Politicians redefine Social Media


 

Jacqueline FellJacqueline Fell joined Cox Broadcasting as a Washington D.C. Correspondent in June 2012. She has reported on major crime, court and political stories for nearly a decade.
She joined the D.C. Bureau after spending time as the lead reporter on the Casey Anthony case at Central Florida News 13 in Orlando.

 

Is there anyone or anything not on social media these days?
I thought when moving to DC I’d be greeted with traditions of the past.
There are so many archaic conventions that most people have forgotten, but are still prevalent in the nation’s Capital.

That’s why it surprises me when I see lawmakers fully embrace social media… and even have a few quirks of their own.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz is the Democratic National Committee chairwoman and representative of Florida’s 23rd district. She’s also a mom, and cancer survivor. After beating breast cancer, Wasserman-Schultz told a reporter, “I’ve transformed the way I eat.” She created the Instagram persona “Clean Cooking Congresswoman“.

She posts pictures and the recipes of what’s for lunch or dinner. Some of the tasty pics include shrimp and black bean stuffed avacados, oven-baked rutabaga fries, and even shrimp-fried rice, where she is open about her lack of experience in the kitchen (she overlooked the rice the first go around.)
It’s a vulnerability rarely seen on Capitol Hill.

Neither is cute, cuddly, furry kittens, but one of the most powerful men in DC isn’t backing down from his love of cats. Congressman Darrell Issa is a DC heavy hitter..and the California representative is active on Twitter and Instagram.
Every Friday is #FridayKitty or #FridayPuppy day.  It started last year and his followers love it. They even sent their own version of Friday kitty on Issa’s birthday.

#FridayPuppySocial media for politicians isn’t always fun and furry animal memes. Facebook has been a venue where lawmakers share tough news. Washington state’s Jaime Herrera- Beutler told the world her baby had a rare disease called Potter’s Syndrome in a public posting. It was a near-certain death sentence, but take a look at her page now. She provides an update on just how well Abigail Rose is doing and why she is a miracle baby.

The social media world has taken us all by storm, and it’s nice to know that even in a profession-obsessed, power hungry place known as DC –our hearts can still melt with a picture. Not to mention we get to see the softer side of Washington Politics.