Members of Congress Jump on Snapchat Bandwagon
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Why let teenagers have all the fun?
That's apparently the stance two prominent Republican lawmakers are taking when it comes to the popular social media service, Snapchat. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., announced Wednesday that he has signed up for the service and Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., disclosed just a few hours later that she is already a frequent user.
"Did you hear?" Paul wrote in a message on his Facebook page. "I joined @Snapchat! For daily updates & behind-the-scenes footage follow: senatorrandpaul on the photo sharing app."
And when can his followers expect to get their first chat from the Kentucky senator and potential 2016 presidential candidate? "I'm sending my first snap tonight," he promised.
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Also on Wednesday at a "Conversations with Conservatives" event organized by the Heritage Foundation, Bachmann revealed that not only does she already have the Snapchat app, "That's how I communicate with all my kids." The Minnesota congresswoman, who is not seeking re-election in 2014, has five children and she and her husband have provided foster care to 23 others.
It's unclear whether the app, which has gained popularity in some quarters as a sexting tool because photos disappear in 10 seconds or less, will be as useful in the political arena. Lawmakers have fallen prey to their own misuse of social media before (think former Rep. Anthony Weiner).
But so far, it's already been useful for Bachmann - at least when it comes to poking fun at the president's signature health care reform law.
"Obamacare is the healthcare version of Snapchat," Bachmann told the gathering, according to reports. "Now you see it, now you don't."