Drill Here, Tweet Now – and Qik!

It has been fascinating to watch GOP lawmakers during the past few days take to the House floor – even though Congress has adjourned for a five week District Work Period (read: vacation) – urging Speaker Pelosi to call Members back for a vote on energy relief.

Since MSM cameras are “dark” and reporters are locked out when Congress isn’t officially in session, the only way to communicate has been via the Internet.

A massive grassroots effort has grown online with the recent launch of the new #dontgo web site that Patrick Ruffini dubs “officially a movement.”

As a result, the #dontgo tag has been a leading trend in Twitter the past few days and has enabled those far from our Nation’s Capitol to participate in the discussion like @CoachDeb who commented on Heritage’s blog, The Foundry, saying:

Free speech isn’t always “easy” is it?

Thank you for sharing this for the American people to see what’s going on when others try to shut the lights out on you.

Thanks to John Culberson tweeting on Friday – I was able to stay informed on what was going on in “Our House” all the way from Hawaii.

Rules prohibit live video from the House floor, but Reps. John Boehner (@JohnBoehner & @GOPLeader), John Cluberson (@JohnCulberson), Pete Hoekstra (@PeteHoekstra) & Rob Wittman (@RobWittman) among others have been live streaming their own interviews outside the chamber via Qik and using Twitter to provide their own perspective (#dontgo).

American Solutions has also successfully raised awarness with their “Drill Here, Drill Now” online petition that has amassed over 1.5 million signatures to date.

Who knows whether the debate will lead to a House vote or immediate relief at the pump for U.S. consumers this summer, but kudos to the GOP for their use of the Internet and social media to get the message out due to the limitations or, in some cases, unwillingness of the MSM to provide adequate coverage.

Related

All A-Twitter (New York Times: Opinionator)

#dontgo: A Turning Point for the Right (Patrick Ruffini: The Next Right)

Scenes From the U.S. House Floor (Heritage Foundation: The Foundry)