Reactions to President Obama’s speech and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s GOP rebuttal poured out onto my Twitter page, fast and furiously, tonight. Some of the tweets are mercilessly funny. You’ve been warned
On air and social media, the consensus quickly developed that President Obama’s speech was a resounding success. On air, CNN analyst David Gergen called the speech “a tour de force politically… ambitious…inspiring.”
Fellow CNN analyst and former Reagan campaign manager Ed Rollins dissed Prez. Obama’s speech for “lacking detail” but the complaints seemed half-hearted.
Some tweets of Gergen’s remarks, posted by your’s truly:
@marymcnamara Gergen on CNN “Obama re-argued bank situation much in the same way of an FDR fireside chat.”
@marymcnamara Gergen on CNN: “most ambitious president we’ve heard in this chamber in decades. FDR/Johnson rolled together.”
@marymcnamara Gergen on CNN. “we’re watching one of the greatest political dramas of all time.”
Jindal did not fare as well in the Twitterverse. And a new, Jindal Facebook group emerged within the hour.
@anamariecox started off the festivities on Twitter with this tweet, just before Jindal went on air. “I hope Bobby Jindal’s underwear is made of steel because I bet he is sh*tting bricks.”
Here’s a sampling of Twitter chatter about Jindal, from CNN’s Rick Sanchez, ABC’s Jake Tapper, Ana Marie Cox, Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz, and others.
On air, Gergen seemed exasperated by Jindal’s rebuttal. (The ever collected Gergen displays annoyance by leaping at the question when asked what he thinks. His voice goes up a notch too.)
@marymcnamara gergen: “Obama speech a tour de force politically. ambitious, inspiring. Jindal…couldn’t understand Katrina argument.Fed govt spent 175B in NO”
@howardkurtz Don’t want to pile on Jindal. Some past Dem responders to Bush have bombed too. But he won’t have that kind of platform for a long time
@scott_tobias Not watching Jindal rebuttal, but tweeps peg him as a used car salesman, infomercial star, & Kenneth The Page on 30 RO
@anamariecox I am missing the last part of the speech but I think it is safe to say I will not be buying Bobby Jindal’s ShamWow.
@benpolitico Independent observers deluging me with Jindal/Kenneth from 30 Rock comparisons
@anamariecox In Maddow green room. And I thought of Kenneth the Page/Jindal connection too. Bobby also probably writes in God. http://twitpic.com/1ohng
@marymcnamara I think it’s inevitable that SNL will create a skit based on the first part of Jindal’s speech.
@KarlFrisch 30 Rock’s Kenneth the intern for SNL’s Gov. Bobby Jindal - Join the Facebook group - http://tinyurl.com/dlllwg
@ChiefHava: ‘Jindal tried the best he could’~Fox News. Are we now a nation of people satisfied with a PARTICIPANT ribbon
@jaketapper zero GOP tweeters that i see praising Jindal.
@ricksanchezcnn RT @scottknaster “magnetic levitation” we don’t want no fancy new fangled techie stuff, we want old steam engines by gollie!what was that?
@ricksanchezcnn i don’t know what to say after watching jindal? kind of stunned. did i miss something? rewriting history? wow, don’t facts matter?
@ricksanchezcnn @MikeBates i get it mike but it was like duhhh! of course you get in boat and save lives. screw govt. i was there i was in boat man!
ETA: just discovered that MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough joined twitter two days ago…here are a few of his tweets.
@joenbc HYPERBOLE ALERT!!!!!!! David Brooks calls Gov Jindal’s speech “nihilism’ and “insane.” http://tinyurl.com/d4kmmb
@joenbc Bobby Jindal: Not ready for primetime. Message from GOP: Mayday. Mayday.
@joenbc President Obama’s entrance much more dramatic than any I’ve witnessed in 14 SOTU addresses. The most professional delivery since Reagan.
