Have Democrats teamed up with a mythical creature created by a Republican senatorial campaign?
It appeared that way on Tuesday when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) took note of a tweet by @demonsheep, a Twitter account that tweets parody messages based on California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina's (R) often-mocked "Demon sheep" campaign ad.
RT @demonsheep: email from @dccc again giving Bush credit for my policies, calling them "failed". will rip their throats out when snow melts
The Fiorina ad used the sheep as a simile for supporters of her primary opponent former Rep. Tom Campbell, whom Fiornia says is a "fiscal conservative in name only."
Here is the original campaign ad, which took Twitter by storm last week:
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) on Tuesday used the D.C. snowstorm to make a political jab, saying that it provides evidence for global warming skeptics.
The conservative senator took to Twitter on Tuesday amid reports that the area is due to receive another 10 to 20 inches of snow this week:
It's going to keep snowing in DC until Al Gore cries "uncle"
Some conservatives have echoed DeMint's sentiments that the snowstorm should poke holes in evidence backing global warming.
DeMint took direct aim at the former vice president, who is one of the foremost proponents of government action to counter global warming.
Reports of more snow caused the House of Representatives to call off the rest of its votes scheduled for this week. The Washington, D.C. area was blanketed with about two feet of snow last week, causing the Senate to adjourn earlier than expected on Thursday.
The South Carolina senator was not the first Republican to use the snowstorm to make a political point. Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kansas) said that absence of votes in the House is a plus for taxpayers.
Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.) doesn't know what to call the D.C. snowstorm.
Mitchell, who escaped D.C. before the storm hit, tweeted Tuesday:
Got out of DC last week, but came back yesterday ready to work. I’m from AZ so help me out - is it Snowpocolypse or Snowmageddon?
If the Arizona Democrat wants to toe the party line, he might as well call it "snowmageddon."
That's how President Barack Obama referred to the storm during his speech at the Democratic National Committee's Winter Meeting on Saturday.
Mitchell should have plenty of time to consider his choice; the D.C. area is expected to receive an additional 10 to 20 inches of snow this week on top of the two feet that accumulated over the weekend.
In Washington, anything can be used to make a political point.
Take the latest tweet from a Republican lawmaker on Tuesday, who said she views the closure of the House of Representatives due to snow as a plus for taxpayers.
Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kansas) posted a message Twitter account and included a poll to gauge the sentiments of her followers:
Votes canceled today for the House..politicians not in Washington = your pocketbook is safe. You agree? http://twtpoll.com/oj2gal#tcot#gop
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) declared Monday night that the House would not take votes as a result of large piles of snow that are still clogging the roadways and transit lines in Washington.
The situation might not allow for votes for several days. Some meteorologists are predicting an additional 10 to 20 inches of snow to fall on the Washington area starting on Tuesday.
A top Republican critic of the Obama administration's counterterrorism policies vowed Tuesday to not back down.
Rep.
Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), the top GOP member of the House Select
Committee on Intelligence, shot back at Deputy National Security
Advisor John Brennan's claim that "politically motivated criticism and
unfounded fear-mongering only serve the goals of al-Qaeda."
Pres
advisor on natl security attacking. Did it Sunday and again today. I
will not back down. I'll debate their policies. They are dangerous
Hoekstra,
along with Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.), the ranking member of the Senate
Intelligence Committee, have complained that the Obama administration
botched the handling of the attempted Christmas bombing by reading the
suspect his Miranda rights, and then leaking details from the
interrogation.
Brennan pushed back hard in an op-ed for USA Today on Tuesday, in which he said political critics undermine national security.
"The
notion that America's counterterrorism professionals and America's
system of justice are unable to handle these murderous miscreants is
absurd," he wrote.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) behaved like a television booker's dream Monday night, sleeping in his congressional office so he could make a CNBC appearance scheduled for Tuesday morning.
The Iowa senator made a Twitter post detailing his tough journey back to D.C. from the Hawkeye State in the aftermath of this weekend's snowstorm:
Bad weather.Took 12hrs to fly bk DC. DCA shut down.Had fly BWI. Slept in office so b on Hill for CNBC intrvu 7am in 20min
Grassley spent several nights in his Capitol Hill office during D.C.'s first big snowstorm in December so he would not miss any votes on healthcare reform legislation.
Grassley's Twitter posts are famous for their unconventional shorthand and sometimes personal nature, and this one does not disappoint.
There will be no votes in the House tomorrow due to another expected snowstorm.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced the decision via Twitter:
Due to weather affecting travel to DC, no votes in the House tomorrow.
The
Washington area is expecting between 10-20 inches of snow over the next
two days. The federal government was also closed today due to this
weekend's massive snowstorm.
The second-ranking Democrat in the House joined Twitter on Friday.
Overlooked in the panic over the looming "Snowpocalypse," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) debuted a new account under the handle "LeaderHoyer."
Hoyer's tweets so far largely discuss pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) budget rules approved by the House, as well as some comments on jobs and intelligence legislation.
The majority leader's move to Twitter was flagged in a belated Follow Friday by the Democrats on the House Education and Labor Committee, who tweeted:
A massive storm that dumped nearly two feet of snow on Washington
last weekend has prompted White House officials to cancel Monday's
press briefing.
Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton announced the schedule change this morning over
Twitter:
WH Press Office open for business but no briefing today.
This weekend's snowfall has similarly prompted Senate leaders to postpone votes until Tuesday. Federal employees are also off on Monday, the Office of Personnel Management announced this weekend.
However, the massive storm many are calling "snowpocalypse" may not be over. Weather reports indicate a second storm could dump another six inches on the already hamstrung city, meaning additional cancelations later in the week might follow.
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