Mr. Obama was really good about responding to my emails when he was the junior US senator from my state of Illinois. It was often obvious that his replies were were not boiler plated. Of course he now has far more constituents and monumental issues with which to deal. The petition to the White House has to do with disallowing mandatory selling and servicing through dealerships. The senior senator from Illinois (and majority whip) was Obama's mentor and initial proponent of putting him in the White House. I wrote Mr. Durbin regarding this issue. He originally replied that this is a state matter and I should contact my state legislators. I rebutted that it is also a federal matter due to the interstate commerce clause of the US constitution, and that federal legislation would be helpful in enforcing that clause. Today I received the email seen below in response to my argument. The first line repeats verbatim some of my words, so it is not a purely boiler plated comment.
January 16, 2014
Mr. Curt Renz
(address lines deleted)
Dear Mr. Renz:
Thank you for contacting me with your ideas regarding federal legislation removing requirements for electric vehicles to only be sold and serviced at franchised dealerships. I appreciate hearing from you.
It is very helpful to me to hear from constituents across the state on the issues that matter most to them. Your suggestions are thoughtful and deserve further consideration.
My staff will review your correspondence and keep it in mind in case this issue is considered further in the Senate. Many of the bills I have introduced during my time in Congress have originated from ideas sent to me by constituents.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please feel free to contact my office again about issues before the United States Senate.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator
RJD/ab
