| Twitter has become an indispensible part of politics and political campaigning; it is a simple yet effective way to convey an idea to many people at no cost. It has become one of the tools that many upstart and candidates are using during the primaries. Many established politicians use Twitter as a way to convey quick messages without sending or press release. How are candidates in the Brazos Valley using Twitter? I took a look at some of the candidates for Texas Congressional District 17 and found out who tweets, who doesn't, and who doesn't want me to follow them.
Congressman Chet Edwards, incumbent Democrat, does not advertise a Twitter account on his campaign web site, although Edwards does maintain a Facebook page that is regularly updated. However, Edwards has tended to be a low profile Congressman, and rarely appears in interviews on cable news and has focused most of his campaign on tradition means such as radio advertising and yard signs. While Edwards might be able to provide some interesting tweets it is doubtful that he would say anything overly partisan or controversial in 140 characters.
Republican primary candidate Rob Curnock, who tweets under the name rob4congress, has focused less on specific campaign issues and more on promoting partisan attacks from Congressman Mike Pence to political commentator Dick Morris. Recently Curnock did promote a list to his 229 followers of "10 reasons why 2010 will be a year to celebrate for Central Texans" that his campaign web site published. Curnock's number one reason was a "Consistent, common-sense conservative message of less government, lower taxes and more personal freedom," and that "this campaign is about ideas and message." Which is interesting because that means that the Curnock campaign in 2010 should be completely different that the Curnock campaign in 2008 when its focus was not on ideas but on negative campaigning and saying the words "liberal" and "Edwards" in the same sentence over and over again.
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| Timothy Delasandro, a Republican primary candidate from College Station, tweets under the name TimothyCongress, and has focused on a combination of campaign reports from the field and criticisms of opponents. Usually Delasandro's tweets to his 207 followers consist of a word or two about the campaign trail, but lately Delasandro has been focusing his criticisms on not only Congressman Edwards but on fellow Republican primary candidate Bill Flores who he describes as "D.C.'s Hand-picked man." While Delasandro may be competitive in the Republican primary, there is the possibility that much of how he campaigns will shape the debate.
Bill Flores, who tweets under the name Flores4Congress, has only focused on campaign updates and the occasional congratulations to Texas A&M students to his 195 followers. Flores has not made a significant impact on the campaign, but he has the money to make a large impact. He is going to the most political attacks of all the Republican primary candidates. However, Flores has the money, fundraising ability, and connection to Texas A&M to possibly make a serious challenge at Edwards in the general election.
Dave McIntyre does not advertise a Twitter account on his campaign web site (although McIntyre does advertise a Facebook page), however there is the unconfirmed Twitter account under the name mcintyredh which has never produced a tweet. McIntyre may be the strongest Republican candidate in the primary, and it is likely that he and Curnock will receive the most votes in the primary election. I might actually be interesting to see how McIntyre could condense his thoughts on national security and terrorism into 140 characters.
The finally candidate in the Republican primary is Chuck Wilson, who tweets under the name TX17Republican, who has tweeted on an irregular basis about several different things. From tweeting about local sports results to meeting with "the next Speaker of the House" Congressman John Boehner, Wilson has supplied his 87 followers with random information. However, the most interesting thing about Wilson's Twitter page is what happened when I clicked on the button to follow the Republican candidate:
This means that Chuck Wilson, or more than likely a member of his campaign staff, specifically blocked the leftofaggieland Twitter page from following TX17Republican. Why would a candidate for the United States Congress block not just a blogger, but a constituent? Perhaps Wilson does not want to engage in any real debate, even if it is just over Twitter. Or perhaps Wilson does not realize that since his Tweets are not private I can simply bookmark his Twitter page. Either way, anyone can follow leftofaggieland, even people with whom I disagree.
Political and Social Thought...
to the Left of College Station |
