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Karl Rove Is Following Me
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Bush’s Brain started microblogging his thoughts on Twitter last week and some people already think he’s pretty adorable. Can one of the most divisive men in America actually change his image—140 characters at a time?
A frisson of breathless excitement rippled through the Twitter community last week as a mysterious new member made his debut. Was it really him? Or was it just a joke, like Fake Steve Jobs and the various Betty Drapers? As skeptical Tweeters raised an eyebrow, “KarlRove” cheerfully micro-blogged away, updating the world on his thoughts in 140-character increments. Two days later, the mystery was cracked by veteran Democratic political consultant (and Twitter mainstay) Joe Trippi who demanded of the upstart tweeter: “At Gridiron Dinner you handed out a bunch of these. What did you hand out?” Replied KarlRove: “Lighters!” Trippi confirmed that it was indeed lighters. It was official: Bush’s Brain had joined the Twitterati.
“No amount of lipstick on that pig is ever going redeem Rove in the eyes of liberals and progressives, no matter how "down" he is with what "the kids" are doing on "the webs" and "the Facebook.’”
With gusto. Rove took to the platform like a pro, dropping links to his website, op-eds and TV clips, replying to random people who messaged him (the Twitter equivalent of a namedrop) and “following back” everyone who followed his Twitter feed (the Twitter version of a suckup). He thanked everyone for welcoming him. He called Fox News’ Trace Gallagher a “new media ninja.” He used exclamation points!! It was actually sort of…cute.
Wait a second. Karl Rove, cute? There was nothing cute about eight long Bush years. And yet, I felt an unmistakable stab of jealousy when a Tweet from a friend came through triumphantly announcing that Karl Rove had started followed him. I made a decision: I followed Rove. The next day, he followed me back…and I liked it.
What was going on here? Yes, there was the glamour of having a famous person on Twitter, joining Shaq, Lance Armstrong, and Britney Spears;yes, it was exciting to think that he’d chosen me, even if it was along with DrYogi and Atlas The Dog; yes, there was the thrill of the bad boy. But this wasn’t the same bad boy I’d known the past eight years—away from the White House and in 140 characters, this Karl Rove was different. On Twitter he was excitable and inclusive and fun. Humble (“Thanks everyone for supporting me on Twitter. Any tips are greatly appreciated”) yet still forceful (“Reid's actions are erratic, arbitrary, and unconstitutional”). Most of all he was—gasp!—transparent. This wasn’t the old Karl Rove; this was Karl Rove 2.0.
Karl Rove 2.0—a new spin on the old version, just in time for the Obama administration and Change We Can Believe In. And it’s working—in a week, he’s amassed almost 4,000 followers—impressive numbers for Twitter (Barack Obama is the most-followed Twitterer, with 165,414; Shaq has 29,762; Trippi has 4,059; the average journalist in the reality-based community has somewhere around two thousand. Well done, Howie Kurtz!).
Moreover, while there are certainly more than a few conservative voices on Twitter, it is much more popular in blue states. And it’s only been a week. If Karl Rove can win over a blue-state Twitterati like me, then who’s to say where the reinvention will stop? Could Twitter be the secret to burnishing his Bush-tarnished brand? Consider who is on Twitter: Early adopters, people who publish across a number of platforms, more and more journalists; virtually every blogger. As go the Twitterati, so goes the nation. (Who’s that top Twitterer again? Oh, right.)
“Karl Rove represents that next wave of people coming to Twitter,” says Trippi, who told me he thinks it’s no accident that Rove is catching on now—and that Rove’s presence is proof that Twitter is about to blow up. “He’s someone who knows how to communicate—and how to drive communication through multipliers like Twitter. He’s shown that through two presidential elections.”
Social media analyst Alisa Leonard Hansen invokes a little McLuhan, noting that Rove’s very use of Twitter gives him a boost: “It does seem as if that just by virtue of being on Twitter it says something positive about you—like hey, maybe he's more honest, accessible, grounded than we thought? He Twitters!” (One female social media type actually described Rove to me as “adorable.”)
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Rachel Sklar is the editor at large for Mediaite.com and a contributor to The Daily Beast. She was formerly a senior writer and editor at the Huffington Post, and before that, a lawyer. She runs online micro-giving site Charitini, and Twitters up a storm here.
The Daily Beast Video curates the most essential and entertaining video, and brings you original and exclusive productions from our talented contributors.
AndreainNY
It's hard to believe but...there's a whole world beyond liberals and progressives and they Twitter.
And calling a political analyst "evil" is, well, just a tad childish. Stalin was evil. Hitler was evil. Saddam was evil. Rove? Hmmm. How does one even explain this? It would require some maturity on everyone's part.
jainthorne
If you think Karl Rove is cute simply because of his comments on Twitter then that confirms my view of Twitter. I used to Twitter until I realized just how much it reminded me of high school. The comment about how excited you were when Karl Rove actually "followed you" made me laugh as it parallels the excitement of a freshman when a senior says hello.
If you think Karl Rove is just a political analyst then you haven't been paying attention. His name is all too often at the center of some of the worst activities of the past decade.
drkaza12
Dear AndreanNY; Karl Rove is indeed an evil doer. At this minute there are some who think he was obliquely instrumental in the demise of his personal computer geek who played a rovian role in the voter fraud that took place in florida.
His dead buddies plane mysteriously, like paul Wellstone's fell abruptly from the sky terminating not only his career but him as a star witness for a government case relating to voter manipulation. This unfortunately cast a shadow over the government case, but shapes a back door Karl could drive through in his lincoln town car.
KR'S Machiavellian sociopathic behavior is renowned considering he learned from the best Lee Atwater.Evidently the memo sent to KR from Mr. Atwater regarding his regrettable behavior didn't ascend above his reptilian brain.
Lee Atwater...."My illness helped me to see that what was missing in society is what was missing in me: a little heart, a lot of brotherhood".
Probably like DC the cup that is his life wasn't topped off with its sufficient amount of evil, and besides, he, in his quest for power, "had other priorities".
donatello
One would hope that when Bush left we would never hear from the scumbag Rove again. Such won't be the case however. We are destined to hear his evil spew on future political shows. Like Coulter, Morris, and Rush, some right wing nut show will give his opinion credibility.
Bulldoglover100
This Author is what is wrong with this country. All it took was someone "known" showing her a snipit of attention and she's a follower??? LOL Does she have a clue how stupid this makes her look? Does she know his policy decisions? Does she even agree with him on any stands? and if so why?...yet she is now supporting him.......how very very stupid.
AbbyLongoria
I think it will change his public image - people will be more sympathetic to him when they have access to his thoughts. Twitter will humanize him. Don't forget, society created Karl Rove. If it wasn't Karl, it would have been someone else.
scriptdog
how hard would it be for someone to be doing this for Rove? The "lighters" answer could easily have been fed to the doppelganger. What are you wearing for the Prom?
Bulldoglover100
Society created Karl Rove? Are you kidding? Karl Rove created Karl Rove whith his choices. The fact that the media reported those choices does not mean "society created Karl Rove". Why do people like you even bother to comment? If you just want to hear yourself talk then go get a twitter account and you and the author of this drivel can become friends!
Serious discussion should be left to those who take the time to educate theirself regarding the facts....a task that apparently was too tough for you or the author.
Embers
Karl Rove is undoubtedly using twitter for strategic reasons. The book "Bush's Brain" speaks of his near-encyclopedic knowledge of what voters want in any given area. He's very sharp.
intelligentbydesign
@Bulldoglover:
"Serious discussion should be left to those who take the time to educate theirself regarding the facts". In that case, I'd recommend recusing yourself from further conversation until you have educated yourself on the facts of the accepted english language, as opposed to telling others to educate themselves.
The influence of society (especially political society as created since Nixon and arguably before) cannot be denied in the creation of men like Karl Rove. Rove didn't invent political self interest and corruption. He didn't invent rigging elections and running nasty campaigns filled with lies. He's just the most recent incarnation of it. In this sense, society did create Rove - and all the others like him. Abby's point, therefore, is a valid one - if it weren't Rove, it would be someone else. The political climate that has been created virtually guarantees it.
alisamleo
just wanted to clarify that my comment about Twitter seeming to give him a "boost" says more about Twitter as a medium itself rather than Rove...my full thought on what it means for his image is this:
Well, that's an interesting question. In many ways, we see just how compelling that old McLuhanite adage "the medium is the message" really is....it does seem as if that just by virtue of being on Twitter it says something positive about you-- like hey, maybe he's more honest, accessible, grounded than we thought? He Twitters! And Twitter = openness, dialogue, transparency, immediacy, etc--RIGHT??. Can he improve his tarnished image? No doubt his Twittering gives some cause for an opinion double-take...However, IMAGE is the operative word here. Can you really improve your image via social media if the actual product sucks? Not really, you've actually got to improve the product (social media amplifies, and the balance between image and actuality grows precarious)
So while he may be using it to feather up his public image, the double-edge sword of it is that if in reality you are shady, a defunct product...then that same medium you are trying to leverage will expose you to even harsher criticism and scrutiny. Tread lightly, politicos.
-alisa
Edwardo
At the risk of sounding hopelessly naive and old fashioned, I am astounded how much value people put into all this social networking technology. What happened to face to face connections with mankind. Everyone is so ready to blindly embrace what ever new fad product that appears on the internet and everywhere else for that matter, that they don't realize that the primary reason websites exist is to extract fees from you or leverage you're presence on their sites to extract fees from someone else. We are all being used. The giant phonebook that talks back is taking over our lives!
Bulldoglover100
Hey intelligentbydesign
LOL kinda misrepresented on the name.....
Your argument holds no water. Simply because a movement forms, it has to appeal to the basic personality and twist of those who cling to it.
Many political themes for Rove to have "chosen" to cling to yet the one he picked? is one that called to his base nature of a nasty person.
Try your tight wing coddling on some other blog..perhaps red state where the value of an education is lost.
hockeydog
Whether you despise Rove or think he is a cute little twitter-bug, keep in mind that he is a political-type thinker. His whole being is wrapped around thinking politically. This means there is no inherent altruism at work, only self-serving interest. So, if you still care why he is involved with Twitter, simply think ahead to what can be gained politically. Therein you will find your answer. And God help you!
AndreainNY
If Karl Rove is that frightening to people, they should really seek some expert advice.
Thank you.
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