Thanks to Michelle for identifying this issue.
140 characters has become the new political tome. 140 characters. Just how long is that? Well take for example the Declaration of Independence if limited to the first 140 characters:
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with anoth”
Yep – take that King George!
Or the Gettysburg Address (not known as a long-winded speech):
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are create”
Moving, isn’t it?
I cannot form a complete thought in 140 characters, and yet this is the level to which serious political discourse has descended. Here is a sample of soaring rhetoric on Twitter:
Under President Obama, we’ve accomplished a lot—and tomorrow’s our chance to finish what we started:
Seriously? But not to be out done note the following:
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
This election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a democracy!
Equal opportunity knuckle-headedry. Twitter is to reasonable discourse what yellow post it notes are to serious literature. Twitter has out-sound bit sound bites. Tweets are now headline news and twitter feuds are the new blood sport. Celebrities tweet their deepest, innermost thoughts (often in less than 140 characters – just sayin) and folks swoon. “Aren’t they clever”, their followers think. “Aren’t I plugged in” because I now know what Beyoncee thinks about the almost 50% of the country that voted for the other guy. (BTW – I am thinking of getting shirts made that say “Proud Member of the Mitches”) Twitter is fun, it’s great to share links, remind folks to watch a news station, let me know who the Yankees are trading. But if we are relying on twitter as a serious communications medium for serious discussions on real problems well . . . Yikes!
The US Tax Code runs in excess of 70,000 pages. It needs an overhaul. It is unfair in many respects. It is 70,000 pages of special give-aways and punitive taxes on hard working Americans. Tax reform is a serious issue that requires analysis, discourse and reasoned judgment. This is not an issue we can fully address in 140 characters, but I promise you commentators will put their 140-character spin on it. Here’s hoping those working on tax reform are technical luddites focused on text not texting.
In the service when people start to freak out we call it “going high warble”. I just looked it up. Warble is a synonym for twitter: a series of short, high-pitched calls or sounds. Ever held a deep conversation with a bird?
Small Politics 
Great commentary. I’ll be keeping an eye on your blog.
Cheers,
Josh