Rush Limbaugh Appeal Strains House Phone Lines
For the second straight day, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh Wednesday pushed his listeners to flood the House with phone calls expressing their displeasure at the possible passage of the health care bill.
"This makes Watergate look like Romper Room," Limbaugh told his listeners Wednesday of the health care reform push, according to Time. He said there is "no question at all" the calls they made on Tuesday "had an impact" on the process.
While it's impossible to tell if that's true when it comes to how lawmakers will vote, there is no denying the calls had an impact on the House phone lines: The Hill reported Tuesday that the House lines were near capacity amid "an extraordinary volume" of calls. There was also a "very significant" spike in e-mail traffic to lawmakers.
"I think it is pedal-to-the-metal time, and even if you have been e-mailing and faxing and calling, I think it's time to intensify it," Limbaugh said on his show Tuesday. "You call the local offices. You call the Washington office of these people, the Democrats and so forth. The Republicans are like Martians: They can't stop this. The Martians couldn't stop it, the Republicans can't stop it. Not with votes. They don't have the votes to stop it, but you can...I normally don't do this, but time to throw down the gauntlet here and really ratchet it up, to go along with all the other pressure that is being brought to bear elsewhere throughout the rest of the media."
The talk show host even posted the Capitol Switchboard phone number on his Web site.
And if that wasn't enough pressure on the House phone lines, there was the prospect of an additional deluge Wednesday thanks to an email President Obama sent to supporters in which he encouraged them to call their representative and push them to support the bill. The email, organized with the Democratic National Committee, includes a link to a page that gives the phone number of each person's representative, along with a script to follow and tips like "be polite, respectful and clear."
Jeff Ventura, a spokesman for the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, suggested to the Wall Street Journal Tuesday that the call volume likely won't be decreasing before the end of the week.
"We're probably going to experience this volume all week until they have their vote," he said.
More Coverage of the Health Care Reform Fight:
Republicans Have Used "Slaughter Solution" Many Times
Dennis Kucinich to Vote Yes on Health Care
Countdown to Health Care Vote Spurs Final Push from Dems, Opponents
Door Closed on Health Care Protesters
Cloudy Skies Start Clearing For Dems
GOP Tries to Block "Slaughter Solution" in Health Care Vote
Explainer: How the House Could Pass Health Care Reform with One Vote
Liberal Groups Turn on Dems to Pass Health Care Reform
Groups Seek to Influence Health Care Debate Without Disclosing Donors