When he spoke to the nation during his primetime speech on Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama asked Americans "to make your voice heard" by calling their congressional representatives and urging them to compromise on a "balanced approach to reducing the deficit."
President Obama was hoping this would help resolve the stalemate in talks over the federal debt ceiling.
Instead, it showed the players on both sides of the aisle just how frustrated, angry and even scared Americans are right now.
President Obama's "call to action" unleashed a torrent of reaction from every end of the spectrum. Americans flooded Congress with twice the usual number of phone calls - 40,000 an hour at the peak.
Some citizens did, indeed, urge compromise on a deal. But others encouraged lawmakers to stick to their guns.
And some Americans just wanted to know if they were going to receive their Social Security check next month.
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