Tweeting with the Presidents

Today is the day we refer to as Presidents’ Day, a holiday worth of closing schools, banks, government offices, and some businesses. I, however, will be working. But, I still decided to have a little fun.

While this is the day that we theoretically honor ALL of our presidents, there is actually no such holiday. What we are really celebrating is a moveable holiday to celebrate the birthday of George Washington, while some like to throw Abe Lincoln in there as well. But for most of us, it is…Presidents’ Day.

And of course our Presidents have been known for their ability, or inability, to communicate. Classes have been taught, and theses written, on how well each of them is able to articulate their thoughts, either through the written word or the spoken word. And my other interest in presidents, besides being a history buff, is that my house is about a half-mile from the home of the only president to come out of Pennsylvania, James Buchanan.

More than any other President, Franklin D. Roosevelt was known for his use of radio, while other presidents have had to try to master the art of communicating via television.

But in the spirit of the holiday, I got to thinking about our presidents and how their interactions with the media, and therefore the public, have been reduced to sound bites. Once our presidents understood that what they said was going to be run through the gatekeeping and editing process by the media, they decided to take matters into their own hands. After all, if the media will only report short snippets, then why not just talk in short snippets to make sure you have control over what gets used?

And then comes Twitter: a social platform tailor made for sound bites.

So what if Twitter existed as far back as the 1700s, and was around for each of our Chief Executives? I think some of their most famous, and lesser known, quotes would have been perfect if they had been sent out via Twitter, in 140 characters or less.

Here are some that come to mind, and I’ve decided to have a little fun with some of them, imagining how they might appear on Twitter today. There might even be a few nuggets of marketing, business, and social media wisdom in the mix. Oh, and I am not making any partisan statements by the quotes that I chose. They were chosen on the basis of how well they worked in this format, and if I could have a little fun with them. Enjoy!

@GWashington: #Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.

@JohnAdams: The happiness of society is the end of government. #Anarchy

@TJefferson: That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves.

@THEJamesMadison: The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. #Truth

@JMonroe: A little flattery will support a man through great fatigue.

@TheQuince: Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost. #Democracy

@OldHickory: Elevate those guns a little lower! #Oops

@MvanBuren: As to the presidency, the 2 happiest days of my life were those of my entrance upon the office and my surrender of it. #GoingToDisneyworld

@BillHarrison: To Englishmen, life is a topic, not an activity. #Zing

@JTyler: Popularity, I have always thought, may aptly be compared to a coquette—the more you woo her, the more apt is she to elude your embrace. ;)

@JKPolk: No president who performs his duties faithfully and conscientiously can have any leisure.  :/

@OlRoughNReady: It would be judicious to act with magnanimity towards a prostrate foe. #WordNerd

@MillardTheF: May God save the country, for it is evident that the people will not. #WhigPride

@FrankPierce: Frequently the more trifling the subject, the more animated and protracted the discussion. #Meetings

@JamesBuchanan: Hey, @HonestAbe If you are as happy in entering the White House as I shall feel on returning to #Wheatland, you are a happy man indeed.

@HonestAbe: I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends. #Marketing #Community #Wisdom

@AndyJohnson: I am sworn to uphold the Constitution as Andy Johnson understands it and interprets it. #JustSayin

@GenUSGrant: I know only two tunes: one of them is “Yankee Doodle,” and the other isn’t. #TheSouthWho?

@RutherfordB: Must swear off from swearing. Bad habit. #SeeWhatIDidThere?

@TheOtherGarfield: Man cannot live by bread alone; he must have peanut butter. #HAHAHAHA

@ChesterAArthur: I may be president of the United States, but my private life is nobody’s damned business. #ProtectingMyTweets

@GroverTweets: Above all, tell the truth. #TrustAgents #Authenticity #Transparency

@BenjieHarrison: I pity the man who wants a coat so cheap that the man or woman who produces the cloth will starve in the process. #FairTrade

@BillMcKinley: We need Hawaii just as much and a good deal more than we did California. It is Manifest Destiny. #SurfsUp #HangTen

@TeddyBear: #Tweet softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.

@BigWillieTaft: The trouble with me is that I like to talk too much. Please RT! #Engage

@WoodyWilson: Golf is a game in which one endeavors to control a ball with implements ill adapted for the purpose. #PoliticsSchmolitics

@TheRealWarrenG: Our most dangerous tendency is to expect too much of government, and at the same time do for it too little. #Regulate

@SilentCal: No man ever listened himself out of a job. #Listen #Monitor #Marketing101

@TheHoove: All men are equal before fish. #GoneFishin #SayWhat?

@FrankyD: There are as many opinions as there are #experts.  #ninja #guru

@HSTruman: If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen #CookingChat

@Ike: An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows. #StepAwayFromTheThesaurus

@JFK: Politics is like football; if you see daylight, go through the hole. #SportsMetaphors

@LBJohnson: Being president is like being a jackass in a hailstorm. There’s nothing to do but to stand there and take it. #ImATexan

@DickNixon: Scrubbing floors and emptying bedpans has as much dignity as the Presidency. #ColdHardTruth

@JerryFord: If Lincoln were alive today, he’d be turning over in his grave. #ImGeraldFordAndIApproveOfThisMessage

@JimmyCarter: Whatever starts in California unfortunately has an inclination to spread. #FunnyButTrue

@TheGipper: @MrGorbachev , Tear down this wall. #Berlin #Communism

@GBushSenior: I don’t like broccoli…I’m President of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli. #NotGonnaDoIt

@WJClinton: You can put wings on a pig, but you don’t make it an eagle. #AnimalKingdom #Biology101

@GBushJunior: I have written a book. This will come as quite a shock to some. They didn’t think I could read, much less write. #PresidentialHumor

@BarackObama: The thing about hip-hop today is it’s smart, it’s insightful. #LupeWho?

Do you have any additions? Feel free to throw them in the comments, but again, I’m not making any political statements here, so I’d prefer if we avoided making any partisan jabs in the comments as well.

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Tagged as: Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George Washington, James Buchanan, President of the United States, Presidents Day, Twitter, Washington's Birthday