October 2nd, 2008 by Bob Schwartz
It looks like the Committee on House Administration has made it ok for House members to do what many had been doing already anyways, use outside websites like Twitter and YouTube to communicate with constituents.
*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE* Thursday, October 2, 2008 *FOR MORE INFORMATION,
Contact * Salley Collins, Press Secretary
(202) 225-8281 E-mail: salley.coll…@mail.house.gov
*Press Release:** * * * *Committee Adopts New Web Regulations * * *
*Committee on House Administration Adopts Proposal Permitting Members to Utilize * *Outside Websites to Communicate with Constituents * * * *WASHINGTON – *The Committee on House Administration adopted new web regulations that will permit Members to use outside websites like YouTube to communicate with constituents. The new regulations, which are based upon a proposal presented in June by GOP Members of the Committee, represent a vital step to providing new, uncensored channels of communication between Members of Congress and their constituents. The new web regulations, which were adopted via Committee poll, permit Members to post content on outside websites so long as the content is for “official purposes,” and not personal, commercial or campaign related. Ranking Republican Vern Ehlers, R-Mich., applauded Committee Chairman Robert Brady, D-Pa., for his leadership and ability to achieve policy agreements in a nonpartisan fashion. “Mr. Brady recognized the need to allow enhanced constituent communication, and demonstrated outstanding leadership that enabled this Committee to adopt a long-overdue change,” Ehlers stated. ”It is imperative that Members have the ability to use whichever web services they feel will best inform their constituents about the important issues facing this country.” * * For more information, please contact the Committee press office at (202) 225-8281. * *
September 26th, 2008 by Bob Schwartz
Now that John McCain is done saving us from financial ruin and has decided to restart his campaign in time for tonight’s debate, the users of Twitter have come up with a neat little drinking game to play while watching McCain and Barack Obama duke it out.
The game tagged #McCainshot is a drinking game in which the participants take a drink each time Senator McCain says “friends” during the debate. While I am sure folks that play the game will get their fill of their favorite beverage, I hear that those that devised the game originally wanted to use “POW” but had to shelve the idea because no one would be standing by the end of the debate…
Speaking of Twitter, they have set up a subsite that constantly scours their database for all tweets referencing the candidates pretty much in real time. It’s an excellent way to track the pulse of the “Twitter Nation” and should be a lively place to monitor during tonight’s debate (which McCain apparently already won).
UPDATE: They have added a new game so that Barack Obama doesn’t feel left out. #obamashot will have you taking a drink each time Barack Obama says the word “change”.
I would strongly suggest that those playing the game either do it at home or bring along a designated driver because having to drink each time that McCain says “friends” and Obama says “change” will result in you reaching .08 BAC quite early in the evening.
August 1st, 2008 by Bob Schwartz
I am just sitting here enjoying the postings through Twitter from the House floor coming from Texas Republican John Culberson. (ain’t technology great?) You see the Democrats have already left D.C for their 5 week August recess and Culberson and some of his GOP colleagues are grandstanding on the House floor over the lack of voting on oil drilling.
Some of his Tweets:
This is a historic first - conservatives will not go quietly home and neglect our duty to vote to bring down energy prices (link)
Update: now the Dem leadership has shut off lights of the House as GOP Memebers are speaking on the floor debating how we lower gas prices. (link)
We conservatives are still here on the floor speaking to the House gallery and to Twitter demanding we drill here and drill now to pay less. (link)
More conservatives are lining up to speak even though Pelosi and her liberal majority have gone on vacation (link)
He is even offering his Blackberry to others in the House:
The Democratts have left town. But we’ve turned the mics in the House back on to demand a vote on American made energy. John Shadegg Arizona (link)
The hilarity continues as the Democrats have for the 2nd time turned off the lights on the House floor and now the Republican’s have requested a bull horn.
Despite the above documented GOP grandstanding, there has yet to be any answers from Culberson or any of his tweeting buddies about some of the statements I posted earlier including how drilling new holes will not put any oil on to the world market for another 10 years or how any oil we do get will amount to maybe 1-2% of our demand. Also not mentioned is how when it finally does hit the market, most analysts predict a maybe a few penny drop in prices. But they do have their slogan, “drill here, drill now” to fall back on.
Thanks to Todd for turning me on to this Twitter thing.
UPDATE: It is being reported via Rep Pete Hoekstra’s twitter that Nancy Pelosi has taken time out of her busy vacation schedule to inform the Capitol Police to shut things down at 4:30 pm EST
UPDATE 2: It’s over. At 5pm everybody left the chamber yelling USA!, USA!, USA!. And I threw up in my mouth a little just reading about it.