Drudge work

The phones have been ringing pretty constantly over the past week as we move closer to the vote on the health care bill. A young woman on our staff came close to her 15 minutes of fame when an angry caller submitted a blog that got picked up by the Drudge Report and at least one other right wing site.

The guy called 8 or 10 times, and although his call was handled politely and professionally, he apparently felt that his views were not being heard adequateley. Finally he began to become abusive, and made some profane and insulting remarks. The next time he called, we transferred him to the Capitol police. (He didn't five his name and his number was blocked, ao we couldn't block his calls). Even after all this, one of our staff members spent another 15 minutes hearing him out.

He felt as though his right to express his opinion to the Congressman had been infringed. My view was that we should respect everyone's right to have their say, the staff doesn't have to put up with abuse, and he doesn't have the right to disrupt the work of the office (including by preventing us from answering calls from other constituents).

There were protestors at the Capitol all day today, both outside and roaming the halls, stopping in to ask the Members to vote their way (mostly no). Emotions are running high. we had a women get down on her knees in our office this afternoon, asking us to tell the Congressman that she was begging him to vote against the bill. People seem to sincerely believe that this bill will start the country down the road to ruin, and that it represents a grievous infringement of their liberty. It's strange to me, because of course it's unlikely that their lives will change in any way whether or not it passes. I realize that this has just become the focus of their anger--at Obama, at the Democrats, at life.

The protestors are overwhelmingly, perhaps entirely, white.

Tomorrow will be quite a day.