Hashtag #TrumpThis: Lawmakers Mix It Up on Social Media
In an age of sanitized social media, Donald Trump has proved to be a politician doing his own messaging can be an asset. In that spirit, here’s a look at some of our favorite pols doing their own thing. (Seriously, we hope it’s not a staffer doing this stuff.)
The first politician who comes to mind for tweeting-on-his-own has to be Sen. Charles E. Grassley. @ChuckGrassley has been entertaining his 89,000 followers for years with updates on issues that come up during his town halls, the status of Iowa’s deer population and, sometimes, just Grassley bein’ Grassley.
Work on farm Fri. Burning piles of brush WindyFire got out of control. Thank God for good naber He help get undr control PantsBurnLegWound
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) April 11, 2009
(He was all right!)
Grassley also has a unique (and well-documented) ability to bemoan the lack of history on the History Channel.
Just turned to history channel. No history. I used to get history. Why do we h v such a channel when it doesnt do history
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) February 20, 2012
Why, indeed, congressman. Why, indeed.
I’ve turned to history. Channel. Several times this wkend always Pawn Shop. No history. Change nAme of channel to no history
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) June 23, 2012
There is history on the History Channel rite now Tune in before they go to swamp man
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) June 27, 2014
Grassley has also been known, from time to time, to break into Weird Twitter™.
Windsor Heights Dairy Queen is good place for u kno what
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) November 3, 2014
N — ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) October 4, 2012
And yeah: He’s better at tweeting about deer than you’ll ever be at tweeting about anything.
Seen dead deer on way church. They didn’t hit my car Unsafe if u drive in area where deer congregate Iowa needs longer season to kill more
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) November 19, 2012
Fred and I hit a deer on hiway 136 south of Dyersville. After I pulled fender rubbing on tire we continued to farm. Assume deer dead — ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) October 26, 2012
Just got word that my daughter Wendy totaled car She is ok She hit deer Deer dead. No presumption I’m told
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) June 17, 2015
I learned it was Granddaughter Shirley in car accident-not daughter Wendy. She is ok. Deer still dead — ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) June 21, 2015
Thank you, congressman. Thank you so much.
On Twitter, it’s easy for Debbie Dingell to be overshadowed by her husband and congressional predecessor, former Rep. John D. Dingell — @JohnDingell, as we think about him now — but the freshman Democrat seems to have grabbed hold of her Facebook and reminded us all that, actually, your mom’s Facebook could get worse. (Not that we don’t love your Facebook, Mom, or that we don’t love your grammatically shorthanded Facebook screeds, congresswoman.)
Sunday morning….grocery shopping, post office, dry cleaners, laundry, drop off at goodwill, coffee with the boys at… Posted by Debbie Dingell on Sunday, August 23, 2015
(She signs the Facebook posts that she does with “D2,” which is a great nickname, as well as the best “Mighty Ducks” movie.)
Yeah it’s Friday! So to top Wednesday off, John broke a tooth. Got him to the dentist yesterday, tooth fixed. And I was… Posted by Debbie Dingell on Friday, August 21, 2015
It may be a cross between TMI and tl;dr, but it’s solid Facebooking IMO.
A long day……John Dingell in a house without electricity isn’t an experience I recommend anyone share but the power… Posted by Debbie Dingell on Tuesday, August 18, 2015
What is Facebook for if not editorializing?
While most members aren’t doing their own Twitter or Facebook, some members have taken to Instagram as their one social media outlet. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy seems to fit that description.
He likes the outdoors . (You might notice Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., really enjoyed this recent dispatch, as did Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah.)
(McCarthy kicked off a pen-and-pad briefing with reporters at the end of July by explaining this Insta. He told reporters falcons won’t come to your glove unless you have food. “They don’t make friends,” he said. “They just want to eat.”)
And he’s a sucker for a good #tbt . (Aren’t we all?)
Anyway, keep doing you, members of Congress. Maybe it’ll win you the presidency one day (or maybe not).
Related: Using Social Media to Showcase the Speaker’s Lighter Side See photos, follies, HOH Hits and Misses and more at Roll Call’s new video site. Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.
