Politics

Report: Republicans Rule the ‘Twittersphere’

If a new report showing who the top Capitol Hill Twitter members are is any indication of this fall’s election success, Republicans are due for some big gains.

According to a new report from public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, eight of the 10 most-followed Twitter accounts on Capitol Hill belong to Republicans. And while more Democrats have Twitter accounts, Republicans are more active.

As Politico reports, the study found 67 percent of Republicans on Twitter are directly engaging other users, compared with just 41 percent of the Democrats who utilize the site.

Who are the most popular “tweeters?” Ironically, Obama’s 2008 presidential rival John McCain (R-AZ) has the most followers, followed by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC).

The other members in the top 10 are: Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA.), House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA.), Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI.) Only two Democrats cracked the top ten: Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri (No. 4) and Barbara Boxer of California (No. 7).

“The fact that neither Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi nor Majority Leader [Harry] Reid rank amongst even the Top 10 overall congressional users on Twitter speaks volumes … ,” Dallas Lawrence, managing director for digital public affairs at Burson-Marsteller, told Politico. “With two months before the general election, Republicans in Congress hold a clear advantage in the Twittersphere.”

According to Politico, the report also found that:

  • 68 percent of House Republican Twitter accounts are using the “@” function to directly communicate with other users. Meanwhile, 46 percent of Democratic accounts were using the “@” function. About half of all accounts were re-tweeting content, but Republicans tend to be more prolific at “re-tweeting,” or forwarding messages on to their followers.
  • Republicans are almost twice as likely to maintain two Twitter accounts — one for their offices and one for their campaigns — than Democrats, the study found. Thirty-nine percent of GOP members have campaign-focused accounts, compared with 31 percent of Democrats.
  • Campaign accounts are used to broadcast messages on fundraising, rallies or to respond to opponents. Republicans have more people following campaign-focused accounts, with an average of 4,820 following Republicans versus 2,972 following Democrats.

During the 2008 campaign season, Barrack Obama and the Democrats largely ruled social media. But that reign seems to be dwindling. The article points out that this is the second such study showing Republican resurgence in the social media world. According to a study released in August by George Washington University and New York Universtiy:

Republican senators outpaced Democrats in terms of absolute online growth in July, accruing more than 3,000 more Twitter followers and 20,000 more Facebook “likes.” GOP senators have experienced a 6.7 percent month-to-month growth on Facebook, compared with 3.6 percent for Democrats.

Burson-Marsteller – Congressional Use of Twitter 2010

Comments (34)

  • hamptonsurfer
    Posted on September 14, 2010 at 8:58pm

    Great, now we have the twittersphere and am radio. its only uphill from here!

    Report Post »  
  • The Bees
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 10:23pm

    Hey we shouldn‘t be doing articles that make it apparent that liberals can’t spell. ROTFLMAO

    Report Post » The Bees  
  • Jackpine Savage
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 7:28pm

    The reason for the divide is obvious, It’s really hard to obfuscate, prevaricate, and lie through your teeth in 140 characters or less.

    Report Post » Jackpine Savage  
  • ThinkLikeABlackBelt
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 7:22pm

    “64% of Twitter’s users are aged 35 or older” — Source: http://royal.pingdom.com/2010/02/16/study-ages-of-social-network-users/

    I followed the current Boulder fire, past earthquakes, online news tweets, and the Glenn Beck rally via Twitter. You have to find the trusted Twitter accounts, but the speed of news there is incredible. Links can take you to photos, blog posts, news stories — it is an amazing resource if you know how to pick who you follow.

    Report Post » Lori  
  • rlwebb3
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 6:15pm

    It’s Barack*, not Barrack. :D

    Report Post » rlwebb3  
  • Rickfromillinois
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 6:07pm

    What are the Democrats going to do to close the “twitter gap”? Perhaps they can pass a law during the possible upcoming “lame duck” session limiting the amount of tweets the Republicans can send out. The can call it the “Fairness for twits” law.

    Report Post » Rickfromillinois  
  • GlennBeckIsADemagogue
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 5:24pm

    In unrelated news today, Sarah Palin endorsed Christine O’Donnell for Senator from Delaware. No comment.

    Report Post » GlennBeckIsADemagogue  
  • TexasConnie
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 4:38pm

    Some misconceptions about Twitter here. First, it does not skew “young.” Teenagers are far too busy texting or on Facebook; relatively few of them are on Twitter. The Twitter demographic is much more thirty-something and widest (and earliest) appeal is the high-tech, social-media-friendly crowd.

    And yes, some politicians really do use the service and do it well, communicating w/ constituents and/or opponents via @ replies. It’s a very engaged, and engaging, community — and extremely influential in getting a message out. Many of them have a personal account and a Congressional account and perhaps a campaign account. Staffers usually maintain the campaign accounts. Some politicians are quite open with whether the account is staff-written or personally maintained.

    If you want to find conservatives on Twitter, look for the #tcot hashtag — it stands for top conservatives on Twitter. There was a concerted effort after the 2008 election to enlist Republican members of Congress as Twitter users and it has been wildly successful. I’ve been following it since the beginning and it was fun watching it take off.

    And to those comments that you can’t say much in 140 characters, I beg to differ. Really spend some time on Twitter having conversations (as I have since Jan. ‘07) and you have an opportunity to make friends, share viewpoints, and sometimes, shape opinions.

    Report Post »  
  • WolfSong
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 4:18pm

    To: ProgressivesLoveAmerica
    You can easily write a lengthy post blaming the Republicans regarding their views on immigration.

    Instead of blaming the Republicans, why don’t you publish a post stating what you and Democrats have done and/or would do in regard to America’s immigration problems?

    You might start your post by pointing out that our President and his administration have failed to enforce the current immigration laws. They have failed to visit the Border States and see for themselves what the situation is. Their answer to this complex situation (which we do understand) is to ignore it.

    We are in favor of legal immigration into our country. We are not racist against anyone. The violence, the drug cartels and the security risks should be addressed and addressed now!

    In order to solve a problem it needs to be worked – ignorance is not bliss.

    As complex as your post seems to be, I was able to read through to the end. Imagine that from a dumb Republican.

    PS: Please keep right on underestimating us.

    Report Post » Time_To_Stand  
  • Maybe the GEESE Know More than the BEES Know
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 3:44pm

    kind of a lame story because
    1. do we REALLY think any politician is actually doing tweeting? no.
    2. If that answer is actually ‘yes’ then i’d really rather they be holding town halls and TALKING TO US IN PERSON!

    we all need to get out of this instant gratification twitter world and do something. that said, I’m going to go check my facebook page and doooo something ;)

    have a good day all

    Report Post » Maybe the GEESE Know More than the BEES Know  
  • ardua76
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 2:51pm

    Good for them.

    Report Post » ardua76  
  • Republic
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 2:43pm

    I’ve checked out Twitter several times. I pretty much find that the short blurb of information to be useless to me. I am a detail person and too much can get lost and/or taken out of context with short notes. Perhaps it is good for others…

    Report Post »  
  • greg755
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 2:41pm

    Laurairish
    I am in your age bracket and use twitter as well from time to time…
    But most people who use twitter are young and MOST tweets are nothing more than gossip.
    While twitter is a good way to get out a fast message to a friend or a group, it really isn’t a good platform for discussing politics… For example I haven‘t gotten ONE tweet from the GOP or the DNC because I don’t follow any of them on twitter… I agree that they should use every tool to reach people Im just pointing out that Twitter really isn’t going to have much of an influence on the elections… Because it lakes the space to educate or debate anyone…. JMHO

    Report Post »  
    • laurairish
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 2:59pm

      Gregg, It all depends on who you follow! I certainly pick and choose who I follow and there are some great discussions from my fellow conservatives, politicians, etc. with links to supporting articles. Damn, I’m starting to sound like a poster girl. Look up “conservatives to follow on Twitter” and you will find a good list to get you started.

      Report Post »  
    • laurairish
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 3:01pm

      During the whole Scott Brown election – the tweets were flying for money bombs. They were everywhere – I don’t doubt that had a lot to do with helping him to get elected. That’s where we can be effective from another social media avenue. (p.s. – yes I do have regrets)

      Report Post »  
  • ProgressivesLoveAmerica
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 2:31pm

    All this means is that Republicans are good at taking complex issues with far reaching consequences and boiling them down to a simple slogan, a catchy phrase, a cliche, or a simple “yes or no” stance.

    It’s quite a sad commentary on the level of political discourse in our society.

    Report Post » ProgressivesLoveAmerica  
    • greg755
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 2:48pm

      What it means is they can cut through the BS better than the DNC…
      I don’t think liberals are capable of answering a question with a YES or a NO…. by the time they get through justifying or denying their position they are already into a couple pages of rhetoric and by that time they have forgoten the question….

      Report Post »  
    • Jackpine Savage
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 7:46pm

      Simple answers to complex problems are a sign of a logical mind.
      Only a liberal thinks that you need to bury all ideas in volumes of flowery language to obfuscate the actual message. Because libs know that if their actual message was made clear they’d lose 90% of their followers. Conservatives don’t need to obfuscate and prevaricate, because we know the Majority understands logic.

      Report Post » Jackpine Savage  
  • ProgressivesLoveAmerica
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 2:15pm

    This makes a lot of sense, in terms of what modern American conservatism has deteriorated into.

    Conservatives are very good at taking complex issues with far reaching consequences and structural ramifications AND boiling them down to a simple slogan, a cliche, a catchy phrase, or a simple “yes or no.”

    So, for example, take illegal immigration: it’s a very complex issue. However, if you’re conservative, all you have to do is say, “what part of ILLEGAL in the phrase ‘illegal immigrant’ don’t you understand?”

    Reality demands that some issues just are not that simple.

    Well, continuing on my example of illegal immigration, there are many factors to consider. At the heart of the issue is the fact that illegal immigration deals with how we allow our American economy to function: illegal immigrants are what economists love. They are a FLEXIBLE labor force: Keep them when you want them & get rid of them when you don’t want them. However, we never hear about this! All we hear about when it comes to illegal immigration is crime, racially, tinged rhetoric, & ridiculous notion of changing or Constitution! SENSATIONALISM & not well thought out analysis

    Again, Reality demands that there many issues out there that are NOT simple. However, if you have a population to demagogue & groups of people to scapegoat because you’re a power hungry Republican politician, then it’s perfectly okay for you to continue to dumb-down Americans by expressing your position on the issues with SIMPLE pre-fabricated catchy phrases…

    This really gets to the heart of education & general common knowledge that is available in the United States: our education system is horrendous! Americans tend to take pride in our ignorance & we do not tolerate complexity, unfortunately because we have been SPOILED by our mainstream media & technology that simply promote instant gratification & sensationalism INSTEAD!

    Report Post » ProgressivesLoveAmerica  
    • LORDHELMET
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 3:41pm

      Let‘s look at one of Sarah Palin’s tweets:

      “Dr. Laura: don’t retreat…reload! Steps aside bc her 1st Amend.rights ceased 2exist thx 2activists trying 2silence ‘isn’t American, not fair.”

      So, let‘s see what’s going on here:

      Not even going to deal with the ‘reload’ appeal to her 2nd amendment fan base… that’s not the real point, just another throw-away Palinism. The real problem here is that the fact that a talk show host can drop the N-bomb on her show to ‘prove a point’, and then label the caller ‘overly sensitive’. The backlash that Schlessinger RIGHTLY received is now perverted into a discussion of her first amendment right.

      Distortion at work: The real question should be “Should there be NO consequences EVER to what we say, especially as a public figure of such reach?” Just because Schlessinger CAN say all those things, doesn’t mean, she SHOULD.

      Why does that sound familiar? Right, just because they CAN build a mosque at Ground Zero, doesn’t mean they SHOULD.

      The analogy is apparently lost on most of Palin’s fan base, because the OUTRAGE caused by Schlessinger’s comments (as a consequence thereof) is now mislabeled as efforts to infringe upon her 1st amendment right of free speech.

      And thus, we see a good example of how the space of 140 characters lends itself beautifully to distorting, IGNORING, and twisting truth to fit your agenda, however simplistic it happens to be.

      Report Post » LORDHELMET  
    • FreeToGovern
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 4:02pm

      ProgressivesLoveAmerica – Do you believe illegal immagration is a problem in the U.S.? Also, you say that our educational system in horrendous, do you have any ideas of how to fix it? I’ve been thinking about the educational system a lot lately and am looking for any ideas, no matter how radical they are. By the way, please don’t lump all republicans together as if they are all in lockstep. Stereotyping won’t help your cause, nor mine.

      Report Post »  
    • Sheepdog911
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 6:06pm

      Now there’s a novel thought. Illegal immigration is a complex issue. No, silly prog, it really is that simple, they are illegally here, end of complexity. Not allof us need an engineeings calculator to figure two plus two.

      Report Post » Sheepdog911  
    • greg755
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 8:27pm

      No they don’t love America, if they did they wouldn’t be trying to CHANGE her….
      If you love something why would you change it?
      They love the idea of an imaginary “perfect America” that only exists in their warped brains…
      Your rant on Illegal immigration shows just how far out there you are… You are wrong, It is simple.
      They broke the law. Send them home, seal the borders, there is nothing complex about it….

      Report Post »  
    • Hugh Williams
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 9:55pm

      LORDHELMENT
      I thought Dr Laura quit? What is the problem? It is not like her gay lover was running a gay prostitution service out of her house like Barney Frank. He is a great example of NO consequences EVER to what we say or do, especially as a leftist public figure.

      Report Post » Hugh Williams  
  • Greg
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 2:00pm

    It’s simple; the truth is direct and to the point and can often be conveyed in less the 140 characters. But lies require rationalization and that takes much more then 140 characters.

    Report Post »  
    • greg755
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 2:44pm

      This is true (10 characters :)

      Report Post »  
    • LORDHELMET
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 3:17pm

      Disguised as direct and simple truths, lies are the most insidious. So, I’m not sure more twittering = more truthtelling. If anything, bogus, truthiness-reeking talking points are better suited for confines of twittering than environments where they can be scrutinized and dismantled.

      Report Post » LORDHELMET  
    • sawman
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 3:23pm

      I was going to say exactly the same thing. The truth and the facts are clear and to the point. To spin on the issue, and tell “half truths” requires quite a lot more explanation and time.

      Report Post »  
  • greg755
    Posted on September 9, 2010 at 1:53pm

    Is this really worth writing about? OH boy the GOP can reach the 15 year olds on twitter faster than the DNC can…. Big deal.. Now if I could only get Newt to talk about his latest haircut then I would be all in…. But maybe if we are lucky the DNC will see this as UNACEPTABLE and spend billions of dollars trying to out pace us….

    Report Post »  
    • dressseller
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 2:04pm

      This IS a big deal I think.. ..mostly because the Dems in 08 thought they had a monopoly on all things tech to get the word out …which translates to get the vote out. …I hope conservatives have learned the lesson of utilizing all tools at hand when campaigning this go round.

      Report Post »  
    • laurairish
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 2:22pm

      I beg your pardon Greg – I’m a 53 yr old Tweeter and love it – I get news faster than the LSM puts it out! You might want to try to get with the program and enjoy. (Man, I feel hip now) :-)

      Report Post »  
    • Skwerl
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 3:44pm

      Campaigning for the ADD demographic. It’s bloody brilliant.

      Report Post »  
    • Independent Tess
      Posted on September 9, 2010 at 4:24pm

      Hey, Greg755!
      There‘s a lot more than 15 year olds keeping track of what’s going on with Twitter. Like me!
      And I’m not telling how old I am (over 40)……

      Report Post » Independent Tess  

Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

Glenn Beck Radio

Listen to Glenn Beck 24/7 Listen Now
Restoring Love