reform plan or if the grand reform plan is deemed not a credible attempt at change and is too much preservation of the status quo.

The plan obviously cannot be carried out in only one House district or by one candidate, but needs to be pursued and advocated in as many House districts as possible, and by as many candidates as possible. Both Republicans and Democrats need to participate.

In February, I tried to call the attention of the entire Alabama legislative delegation in Washington to my candidacy and its platform, but I was ignored. 

I have been further ignored in my campaign by the other six candidates running in the Republican primary in the Alabama 6th Congressional district.

This ignoring has been in the face of a lot of people around the country also thinking that something is fundamentally wrong with Congress and pressing for ways to address the problem. (As examples, I mention (i) the MayOne citizen's super PAC, (ii) the Convention of States Project, (iii) MoveToAmend and other organizations which have been spawned in response to the Citizens United decision, and (iv) The Government By The People Act.)

I have no idea what the voting results in tomorrow's election will or will not show about voter sentiment in the Alabama 6th Congressional district of there being something fundamentally wrong with Congress that needs addressing by the American people and Congress.

Whatever it shows, this matter is most in need of bipartisan advocacy.

I hope you, in the next door Alabama 7th Congressional district, and a Democrat, will have your own determination of whether there is something fundamentally wrong with Congress, which needs addressing, and, if you agree with me in that determination, you will be favorably disposed to advocating the national battle plan that I am advocating.

Thank you for your attention to this letter.

Sincerely,
Rob Shattuck
Candidate, Alabama 6th Congressional district