So began my first Booklobby.
BookLobby is an online service that brings together voters and authors to insinuate themselves into the lobbying process. This is a part of government that has been largely off limits to individual Americans. “You got your vote. Now, leave us alone.”
Not anymore.
My Booklobby starts with the following sound bite:
It’s not whether or not we fight the war, it’s HOW we fight the war.
I wanted to convey my concern that, if elected President, Mr. McCain would allow the abuses of our constitutional freedoms instituted by the current administration to continue. To help make my point, I enlisted the talents of author R. B. Bernstein (no, we’ve never communicated) who has made it easy for me to send his book to Mr. McCain by stocking them at Amazon.com.
BookLobby gave me the address I needed. The book was sent with a note that told Mr. McCain’s staff where to go to read the text of my commentary, and that commentary is available for you to review.
You can also pile on if you agree.
We’ve got a new tool in participative, grass-roots government. I think President Jefferson would have been pleased.
I can’t wait to read what you have to say.
Brian Massey is a co-creator of the BookLobby application on Facebook.
3 responses so far ↓
1 RBBernstein // May 25, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Many thanks for using my book as a “booklobby” medium. I look forward to hearing any results.
2 bmassaey // May 25, 2008 at 11:44 pm
RB, it’s great to have an author participate. I’d really like to send your book to a host of elected officials.
My question for you is: who do YOU think should read your book and why?
3 RBBernstein // May 26, 2008 at 12:00 am
That’s a tempting question. Hmm.
* It should go to any politician/elected official/jurist who labors under the delusion that the Founding Guys self-consciously set out to create a Christian nation. They actually were divided amongst themselves on such a question and, realizing the reality of the nation’s religious diversity even then, they wisely stepped back from the question.
* It should go to Senator Barack Obama and his aides for reading as a cautionary tale about those who are elected president as symbolic figures and leaders of great democratic surges of public opinion … and then start to believe the hype. Fortunately, right now, Senator Obama seems to be keeping a sound perspective on himself. But it’s always nice to have a cautionary tale on hand.
* I hope that Senator McCain and his staff will read the copies that you’ve sent them so that they learn the cautionary tale of how it might feel to be a fragile developing nation facing bullying from a world power.
* I’d like the ranking majority and minority members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees to read it and keep it in mind as they think about the government’s responsibilities to the Bill of Rights even in time of war, and in particular for the Senators to keep it in mind as they face the task of confirming federal judges in future years. The book shows an era when three powerful coordinate branches of government were not afraid to fight it out with one another.
There. That’s a start.
Let the reading begin.
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