The Tweet Beat: The Best Congressional Tweets of the Week

Happy Friday, tweetbeaters! Hopefully, like many of our representatives, you’ve managed to escape in time and won’t get caught in the EPIC SNOWPOCALYPSE COMING TO KILL US ALL. With all this hashtagging going on, we have to wonder- how did people manage to hype things before Twitter? Text messaging? Telegrams? Cable news?

There was great excitement (and typical partisan posturing) this week when President Obama went to Baltimore for a powwow with House Republicans, conveniently taking most of the White House press pool with him. Virginia Foxx was unimpressed by the lecture, even if she did line up like a hardcore Obamabot afterwards to get the President’s autograph. Jason Chaffetz used the opportunity to actually ask useful questions, David Vitter is absolutely, completely obsessed with some Super Bowl copyright issue, Bob Goodlatte is reading, Glenn Thompson is groundhogging and Gabrielle Giffords got out just in time… And John McCain is very proud of his family. Which is nice.

jasoninthehouse  Heard from Newt Gingrich this morning. The President will join us for lunch.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, UT.

HarryEMitchell  I spoke at my granddaughter’s third grade class at Broadmor Elementary yesterday about government and civic responsibility.
Rep. Harry Mitchell, AZ.

SteveKingIA  President Obama just told us that most of Healthcare negotiations took place on CSPAN and that he’s a centrist and not an idealog.
Rep. Steve King, IA.

virginiafoxx  Pres gave us another lecture. Our guys asked great questions. Need independent fact checker for his comments. Got autograph
Rep. Virginia Foxx, NC.

jasoninthehouse  Great to be able to ask the President a question. I appreciate his openess and hope it continues.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, UT.

garamendica10  US Economy grew 5.7% last quarter. Recovery Act has contributed to sixth straight month of economic expansion & up to 2.4 m jobs
Rep. John Garamendi, CA.

DavidVitter  Stunned by NFL trying to claim “Who Dat”. I’m printing t-shirts that say “WHO DAT say we can’t print Who Dat!”. http://tinyurl.com/whodat1
Sen. David Vitter, LA.

petehoekstra  Press reports say admin abandoing plans to try KSM in NY.Finally!Now they need to keep Gitmo open!We’re making progress.
Rep. Pete Hoekstra, MI.

JeffFortenberry  Spoke with Gen. Fraser of US Southern Command on US relief operations in Haiti. Sadly, 115,000 dead and 193,000… http://bit.ly/bsYa1E
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, NE.

ChuckGrassley  Just left Ankeny HS anti substance abuse Funder chili supper. Only $5. Good felloship Same school last nite I Saw AHS Wrestlers lose
Sen. Chuck Grassley, IA.

HouseDemocrats  See the four-star luxury digs where House Rs are talking politics instead of how to create jobs for Americans: http://bit.ly/ar0AJe

IRL  Running tshirt lines: Who moved the finish line? The older I am, the faster I was. Please God, let there be someone behind me reading this.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, FL

DavidVitter  Sending follow up letter to NFL Monday.Pls co-sign my letter in defense of Who Dat nation & RT.www.davidvitter.com/whodat#scoop#geauxsaints
Sen. David Vitter, LA.

repgregwalden  Snow’s a wonderful thing, when it falls in the mountains! Still stuck on the tarmac at Reagan National.
Rep. Greg Walden, OR.

RepGoodlatte  Snowed in and reading The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. Big Read program at Lynchburg College Mon night sponsored by Amazement Square.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, VA.

SenJohnMcCain  Back in Phoenix today. Headed to a father/daughter brunch with Bridget – I’m so proud of her.
Sen. John McCain, AZ.

ThadMcCotter  I have been exploited as a political prop in SNL’s opening skit mocking Obama’s #SOTU. Tasty… http://bit.ly/cskSOz
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, MI.

IRL  @ beautiful Fairchild Gardens on this rainy Monday morn with my Mom who has Alzheimer’s. A special plants program 4 folks with Alzheimer’s.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, FL.

SenJohnMcCain  On my way to LA – Cindy is being honored by USC for her many accomplishments. I’m very proud of her!
Sen. John McCain, AZ.

CongressmanGT  On Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney for Groundhog Day. Phil saw his shadow – six more weeks of winter!!!!
Rep. Glenn Thompson, PA.

JohnKerry  Testified on amending Constitution to make clear corporations don’t have same speech rights as individuals. http://bit.ly/9loD0r
Sen. John Kerry, MA.

JudgeCarter  Tonight, I’ll be delivering Special Orders on the House floor. The subject: LESSONS IGNORED FROM THE FORT HOOD ATTACK.
Rep. John Carter, TX.

CynthiaLummis  Orszag agrees: …Bush budgets unsustainable, but NEITHER is this Obama budget
Rep. Cynthia Lummis, WY.

jahimes  Headed south into DC. Looks like we’re going into a storm, of the snow and budget varieties.
Rep. Jim Himes, CT.

JohnEnsign  Obama slams Las Vegas again. I am calling on the President to apologize for his remark.
Sen. John Ensign, NV.

SenSherrodBrown  Going on Rachel Maddow in half hr to talk jobs and awful Sup Ct decision allowing foreign and domestic corps to buy US elections. Sherrod
Sen. Sherrod Brown, OH.

VernBuchanan  Today Congress is voting to increase the US debt to $14,294,000,000,000.If I could,Id vote against this $14 Trillion times #tcot
Rep. Vern Buchanan, FL.

jahimes  House gym full and humming this morning w/the sound of New Year’s resolutions being kept.
Rep. Jim Himes, CT.

clairecmc  The friction between job creation and watching our spending, getting control of deficit is huge.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, MO.

JohnCornyn  Scott Brown being sworn now
Sen. John Cornyn, TX.

Rep_Giffords  Storm of all storms heading to DC — I’m getting out of here and flying back home to sunny Tucson!
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, AZ.

jaredpolis  just boarded plane to Denver, PHEW looks like I’ll make it out before DC snowstorm hits
Rep. Jared Polis, CO.

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Sophie Gilbert