Are you really mad? What can you do about that?

Are you really mad? What can you do about that?

From Civics 101 by NHPR

March 3, 2026 · 48 min

About this episode

The episode discusses how to effectively advocate for change and get elected officials to listen to your concerns.

As hosts of a civics podcast, we are not allowed to advocate for policy. But you can. Here are three things you can do to get your elected officials to listen when you're mad about something. By way of example, Nick reveals his pettiest, most apolitical gripe; and methods he would hypothetically use to address it. We talk lobbying, contacting your electeds, and getting (possibly famous) people together to advocate for change. This episode features Emily Gallagher, serving District 50 in the New York State Assembly, and Eric Schwartz, of the National Film Preservation Foundation. Here is Eric's piece on the National Film Preservation Act of 1988. Here is our episode on Who REALLY Writes Bills. Here is a video of Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie complaining about the soap opera effect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Guests: Emily Gallagher, Eric Schwartz

Topics covered

  • advocacy
  • lobbying
  • political engagement

Keywords

  • elected officials
  • change
  • National Film Preservation Foundation

Mentioned in this episode

Products: National Film Preservation Act of 1988

Books & works: Who REALLY Writes Bills

More episodes of Civics 101

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Civics 101 podcast page.