Skip to content
RollCall logo

Ask Roll Call: Twitter Q&A Transcript (Stu Rothenberg)

By Christina Bellantoni
Posted February 18, 2011 at 9:53am

Roll Call is continuing Twitter Q-and-A sessions and the latest edition was with Stu Rothenberg, a Roll Call columnist who is best known as the editor of the Rothenberg Political Report.

His latest column questions the wisdom of buzz suggesting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who is recovering from a gunshot wound, could mount a Senate bid.

Stu is a Twitter newbie but has already mastered the craft, and he got a record number of questions Thursday.

Since it was on Twitter, of course, his answers were kept to under 140 characters. A transcript follows.



Roll Call


 

Here we go – @ takes your questions in 3, 2, 1 …



Roll Call

 

Welcome to our 5th Twitter Q&A w/ @ ! He writes 2 columns a wk & authors Rothenberg Political Report, longtime indep. pol analyst



Roll Call

 

Thanks for all your questions. Let’s get started!



Roll Call

 

Q1! RT @: @ @ If not Giffords…Napolitano for AZ Senate? How ’bout Cpt Kelly?



Roll Call

 

Q2! RT @: @ @ What’s up w ME Senate race? Replay of DE and Mike Castle?



Roll Call

 

.@ Snowe must be careful. TP rival not strong. Gov. endorsed but if O’D could beat Castle anything possible ^@



Roll Call

 

.@ Napolitano might, she’s looking at it. Open seat will generate plenty of interest. ^@



Roll Call

 

Q3! RT @: @ Any idea what Sharon Angle’s COH is currently? Thoughts on which race she goes for Cong/Sen/POTUS?



Roll Call

 

.@ Under $15k w/ $350k in debt as of 12/31. Ran for House once, another run likely b/c gaining seat + Heller ^@ (Ed. note: Heller likely to run for Senate, meaning yet another open seat)



Roll Call

 

Q4! RT @: @ @ what impact will these budget cuts have on urban communities?



Roll Call

 

.@ Still waiting to see where final cuts are but cities, counties already squeezed, more of same coming. ^@



Roll Call

 

Q5! RT @: @ @ any thoughts on national implications on voter motivation from WI protests



Roll Call

 

.@ Warm & fuzzy mood of mid-Jan giving way to traditional battle lines. These fights get partisan juices flowing ^@



Roll Call

 

Q6! RT @: @ @ how is the president looking in 2012



Roll Call

 

.@ Better right now. Job approval up but it’s all about economy & GOP nominee & strategy ^@ ()



Roll Call

 

Q7! MT @ W/ cells, auto dial & spike in crappy data, is there still polling out there we can trust? What kind & who? (Ed. note: Lauren is Roll Call’s political editor.)



Roll Call

 

.@ Love NBC/WSJ poll/I look @ WaPo, CBS/NYT, CNN. I keep eye on unreleased partisan polls avg person doesn’t see ^@



Roll Call

 

Q8! RT @: @ with prices on goods increasing and wage reductions for working folks; will recovery for economy take longer?



Roll Call

 

.@ Voters showing some optimism & econ forecasts are up a bit, but outlook remains hazy. ^@



Roll Call

 

Q9! RT @: @ Huge cuts to Medicare home health will harm seniors. Your thoughts.



Roll Call

 

.@ I don’t expect huge Medicare cuts in near term, Congress still unwilling to make tough choices. ^@



Roll Call

 

Q10! MT @: When I tell people I live/work in DC they ask if media here should be on Obama payroll. How beholden is RC to WH whims?



Roll Call

 

.@ Not at all. Nationally, some reporters/commentators in tank for Obama but most reporters simply trying to do jobs ^@



Roll Call

 

Q11! RT @: @ What are your thoughts on the VA Senate race for Ds? Does TommyP increase or decrease Dems chances?



Roll Call

 

.@ Perriello runs good campaigns but he’s really pretty liberal. He would get base excited. Credible but underdog. ^@



Roll Call

 

Q12! RT @: @ who do you expect can win the hearts of college aged republicans in 2012?



Roll Call

 

.@ Attractive, charismatic, conservative = John Thune. ^@



Roll Call

 

Q13! MT @: @ what’s your take on how Calif. House delegation will shake out after redistricting & move to jungle primary?



Roll Call

 

.@ Great Q! Nobody knows what commission will do, expect number of incumbents to be thrown together. It will be zoo. ^@



Roll Call

 

Q14! RT @: @ @ if Christie decides to throw his hat in can he do damage?



Roll Call

 

.@ Great shoot from the hip style. He really connects w/ average guy but his style could wear thin. Keep watching ^@



Roll Call

 

Q15! MT @ S.Israel refuses to say Dems can re-take House in ’12. Is he right to be cautious? Your # for Dem pickups? (Ed. note: Steve is a Roll Call political reporter.)



Roll Call

 

.@ W/out district lines it’s impossible to handicap races. A guess: minimal changes in House. Dems could net a few ^@



Roll Call

 

Q16! RT @: @ for @ Q&A: Who’s the best 2012 GOP contender (a) politically and (b) governmentally?



Roll Call

 

.@ Guessing here: Mitch Daniels would address deficit in bold way. Politically, Mitt, T-Paw, Thune. ^@



Roll Call

 

Q17! MT @: .@ Who would you rather have on your fantasy team this year? Josh Johnson or Matt Cain and why? (Ed. note: Nathan is Stu’s colleague.)



Roll Call

 

.@ Love both of them. I’d pick Josh Johnson. More Ks. A proven ace. ^@



Roll Call

 

Q18! RT @: @ for @ Q&A: Can a comparison be made between a baseball relief pitcher and a party’s VP selection?



Roll Call

 

.@ Nope. VPs don’t matter. Relief pitchers do.



Roll Call

 

Final question from Roll Call’s @: What’s your wild card Senate seat Dems could flip in 2012?



Roll Call

 

.@ Indiana. If Lugar gets dumped in GOP primary it’s a whole new ball game, Dems must have good candidate. ^@



Roll Call

 

Thanks so much to @ for our 5th Twitter Q&A. Transcript to be posted at RollCall.com later.



Roll Call

 

Next week’s edition will be with Paul Singer, Roll Call’s lobbying & investigations editor @

Follow @rollcall on Twitter and follow our staff list for the full complement of reporters and editors.

Read our previous Twitter Q&A transcripts with Steven T. Dennis here, Jennifer Bendery here, Steve Peoples here and John Stanton here.

Recent Stories

Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J.,launched a challenge to Sen. Bob Menendez on Saturday after the senior senator said he would not resign following a bribery indictment.

Kim launches primary challenge after Menendez refuses to quit

Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., stops to speak to reporters as he leaves the House Republican Conference meeting in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.

Four spending bills readied for House floor amid stopgap uncertainty

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., faces calls to resign after his indictment Friday on bribery charges.

Menendez rejects New Jersey Democrats’ calls to resign after indictment

A “danger” sign is posted at a work site on the East Front plaza of the Capitol on Wednesday.

Photos of the week ending September 22, 2023

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and the Senate dropping its dress code is a highlight of this week’s Congressional Hits and Misses.

Dressing down — Congressional Hits and Misses

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, and his wife, Nadine, were indicted Friday on bribery charges.

Menendez indictment comes with Democrats playing 2024 defense