The Email Wars

Could this be due to the Obamaization of email marketing and “listening” and “talking” using email and new media? Does the iPhone give these folks more than they need? Really when was the past time your Senator dropped you an email back? 

News from The Hill

And you were worried the U.S. Congress was just throwing your money around! Rest assured, weary taxpayers. Your elected representatives in Washington, fresh off a $700 billion bailout package for Wall Street firms, is set to invest what little money of yours is left into something that will truly strengthen the union: iPhones for everyone!

Well, not everyone, just everyone in Congress. The congressional cell phone of choice since 2001 is the Blackberry, and switching to a new device will mean a costly reconfiguring of the House and Senate e-mail system — never mind the cost of the phones themselves. And we’re not just talking elected officials here — more than 8,000 Blackberries are in use once you count Congressional aides and others who work on the Hill. 

But it’s not like they don’t have a good reason for considering the switch: “The reason we’re trying them out is because we heard a lot of people wanted the option to have them,” said Jeff Ventura, a spokesman for the Chief Administrative Office. – Read the whole story…