According to http://taxdayteaparty.com/, “On April 15th, (2009) hundreds of thousands of citizens gathered in more than 800 cities to voice their opposition to out of control spending at all levels of government. Organized in all 50 states by Americans from all walks of life, these ‘tea parties’ were a true grassroots protest of irresponsible fiscal policies and intrusive government.”

In the lead-up to this nationwide event, I was encouraged by its aim to be nonpartisan and I was hopeful that it could actually effect some positive change. I even expressed my optimism on Twitter with a tweet that said, “Here's hoping Blues & Reds show up for tomorrow's Tea Parties so the result is more than just symbolism for the Red, White & Blue.” With this in mind, I decided to contact my Congressman, Brian Baird (D-WA-03) to find out about his plans relative to this event. When I contacted Representative Baird’s Vancouver office, the Staffer answering the phone responded to my initial inquiry by saying, “Congressman Baird has no plans to be involved with the “tea parties”. When I asked “Why?”, Baird’s Staffer said, “Since he voted for the legislation in question and he is in favor of the spending, why would he be involved?” My response was, “I was hoping he would, at least, be there to listen.”

Although I was disappointed with the information from Congressman Baird’s office, that he was paying no attention to the “tea parties”, I was hopeful that he might have some change of heart. After all, there were over 30 “tea parties” in Washington State and another 24 “tea parties” just across the Columbia River, in Oregon. In fact, there was a “tea party” right in Representative Baird’s District, at Esther Short Park, here in Vancouver. So, I decided to monitor Congressman Baird’s Website for news about this. I’m sorry to say that, even until today, there’s no mention of the “tea parties”.

Because I was disappointed that Representative Baird didn’t seem to be listening regarding the “tea parties”, I decided to give his Website further scrutiny to see what it does seem like he’s listening to with his constituency. What I found is a Website that seems to be an excellent marketing instrument. Since I’ve spent almost all of my working-life in some Sales or Marketing role, I feel somewhat qualified to make that assessment. As a taxpayer living in Congressman Baird’s District, I have to admit to wondering how this Website (which has been completely revamped since the first of the year) is being paid for. But, as far as information on the Website that reflects actions on the part of Representative Baird as a result of what he’s hearing from those he represents, I didn’t find much.

One good example of the “excellent marketing” done by Congressman Baird’s Website is the way it lists, County by County within WA-03, the phenomenal amounts of money that are being dumped in as a result of the spending legislation Baird voted for. No doubt, this will make him seem like a hero to many in these counties and that will garner him lots of votes for his next campaign. What’s really needed though, as this (which I opposed) goes ahead, is for Congressman Baird to engage with these communities and their businesses to get the most out of this spending. However, there’s no indication of Representative Baird having that level of involvement with his constituency.

If Congressman Baird was truly interested in dialog with his constituency, you might expect to find some social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) link on his Website but there is none. What you find is a standard “Email Brian” link. For me, using this email link has only resulted in getting robo-replies. The one thing that’s played up on Baird’s Website, that gives the appearance that Baird is interested in discourse with the electorate are “Town Hall Meetings”. However, my experience with these is that they are sort of “stealth” events, being used for further marketing positioning. I’ve made multiple requests to be notified of upcoming “Town Hall Meetings” by phone or by email but I’ve yet to get even a single notification. Most telling of the nature of these “Town Hall Meetings” is that there’s no indication of any resulting actions from what Congressman Baird has heard from his constituency.

Considering that Brian Baird has continued in office as Congressman for WA-03 since 1998, maybe it doesn’t matter if he actually listens to his constituency. Perhaps he’s right to ignore “hundreds of thousands of citizens gathered in more than 800 cities” in order to focus on the best marketing positioning for his innate brilliance. But, I don’t think so and it’s hard for me to imagine that the majority of voters in WA-03 will continue to see it that way. So, I plan to keep an eye on this issue. I’d be perfectly happy to have Congressman Baird prove me wrong and in the process, become the sort of Representative that we need and deserve. If he does, I will gladly acknowledge that. But, if he continues to fall short, you can count on me to continue to speak out about it.