Jim’s new non-campaign web siteThose long welcome stretches of silence from Jim McDermott appear to have abruptly ended. The congressman for life often seems to disappear into the D.C. void, surfacing now and then to announce he’s making progress on something, or reveal details of his latest fact-finding tour. Then, this week, an eruption of announcements – a new push on his plan to tax online gambling, a public apology to Indians, a robocall to listen into his phone town hall meeting, announcement of a “new, user-friendly and dynamic” web site, and the arrival of the first issue of his e-newsletter on Tuesday – then a second one on Wednesday, which noted his expanded communications network now “uses many different ways to stay in touch including mail, email, my website, my e-newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, telephone town halls and meetings across the district.”Exhale. You had to wonder if the Seattle Democrat is suddenly running for re-election or something. Actually, he mentions that in the new newsletter. The Tuesday e-mailing said McDermott would now be providing “useful information on new bills, breaking news, and streamlined information on how best to take advantage of the services my office provides to you.” On Wednesday, he appeared to announce he’d now be making fewer announcements, due to the upcoming political season.Because the state primary election (in which he is expected to participate) will be held Aug. 17, McDermott said, “House regulations prohibit certain types of mass mailings and communications by a Member of Congress for 90 days immediately preceding that date. That means my office can only send out certain types of mailings and notices from May 20th until the primary.” So there apparently will be no campaign-style mass mailings like, arguably, the ones that gushed in Tuesday and Wednesday, before today’s cutoff. Anyone who wants to “make certain” the new e-newsletter arrives during the 90-day period, McDermott says, now has to sign up for it.Or they could take the poll he attached to the end of mailing, telling him “Which issues are important to you”: Economy, health care, energy, foreign affairs, trade, family, etc. By clicking on the poll, you’re signed up for the congressman’s newsletter. You’ve also helped the candidate decide the issues he should focus on – before the deadline, of course.