Obama Campaign Makes Tweeting John Boehner Easier
President Obama’s re-election team is attempting to mobilize grassroots support for his jobs bill on Twitter, as he pitches the plan in Dallas today.
The new initiative, which the Obama campaign calls “ Tweet for Jobs,” features an interactive website that helps users send messages directly to Republican members of Congress by simply entering their zip code and picking from a list of pre-scripted tweets.
If an individual’s district or state is not represented by a Republican, the program sends the message to House Speaker John Boehner by default.
The tweet selections include, “Will you stand with @BarackObama and vote to pass the American Jobs Act?”; “I’m one of your constituents, and I’m urging you to pass the American Jobs Act now to strengthen our economy”; and “Vote for jobs, schools, and small businesses – vote for the American Jobs Act.”
All three sport the hash-tag #passthebill, a refrain Obama has been repeating on the stump.
“It’s been nearly a month since the president laid out the American Jobs Act, but Congress has taken no action whatsoever, with House Republican leaders vowing yesterday not even to put the bill up for a vote,” a campaign official told ABC News.
“And with the president on the road again this week urging Congress to pass this bill, we’re giving supporters the easiest possible way to join him in advocating for it, while letting all their friends and followers know exactly where they stand on this issue.”
Obama has repeatedly encouraged supporters to “call, email, tweet, fax, visit, Facebook, or send a carrier pigeon” to members of Congress to express their support for the jobs bill.
Capitol Hill sources say Obama’s calls to action have yet to result in a notable increase in email, Internet or phone traffic from constituents to members of Congress. Obama aides say the new initiative is aimed at turning that around.