Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank published a column this morning slamming congressman for using Twitter and Qik to give color commentary and play by play last night during President Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress.
In the column he says…
President Obama spoke of economic calamity and war last night in that solemn rite of democracy, the address to the joint session of Congress. And lawmakers watched him with the dignity Americans have come to expect of their leaders: They whipped out their BlackBerrys and began sending text messages like high school kids bored in math class.
This column seems very telling to the extent which many members of the old guard just don’t get where the world is going.
I don’t want to be communicated to by politics in page long press releases or newspaper op-eds that are full of buzz words and empty rhetoric. I want to to get the unfettered access. I want to hear their unfiltered thoughts and I want to be able to hold conversation with them about these thoughts.
Twitter and Qik are great tools for this transparency… for this level of access and conversation.
It is our government. These politicians represent us and thus should do anything and everything they can to connect and form relationships with us their constituents.