Constituent's Comments Delivered to Judiciary Committee.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 5, 1998--MoveOn.org, a bipartisan online campaign, today delivered to each member of the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, constituent communications urging them to "censure and move on."

In just 10 days, 150,000 constituent communications have been logged -- an average of 350 messages for each member of Congress.

In addition to the basic message, sixty four percent of these constituents included brief comments to their representative. This online exercise in democracy provides a first time public view into exactly what people are saying to their members of Congress.

The tone of the comments range from frustration, to anger, hope, disgust, fear, and even humor. In general, the comments document a deep sense of frustration, with the word "enough" appearing 19,293 times. Hope runs a close second, with the phrase "move on" registering 16,813 times. Fear and disgust come in no small measure, with the "economy" mentioned 703 times and "pornography" 337 times. To get a sense for the character of the comments, read our online copy of the first 100 comments submitted to moveon.org, unedited, at http://www.moveon.org/comments.htm.

House Judiciary Chairman Henry Hyde's district is typical with 276 petitions and the full range of emotions. But the strongest theme in all of Congressman Hyde's comments is a plea to common sense. Jane M. Reed-Hankel of Glen Ellyn Illinois says, "Enough is enough. The rest of the world is waiting for American leadership. End the national voyeurism."

The comments highlight diverse backgrounds and reactions, yet strong consensus. "We're just looking for a common-sense solution to end this impasse," said Joan Blades, co-founder of the software firm Berkeley Systems. "As Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, we don't necessarily agree on everything. But we do agree on one thing -- it's high time to move on." MoveOn.org began its initial signature gathering effort on September 22. With 150,000 signups in the first ten days, the campaign has already far exceeded expectations.

About MoveOn.org

The MoveOn.org web site promotes a bipartisan "flash campaign," made possible only through the organizing capabilities of the Internet. Using e-mail and the Web, the campaign aims to translate a broad and deep consensus in the American public into swift action by Congress and the President. The campaign began with an online petition drive to highlight public opinion.

However, if the issue remains unresolved, the campaign intends to promote the issue in this fall's election, and mobilize its supporters to electoral action.

The MoveOn.org petition can be found at http://www.moveon.org. The petition simply states that "Congress must Immediately Censure President Clinton and Move On to pressing issues facing the country." In addition, the site includes directions for sending campaign e-mail to friends and associates, and directions for becoming more involved in the campaign.

Censure and Move On is a volunteer campaign. For more information on Censure and Move On, see our online press room at http://www.moveon.org; e-mail us at press@moveon.org; or call Joan Blades at 510-701-0078 or John Hlinko at 415-826-3949.

SOURCE: DigitalWork http://www.digitalwork.com