|
|
|
November 20, 2009, 2:56 pm
By
Kim Hart
 Just
as lawmakers and agency officials are starting to adopt Twitter as a
way to reach citizens, Web measurement firms show traffic to the site
is starting to slip.
Nielsen reports Twitter traffic declined about 28 percent from September to October. As eMarketer
writes in an article today, the decrease in visitors could mean either
falling interest in Twitter or simply a migration to other platforms,
such as third-party applications and mobile phone access. A decline in traffic to Twitter's site doesn't necessarily mean people aren't reading and posting tweets. In August, Crowd Science found 43 percent of Twitter users accessed Twitter through third-party applications such as TweetDeck, and 19 percent said they update Twitter via text messages. So fret not, political tweeters. Your messages (probably) aren't falling on deaf ears. Cross-posted to Hillicon Valley Read more...
|
|
|
|
November 20, 2009, 2:46 pm
By
Jordan Fabian
|
November 20, 2009, 1:16 pm
By
Jordan Fabian
Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) took to Twitter to publicize his stance on Afghanistan a day after he said he opposes adding more troops there. Specter declared that he opposes any troop increase during a conference call with bloggers yesterday. During the call, the Republican-turned Democrat claimed his primary opponent Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) supports a troop increase. Sestak did tell Fox News he backs a "measured increase" of troops less than the 40,000 recommended by commanding Gen. Stanley McChrystal.
Specter tweeted using his campaign Twitter account: I oppose sending additional troops to Afghanistan, and I want to hear your thoughts. Take this survey: http://bit.ly/682NLL
The survey on Specter's campaign site asks visitors if they support Specter's approach or Sestak's. Specter's announcement after President Barack Obama said he will make his decision on America's strategy in Afghanistan very soon.
During the conference call, the senator questioned if U.S. forces should stay in Afghanistan if the conflict is not essential in their fight against al Qaeda.
Read more...
|
November 20, 2009, 7:30 am
By
Michael O'Brien
A leading labor group launched on Friday to target the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Twitter.
American
Rights at Work (ARAW), in an email to supporters, will ask backers to
sign a petition and, if possible, post a tweet directed at the Chamber
for the business group's opposition to health reform legislation in
Congress.
The petition drive, set to begin at 10:00 a.m. EST, will ask activists to post the following tweet:
petition @chamberpost: The U.S. #Chamber doesn't represent me. It's Not My Chamber! http://act.ly/1cc RT to sign #p2 #notmychamber
The goal is to create a "Twitter flash mob," a spokesman for ARAW said about the effort on Friday.
The
campaign specifically takes aim at the Chamber's having allegedly tried
to hire economist who would have conducted a study on the effects of
health reform legislation, a study which the business advocacy group's
opponents say would have almost certainly have rendered a negative
verdict on the bills.
Cross-posted to the Briefing Room. Read more...
|
November 19, 2009, 7:27 pm
By
Jordan Fabian
Rep. Michael Burgess (Texas), the only Republican to vote for the
Medicare "doc fix" bill that passed the House today, explained his vote
as a "symbolic" gesture to show commitment to doctors.
Burgess, who is an OB-GYN by training, said that he bucked his party because he does not believe the bill will pass the Senate.
"I
think it is very unlikely that today’s bill will ever become law, since
the Senate has already soundly rejected a similar plan," he said in a
statement. "Because of this, today’s vote is largely symbolic, and with
my 'yes' vote, I stand committed to America’s doctors, the millions of
seniors they care for, and TRICARE recipients, to fix this problem." Burgess also tweeted, including a link to his statement: I just voted to stand with doctors and patients to prevent Medicare cuts that would jeopardize access http://bit.ly/3qZQ4x
The bill passed the House 243-183.
11 Democrats joined 172 Republican in voting against the bill. The $210
billion measure would prevent cuts in the Medicare payment rate to
doctors over the next decade.
Burgess eschewed intense lobbying on behalf of his GOP colleagues who sought to unanimously oppose the measure.
The Senate failed to motion for cloture on the bill in October. 12 centrist Democrats joined Republicans in voting against the bill. Burgess
did criticize the measure, saying he does not "think it is right to
continue to pass massive spending bills that add to our country’s
record deficit with no rational payment plan in place." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) yesterday pledged to defeat the "doc fix" bill if and when the Senate considers it again. Cross-posted to the Briefing Room
Read more...
|
November 19, 2009, 6:09 pm
By
Jordan Fabian
Sen. Claire McCaskill on Thursday touted the Senate healthcare reform bill by taking a dig at former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's new book. McCaskill (D) said if the bill was printed in regular size font, it would be the same length as Palin's (R) memoir Going Rogue: An American Life "but with more meat on the bone." She tweeted: If we printed the health care bill in regular size font it would be same legnth as Sarah Palin's book, but with more meat on the bone. The Senate healthcare bill is 2,074 pages long. Palin's book is 413 pages long with 16 pages of photographs.
Both healthcare and Palin's book have grabbed the attention of the media and the public this week. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) today set the first major procedural vote for the healthcare reform bill for 8 p.m. on Saturday. Meanwhile, Palin launched her book tour last night and also began tweeting again. She had taken a nearly four month-long hiatus from the microblogging service until she tweeted on Tuesday on her old account announcing that her new handle would become active.
Read more...
|
November 19, 2009, 4:30 pm
By
Jordan Fabian
Texas Gov. Rick Perry tweeted Thursday that he was busted using Twitter by a fellow state executive duing a speech Republican Governors Association (RGA). Perry said that Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal caught him tweeting during his remarks at the conference being held in Austin, Texas this week.
Perry tweeted some effusive praise for the potential 2012 presidential candidate in exchange for placing his attention elsewhere during the speech: Bobbie [sic] Jindal just busted me for tweeting his remarks at our lunch @ RGA...he is a star in a galaxy of talent in the governor's universe!!
Read more...
|
|
November 19, 2009, 2:51 pm
By
Jordan Fabian
|
November 19, 2009, 2:38 pm
By
Jordan Fabian
A Canadian member of parliament (MP) on Thursday said he wants Twitter banned from the country's legislature because it exposes its "banality." Charlie Angus, who hails from northern Ontario, said that he has nothing against the microblogging site but that “it really exposes the absolute banality of this place...There is something about it that turns otherwise intelligent professionals into Grade 9 jocks and cheerleaders in a school cafeteria.” Here is more from the Globe and Mail: The source of his outrage was a tweet yesterday by Ontario Liberal MP Michelle Simson. She sent out an insulting message about Tory MP Dean Del Mastro, saying he should “grow up (not out).”
She was responding to a comment she didn’t like that he made in the all-party ethics committee. Mr. Del Mastro, the parliamentary secretary to the Heritage Minister and the MP for Peterborough, is a big man and was taunted as a kid with fat jokes. Over the past two years he has lost about 80 pounds.
After Question Period yesterday, Mr. Del Mastro asked for an apology from Ms. Simson. He got one but he got something else, too – support from Mr. Angus, who intervened in the Commons, urging MPs to stop playing with the devices during Parliamentary committees.
“I would like Members of Parliament to put the inane little games away and get down to [the] business of serving their representatives. When I saw that Twitter, I was appalled because I thought it could happen at any of our committees,” he said in the House of Commons.
The intervention by Mr. Angus – although interrupted by the Speaker – is drawing lots of interest from ordinary Canadians. This morning, he said he will approach the chair of the Heritage committee, which he is a member of as is Mr. Del Mastro, and ask that Twitter be banned in at least that committee.
He says MPs on committees must build relationships with each other in order to get work done. “I was absolutely astounded that someone sitting in a committee [was] talking to their imaginary friends and audience … making fat boy jokes. I thought it was so bush league,” he said.
“I think there is an issue here. It is not partisan. It is not an issue of scoring points. We just can’t descend to this level of stupidity if we’re going to do our jobs.”
Mr. Angus freely admits that he couldn’t do his job without his BlackBerry – he uses it at committee to check facts with his staff and to Google other points of discussion. He does not use it to tweet.
Read more...
|
November 19, 2009, 1:13 pm
By
Jordan Fabian
A member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) on Thursday outlined what he believe's should be the U.S.'s new strategy in Afghanistan.
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) took to Twitter to say that training Afghan army and police and bolstering the nation's civil society and parliament will be keys to success in the war-torn nation: New strategy in Af-Pak is needed: support Af civil society, women's groups, strengthen Af parliament. Train army/police. More Int'l help Ellison's remarks come as President Barack Obama said his decision on sending more troops to Afghanistan will come soon. The president is expected to make his decision after returning from his trip to Asia. Obama is currently en route back to Washington.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee member is opposed to sending more troops to Afghanistan.
Read more...
|
|
VISIT THE HILL'S HOMEPAGE FOR THE LATEST ON CONGRESS ››
|
Most Viewed RSS Feed »
