NYT's Bai: McCaskill Tweets Sound Like Cast Away

Sen. Claire McCaskill is "tumbling" back on her blog after a New York Times writer dissed her tweets in a recent column.

The New York Times' Matt Bai cites a few of McCaskill's more personal, less-serious tweets . . . “I get old style crunchy taco, and a chicken burrito supreme & Diet Coke at Taco Bell" . . . "Miss those tostados" . . . before comparing her to Tom Hanks in the movie Cast Away, "jabbering to his battered volleyball so as not to lose touch with his own existence."

FIRING BACK . . .
"Like many in Washington – he misses the point," wrote McCaskill on her Tumblr blog. She listed 4 reasons why she Twitters . . . 1) To drive conversation 2) To stay connected 3) It's unfiltered without an editor 4) It's fun.

Catanese's Quick Twitter Take:
While I respect Bai's journalism, The Notebook is with McCaskill. How can anyone complain when we get more real-time information from our politicians? And if the Tweets are filled with personal anecdotes, all the better. What's wrong with a little levity to lift a smile during our hectic days? I can understand why it's not every pol (or journalist's) game. But this is the new frontier. It will never replace the old staples of a well-written in-depth article or a stellar 60 Minutes piece, but it's another tool. It's influence shouldn't be overemphasized -- but it's becoming harder for those in politics and the media to ignore it.