Sept. 30, 2008

Congressional Web Site Slammed By E-Mails

Bailout Bill Brought House Of Representatives' Site 3-4 Times More Traffic Than Normal

  • The capitol is illuminated under stormy skies, Sept. 28, 2008. Photo

    The capitol is illuminated under stormy skies, Sept. 28, 2008.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

(CNET)  The Web site for the House of Representatives has been overwhelmed this week by a deluge of visitors trying to e-mail their congressmen and download the financial bailout bill the House rejected Monday.

The site on Monday saw three to four times its normal traffic, according to Jeff Ventura, a spokesman for the House chief administrative officer. The traffic has slowed down the site and made it inaccessible to some, a problem that continued into Tuesday morning.

"It's extraordinary -- the highest level of Web traffic we've seen," Ventura said Tuesday. "This doesn't even compare to the release of the 9-11 Commission Report."

After the financial bailout bill was defeated in the House Monday, the number of people trying to download the bill diminished, he said, but the number of people using the House's standard e-mail form to contact congressmen continues to rise.

"We received millions of e-mails last night," Ventura said. "It was pretty staggering."

The House has implemented measures to limit the amount of e-mails flowing through to congressmen during high-traffic periods. If a person tries to e-mail his representative during one of those periods, he may receive a mechanized response indicating the system is overwhelmed and to try later. Ventura said the problem could last through the week.

"We had people working on it all night, and we still do," he said.


By Declan McCullagh
Copyright ©2008 CNET Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved.

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Add a Comment See all 13 Comments
by nsubugamamba September 30, 2008 1:34 PM PDT
In the midst of this financial crisis, I hope the politicians will take a breath and use their common sense in resolving is matter. Common Sense Regarding The Bailout found at:
http://zachjonesishome.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/common-sense-regarding-the-bailout/
Reply to this comment
by liberalme September 30, 2008 4:11 PM PDT
"It''s extraordinary -- the highest level of Web traffic we''ve seen," Ventura said Tuesday. "This doesn''t even compare to the release of the 9-11 Commission Report."


And I bet they''re reading every one of them!!
NOT

They don''t care what we say---they''re going to put that burden right back on us.

I know wh I''m NOT voting for in my state.
Reply to this comment
by random_radar September 30, 2008 4:23 PM PDT
The deluge of emails has been declared a denial of service attack. Under the Patriot act, anyone emailing congress opposed to the bailout plan is hereby considered a terrorist. You will be apprehended and summarily executed. Step away from the keyboard and puts your hands up.
Reply to this comment
by aaabee-2009 September 30, 2008 6:21 PM PDT
Bet the lobbyists can still get through...
Reply to this comment
by joelewiz75 September 30, 2008 11:13 PM PDT
Wolf, wolf, Peter cried wolf and no one believed him much to his demay. That demay may be ours too this time. The incompetence of this Republican Adminsitration and the extrodary derilict Republican governace is an excepted, widely acknowledged fact... Blame, denials don''t add up to a solution to very real frozen credit market or to a very real threat of a seized economics.
Remember the votes and remember to vote as this country simply can''t afford to repeat another Republican Mistake.
Reply to this comment
by liberate40 September 30, 2008 11:47 PM PDT
CBS News should also put up a photo of the White House with a backdrop of stormy skies. It is symbolic of the last 8 years and I hope it marks a permanent end to the bumbling Bush years.
Reply to this comment
by bob4usa October 1, 2008 2:11 AM PDT
If congress really wants to solve the financial crisis they need to do Ten things:

1. Restore the Glass-Steagall Act.
This act separated investment and commercial banking activities, which prohibited comingling of funds between banks, Wall-Street Stocks and Commodities.

2. Eliminate Derivatives.

3. Eliminate Hedge Funds.

4. Restore bank regulations or make new bank regulations.

5. Restore Wall-Street regulations and make new regulations for Wall-Street.

6. Eliminate Supply%u2013Side Economics or Trickle Down Economics.

7. Adopt and use Nash Equilibrium Economics.

8. Eliminate Free Trade.

9. Restore and create Fair Trade.

10. DO NOT Give Wall-Street and Banks 700 Billion dollars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Reply to this comment
by hologram5 October 1, 2008 10:10 AM PDT
Well then, GET A CLUE!! We, the taxpayers do NOT want this bailout plan to go through. They made their bed, let them lie in it.
Reply to this comment
by rmonroe401 October 1, 2008 1:22 PM PDT
cbscrash072,

What alternate universe are you living in? It sounds like a fun place, can I live there too? That way I could act like all the problems I am facing due to the last 8 years of bs never happened and I could just live in a state of denial the rest of my life.
Reply to this comment
by dksn October 1, 2008 1:41 PM PDT
My response is VOTE NO!!!


Please contact your representatives to vote NO!!!!!!!!!!!!
****
Also join Facebook''s 700,000,000,000 strong against the 700 billion bailout.
****

http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/contact/webform.cfm
****

http://clinton.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm?subj=issue
****

I am expressing I''m unhappy with the idea of a bailout. I feel if passed Americans will pay yet again for others greed and poor choices. I vote no.
Reply to this comment
by tx2democrats October 1, 2008 2:01 PM PDT
VOTE NO, let the market fix itself.
we should not BAILOUT or RESCUE the
these markets, the CEO''s need to pay for
their mistakes.
Reply to this comment
by funkotronic October 1, 2008 2:53 PM PDT
When the crash comes, first we''ll eat the rich.
Reply to this comment
by indianaman13 October 2, 2008 6:46 PM PDT
What did the Taxpayers get after bailing out the banks after Reagan deregulated the banks which led to the Savings and Loan scandal?That cost the Taxpayers 160 billion at the time(Google Reagan administration scandals) Did we get better schools? Less taxes? better health care? Less inflation? Less corrupt Politicians? What will happen this time? when will those responsible be held accountable? If I ran my business like these executives, would i get money from the Government?
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