CSPAN - Washington Journal Brad Fitch

Jan. 27, 2026 12:29-12:31 - CSPAN

01:58

Washington Journal Brad Fitch

Brad Fitch, author of Citizens Handbook for Influencing Elected Officials, defends his 2010 claim that Americans wield more influence over Congress than perceived, now backed by a revised second edition. He highlights how lawmakers prioritize niche constituent concerns—like Alzheimer’s research funding or horse-transport regulations—over polarizing debates on taxes, immigration, or abortion. C-SPAN’s nonprofit store and live gavel-to-gavel coverage underscore the gap between public attention and Congress’s actual responsiveness, proving grassroots engagement shapes policy far more than headline battles. [Automatically generated summary]
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Speaker	Time	Text
Big Debates vs. Real Influence 00:01:58
unidentified		filtered.
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	Washington Journal continues.
greta brawner ▲ ● ▼		At our table this morning, Brad Fitch.
	He's the author of Citizens Handbook for Influencing Elected Officials.
	Mr. Fitch, in 2010, your first appearance on the Washington Journal for the first edition of your book, you said that Americans have more influence over their elected officials than they realize.
unidentified		That's right.
greta brawner ▲ ● ▼		Has that changed?
unidentified		No, it hasn't.
	It's interesting.
	The book is in two parts, and the second edition is twice the size, and all the changes came in the second part, which is about how to influence them.
greta brawner ▲ ● ▼		Congress, in terms of how it interacts with constituents, hasn't changed that much in terms of what motivates them, what influences them.
	And I realize this is a bit of a counter argument from what people see, but the challenge is that most people don't see most of what the Congress does because you see the big debates over taxes and immigration and abortion and sometimes health care.
	Most members of Congress, frankly, are not involved in those big debates.
unidentified		That's leadership or committee chairs.
greta brawner ▲ ● ▼		Most members of Congress are meeting with constituents to determine whether or not to increase funding for research on Alzheimer's or whether horses should be transported on double-decker trucks.
unidentified		We are going to lead this here to keep our over 45-year commitment to live gavel-to-gavel coverage of Congress.
	The U.S. House is meeting today for what we expect to be a brief session.

Speaker

Time

Text

Big Debates vs. Real Influence 00:01:58

unidentified

filtered.

C-SPAN shop dot org is C-SPAN's online store.

Browse through our latest collection of C-SPAN products, apparel, books, home decor, and accessories.

There's something for every C-SPAN fan, and every purchase helps support our nonprofit operations.

Shop now or anytime at C-SPANSHO.org.

Washington Journal continues.

greta brawner ▲ ● ▼

At our table this morning, Brad Fitch.

He's the author of Citizens Handbook for Influencing Elected Officials.

Mr. Fitch, in 2010, your first appearance on the Washington Journal for the first edition of your book, you said that Americans have more influence over their elected officials than they realize.

unidentified

That's right.

greta brawner ▲ ● ▼

Has that changed?

unidentified

No, it hasn't.

It's interesting.

The book is in two parts, and the second edition is twice the size, and all the changes came in the second part, which is about how to influence them.

greta brawner ▲ ● ▼

Congress, in terms of how it interacts with constituents, hasn't changed that much in terms of what motivates them, what influences them.

And I realize this is a bit of a counter argument from what people see, but the challenge is that most people don't see most of what the Congress does because you see the big debates over taxes and immigration and abortion and sometimes health care.

Most members of Congress, frankly, are not involved in those big debates.

unidentified

That's leadership or committee chairs.

greta brawner ▲ ● ▼

Most members of Congress are meeting with constituents to determine whether or not to increase funding for research on Alzheimer's or whether horses should be transported on double-decker trucks.

unidentified

We are going to lead this here to keep our over 45-year commitment to live gavel-to-gavel coverage of Congress.

The U.S. House is meeting today for what we expect to be a brief session.

Washington Journal Brad Fitch

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greta brawner