America Tweets for Obama, SC Too, and We See Support

by: wjhamilton 29464

Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 22:37:27 PM EDT

July 29- Updated in the extended text

The Obama White House is pulling out every trick to bring pressure to bear on the Congress and Senate to make progress on health care insurance reform. 

Today something really clever was deployed.  The Organizing for America Website allows you to tweet your Senators.  DeMint's on twitter.  Lindsey Graham apparently is not, but you can broadcast a tweet to him anyway.

The tweets are generated for your account and you can tweak your tweet,  then you send it out.  It's all normal enough.

There are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of tweets being generated per hour.  They don't have the terrible immediacy of the tweets which leaked out of Iran and gradually dwindled to nothing as people were arrested or killed, but they're our tweets, American tweets.  We've called, written, blogged rallied and collected petition signatures.  In SC it's hard work.  You feel frustrated and isolated. This is the last rock on the street we can pick up and throw today.

However, on the website you can watch other supporters of the President's tweets pop up around the country, one after another.  It's just a sample of the thousands, but as the states pop in, if feels good.  Liberal Austin Texas shouts its defiance to the redness around it.  The left coast proves it's reputation.  The Northeast roars in, covering the landscape.  Somewhere there is a map with little green dots showing what Insurance Company money is buying Congressmen and Senators and that is a depressing map, but this map, our map, is a wonderful map.

Even little red SC is tweeting for Obama.  Every time I see a new one, I smile.

Go take a look.  http://www.barackobama.com/twitter/tweetyoursenator/?source=108

SO IS THE OPPOSITION ENJOYING IT, SEE THE EXTENDED TEXT BELOW

Bad Elephant

by: Atlas

Fri Jun 19, 2009 at 17:16:40 PM EDT

The GOP is now more unpopular than Dick Cheney is. That's a rather impressive feat considering the former VP shot someone in the face. They call him Dick for a reason. If I were a gambling man, I'd bet the rest of my 401k that the racist rhetoric eminating from South Carolina and other Republican strongholds has a bit to do with that. Ok, probably a lot.

Drawing inspiration from Rusty DePass and other culturally and comedically challenged Republicans, there's a new Facebook group for a Bad Elephant or two.  Shockingly, there are people who don't like racist humor coming from our elected officals. Since DePass's pulled out the podium, he might be off the hook, unless he has a Twitter account...and e-mail.

This week, the Bad Elephant members actively made  their displeasure known to Tennessee state Sen. Diane Black (irony, right?), who uses taxpayer money to employ a legislative aide who sent out a racist e-mail about the President using state resources. But, it's ok because Black (more irony) was a nurse who enjoyed "working with people with black skin who needed medical help." Boy, my heart sure feels warm and fuzzy after reading that. 

If you don't like Bad Elephants and have enough common sense not to embarass yourself/friends/family/state/country on social networking sites, this may be the group for you.

Twitter in the Lowcountry

by: wjhamilton 29464

Wed May 13, 2009 at 15:45:12 PM EDT

"Tweets across the Lowcountry are being knitted together to synthesize a local coherence from 140 character messages across a leveled information infrastructure"

Some thoughts on Twitter's evolving local relevance in the Lowcountry as published in this week's Moultrie News

http://www.moultrienews.com/porches/East-Cooper-a-Twitter-about--What-Are-You-Doing--

Trick or Tweet

by: Atlas

Mon Mar 23, 2009 at 11:48:22 AM EDT

Urgent need: Twitter friends - I really need your help with reelection. Will you please donate $20 or $10 today?  http://tinyurl.com/d5rbjf 2:46 PM Mar 20th from TwitterFox

For the bottom basement price of $10 or $20 you can become a member of Club 2010. I thought you had to charge more than that to sell out and sell yourself to monied interests, but this is a troubled economy. For these low, low prices, you can also become an exclusive member of  Club 2010, which is not to be confused with something hip and cool and associated with young people.

DeMint also seems to have a bit of dementia, because he actually thinks he's important:

Until now, I’ve devoted my full time and attention to leading this conservative fight in the Senate…and that’s how I want it to stay. But as I face re-election in 2010, Democrats and their liberal allies will do their best to distract me from the real fight by spending untold amounts of time and money to defeat me.

The Sisyphean tragedy continues:

You’ve stood beside me before and now I need your help more than ever. I need the resources to combat these Democratic attacks so that I can focus on continuing the battle to change Washington.

So, the Democrats are forcing him to beg for small sums of cash. Now, others (like him, and him, and her) are begging for him, but I don't think they've actually given up the goods like he has. At least not yet. And, if I didn't know better, I would think that T-Rav designed the Congressman's website since the first thing you see is a giant bong. I'm sure in between hits (on the website!) he and DeMinted foment opposition to President Obama's version of stimulus.

In the end, the bong is less than half full, kinda like DeMint's brain. I'm not sure how many of his Twitter friends will donate, but I'm sure at least a few twits will.

H/T Glenn Thrush

McCain Throws Graham to the Wolves

by: Atlas

Fri Mar 06, 2009 at 17:08:58 PM EST

 #6. $950,000 for a Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Gasp! But, what's even more shocking is this little diddy was inserted by none other than McCain's Socialist wingman. Cue evil music!

Now, the good 'ol boys at the Myrtle Beach Sun News got their trousers all twisted over this one. As the bastion of journalism that no newspaper should aspire too, the paper wanted to share its two cents (since that's all it's worth):

The project has huge potential for the long-term creation of wealth and jobs here on the Grand Strand, and the $950,000 infusion advances that goal.

The proposed expansion of the Convention Center to include space for larger trade shows got a lot of ink a few years back. Larger shows in an expanded center would fill up local hotels at the times of years when occupancy is low while energizing restaurants and retail establishments in the during typically slow times of year, building jobs and economic activity for the entire region.

 Take that, John McCain! And, take this, too:

State of The Twitter

by: Tim Kelly

Thu Jan 15, 2009 at 09:17:51 AM EST

As noted below, Gov. Mark Hoover Sanford's "can't we just all get along" STOTS is getting all the ink and pixels today. But that clicking noise you kept hearing during the speech itself was all those legislators tweeting their little thumbs off in real-time reaction to the unGov's opining.

The highly innovative and already gushed over SCTweets was cookin' with gas - or at least hot air - all during the speech, an had WSPA interactive anchor Amy Wood, aka TVAmy, spiced up her live blog by incorporating said lawmaker tweets (latweets?) into her coverage.

But despite all the excitement about legislators sending text messages, their 140-character-or-less analysis was about as predictable as it gets. GOPpers loved it - I can't help thinking of them applauding with their sore thumbs - and the one Democrat who seemed to take the twitversation seriously and SCSenateDems were critical. 

That's why I turned to my twitstream to see what other people were saying.

SC expatriate Gary Karr didn't get a chance to see the speech - apparently Sanford's RGA gig doesn't merit live TV time in DC - but he liked what he read. Meanwhile, the Backporch saw the speech as a marketing opportunity.

The best commentary around, though was from John Warner, aka Swampfox. John and I have never met in person, but we've had some interesting blog discussions over the years.  Our political philosophies differ greatly, but he's one of the biggest and best cheerleaders for transforming South Carolina' moribund economy I've ever seen.

Right off the bat, Swampfox pointed out that "Sanford is talking to a national audience. A nicer, softer Governor. Yes we can," something that none of the solons in the chamber seemed to pick up on.

While Marky Mark's hero Tom Friedman famously told us, "The World Is Flat," the unGov went with "The tax oughta be flat" last night, and Swampfox has it exactly right:  "Gov rolls out flat tax - low taxes and low education = low per capita income we have always had."

Warner also pointed out the foibles of others connected to the night, noting that the SC Policy Council "...has become great impediment to progress," and concluding that Democratic responder Vince Sheheen is "...is a good guy, but he is fundamentally wrong about public education."

I'm sure there are people out there that I'm not currently following who commented on the speech, and I'd love to see those responses - so what was happening in your Twitterverse that I missed?

Tell Us How You Really Feel | Updated 1/21

by: Snead

Wed Jan 14, 2009 at 22:57:03 PM EST

State Rep. Joseph B. "Joey" Millwood on reports that P-E Obama will repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" via Twitter. Thanks, Representative Millwood. You're just one more reason I can't wait to get out of South Carolina.

Election Day Coverage

by: Tim Kelly

Mon Nov 03, 2008 at 19:08:17 PM EST

We also invite you to follow us on Twitter for updates as well.  

Finally, in the right navigation bar, we've placed South Carolina Election Updates.  This is a special Twitter feed from Indigo Journal and several other South Carolina blogs, featuring real time election day updates from around the state.  If you're a Twitter user, use the tag "#sc2008" in your tweets, and they will show up in this feed as well.