UPDATE: I just called Shelby's office and was told that the receptionists are aware that you can add your name as a cosponsor after a resolution passes. I hope, therefore, that there was a misunderstanding when the constituent below called. Unfortunately, several other offices have been having the same misunderstanding.
The debate is over, folks. I just called the US Senate floor and asked "can you add your name as a cosponsor of a resolution AFTER it has passed." I was told "absolutely."
That didn't stop Senator Shelby's office from just lying to a constituent.
I am a loyal AMERICAblog reader from Alabama. I just got off the phone with Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL)'s office. The person that answered said that he has not released any statement saying why he has not cosponsored the bill, but if I left my name and address, they would mail a written response explaining why. After I pressed further and the person checked with some type of supervisor, and they said he was out of town when it was passed and that you could not cosponsor it once it had already been passed.Yes, call them back and tell them that you know have caught them lying to constituents about lynching and that your next call is to the local newspapers and TV stations in your state to inform them of what Senator Shelby just did.
I argued for a while that you could in fact do so and mentioned how much time he has had since the statement was released to NBC13 in Birmingham for him to do so, but the person kept insisting that it was not possible to cosponsor legislation after it had been passed. The person could not patch me through to anyone else or give me any type of statement otherwise so the conversation eventually ended with the person taking a request for Sen. Shelby to cosponsor the legislation in my name. Is there anything else I can or should do to push some type of answer out or corner these people in some way to get a response?
