Twitter wasn’t even a factor in the 2008 election. But that won’t be the case in 2012.
Exhibit A: Today’s impromptu tweet battle between President Obama’s top message adviser David Axelrod and Mitt Romney’s top communications adviser Eric Fehrnstrom.
It started when Fehrnstrom baited Axelrod with a tweet referring to Romney’s new proposal to allow states to get waivers to exempt them from federal health care reform.
I wonder if @davidaxelrod will praise Romney’s proposed executive order issuing Obamacare waivers to all 50 states?
Axelrod responded from his BlackBerry.
@EricFehrn I’m not going comment either way until he lands on his final position.
Then, caught by the Twitter bug, Axelrod fired again.
@EricFehrn I still admire what he did in MA on health care, though. In many ways, a model for the nation!
Fehrnstrom struck back by shifting topics.
@davidaxelrod If you really want to get health insurance to more people, try giving them a job. 14m unemployed is a disgrace.
And the political world watched. Stay tuned. It may not be over.