Don't post on DailyKos!

Over the next few days, if you have some burning observation on why your representation in Congress stinks and how it's urgent to toss 'em or toss 'er out of office, don't post it here.

Take it to your local newspaper.

It's really quite amazing: Nowadays most newspapers, even small-town operations, are well-equipped with mechanisms for instant, public reader feedback.  For example, the Danville Register-Bee, the main newspaper of Danville, VA, has a link on each news article allowing any reader to add comments, which will then be visible to all readers at the bottom of the article.  This means that if there is an article about the election, you can put your two cents in, nailing home to any undecided voters why we must get new representation.  For another example, the Roanoke Times, of Roanoke, VA (not far from Danville) has a whole set of blogs, on which anyone can post.  The newspaper encourages anyone to post comments after every editorial and column, and also posts topics for debate.  Most of these papers also allow for electronic submission of letters to the editor, which then might be viewable by the whole world the following morning.

These resources are under-used, in my opinion.  The audience for a post on DailyKos is mostly committed Democrats, or independents who are committed to a dramatic change in our government.  There is no point in selling any of these folks on the need to vote for new blood on Nov. 7.  But the audience for a local newspaper blog is likely to include a great number of undecided voters, as well as disaffected Republicans.  In the next few days, a lot of people who haven't made up their minds yet will be looking at the news for information to help them make up their minds.  You want to swing a vote your way?  In addition to canvassing and phone-banking for the candidate of your choice, this is your chance.

Oh, and by the way -- my own representation in Congress?  Virgil Goode in the House and George Allen in the Senate?  They really stink.