Four or five bloggers (including this one) had a second opportunity to talk to several aides from Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid's office this morning. This call and the last gave us a chance to ask questions, pass along some comments from our readers and find out what the next steps are in the legislative process.
Several interesting bits of information came out of this call, including these:
1. Your opinions count!
All calls, emails and letters to Senators are tallied and included in daily/weekly reports that members read to learn how many contacts they have received regarding pending legislation, pro or con. These contacts actually affect voting, according to the aides.
If you want to comment on a Senate bill, they recommend you contact Reid’s office and/or your own senator.
2. If you’re in favor of a public option (or not), be sure to voice your opinion NOW. Majority Leader Reid is in an interesting position, at the moment. The Senate bill could go either way, when it comes to the public option. It's really up to Reid.
Here is something very interesting that Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said on The Rachel Maddow Show earlier this week, that's in keeping with what aides told us this morning: