Twitters in Congress: 'Got it. Thx.'

by James Oliphant

John McCain has started Twittering.

No, that's not a neurological disorder. He's fine.

For a candidate famously mocked last year for not being able to use a computer, the man seems to have decided to ride the tech tide in a big way. He's embraced Twitter, the social messaging activity that connects users through 140-character updates. In fact, on Monday he spoke on the Senate floor about Twittering, saying he was tweeting earmarks in a spending bill under debate.

Dozens of members of Congress are doing the same, documenting their hour-by-hour, sometimes minute-by-minute activities and allowing you, the public, to know the innermost thoughts of our elected representatives.

Last week, it seemed like half of Congress was Twittering away, even while President Barack Obama was speaking in the House chamber, with members looking every bit like 25-year-olds at happy hour.

Bobby "Jindal is weird," tweeted Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) while watching the Louisiana governor speak on national television last week. "I can't believe Jindal. Such a sad contrast with President."

Tweeted Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) this weekend: "Great afternoon watching skijoring in Wisdom, Montana."

(Twitter founders Biz Stone, left, and Evan Williams pictured above at their office in San Francisco. (Photo by Jeff Chiu / AP) Read more about Twittering in Congress in Tribune newspapers and here in the Swamp:

(He's tweeting while watching skijoring! What does that even mean?)

Why do they do it? We'll let Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) tell you in her own, uh, words: "Try to tweet 3-4 times a day," she tweeted Monday. "Combo of policy, personal, schedule, politics. Want to be candid and give a real glimpse of my life and job."

Right. Got it. Thx. But some ideas, frankly, deserve a more expansive form of communication.

"Speaking at [Conservative Political Action Conference] this morning," tweeted Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) last Friday. "Will talk about saving freedom."

Imagine what Franklin Roosevelt's most famous address might have sounded like: "Psyched to be at Capitol. Cold. Gonna be giving a speech in 5 min. IMHO, only thing we gotta fear is fear itself. Tweet later!"