Last week, msnbc reported that the National Rifle Association is attempting to sink President Obama's nomination of Vivek Murthy to the post of surgeon general, because Murthy once said that guns are a public health issue. As the NRA has mounted its campaign against Murthy, more and more pro-gun senators have opposed his nomination.
In response, Murthy supporters took to the web and social media this week to launch a grassroots campaign called "Stand With Vivek." The campaign began with the hashtag #StandWithVivek, and later launched a Twitter handle, Facebook page and website. Gun control organizations and other progressive groups have also joined in the campaign, using the #StandWithVivek hashtag to show their support. Since last week, the #StandWithVivek hashtag has been tweeted over 5,000 times, according to social media analytics tool Topsy. Some supporters even changed their Facebook and Twitter profile pictures to a graphic that displays the message "Stand with Vivek."
