If you have ever e-mailed former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, you know exactly why his joining Twitter yesterday is significant. During his time as Governor, Bush was notorious for personally responding to all e-mails sent to him within 24 hours. Bush understood and embraced a concept that few politicians of his time understood – direct media (a term coined by TechRepublican founder, David All). Before Twitter and Facebook became widely adopted platforms for politicians to directly communicate with voters and vice-versa, Bush understood the essential concept of direct access and transparency.
Even with the boom of politicians setting up Twitter accounts and Facebook pages, few are using these social platforms to personally engage directly with voters and constituents. If Jeb Bush’s previous history with e-mail is any indication of how he may use Twitter, he could serve as a standard-bearer amongst politicians using the platform effectively.
Bush has had a Twitter account (@cgables43) set up since March 11, 2009, but had never tweeted until yesterday when he announced that he would be moving to a new Twitter handle - @JebBush. As word leaked out of Bush’s new account and the legitimacy of the account was confirmed by Bush’s staff, @JebBush’s following exploded to 1,000 followers in one hour. As of 7:30 a.m. this morning, 15 hours after launching the new account, Bush has surpassed the 2,000 follower mark.
As with any move Jeb Bush makes, politicos inside and outside of Florida can add this latest Twitter maneuver to the growing list of more public appearances the former Governor has made in the past few months - moves sure to create buzz for a Bush 2012 candidacy.
Cross-posted from TechRepublican.com
