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Political notes from Free Press staff writers Terri Hallenbeck, Sam Hemingway and Nancy Remsen


1.14.2008

 

Congressional mice

There is a relatively new way of measuring constituent services from your politicians - and that's by looking at their Web sites and how useful, or not, they are. As anybody who has a Web site knows, they are useless if they are not kept updated. There's nothing like turning to a Web site and seeing the latest item posted was in 1999 to give you confidence.

Vermont's delegation fared well in the 2007 Congressional Management Foundation Mouse Awards. A gold mouse went to those with the best Web sites. Our representatives did not snare one of those. But Sen. Bernie Sanders won a silver and Sen. Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter Welch won bronzes. Leahy was cited as one of only three members to win an award each year they were given - 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2007, though he's taken a tumble - in all the previous years he won a gold.

The Foundation, a nonprofit organization that says it is dedicated to promoting a more effective Congress, said overall congressional Web sites are disappointing, "with more than 40% of congressional Web sites earning a substandard or failing grade."

Some 16 percent of the members received a gold, silver or bronze award, meaning they earned an "A," while 20.9 percent received a "B;" 20.7 received a "C;" and 22.8 received a 'D." A full 18 percent received "F." Unlike when you and I were in school, an A- is from 86-89 (they called that a B in my day), an A is from 90-95 and an A+ is 96-100.

The elements of good Web sites were described as: Design and Layout, Legislative Content,
Constituent Services, Press Resources, State/District Information, Communication Tools.

Sanders' site was noted for its use of interactive polls. Welch's and Leahy's were cited for the info they provide on their districts.

Have you all used your congressional representatives' Web sites? Found them to be useful? Anything lacking?

Here are links just to make your lives that much easier:
Welch: http://www.welch.house.gov/
Leahy: http://leahy.senate.gov/
Sanders: http://sanders.senate.gov/

- Terri Hallenbeck

Comments:
Another shining moment in Vt. political hypocrisy. From today's Free Press story on Ant-nee the Prog:

"Pollina, an advocate of campaign finance reform, has run up against campaign finance laws in the past. In 2002, when he was a Progressive candidate for lieutenant governor, his quest to use public financing ended after a poll the Progressive Party took was considered a campaign expense that violated the rules. Pollina filed a lawsuit seeking to have part of the campaign finance laws he helped write be declared unconstitutional, though he eventually dropped the challenge and the use of public financing in that race."

Thanks for this reminder, Terri!

P.S., Ant-nee dropped his lawsuit AFTER the federal judge ruled against him -- trying to invalidate a section of the law that HE helped write! Beautiful!
 
Pollina will also have to pull his radio show off the air too, no? That, or give Jim Douglas equal time.

Has anybody heard from the Prog candidate?
 
Douglas's "equal time" is called "True North Radio".
 
Love Sanders site, it is always current and has its finger on news that important and relevant to Vermonters and the antion. I use it as my primary news source, keep it up.
 
If you use a Sanders web site as a "news" source you must be dumber than jw! Anti-American propaganda, yes; news, NO!
 
I'd love Douglas to have a show. Finally we could ask him the questions the media won't.

At least Pollina has the spine to take calls.
 
Sort of like Bernie's show - all Bernie talk, NO questions?
 
Pollina has spine - what are you smoking?
 
"At least Pollina has the spine to take calls."

It's easy to "take calls" when you've only got three listeners, and two of the callers are "plants."
 
All of the handful of rotating callers on his show start out with, "Oh Anthony, what a wonderful human being you are."

A totally self-selected and circular audience.

Same as False North Radio.
 
Oh sure. Belittle it as best you can. But, the fact is that he's not hiding behind state hired PR guns.
 
Ok. Whatever.
 
Anonymous said...

"Oh sure. Belittle it as best you can. But, the fact is that he's not hiding behind state hired PR guns."

Who's paying his Staff, little fella, Doctors Without Borders?

While I appreciate you deliverin' your arguments, pre-shredded and all, little fella, it would be nice every now and then to actually have to nudge ya a bit before ya fall in your tar pit.

It helps pass the time and makes it just a bit sporting now and then.
 
If it's so boring, leave.
 
Anonymous said...

"If it's so boring, leave."

Thanks, little fella. Just to know you cared enough to say that is all the encouragement I need to stay.
 
jw and Georgew just won't go!
 
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