Joe Wilson Hires Professional Tweeter

[Stephanie]

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/58351-wilson-hires-a-pro-to-tweet

Wilson hires professional Tweeter
By Eric Zimmerman and Christina Wilkie - 09/11/09 02:57 PM ET


Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) has hired a new-media strategist to help with a vigorous defense launched after heckling the president.

David All, who bills his firm as the first conservative Web 2.0 agency, was retained Thursday afternoon amid the media storm surrounding Wilson’s “You lie!” outburst. Since then, All has been busy writing Twitter updates and reaching out to conservative blogs on Wilson's behalf.


***

In the ad, Wilson said that he is defending himself against liberals who are seeking to capitalize on his misstep. Already, his Democratic opponent has raised more than half a million dollars in the hours since his speech went viral.

Enter All, a former communications director for Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) and a self-described fan of the late Lee Atwater, the famed strategist who ran President George H.W. Bush’s campaign.

“I got the call at 2 o’clock yesterday,” All said in an interview with The Hill. “He already knew he wanted to respond, it’s just a matter of having someone help quarterback and toss the ball when needed.”

Two hours later, Wilson’s Twitter feed went into overdrive. Over the next five hours, Wilson posted 15 Tweets, four shy of his total count for the entire month of August.

[LiberalAndProud]

1. Looks like he's a bit worried.

Makes me happy I still don't twitter.

[shireen]

2. that twit! nt

[Orsino]

3. GOP: all PR, and no change.

And clumsy PR at that.

[calimary]

4. Damn - this loon really is going on offense.

Gotta be watchful with guys like him. He understands the disproportional value of a squeaky wheel. It gets more attention. When it gets more attention it burrows deeper into the national psyche. After he's talked about so constantly for days, even weeks, on end, he becomes establishment and mainstream and it's sort of expected that you're gonna hear from/about him in one way or the other (particularly if you milk it). Exhibit A, sarah palin.

He's trying to position himself as two incongruous things at the same time: A) a courageous crusader, valiant - even heroic, gutsy, plain-tawkin' underdog against loathesome brazillions of Liberal Elites; and B) a victim.

These guys ARE just what they're called by the Bill Mahers of the world: crackpots, nutcases, "the fringe," etc. Numerically, as we see in poll after poll after poll, they are in a manifestly unarguable minority (what, like in the 30-percents - IF you're being generous?). But if they can manipulate the media tools available to them, they can SEEM as though they're a lot bigger and more powerful than they really are. And if you thus manipulate people's perceptions of them, if they seem a lot bigger and more powerful, then they ARE a lot bigger and more powerful. And by then nobody cares about checking annoying and tedious facts. It becomes a foregone conclusion. BESIDES, if you have no equally forceful (if not more forceful) push-back hell-bent on making sure its side gets an equal hearing, too, there will be nothing to counter-act or genuinely balance that foregone conclusion. And if all you hear is the one side, from the Million Moron Marchers for example, or certified lunatics like glenn beck and joe wilson, then that's the only thing that embeds in the national psyche with nothing in response to set the record straight.

We gotta watch out for guys like wilson. Our side's gotta AT LEAST do what he does if not try to anticipate and stay a step or two ahead. EVERYTHING those of us equipped to do so - either with their time, or their resources, or their blogging, or their organization, or their level of clout - we should be doing. Big and small. I hope people who tweet - and I mean some of the so-called organizations our side has, like Think Progress and MoveOn.org and People for the American Way and others where they have staffers and even unpaid interns who could be assigned to this - will start taking the offense and making sure mass quantities of OUR views are heard also. Toward that end, I know, I know, the media structure its very self is part of the problem. Well, maybe sometimes our side has to force the issue. For example, when is OUR march? And when will we start having aggressive PR that actually forces itself onto the airwaves? That's what the town hall tantrum-throwers did. Surely we can think of more clever, more memorable things to do? And if we can't, why aren't there groups from our side, either professionals or nonpros, brainstorming answers around the clock?

Oh well... pardon the rant. If I were king...

Probably a good thing for all humankind that I'm not, if you really wanna know... :P