Well, I'm not sure about the partisan thing... But, when I worked on the Hill (yes, I was one of those) as a staffer, we did look on the internet to gauge the

Well, I'm not sure about the partisan thing... But, when I worked on the Hill (yes, I was one of those) as a staffer, we did look on the internet to gauge the public reaction towards a particular issue. If (and only if) it matched with the congressperson's political agenda, we could suggest that the congressperson "push the issue" in caucus or debates. Although, internet comments and news aggregators would never swing a politician's perspective on an issue (only money does, kidding...kind of). So, there is some political weight in internet comments, but if you really want to ensure your contribution, call up your representative. (Seriously, they have people to handle these calls - it takes 5 minutes.)