Are you pissed off about the government shutdown? Did you or a family member get furloughed? Are your disability or Social Security checks at risk? Would you like to get drunk and yell at Congress?
Well, now you can.
DrunkDialCongress.org is a new web campaign that provides you plenty of talking points about why the shutdown pisses you off and a tool that will connect you with a random Member of Congress by phone to yell at. They recommend that you have a couple drinks before you call; even providing recipes for some appropriate cocktails. What's your pleasure? The Southern Congressman? The Fancy Statesman or the Bad Representative? If you want to get really angry drunk, try the Bloody Bastard.
Created by Revolution Messaging, a progressive mobile campaign strategy firm founded by Scott Goodstein, creator/manager of Barack Obama's 2008 presidential mobile and social media strategy, the idea DrunkDialCongress.org was born from reports that lawmakers were celebrating their votes to shut down the government by getting plastered on the taxpayers' dime.
Among the talking points provided to willing drunk dialers are, "If you can yell at a Park Ranger after forcing the Government to shut down then I get to yell at you"; "My grandma can't get her cancer treatment"; "I can't watch the panda"; "You had one job to do and you failed"; and my favorite, "You guys aren't funding the police that are protecting you???"
Each drunken rant provided on the website includes a link to a news article with full details, so callers will be able to hold their own should there be a staffer available to answer the call. On the off chance that the Member actually answers the phone, if we are to believe the campaign website, two drunks can talk out the solution to the shutdown.
As of Sunday evening (October 13, 2013), the DrunkDialCongress.org has been seen by more than 605,000 people (unique visits). Just under 88,000 random drunk calls to Congress have been made.
So if you have your drink in hand and are ready to make your call, go to DrunkDialCongress.org, put in your phone number. When you get the callback, you will be connected to a random Member of Congress. And start yelling. Then, don't forget to share the campaign on Twitter and Facebook.
Now, start drinking.
UPDATE: By Monday evening, DrunkDialCongress.org surpassed the 100,000 calls mark... and counting.
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Social Advocacy & Politics is a weekly, exclusive column for Social Media Today by Alan Rosenblatt that explores the intersection of politics and social media. Look for the next installment next Tuesday morning.