Here are my top tweets (by impressions) from each month in 2017 as stated by Twitter analytics.
January 2017 – Trump Settles Into Office
Context: On the fifth day of Donald Trump’s presidency a leaked version of an executive order banning Muslim immigration hits the press and Trump appears on ABC News with David Muir. In the interview we start to understand that Trump’s campaign rhetoric wasn’t something he left on the campaign trail. He continued in the interview making this controversial statement on healthcare which was shocking to me at the time. A lot more would happen in 2017.
"The best thing we could do is wait two years and let it [Obamacare] explode…" THIS IS OUR PRESIDENT SAYING THIS. #POTUSonABC
— ⚾JORDO2323⚾ (@jordo2323) January 26, 2017
February 2017 – Masha Gessen Tries To Disect Trump’s Authoritarianism
Context: Paranoid about an off-the-rails administration a month into office explanations about Trump’s tactics start to be formulated across social media as we were reacting in real-time. Gessen, a Russian-American reporter and an LGBT-activist analyzes Trump tactically towards minority groups and the press and although he never banned the Washington Post from the Press Briefing Room we were witnessing President Trump’s disdain for the press in its infancy. I really do hate the phrase “spot on” too.
This is absolutely "spot on" and I hate that phrase.
— ⚾JORDO2323⚾ (@jordo2323) February 24, 2017
March 2017 – Starting To See Through The Bullshit
Context: In a response to Washington Post Fact-Checker Glenn Kessler I ask why The Press never seems to hold Trump accountable. We were in the first-months of the Trump administration and it was starting to become clear that the Press’ rules for handling the President were starting to adapt.
I follow politics daily and have never seen anyone ask him directly why he continues to manufacture abroad. Why is this?
— ⚾JORDO2323⚾ (@jordo2323) March 6, 2017
April 2017 – Pat Listach
Context: I get really, really geeked out about baseball in April. BaseballReference.com’s Player of the Day was one of my favorite young Milwaukee Brewers of the early nineties so I had the answer to this already loaded in RAM.
Pat Listach. https://t.co/zYg1XVs6LL
— ⚾JORDO2323⚾ (@jordo2323) April 25, 2017
May 2017 – Trump Russia Gains Steam
Context: This is a comment I am making as news of grand juries in the Trump-Russia investigations start to surface. Barton Gellman adds to Congressman Ted Lieu’s theory on why former Director of Intelligence James Clapper stated he didn’t know of any possible collusion between the Trump Administration and Russia. Trump-Russia was gaining steam and we now know this theory by Gellman held up and that the presence of grand juries turned out to be true.
Would also explain rumors of the presence of two grand juries in the Eastern District.
— ⚾JORDO2323⚾ (@jordo2323) May 9, 2017
June 2017 – Starting To Become Numb
Context: In a response to commentator Joan Walsh’s assertion that the Trump-GOP can seem to lie without consequence I remarked that this was an issue well before Trump. We have witnessed the Trump administration push the Republican Party to new limits this year.
The GOP has been lying straight to the American public for decades. Trump wasn't a catalyst – he was an accelerator.
— ⚾JORDO2323⚾ (@jordo2323) June 27, 2017
July 2017 – Intelligence Gap
Context: I study how messaging on social media affects the viewing public specifically how users buy into false-messaging. Former professor Timothy Burke posts a link to a poll on why the majority of Republicans view higher-education as harmful.
The issues we're facing today – from gun control, to climate change, to healthcare arise from this type of intelligence gap. No one says it.
— ⚾JORDO2323⚾ (@jordo2323) July 10, 2017
August 2017 – Nate Silver Always Analyzing
Context: Following the White-Nationalist protests in Charlottesville,VA, fivethirtyeight.com’s Nate Silver is analyzing on the possible tactical responses from the Trump Administration and that they’d eventually place blame on Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe. Although at the time it seemed a plausible next-move for the Trump camp there was very little Trump/McAuliffe back-and-forth.
How does he turn on law enforcement though? Another part of his voting block.
— ⚾JORDO2323⚾ (@jordo2323) August 14, 2017
September 2017 – Byron Tau Hits Back On Chris Cilizza
Context: Mistaking Chris Cilizza for Jake Tapper I was commenting on the re-affirmed need to produce accurate headlines. A new climate has emerged in news media where the presence of for-profit news means we need higher standards then ever. Cilizza is speculating that a response from Hillary Clinton in a recent interview with NPR was intent to challenge the results of the 2016 election. This was unethical and Tau knew it.
Thank you!!!! This was wildly irresponsible by @jaketapper.
— ⚾JORDO2323⚾ (@jordo2323) September 18, 2017
October 2017 – Intellivision Baseball
Context: I follow a lot of odd baseball accounts and although the leading-tweet was deleted I think they were asking me about baseball video games. It was faster in Intellivison Baseball to throw to second-base and then to first-base rather than across the diamond.
This brings back memories. In Intellivision Baseball it was faster throwing to 2nd then to 1st then to throw across the diamond. https://t.co/4XG4KtS77G
— ⚾JORDO2323⚾ (@jordo2323) October 31, 2017
November 2017 – The Brewers Don’t Need Outfielders
Context: I am a huge Milwaukee Brewers fan and love the hot-stove offseason. But you better come correct. The Milwaukee Brewers have a thoroughly crowded outfield and this prognosticator didn’t put much thought into this.
You have Lorenzo Cain going to the #Brewers? The Milwaukee Brewers? (We have a crowded OF and an influx of young OFers and need pitching) https://t.co/PCtrsMqG8T
— ⚾JORDO2323⚾ (@jordo2323) November 6, 2017
December 2017 – The Bannon Candidate
Context: This is the tweet I had the most impressions on in all of 2017. Paul Nehlen is a Steve Bannon-endorsed candidate running for the United States Congress in the first-district of Wisconsin (WI-01). This seat is currently held by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Nehlen is the candidate set to run against him in the primary on the Republican ticket in 2018. Nehlen spent the following week defending criticism from national news outlets for his controversial statements claiming he was not a white-nationalist but was “pro-white” even Steve Bannon and Brietbart abandon ship. He’s still arguing his position on Twitter as I type this and currently has no intention of dropping out.
You want to send Mexican's to Madagascar and you're wondering why you're being compared to supremacists?
— ⚾JORDO2323⚾ (@jordo2323) December 26, 2017