Column:

Sen. McCaskill friendly, honest on Twitter

The Alfalfa Club lunch was great.

By Lindsay Eanet

Published Feb. 5, 2009

Even after I began following my friends, favorite media outlets and some dude pretending to be the Notorious B.I.G. on the social networking service known as Twitter, I still had trouble seeing how people could make it such a huge, integral part of their lives. (Twitter, for those who have yet to be initiated into its freakish journo-centric cult, is essentially Facebook statuses on steroids, as a friend once put it.)

And then, it happened. U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., got a Twitter account. Now, in between updates from the Denny's Nanerpus and ?uestlove from The Roots, I can look forward to my own little slice o' the Senate throughout the day.

My love for McCaskill's Twitter started on Inauguration Day. I was working most of the day and relied on her updates to bring me the witness's perspective on the festivities. I loved seeing this new side of her -- the conversational, jocular and often humbled side. The side that refers to Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Jim Webb as her "pals," the side that pokes fun at Justice Antonin Scalia's "weird hat" and the side that gets her dance on at Gospel brunches.

It's easy for politicians to get wrapped up in the need to be professional and use jargon, and all too often, when they try for the opposite and "speak to the average American," it feels disingenuous (e.g. the Joe The Plumber fiasco). Social networking sites like Twitter might be a way for elected officials to find the balance and begin the daily conversation with the people.

Unlike the tweets from the "Barack Obama" account during the election, the updates from McCaskill's account don't have the feel of having her words and thoughts manhandled by aides and spokespeople. Spelling errors and inner monologue mingle for gems like this: "Ok. I'm mad about these yahoos on Wall Street taking bonuses and trying to buy fancy jets on the taypayers dime." Long before addressing questions about the bill she introduced (advocating salary caps for executives of companies being aided by the bailout) through the conventional politicos' channel of cable news (in this case, MSNBC) or even before taking the floor to an audience of her peers and C-SPAN's too few watchers, she made her indignation known and gave her followers insight into her decision to introduce the bill.

McCaskill's Twitter is hardly the first example of elected officials using new media to reach their constituents on a personal level, and will only likely be part of a rising trend. In the wake of an election where so much was invested into the youth vote, more and more elected officials are (finally) turning to technology, and in particular social networking sites, as another means of reaching their constituents. Many members of Congress now have their own YouTube channels, where they post clips of floor speeches or personal addresses to the people. And while many members have chosen not to enable comments on their videos, some are happy to use the site to field questions (hopefully more will join the latter category).

A debate has risen in the Missouri General Assembly now as to whether laptops and handheld devices should be allowed on the floor. The debate is at a stalemate now, but if the addition of the technology will allow for members to engage in discussion with the people and be a positive tool for dialogue, then the change should be welcomed.

But until then, I'll just have to settle for McCaskill's take on the Alfalfa Club lunch. It's pretty great, in case you were wondering.