Most people either don’t realize that anyone can get printed in their local newspaper’s opinion section, or if so they don’t realize that Letters to the Editor can have a big impact when targeted right. Every elected official keeps a box of LTEs that mention his or her name, and the more local the official’s turf the more they care about each letter. Senators care a little, State Senators care a lot.
If you’re looking for something else to do about HCR, try putting figurative pen to paper and write your local papers today. The ideal LTE is passionate, informed, articulate and about as long as a one-paragraph blog comment; you guys should be able to rattle these off in your sleep. Equally important, this is yet one more area where assorted wingnuts are absolutely kicking our ass. Pittsburgh might well be the most Democratic city in America and yet the letters page in the Post-Gazette, our centrist paper (Murdoch Scaife also has a local rag), often reads like the NRO. If any of you get printed, let me know and I’ll post a link.
One other tip: when you call conservative Dems, try to mix some carrots in with the threats. A lot of these guys are legitimately worried that their local GOP majority will rise up and slaughter them in November. Threaten to stay at home if you want, but also think about promising to put in some volunteer time for the campaign if they come through on this vote.
