But, when I worked on the Hill (yes, I was one of those) as a staffer, we did look on the internet to gauge the public reaction towards a particular issue. If (and only if) it matched with the congressperson's political agenda, we could suggest that the congressperson "push the issue" in caucus or debates.
Although, internet comments and news aggregators would never swing a politician's perspective on an issue (only money does, kidding...kind of).
So, there is some political weight in internet comments, but if you really want to ensure your contribution, call up your representative. (Seriously, they have people to handle these calls - it takes 5 minutes.)
We also got a good amount of 'old media' press yesterday and today, which will be a post-SXSW roundup post when I get back home.
Also, putting the call out for more startup stories. SXSW has been great for building out a backlog, but there's always a need for more.
> people don't consider this a worthwhile use of their political time
Is this actually a worthwhile use of political time, given the relative magnitude(s) of the issues facing the House & Senate?
And, out of those new jobs from young companies, 40% of those come from high growth technology sectors of various flavors.
50 to 60% of startups in Silicon Valley are founded by immigrants, or the children of immigrants.
Getting motivated, smart entrepreneurs in to this country is a no brainer way to jump start the economy, especially since capital is relatively easy to come by for new companies.
Of course, last year, the bill was introduced and just ignored, so we'll see if a more public campaign by the startup community rather than just a handful of VCs is more effective.
Any politically-focused startup would be dumb to not take advantage of the silicon valley energy for this bill. Votizen is simply not dumb.
excellent use of time, don't you think?