Well, I'm sure we're all aware by now of that the Bennet Letter to Majority Leader Reid is picking up steam, attracting the support of my own Senator Lautenberg and Democratic Leader Senator Schumer. The groups organizing this campaign (the PCCC, DFA, and CREDO) have been encouraging us all to call our Senators and report back our findings. However, there is another way for us to catch their attention. Flood their Facebook with our message. If you use twitter, you should also tweet @ them as well.
Read more about this after the fold.
Well, shortly after I returned to my dorm from class, I decided to browse a few Facebook pages. When I came across Senator Specter's page, I noticed something...his wall was flooded with comments asking him to sign on to the Bennet Letter. Virtually every comment visible said roughly the same thing. Let me quote some here with the most recent first:
Please provide for the American people that which should be given to them! We are counting on you to be the voice for those who are voiceless...Please support the public option!!
Sign on to the Bennet letter for the public option today!
Senator Specter, It's been good to have you as a fellow Democrat. Please sign the Bennet letter supporting the public option. Leaders like you are few and far between. Please stay in the Senate.
Please sign the Bennet letter for the public option today. Pennsylvania has already proven its committment to health care for all with the passage of HB1660/SB400. Please help show the rest of the states how it's done!
Please back up the public option.
Senator Specter, it appears that there is revived support among senate members for the Public Option in the health care reform bill. I'm hoping you will be one of those who supports it and signs on with the Bennet Letter.
I'm counting on you to fight for strong health care reform this year. Will you sign the Bennet letter for the public option
today?
Sen Specter, PLEASE support HC Reform, forget bi-partisan support, I never believed the gop would support ANY reform, the people spoke clearly on this a year ago, until the spin and propaganda eroded support. It is the right thing to do for America. It is time the democrats stopped catering to the bullies.
Senator Specter, Counting on you to sign the Bennet public option letter today!
Senator
Specter, please sign the Bennet Letter and fight for meaningful health
care reform, including a public option. We're counting on thoughtful
legislators like you to stand up for the needs of Americans in our
state and throughout our nation.
Senator, please add your name to the Bennett letter for the public option. It's the right thing to do, and the CBO says it will save money in the long term.
All of these were posted in the past hour or so as of the time I quoted them. Finally, there's a wall post by Senator Specter himself from over an hour ago and it has comments made on it that have little to do with his statement, but rather are asking him to support the public option.
Here's his wall post:
Arlen Specter: Great news for south and central PA residents --
The state has been awarded a $100 million grant in federal economic stimulus funds to expand access to broadband Internet throughout 39 counties across south and central Pennsylvania, U.S. Senators Arlen Specter and Robert P. Casey said today.
And here are the comments to that statement:
Senator Specter; I hope you will join in sponsoring the Public Option and using a 51 vote process to pass it! 16 Democrats on board; we need 51; only 35 to go
Sewnator Specter and Casey need to stop playing Hamlet. It is time to sing the Bennett letter.
That's great, and WE ALSO NEED FOR YOU AND SEN. CASEY TO SIGN ON NOW FOR HEALTH CARE RECONCIILATION SO WE CAN GET THAT PUBLIC OPTION THAT SO MANY DESPERATELY NEED!! It's the right thing to do, Senator Specter.
Senator Specter: please sign the letter to Harry Reid asking for reconciliation on the HCR so the Public Option will finally be passed.
Therefore, I think that if your Democratic Senator won't commit on the phone to supporting the PO through reconciliation by signing on to the Bennet Letter right now, post comments on the Senator's Facebook wall or tweet @ them requesting that they commit.
Seeing all those comments really encourages me and if Senator Specter signs on, I expect to see comments expressing gratitude popping up.
What do you think of this?
UPDATE: Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) has just signed on to the Bennet Letter.