My own area of interest is getting the word out about the petition from mental health professionals stating that Trump is mentally ill and should be removed from office under the 25th Amendment.
Of course, you can use Twitter to send messages to anybody on any subject.
My personal “Tweet storm” has already has had an impact, albeit a small one, as you can see from the screen-shot I used to illustrate this story.
One way we can get our messages out in a targeted way is through social media, and the easiest way to do this is by opening a Twitter account.
All journalists and public officials have them.
Generally they use their name, so your just google search Twitter + their name. Often there is more than one account with the same name. When there is, Twitter will list them all.
For example if you want to send a Tweet to Joy Reid you’ll discover that her Twitter is @joyannreid .
Sometimes a Twitter account is opened for a special purpose. This sometimes makes the news. This happened quickly after Elizabeth Warren was pulled out of order in the Senate. An account call Let Liz Speak was opened, got many Tweets, and now is in the news.
Can you guess which publication published this story:
How about where this was published…
Elizabeth Warren For President? What Let Liz Speak Protest Means For 2020 Election
Okay, nice try, zero for two. This one is easier:
Senate Democrats Take To Twitter To Demand Republicans #LetLizSpeak
Those of us who, like me, aren’t fans of the sports listed here, thanks to Elizabeth Warren, now know what it means to be red carded!
As I noted I sent Tweets about the mental illness petition including a link to the latest article about it (Psychology Today currently) to all the MSNBC hosts and every guest on their show who questioned Trump’s mental state. The more the better. So far I have been noticed twice as you can see in the image accompanying this story.
Talk show personality Thom Hartmann “liked” my Tweet (with a heart) and #letlizspeak retweeted it.
Although I suspect well known people sometimes look over their Twitter feed, I’m convinced that have actual people who will scan Tweets for them.
You can also listen for TV people who invite you to visit their Facebook pages or email them. This means that these will get reviewed. Tweets, being short, are the easiest way to send a message, just ask Trump.
I rather enjoyed crafting my pithy and nasty Tweet about McConnell and his cronies:
They are a shameless breed, power hungry throw-back lizard brains with no empathy. We don’t deserve to be called a democracy.
On Twitter you have to keep your message short, sometimes pithy, and when needed include a link. Of course, you can certainly link to articles on Daily Kos.
You are limited in the number of characters but a link can usually be squeezed in. Twitter will show you went you have exceeded the character limit.
One of my goals is not only to educate journalists about the petition from mental health professionals, and not just to hope they mention the petition on air, but to see if they will invite Dr. John Gartner or another mental health professional with equally impressive credentials as a guest. If they had him and one of the dissenting psychiatrists from this Psychology Today article “Shrinks Battle Over Diagnosing Donald Trump.”
That would make for a good debate. Good television. And it wouldn’t be a question of who won, because when it comes down to it, both sides question Trump’s fitness for office.