POWIP Piece of Work In Progress

Congress Deluged With Telephone and E-Mail Traffic: add yours to the mix

Which, Mr. Obama asked the American people to weigh in on the debt ceiling increase debate, and it looks like they're taking his suggestion under serious consideration:

Congressional offices were deluged with feedback Tuesday after President Obama urged Americans to make their voices heard on the gridlocked debt ceiling debate.

Moments after dueling prime-time speeches by the president and Republican Speaker of the House John A. Boehner on Monday night, several congressional websites were overloaded with traffic. A day later, some were still slow to load, if they did at all.

On Tuesday morning, the Capitol call center said in a memo that House telephone circuits were "near capacity" due to the high volume of incoming calls.

A spokesman for the office of the chief administrative officer said that at the peak, House offices received a combined 40,000 calls in an hour — twice the typical volume. Some callers got a busy signal, but the number was not significant, spokesman Dan Weiser said.

A spokeswoman for Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) said the phones in his Capitol Hill office were "ringing off the hook" at midmorning. Calls included a lot of "scared seniors," the spokeswoman said, adding that Rohrabacher believes the administration has misled seniors into believing their Social Security checks are at risk.

The calls, mostly from outside the congressman's district, favored the president's position, "but not by much," she said.

It's good to see folks actually paying attention to, as well as participating in, this debate, and I would urge all our readers to do so as well.  I realize that with plans changing on a daily basis, and ideas being alternately talked up and shot down on a variety of outlets, that the idea of calling the members of their Congressional delegation without a specific proposal to support may seem like so much unproductive complaining.

Which, your humble scribe has some advice and a few suggestions to offer regarding that.  Don't ever be hesitant to contact your Senator, Congressman, or even the White House and simply voice your opinion on the issues of the day.  Always remember the fundamental American principle of our founders; the right to govern comes from the consent of the governed.  And although there are many, in my opinion, arrogant individuals who mistakenly contended during the Obamacare debate that this consent began and ended at the ballot-box alone, it is much closer to the truth to say that political speech is the most protected of first amendment "free-speech" rights; so never shrink from engaging in the time-honored American tradition of telling elected officials just exactly what is on your mind.

Although right now there may seem to be no conservative plan to get behind and demand your delegation vote for, you can certainly let them know what you don't want them to vote for.  For instance, it is my considered opinion, as well as Paul Ryan and others smarter'n me,  that Senator Reid's plan is rife with the usual Washington smoke and mirrors, and that it also proffers additional, real, defense cuts I believe would harm the effectiveness and readiness of our military.  So one course of action could be to express your dissatisfaction with Reid's plan as a whole, or to make clear any of the specific parts you disagree with.

And even though members of your Congressional delegation can't necessarily do anything about it, you might also considering expressing your unhappiness with the Democrat's "Mediscare" tactic of frightening senior citizens via the class-warrior assertion that the GOP is wantonly holding their Social Security checks hostage in the interest of benefiting "Big Oil!", and, "Corporate Jet Owners!".  There's also the matter of the administration's constant media drumbeat about the coming US default, at odds completely with what they are telling banking and finance executives via the back channel; a direct and boldfaced lie that you may wish to call out the most ETHICAL! and TRANSPARENT! administration, EVAR! on.   In fact, these just might be good topics to voice your displeasure with directly to the White House .  I mean, Mr. Obama's the one who asked everyone to contact DC, right?

You may be asking, "why should I bother to contact DC"?  The reason is pretty straightforward, and as usual with the Obama administration is all about the optics.

Mr. Obama is attempting to use a technique that Mr. Reagan used effectively several times in the 1980s; having the American people directly pressure their Senators and Congressman.  Since part of the narrative construct that is Barack Obama is that, somehow, he is more beloved and an even better communicator then Reagan ever was, there is going to be an urgent need for his solicitation of the public to succeed; to be the biggest and bestest ever(!11!1!eleventy!!).  To that end one can expect that all the Fightin' Nutroots, Obamabots, and assorted electronic brownshirts will be out trying to "freep" the results; just as they did with every high-visibility poll and media event during the 2008 campaign.  They're going to try to sway the opinion of both Congress and the public at large by making it appear as if all America is behind beloved President Obama...

That's why it's vital that each of us make our preferences, and feelings, known.  Do like they do in Illinois; vote early, and often :)

Seriously, America needs her patriots to make their voices heard above the shrill professional left.  I urge you to add yours to the chorus of others.  Don't let the nutroots reward Obama's "Days of Whine and Poses".

Here's a list of Senate Contact information, of House of Representatives Contact information, and White House Contact information.  Please, kind reader, make the call or send and e-mail.

[Cross posted at The Conservatory]

Rocketman