Did Republicans succeed in steering the first presidential Twitter Town Hall to questions that would put President Obama on the spot?
There are reports that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Hill Republicans tried, apparently with little success.
But at one point, Twitter co-founder and moderator Jack Dorsey said this:
“Speaking of start-ups, there’s a ton of questions about small businesses and how they affect job creation. This one comes from Neal: ‘Small biz create jobs. What incentives are you willing to support to improve small business growth?’ ”
Obama finessed the question. But “a ton of questions”? Can the hard-working small-business owners, the drivers of the economy, folks such as the boutique trial lawyers, the personal injury lawyers, the doctors, the accountants, the dentists and the bodega owners, really afford to waste time in midday tweeting questions to Obama?
Then we recalled an e-mail we got at the beginning of the town hall from Brian Patrick, strategic communications director for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), citing a Wall Street Journal blast at Obama’s efforts for small businesses and with a subject line: “#AskObama: What about small business?”
We e-mailed to ask, but the modest Patrick said he couldn’t claim credit for Neal’s question.
Still . . .
A bonnie junket
“Join a Bipartisan Delegation to SCOTLAND,” said the e-mailed invite Wednesday afternoon from Reps. John J. Duncan Jr. (R-Tenn.) and Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.), the co-chairmen of the House Friends of Scotland Congressional Caucus.
Fact-finding in mid-August in lovely Scotland vs. sweltering here in River City? Oh, YES!
Seems the caucus “is searching for several more Members interested in joining a small and bipartisan Congressional delegation [codel] to visit Scotland August 13-20th,” the e-mail said.
Shouldn’t be that hard a search. We’ve got the golf clubs ready for loading on that business-class military jet. And this time there’s scarcely a pretense that work will be committed.
“The final itinerary will be developed over the coming weeks and includes meetings with Government Ministers, members of the Scottish Parliament and key representatives of Scotland’s business sectors,” the invite says.
Certainly no heavy lifting there, just chatting a bit with the Scots. And surely there’ll be a moment or two devoted to seeing some castles, sipping excellent single-malt Scotch and a delightful ride on the Bo’ness and Kinneil steam railway.
“Space is very limited” on the plane, we were warned. “Please contact . . . my office as soon as possible,” Duncan advised. Do not tarry. St. Andrews, the Loch Ness monster and the Speyside distillery await. There aren’t likely to be many better trips this summer.
Ah, codels, the last great bipartisan conspiracy.
Clearing the air
Senator and private pilot James Inhofe (R-Okla.), despite getting a bare slap on the wrist — rather than a license suspension — for landing his Cessna 340 last fall on a closed runway at a small South Texas airport and scaring the daylights out of workers doing maintenance, has blasted the Federal Aviation Administration for “agency overreach.”
Loading...
Comments