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The 10 most influential D.C. Twitterers
2009-02-23
When you talk about Twitter, you might as well be talking about the Snuggie: People around you swear that it's actually useful, but you can't help thinking it silly and declaring, "I just don't get what all the buzz is about." Muzi.com News 10088510-1 (muzi.com) But in Washington, the social networking and microblogging service is quickly becoming part of the daily media diet - and a powerful tool in the hands of those who are adept at making their points in 140 characters or fewer. Muzi.com News 10088510-2 (muzi.com) Here are the new maestros of the tweet - Washington's 10 Most Influential Twitterers. Muzi.com News 10088510-3 (muzi.com) 1. Karl Rove: www.twitter.com/karlrove Muzi.com News 10088510-4 (muzi.com) The Architect opened a Twitter account in January and quickly amassed more than 11,000 followers. If you've ever wanted a peek inside Bush's Brain, Rove provides one, with updates on the GOP's future ("How do we hold back the tide? We must make a case that turns public opinion") and humorous quips about his former colleague Dick Cheney ("I look forward to my next hunt with him"). Muzi.com News 10088510-5 (muzi.com) This more transparent, funny side of Rove has taken many Bush bashers by surprise, prompting Daily Beast contributor Rachel Sklar to ask: "Can one of the most divisive men in America actually change his image - 140 characters at a time?" Muzi.com News 10088510-6 (muzi.com) Commenters scoffed. But as the GOP settles into life as an opposition party, Rove's quick and dirty dispatches could prove useful to Republicans looking for a way back. Muzi.com News 10088510-7 (muzi.com) 2. Sen. Claire McCaskill: www.twitter.com/clairecmc Muzi.com News 10088510-8 (muzi.com) Although more than 60 members of Congress tweet, no one else does so with the regularity and honesty of this Missouri Democrat. Muzi.com News 10088510-9 (muzi.com) She'll open up about her political views ("I'm mad about these yahoos on Wall Street taking bonuses and trying to buy fancy jets on the taypayers dime") and her personal life ("Brought work home. My sister is here who is a huge dog person. That means one thing tonight. Westminister Dog Show on TV"). Muzi.com News 10088510-10 (muzi.com) McCaskill's embrace of Twitter has worked: With more than 5,700 followers, she is one of the most popular Twitterers on Capitol Hill. Muzi.com News 10088510-11 (muzi.com) 3. David Gregory: www.twitter.com/davidgregory Muzi.com News 10088510-12 (muzi.com) If his dancing was any hint, this "Meet the Press" host didn't seem like the kind of guy who's hip to what's new and fashionable. But Gregory has not only joined Twitter, he's embraced it, writing an average of 18 tweets per day. Muzi.com News 10088510-13 (muzi.com) Gregory provides photos of life behind the scenes at NBC's Washington bureau - the green room, his office, the view from "Meet's" legendary anchor chair - and he's even attempted to Twit-erview subjects. Muzi.com News 10088510-14 (muzi.com) When Sen. Judd Gregg withdrew his nomination as commerce secretary, McCaskill tweeted, "Just heard news on Gregg. Old ways die hard around here. I know our President won't give up on changing the unproductive partisan habits." This prompted Gregory to tweet back, "Senator, do you think it was unrealistic to think Sen Gregg would be a good fit a Dem admin? Or was It Gregg who was unrealistic." Muzi.com News 10088510-15 (muzi.com) Gregory has also used Twitter to ask followers to suggest questions for "Meet" and ideas for the "Today" show. And like most Twitterers, he's not above talking about the minutiae of his family life: "My son called to say he's having a margarita apres ski in Utah. He's 6. It was on the kids menu. The restaurant is called Nacho Mamma." Muzi.com News 10088510-16 (muzi.com) Gregory joined a week ago and is accumulating followers at the rate of nearly 5,000 a day. Muzi.com News 10088510-17 (muzi.com) 4. Barack Obama: www.twitter.com/barackobama Muzi.com News 10088510-18 (muzi.com) Obama - or, more accurately, his staffers - stopped Twittering after Election Day. But with more than 280,000 followers, he remains the most popular Twitterer around, and that spigot could be a powerful communication tool should he choose to turn it back on. Muzi.com News 10088510-19 (muzi.com) Obama announced his VP pick via Twitter and text message, and nearly everything Obama-related on Twitter results in a huge following: The "Official Presidential Inaugural Committee Twitter" and an "ObamaNews" Twitter feed both boast more than 14,000 followers. Muzi.com News 10088510-20 (muzi.com) Just don't expect cute anecdotes about Sasha and Malia from the Twitterer in chief: During the campaign, Obama's Twitter style was wonky and bland ("Launching a tax calculator at http://Taxcut.BarackObama.com. See how much of a tax cut you'll receive under my tax plan"). Muzi.com News 10088510-21 (muzi.com) 5. Newt Gingrich: www.twitter.com/newtgingrich Muzi.com News 10088510-22 (muzi.com) As he cherishes his ongoing role as the GOP's malcontent, the former speaker of the House has found a suitable outlet for his critiques on Twitter - and in little more than a week, more than 2,000 people have decided to follow him. Muzi.com News 10088510-23 (muzi.com) Gingrich is one of the GOP's most Web-savvy elder spokesmen. But if he really wants to be the brains behind the party's bounce back to power, he'll need to spell out deeper ideas than this: "Great lunch at mcdonalds-quarter pounder with cheese-off to nordstroms-valentines day." Muzi.com News 10088510-24 (muzi.com) 6. Ana Marie Cox: www.twitter.com/anamariecox Muzi.com News 10088510-25 (muzi.com) The former Wonkette makes the cut for two reasons: productivity and popularity. At 54,000 followers and climbing, Cox's tweets (sometimes as many as 100 a day) are among the most followed in Washington. With attitude and humor, Cox documents just about everything: White House briefings, her cats, her former employers, her ongoing debate about whether to wear pants around the house - and political sound bites on TV that could pass for bad pickup lines at a bar ("My filibuster lasts all night long"). Muzi.com News 10088510-26 (muzi.com) 7. Sen. Chuck Grassley: www.twitter.com/chuckgrassley Muzi.com News 10088510-27 (muzi.com) Whereas McCaskill's tweets are personal in a spunky sort of way, Grassley's are personal in an Iowan way: friendly but dry. Muzi.com News 10088510-28 (muzi.com) This 75-year-old sometime farmhand Republican has developed quite a following (2,000-plus) with his plain-spoken, Midwest Twittering style: "On way bk to frigid waterloo. Will my car start at airport." "I didn't stay up to see Ball drop. I will watch Hawkeyw ftball. Otherwise read. Not a very exciting new year celebration but tradition forme." "6 inches snow in New hartford last night. I missed it bc of senate session. Lucky we finished corn harvest last wkend." Muzi.com News 10088510-29 (muzi.com) Salon's Mike Madden, a regular reader and big fan of Grassley's tweets, says the senator "sounds just like the elderly pig farmer he is." Muzi.com News 10088510-30 (muzi.com) 8. Joe Trippi: www.twitter.com/joetrippi Muzi.com News 10088510-31 (muzi.com) If Newt Gingrich is using Twitter to help steer the Republican Party back to its conservative principles, Joe Trippi, a former adviser to Howard Dean and John Edwards, is busy focusing liberals' eyes on the prize ("Our founders loved capitalism but they believed to their core that capitalism had to serve the democracy and not the other way around"). Unlike many other Twitter users, Trippi spends the bulk of his time fostering a dialogue by responding to the comments and questions of others. Muzi.com News 10088510-32 (muzi.com) 9. Patrick Ruffini: www.twitter.com/patrickruffini Muzi.com News 10088510-33 (muzi.com) Not yet a household name, Ruffini boasts an impressive résumé: webmaster for the Bush-Cheney 2004 presidential campaign and e-campaign adviser to Rudy Giuliani in 2008. He's part of a new generation of Republicans hoping to use technology as a way to steer the party away from its more rusty roots. Muzi.com News 10088510-34 (muzi.com) Ruffini's tweets are sharp, blunt and aggressive when it comes to the Democrats' flaws and the Republicans' promise. Muzi.com News 10088510-35 (muzi.com) Ruffini's 4,200 followers digest such nuggets as "The rise of the right online is / should be about connecting people NOT computers. It's about building a grassroots movement not technology" and "Ultimately, I think the whole debate over the NYT is silly. Op-ed pages are meaningless in the 21st century. We need to focus on raw info." Muzi.com News 10088510-36 (muzi.com) 10. Al Gore: www.twitter.com/algore Muzi.com News 10088510-37 (muzi.com) Gore's Twitter feed is much like Gore himself: lurking in the shadows and ready to pounce when the moment's right. The former VP doesn't Twitter all that often - just 12 tweets since he opened his account in November - but there are 118,000 followers ready to listen whenever he's ready. That's as close as anyone in Washington comes to an Obama-like number. Muzi.com News 10088510-38 (muzi.com) As expected, Gore focuses on the environment ("I'm advocating a US goal of 100% carbon-free electricity in 10 years") but makes sure to direct followers to www.algore.com, where they can provide their e-mail addresses and "join the conversation." Muzi.com News 10088510-39 (muzi.com)
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