Memo to @ScottBrownMA: Don’t respond to people who are just picking a fight. After the recently defeated Republican senator posted a cryptic message on Twitter Friday evening that declared, “Yes. Get ready,” many readers took it as a hint that he would run for the seat being vacated by John Kerry. Critics pounced; one on the left called him an “errand boy” for Wall Street, while another on the right tarred Brown as a “gun grabber” and told him to switch parties. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, Brown threw attitude back at them: “whatever bud,” “whatever michael,” “your brilliant Matt,” and — now infamously — “Bqhatevwr.”
These exchanges weren’t exactly lofty, but they were amusing and harmless — and lined up, in a weird way, with Brown’s carefully cultivated image of bipartisanship. But after Democrats began pushing the hashtag “#Bqhatevwr,” Brown, disappointingly, took the offending tweets down. It wasn’t just an overreaction to an overreaction; it was also futile, given that his account has more than 57,000 followers. Yes, politicians should probably think before they tweet — or at least look to make sure their fingers are hitting the right keys. But the Bqhatevwr kerfuffle makes it likely that Brown will never again say anything interesting on Twitter — a loss for voters who, in assessing their politicians, would prefer to see the unvarnished version.
Comments
Brown tweeting zingers? He needs to grow up.
Brown shows himself to be the idiot we always thought he was. Running for INTERIM senator again, Scott? Whatever. You are irrelevant. Go back to real estate law where nobody requires you to think rationally or have an opinion.
Tweeting is the equivalent of shouting insults and unenlightening barroom zingers. In pre-internet days, when school yard adolescents shouted "And so's yer old man" or "Yer mama!" it was usually a sign of having run out of anything intelligent to say. I would prefer the ornate insults of Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens.
But who would expect any different from the champion of the war-whoops? Scooter is history. He wants to run again? #Bqatever.
I'd rather not use Twitter to assess politicians. I don't think the 40 character limits allow for any insight, just for foolish back and forth. Brown just made himself look stupid, and illiterate - "your brilliant Matt" -, with his Tweets.
Heck - no comment I could write would be funnier than reality! We elected that guy? Strange!
Bad Hit, Scooter.
Bqhatevwr...
It had to be said.