It would seem impossible to fight against the might of the federal government. The cost of the publicity campaign would seem prohibitive.
Fortunately, federal governments diversify. Various departments are located in small communities for political and other purposes. The cost of publicity is far less and the impact on an elected politician is far greater in these small communities. You can even run a full-page ad in a local weekly newspaper for not much more than a classified ad in the capitol.
How to find out if the department is located in a small town when the address does not reveal it? Engage in some chat with a bureaucrat about the weather and ask what it's like where the bureaucrat is located. You can use any topic, but weather is a universal conversation starter. (Use this same technique when you suspect you're talking to a Call Center and not where the decision makers are.)
The bully belongs to local clubs, shops in the local market, attends church where social pressures abound. The bully may enjoy a reputation for not being mean to dogs and children. Exposure of the bully tactics in a local media can initiate tremendous behavior modification.
Avoid opinions and slanderous remarks by expressing only the facts in a publicized open letter to the bully. To be safe, check with your lawyer first.
Have you read the spy mystery, The Tailor of Panama by John LeCarré?
Here's a tale of the Tailor of Toronto. This tailor made fine clothing for the business elite in his shop adjoining the main financial district of the nation. Occasionally, he would fill a full page of the metropolitan and national newspaper with his gripes about government affairs. His son propagated this into a powerful lobbying association that remains a powerful influence in small independent business affairs to this day.
By the way, on a business trip to Panama I called upon our ambassador. I proudly stated how I had prepared myself for the trip by reading the recently published Tailor of Panama. Luckily, she explained how extremely UNpopular that book was within circles I was intending to visit.
A newspaper publisher transferred to another newspaper in the chain in a different city. The workforce of the former newspaper purchased a full page in his new paper and filled it with blatantly slanderous content about his behavior and character. You and I can only surmise why they did this or how they managed to get it printed in his newspaper.
The damage caused had a devastating effect on the publisher's career. This is an illustration of the power of the written word only and not a recommendation for you to do the same. Unless, of course, the bully deserves a good beating.
A tax department demanded some money from a business that we terminated. We tried to argue our case against the "brick wall" to no avail. Our preoccupation with other pressing matters caused us to ignore the demand for payment notices for a few months. These monthly notices continued coming each month for EIGHT years without a single phone call or any other contact.
One day I received a phone call from a very rude person who identified herself as a collector for that department. She said I owed several hundred thousand dollars. I had some insider information about some severe problems in this much despised office. The nasty collector was careless enough to provide her full name and other contact details. What an opportunity to have fun!
I showed the stack of notices to our accountant who is well aware of my mischievous nature. I told him about the idea of displaying them on several pages of the weekly newspaper in the small city from which they emanated. He said that he had a fairly close relationship with a supervisor in that department and would find out more details.
I didn't hear anything about the matter for several months until the accountant handed me a check for several hundred dollars. When asked what it was for he kept a straight face as he explained it was a settlement for the little misunderstanding I had with that department.
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