DIGITAL DOMINANCE: Colorado The Center Of The Twitter Universe Today

Published on March 12, 2013 by

As a major bellwether for political issues, and an attractor of all sorts of strange characters from balloon boy to the Dougherty siblings, Colorado gets more than its fair share of attention from those not living a mile above sea level.

Today provides the latest example of the importance of Colorado, with not one, or two, but three Colorado-related issues becoming the top trending topics on Twitter worldwide.

As we noted:

continue…

 

TWITTER TROLLING: SE2 Publishes List of Legislator Twitter Handles

Published on January 25, 2013 by

For those looking to be in the know, nonpartisan public affairs firm SE2, headed by Eric Sondermann, has published a list of Colorado State legislator Twitter handles. Find the list compiled by SE2 here.

Not everyone is as entertaining as Senator Brophy, so here and here are two lists that the Peak has compiled of capitol characters worth an extra look.

While, initially, people were confused about what to do with Twitter, it has morphed into real-time, as-it-happens event monitoring.  This is especially helpful for monitoring what’s happening in the House and Senate during debates. It’s also helpful for tracking legislation.  Free free to use this list to follow the legislators you love…and those you love to hate.

 

JARED THE FRIVOLOUS: Polis Trifles For Social Media Glory

Published on July 25, 2012 by

Our view: We agree with the Twitter soldier who told Polis to "tell those a—holes in congress to cut out this stupid sh— and get some actual work done.”    

Jared Polis is a joke. He really and truly is.  

We will spare you a long rendition of critical commentary, because Polis' embarrassing idiocy speaks for itself.  

Politico, per yesterday afternoon:

Rep. Jared Polis took to the social news Web site on Monday to promote his candidacy in the “Member Online All-Star Competition,” an annual contest put on by Democratic Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) in which lawmakers compete to gain the most new Facebook likes, Twitter followers and YouTube subscribers over a three-week period.

Ever since posting his plea, he’s been responding to candid questions and colorfully worded comments — nearly 1,000 of them, at last count.

“So if u wanna help me and give me more internet glory and karma among members of Congress, please upvote this post and most importantly like my facebook page and follow my twitter,” the Colorado Democrat wrote in the post, adding, “Isn’t it cute we have contests like this in Congress?”  

A user named “empathaticbitch” didn’t think it was so cute, writing, “Honest to fu——- god, tell those a—holes in congress to cut out this stupid sh— and get some actual work done.”

 
Jared, get a life, grow up, and quit acting like a spoiled little billionaire. You are a Congressman. Do something for America, and quit acting like an a– hole.

 

SELF-IMPORTANT: Senator Hudak Trashes Colo Lawyers Committee Event Because She Was “Not Introduced”

Published on May 21, 2012 by

UPDATE: Senator Hudak has deleted her tweet trashing the Colorado Lawyers Committee. Unfortunately for her, that doesn’t make the screenshot go away.

——–

Ah, the perils of Twitter for public officials. Today, state Senator Evie Hudak (D-Westminster) became the lastest elected official to make a fool of herself on Twitter, complaining to her colleague, Senator Linda Newell (D-Littleton), that the Colorado Lawyers Committee awards ceremony she attended wasn't the “best use of time” because legislators like herself were not introduced.

Check out the self-important tweet:

It appears Senator Hudak meant to reply to Senator Newell via private, direct message, as Senator Newell’s account shows no public references to the event Hudak was attending.

Oops.

We know state legislators sometimes fancy themselves the most important people in the known political universe, but outside the Capitol there are few who would agree.

What makes this unintended moment of truth even funnier is that lawyers and lobbyists were the second leading campaign contributors to Senator Hudak in her last election, second only to labor unions (h/t Colorado Media Trackers). Maybe they’ll think twice about donating to her campaign this time around.

And maybe Senator Hudak should think twice before she tweets (or votes for that matter).  

 

TRASHING PAY DISPUTES: Miklosi Campaign Manager On Record Attacking Staffers Seeking Compensation

Published on May 8, 2012 by

Joe Miklosi's campaign manager, Joe Hamill, recently tweeted out an article about former political staffers seeking pay for their work and added a comment about the detrimental effects that would have on their careers. This revelation comes a day after The Colorado Observer reported there is an ongoing pay dispute between Joe Miklosi's Congressional campaign and a former political staffer.

Does Joe Miklosi share Joe Hamill's view about staffers seeking pay? Does he think it's appropriate for a campaign manager working for a campaign embroiled in a labor dispute to be publicly trashing workers seeking back pay?

On April 6, Joe Hamill tweeted this:

With a formal back pay complaint filed against the Miklosi campaign for stiffing the former campaign finance director Kirsten Boyd, it's probably not a legally nor politically smart decision to weigh in publicly on the subject of compensation owed to former employees. 

Since Hamill is the campaign manager, isn't it safe to assume he speaks for the campaign? As The Observer article could easily be named "How Joe Miklosi's campaign gets away with not paying its finance director" it seems fair to say Hamill doesn't think Boyd's back pay complaint is a very smart course of action. 

Joe Miklosi has yet to weigh in on the scandal roiling his campaign, but with his campaign manager dipping his toe into the issue, he might have to clarify his position. 


 

DEMOCRATIC “CIVILITY”: State Legislator From Maine Says He Wants To Watch Former VP Cheney Get Hung

Published on April 13, 2012 by

It's been four years since President Bush and Vice President Cheney were in office, but that hasn't stopped President Obama from trying to pass off blame for the economy on them, nor has it soothed any of the left wing hate that was so prevalent last decade. One Democrat state legislator from Maine was recently caught having tweeted a wish for his ability to watch Vice President Cheney die like Saddam Hussein.

Reports The Daily Caller:

Maine has been at the center of calls for civility and bipartisanship since Sen. Olympia Snowe announced her retirement citing “political paralysis.” But one Maine Democratic legislator seems to have missed the memo, sending out a tweet in which he seemingly called for former Vice President Dick Cheney’s execution.  

State Rep. Chuck Kruger, the Democratic chairman of the Maine Legislature’s Moderate Caucus, tweeted in August, “Cheney deserves same final end as he gave Saddam. Hope there are cellcams #cheney.” The Maine Wire first reported this, and preserved a screen shot of the now-deleted tweet.  

In an email to The Daily Caller, Kruger clarified, “I do not wish for the death of Dick Cheney or anyone. I did NOT call for his execution, that was an absolute smear from an organization dedicated to damaging Democrats. I did make a lousy attempt at humor, and I regret that.”

Though the tweet occurred last summer, note to public officials: Tweets, like diamonds, are forever.

Second note to public officials: death threats about public officials are not "lousy jokes."

Saying you want to watch Vice President Cheney die like Saddam Hussein, whose execution by hanging went viral after it was captured on cell phone video, is not a joke, nor a "lousy attempt at humor."

We hope Democrats who whine about lack of respect for Obama by conservatives take this as a reminder of their side's stance towards the last White House. 

Can you image the outrage that would explode if a Republican state legislator said he wanted to watch Obama get executed?

(Photo Credit: The Maine Wire)


 

OUR BRUSH WITH DRUDGE: The Awesome Power Of A Single Link

Published on February 24, 2012 by

A few weeks ago, in the span of about 24 hours we at Colorado Peak Politics received a quarter million new visitors. While not sharing any of our top secret, eyes only traffic data, we'll just say that was a substantial increase in our normal visitor flow. How did it happen? The awesome power of the Drudge Report. 

The virtual flash mob of new visitors came to read the story we broke about how the liberal activist who attacked Mitt Romney in Denver with a "glitter bomb" had been working for the state Senate Democrat caucus. Needless to say, it was an embarrassing piece of news for Senate President Brandon Shaffer and his cohorts.

But when the Drudge Report linked to the story, it was no longer just a piece of bad local press, but an embarrassing national news story.

The Drudge Report drives more traffic to news websites than Twitter and Facebook combined. Times two. 

We've spent the last couple of weeks trying to track down exactly how Drudge stumbled upon this little right wing digital rag. 

And we figured it out.

No, we won't tell you. 

Why, you ask?

Because Matt Drudge has retained his mysterious and practically magical power over the national news media in part because he's so elusive.

He doesn't do TV. He doesn't respond to comment for news stories. Unlike most in the business, he's not a serial self-promoter. 

His understanding of what drives politicos and the press is the ultimate source of his influence. From perusing hundreds of headlines and news stories he can pick out exactly what matters most. Talk radio and TV producers continue to look to Drudge to tell them what to cover. 

While we don't claim to know the first iota about what makes Matt Drudge and his two staffers tick, we will say we remain humbled to have received a link. And we hope he stops by more often. 

Because when he does, a few hundred thousand eyeballs come with him.


 

JARED POLIS: Fulfilling His Reputation For Immaturity

Published on February 9, 2012 by

On election night in Colorado, Boulder Congressman Jared Polis degraded his office and embarrassed himself and his constituents in Colorado's 2nd Congressional district. The Loveland Reporter Herald reported that Congressman Polis took a "profane stab at Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum via Twitter."

From the Reporter-Herald:

In a tweet sent to his more than 14,000 followers from his @jaredpolis account, the Boulder Democrat wrote as results were still coming in for the Colorado Republican caucuses: "CO results so far: S*#!ntorum in 1st, Gingrich in 2nd, Romney in 3rd."

Santorum went on to win the Colorado caucuses, beating the favored Mitt Romney 40 percent to 35 percent.  

Asked whether the self-censored tweet was intended to denigrate Santorum's last name, Polis spokesman Chris Fitzgerald said, "You'd have to ask (Polis)."

Unsurprisingly, the press has yet to ask Jared Polis about his tweet.

Now, we know Polis's liberal lackeys will be quick to point out we at the Peak are no strangers to immaturity.

That is undeniably true.

The difference: we're an anonymous blog and Polis is a Congressman.

He represents 1/7th of Colorado's citizens in the country's Capitol. We can and should hold him to a higher standard of public discourse.

If Congressman Mike Coffman or Congressman Doug Lamborn had tweeted something like this about President Obama, you can be sure it would be news.

Can anyone remember the manufactured outrage spun up by the liberal machine and aided by their allies in the press when Doug Lamborn used the term "tar baby" when talking about avoiding President Obama?

Hello, press corps, are you out there? A Colorado Congressman publicly insulted the winner of the Colorado GOP caucuses. There might be some news value in that.

To be fair, Santorum has had his fair share of stupid statements and he has rightfully been raked over the coals for them.

So, why, when Congressman Polis makes a stupid statement, isn't he raked over the coals?

It's a question worth asking, and one that Doug Lamborn probably is asking too.


 

CAPITOL CHARACTERS: 8 Twitter Accounts Worth Following

Published on January 24, 2012 by

With the legislative session in full swing, and the #COleg Twitter hashtag back in business, we thought it would be a good time to reprise our popular 7 Twitter accounts worth following post. In the last year, some Twitter holdouts have signed up for the short message system, while some others have stepped up their game considerably.

Most politicians' Twitter accounts are, predictably, boring. Senator Brophy (@SenatorBrophy) is the exception, not the rule. We highly doubt there will be any Anthony Weiner-esque crotch shot tweets emanating from the Capitol this year — but we follow legislators' accounts just in case. 

For those looking for real-time updates and analysis on the Colorado Legislature and its political occupants, we suggest the following eight accounts. 

1. Charles Ashby (@OldNewsMan): Certain to make the hashtag #getoffmylawn trend this session, The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel's political scribe has finally joined the 140-character brigade. Already he has snarkily summed up Morgan Carroll's poor excuse for a book, made some off-color jokes and repeatedly suggested an immediate need for nicotine. Follow Ashby and watch an old school print reporter attempt to navigate the new fangled Twitter-filled world. 

2. Missing Pundit (@MissingPundit): A fellow anonymous web presence, Missing Pundit may be on the wrong side of the divide politically, but his/her misinformation is at least funny. There have been a painful slew of fake accounts attempting to replicate Missing Pundit, we're looking at you @ColPhacts, but they're all redheaded stepchildren compared to the original. 

3. John Schroyer (@Johnschroyer): Perhaps best known for his minute-by-minute coverage of the Doug Bruce trial, the Colorado Springs Gazette's political reporter can be counted on to bring live coverage of colorful gatherings and the latest in El Paso campaign news. He also is likely to respond to questions and comments via tweet, making him one of the more accessible and technologically savvy journalists in Colorado politics. 

4. Peter Marcus (@mediamarcus): Reporter for the Colorado Statesman, and previously the now-defunct Denver Daily News, Marcus covers conservatives fairly — a trait worth valuing. Like Lynn Bartels, his feed is also full of snark and sarcasm poking fun at weak political rhetoric and gamesmanship. 

5-6. Kristen Wyatt (@APkristenwyatt) & Ivan Moreno (@IvanJournalist): The AP's Colorado political team splits coverage at the Capitol. To get a sense of what the rest of the country is hearing about Colorado politics, follow these two. For news junkies, you can also read early versions of their pieces, so you can see how they develop over time. 

7-8. Joe Miklosi (@JoeMiklosi4CD6) & Brandon Shaffer (@Shaffer4CO): Both of these Congressional campaigns blocked the Peak from following their Twitter feeds. Let us know if they say anything stupid. Or raise any real money. 

——–

You can read our post on 7 Twitter accounts worth following from last year here.

 

THE PRESIDENT’S DENVER DUPE: Mayor Hancock Happy To Carry Obama’s Water On “Jobs” Act

Published on October 12, 2011 by

Remember when Mayor Hancock's communication team got themselves in trouble by telling the Colorado press that they were bored of them already and that they wanted a national profile for Hancock? Well it appears they have gone full steam ahead with that initiative anyway. Yesterday, the White House, searching for a Democrat, any Democrat, who would stand by their side on Stimulus II, found a willing stooge in Mayor Hancock.

In attempting to be new media hip, the White House tweeted Hancock's support via a Youtube video. In a sign of the double-edged sword of new media, the video has 30 "dislikes" to only 22 "likes." Turns out the denizens of the web are about as enamored with the "Jobs" act as the Democrat-controlled US Senate, which is to say not at all. 

It's more than slightly ironic that all the mayors clamoring for bipartisanship on the "Jobs" act are Democrat mayors of liberal strongholds. We can't seem to find much support coming from elected officials who are not safely ensconced in their seats of power, which is why Democrat Senators with tough re-elections in 2012 wouldn't even allow the bill to come up for debate in the US Senate yesterday.

Remember: With two Senate Democrats voting against Obama’s bill yesterday, support for the American "Jobs" Act has been a partisan affair, while opposition revels in the glow of bi-partisanship. 

Whereas Governor Hickenlooper has played the James Carville to Obama, refusing to abide by the White House talking points and giving the unvarnished truth about the "hard time" Obama will have winning Colorado, Mayor Michael Hancock has been happy to be Obama's Denver dupe.

Knowing these roles, who do you think national political reporters will call for comment on the election?

 
© 2011-2013 Colorado Peak Politics