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Interest in the United States over the time for the 'Public Option' on Google Search.

Washington (CNN) - With more than a billion searches being typed into Google a day, the search engine serves as a barometer for what's on the minds of Americans. And when it comes to politics in 2009, Americans were searching more for Henry Louis Gates over Sonia Sotomayor, AIG over TARP, and Mark Sanford over John Edwards.

The most searched-for-senator in 2009 was Ted Kennedy, followed by Bill Nelson - a likely mistake for people trying to find Ben Nelson who has played a large role in the health care debate. Sen. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, who were respectively the third and forth most searched for senators, were searched for more than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

When it came to terms people were searching surrounding the federal bail-out, the No. 1 search was AIG, followed by TARP, GM, and Auto. The word "Government" was the fifth-most searched bail out word in Google this year and "Bank" was the seventh-most searched. When it came to top economic search words Americans were looking for, "Crisis" and "Cash for Clunkers" were No. 1 and 2 and "Great Depression" and "inflation" were No. 9 and 10, respectively.

For all search terms surrounding the health care reform debate, more people were searching for "Rush Limbaugh" and "Glenn Beck" then were searching for the "public opinion" and "Medicare."

In a category Google calls "Their 15 Minutes" or "public figures who made headlines "this year-but may have wished they didn't," Americans searched for "Bernie Madoff" the most, followed by "Mark Sanford." "Rod Blagojevich" came in third followed by "John Edwards."
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The 'smoking tweet.'

Washington (CNN) - During a press conference on Wednesday, Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin pointed to Republican Sen. Jim DeMint's Twitter account as the smoking gun – or as he called it, the "smoking tweet" – showing the Republicans' strategy to slow down the health care bill.

"If there's any idea, any question in mind about motive and what's behind this, I have in my hand a smoking tweet," Durbin said.

Pointing to a piece of paper, Durbin proceeded to read two of DeMint's tweets: "'If Reid won't slow down this debate, we'll do it for him,' followed by, 'Coburn forced Dems to read 767 pg Sanders amendment, we'll do everything we can to stop this government takeover of health care.'"

The press conference was held by Durbin and Sen. Robert Menendez to discuss "GOP obstruction" to the health care bill.

Wesly Denton, DeMint's Communications Director, told CNN he was "flattered that [Durbin] is paying so much attention to DeMint's Twitter account," but added, "DeMint's been clear for months he wants to stop this bill."

In 2009 it seemed all of Washington was buzzing about Twitter, but were people on Twitter buzzing about Washington?

Washington (CNN) – Among all the hype this year in Washington about Twitter, the top conversations occurring on the popular social networking Web site during 2009 were anything but political.

Looking back on the year that Twitter became mainstream, Twitter's Chief Scientist Abdur Chowdhury wrote on Twitter's blog, "Trending Topics helped us understand what was happening around the world showing us that people everywhere can be united in concern around important events; excited about a new movie; or geek-out about a major new technology."

The most noticeable Washington-based story users tweeted about was South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson's "You lie!" outburst during President Obama's address to Congress in September. In the category of "people" most tweeted about, Wilson was seventh, beating out Tiger Woods, Christian Bale and A-Rod. Michael Jackson was most tweeted about person in 2009, followed by surprise singing sensations Susan Boyle and Adam Lambert.

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Washington (CNN) - Cabinet members need to leave their BlackBerrys at the door in a basket when meeting with President Obama. Above: a White House video reveals the less than high-tech solution used to ensure Hillary Clinton doesn't leave with Eric Holder's phone.
(Photo Credit: White House)

New York (CNN) – When the White House needed a chef for their first state dinner on Tuesday, they called on award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson. He was even allowed to use vegetables from the White House garden!

For Thanksgiving, the CNN Political Ticker asked Samuelsson for a recipe to share with our readers. If you happen to be getting a late start on your holiday cooking, check out what he gave us after the jump.

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Washington (CNN) – In the 2004 election, "new media" was defined by blogs. In 2008, it was defined by Facebook and Twitter. In 2012, those social media tools will move from your computer screen to your pocket, as mobile technology helps define the new terms of campaign engagement.

Political strategists are getting ready for the new era - testing new uses for mobile technology, and generating massive contact lists. Last week, Harry Reid's re-election campaign launched a text messaging program surveying constituents on their feelings about health care. Those results were then sent out for all to see on Reid's campaign Twitter account.

"Last campaign was almost, but this campaign will be, a tipping point for mobile," says Todd Ogasawara, who writes the blog Mobile Content Today.  "A lot of these tools are not only maturing, but the people using these tools are maturing."

A third of Nevada's voters registered after Reid's last re-election bid in 2004. Thirty-seven percent of those are under the age of 30, a demographic that began texting not long after they learned to talk.

They may not pick up a newspaper, but they never put down their cell phone.

"The campaign recognizes cell phones are a primary mode of communication and we need to go communicate with voters on their turf," Reid campaign manager Brandon Hall told CNN. The new technology, he says, is driving traditional political organizing. "Instead of having someone knock at someone's door, it allows you to do all the traditional political organizing online," he said.
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Sarah Palin on Wednesday sent out her first tweet in nearly four months on a new Twitter account associated with her book tour.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Sarah Palin on Wednesday sent out her first tweet in nearly four months on a new Twitter account associated with her book tour.

She tweeted from a BlackBerry at 11:04 p.m. ET: "Michigan-thx 4 Going Rogue! Perfect tour kickoff w/Kid Rock tune praising Northern MI humming in backgrnd @ Barnes/Noble. Above expectations."

The former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate launched a bus tour for her new book, "Going Rogue: An American Life," which is already a bestseller. The tour started Wednesday in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Palin's last tweet occurred from an account associated with Alaska's governorship. When she resigned in late July, the @AKGovSarahPalin went dormant and Palin switched to sending out frequent Facebook messages.

This week, her old Twitter account sent a message, saying @AKGovSarahPalin would be removed and Palin would begin tweeting from a new account: @SarahPalinUSA.

Palin has more than 22,000 people following her new account. More than 153,000 people followed her original account.

The new Web site for the House Democratic Caucus.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The House Democratic Caucus re-launched their Web site late last week, aiming for a more Facebook-esque feel. While the site is still in beta, CNN got the first look at Dems.gov and some of its new features.

In the past, one could look up individual representatives' Web sites, which are not always well-designed, or view the House Clerk's Web site, which is clunky with bill numbers and legislative jargon.

The Democrats are focused on making the site more user-friendly, with the center of the page designed to emulate the Facebook news feed. Caucus updates appear in a linear fashion and below are the representatives’ headshots along with excerpts from their latest press releases, linking to their personal sites.

Another feature includes a Google Map, making it easy for users to find Democratic representatives and access their home pages, their YouTube page and their Facebook Page.

On the other side of the aisle, the Republican site GOP.gov claims its unique features include a dynamic blog, a prominent RSS feed and a larger number of social media outlets including Flickr and even an iTunes account.

The Democratic Caucus is looking for feedback on the new site. Following in the WhiteHouse.gov footsteps, Dems.gov was built using an open source content management system, which allows the worldwide community of programmers to view code and makes it easy to improve the site based on user feedback.

Obama: I've never used Twitter.

Washington (CNN) – President Obama admitted to never using Twitter during his trip to China on Monday.

"Let me say that I have never used Twitter," Obama said in response to a question from a Chinese student about using Twitter freely in China. Obama continued: "I noticed that young people - they're very busy with all these electronics.  My thumbs are too clumsy to type in things on the phone."

During the presidential campaign, techies and news organizations all noted the Obama campaign's use of social networking. "Barack Obama dominates Twitter" read one summer headline on CNET.com.

Obama has his name on one Twitter account, @BarackObama, which was started in April 2007 and is now run by Organizing for America (Obama's political arm operated out of the Democratic National Committee). The other account is @WhiteHouse, which was first set up to send out news about H1N1. @BarackObama has close to 2.7 million followers and @WhiteHouse has over 1.4 million followers.

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New York Rep. Eliot Engel shows some home town pride.

Washington (CNN) – New York Democratic congressman took to the House floor Friday morning to congratulate the New York Yankees for winning the World Series. But the discourse quickly turned to partisan attacks.

Democrat Reps. Eliot Engel and Edolphus Towns began the accolades. Engle, who lives in the Bronx, wore a Yankee cap, calling it "a symbol of unity." He said, "I know it is violating rules to put a hat on, but I am going to do it for just two seconds because I think it is really important that I put this on...In Asia, in Africa, in Europe, in the Middle East wherever we go we see people wearing Yankee hats."

But Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz wanted to talk about health care and not baseball. "While the Democrats want to talk baseball we want to talk about health care," he said. "While the New York Yankees are winning the World Series the American families are striking out."

New York Democratic Rep. Jose Serrano fired back at Chaffetz. Serrano accused the Republican of turning the World Series into a partisan issue. "Americans celebrate success and I am positive that there is not a single American in this country, except for some in this House, who would think that what we are doing today is wrong."

Serrano added, "This weekend we will deal with the biggest issue of our times."

Health care or Yankees, New York Democrat Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez took another position.

"I just would like for the record to reflect the fact that I am a Mets fan," she said.

Twitter has been buzzing about the November 3 elections.

WASHINGTON (CNN) –The conversation on Twitter Tuesday is, unsurprisingly, about the election. The trending topic list on Twitter, that reflects what words or phrases are being used the most, show "Election Day," "#VoteNoOn1," "Vote" and "Maine" taking the top spots.

There are plenty of other hashtags being used to keep track of conversations and topics surrounding the election. One hashtag gaining traction in New Jersey primarily is "#Voterfraud." This is being used to track irregularities in the polls. National youth organizations including Rock the Vote, Campus Progress, the Energy Action Coalition, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and the United States Student Association, are coming together Tuesday on Twitter. Using the hashtag "#1yrlater," the organizations and their followers are tweeting about issues important to them and how the Obama administration is doing one year later.

Of course, the candidates are also tweeting. Most tweets are focused on drumming up the vote. Mike Bloomberg's Twitter account notified followers on Monday that he will personally be sending out tweets Election Day. In New Jersey, Jon Corzine and Chris Christie have been active tweeters throughout the election as well, known for taking shots at each other in 140 characters. (To follow all the candidates on Twitter, follow the @CNNPolitics Twitter List).

Crimson Hexagon ran an analysis of the conversation occurring on Twitter, as well as on blog posts and forum threads about the House race in New York's 23rd congressional. The company, which monitors the conversation occurring online, looked at at 31,000 tweets, blogs and forums from October 22 to November 2 and found that the most animated and vocal conversation came from supporters of Hoffman and if the online community did discuss Scozzafva, it was negative. Crimson Hexagon Executive Melyssa Plunkett-Gomez says that her analysis shows that "the liberal bloggers did not use this race as their platform."

Follow Eric Kuhn on Twitter @KuhnCNN
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Marco Rubio's Twitter account, which was hacked today.

Washington (CNN) – Two prominent Republicans had their Twitter accounts hacked on Wednesday. Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio and Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Zach Wamp both fell victim to a "phishing attack" that urged their followers to visit a site hawking colon cleansing pills.

Followers of Rubio's Twitter feed saw this message on Wednesday afternoon: "lol it's amazing. look and feel great with http://cleansefats.com." An hour later, the real Rubio tweeted: "I got hacked selling something? Could be worse. They could have written Go Noles or Go Jets as if it was coming from me!" (Rubio is a Florida Gators and Miami Dolphins fan.)

Meanwhile, Wamp's Twitter account sent out "direct messages," which are not seen publicly but sent directly to followers. His message read: "hi. this works. i feel better and look great. http://bdgdfij.info." That link also re-directed readers to a site selling colon cleansing pills.

According to technology consultant Jon-David Schlough, a phishing attack is a type of hack "where an attacker masquerades as a trusted brand or person and fools the user into clicking. Once the user clicks, the attacker may take over their profile and spread the attack to their friends as well - or do other unfriendly things."

Rubio campaign spokesperson Alex Burgos told CNN that the candidate quickly changed his password. Wamp's campaign is still investigating what happened, but sent out a message on Twitter telling followers to disregard the direct message.

Tonight the World Series starts, but the competition is already tense on Capital Hill.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The players have yet to hit the field, but World Series trash-talking is already in full swing - on Capitol Hill.

It started on Monday with a bet on who was going to win the World Series. New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand will send Pennsylvania Sens. Arlen Specter and Robert Casey Junior's Cheesecakes if the Philadelphia Phillies win and if the Yankees win, Schumer and Gillibrand will receive a supply of Philly cheesesteaks.

Gillibrand fired back on Wednesday: "@SenArlenSpecter Respectfully, Senator, sir...you're going down!"

But Specter stuck to his major league guns. "Hey @SenGillibrand, can you recommend a good cheesecake? We will be too busy celebrating the Phillies victory to decide."

Gillibrand explained the exchange for any confused constituents: "Just a friendly wager w/ @SenArlenSpecter over who will win the World Series."

Schumer and Casey do not have active Twitter accounts, but that hasn't kept them on the bench. "I give Senators Specter and Casey credit for sticking with their team but I can already taste those delicious Philly cheesesteaks," Schumer said in a joint statement issued by both states' senators earlier this week.

Casey was having none of it: "If the Phillies keep up their extraordinary efforts at the plate, on the mound and in the field, it is only a matter of time until Senator Specter and I are able to enjoy some delicious cheesecake."

Follow Eric Kuhn on Twitter @KuhnCNN.

The Obama family portrait.
(Photo Credit: Annie Leibovitz/Released by White House Photo Office)

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The official first family portrait was unveiled Thursday on the White House Flickr page. The photo was snapped by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz on September 1, 2009 in the Green Room of the White House.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has joined LinkedIn, a professional networking Web site.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Sarah Palin has placed her resume on LinkedIn.

Known as the “Facebook for professionals,” LinkedIn is a social media site that displays more than 50 million people’s resumes and allows for virtual business networking for those interested in keeping in touch or finding a job. Palin’s resume includes her position as “Vice Presidential Candidate” for the 2008 election and goes back to 1992 where she was the Council Member for the Wasilla City Council.

LinkedIn lists years of employment as well; her profile says Palin was the governor of the State of Alaska for two years and seven months.

Palin also notes that she is interested in “Job inquiries, expertise requests, business deals, reference requests, and getting back in touch.”

Her 2008 running mate John McCain joined LinkedIn during the campaign to participate in “LinkedIn Answers,” a part of the site where people can ask questions and get answers from professionals. McCain asked, “What is the biggest challenge America faces?”

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Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has once again taken to Facebook to weigh in on the debate over health care reform.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sarah Palin wrote a 1,000-word Facebook “note” (including 17 footnotes) late Saturday night titled, “Good Intentions Aren't Enough with Health Care Reform.” In her post, the former Alaska governor reacts to the Senate Finance Committee’s approval of the health care bill, noting that now is “a good time to step back and take a look at the long term consequences should its provisions be enacted into law.”

Palin focused on the cost of the new bill on Americans, especially the middle class: “The Senate Finance bill is effectively a middle class tax increase … those making less than $200,000 will be hit hardest,” she said.

She also lashed out at President Obama, noting that his administration promised Americans the unemployment rate would stay below 8 percent if Congress passed the stimulus plan, but currently unemployment is hovering just shy of 10 percent.

She related this to the President’s promise to not sign a heath care bill that adds to the deficit over the next decade. Palin asked, “Should we believe the administration’s claims about health care when their promises have proven so unreliable about the stimulus?”

Palin offers her suggestion for health care reform: “Instead of working contrary to the free market, let’s embrace the free market. Instead of going to war with certain private sector companies, let’s embrace real private-sector competition and allow consumers to purchase plans across state lines. Instead of taxing the so-called 'Cadillac' plans that people get through their employers, let’s give individuals who purchase their own health care the same tax benefits we currently give employer-provided health care recipients. Instead of crippling Medicare, let’s reform it by providing recipients with vouchers so that they can purchase their own coverage.”

George W. Bush meets with Twitter co-founder Biz Stone.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - A spokesman for George W. Bush told CNN Wednesday that the former president currently "has no plans of tweeting."

On Tuesday, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone met with Bush at the World Knowledge Forum in South Korea. Bush told Stone he got a BlackBerry (while in the White House, Bush did not have e-mail). Stone, tweeting about the meeting, wondered if Bush would join the social networking site. The question quickly spread on numerous technology blogs, and on Twitter for the past two days.

Could Bush join last year's Republican presidential nominee, John McCain, on Twitter?  At least for now, the answer is no. Bush spokesman Dave Sherzer told CNN Wednesday that the former president had enjoyed meeting Stone, but tweeting wasn't currently on his agenda.

UPDATE: The Twitter name @GeorgeWBush is being held by the George W. Bush Foundation, a foundation spokesman confirmed to CNN Thursday, but there are currently no plans to start using the account.

Follow Eric Kuhn on Twitter @KuhnCNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The largest number of comments on Twitter after Sen. Olympia Snowe's vote in support of the Senate Finance Committee $829 billion health care proposal came from people angry about her decision.

According to Crimson Hexagon and Mashable, of the roughly 6,000 tweets that mentioned Snowe and were selected and examined following the votes Monday (from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. ET) and Tuesday (between 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. ET). Forty-nine percent of those tweets communicated an anti-Snowe message. Those tweets fell into roughly three categories: "Get her out" (21 percent), "Shame on her" (19 percent) and "Call 2 protest" (10 percent).

Forty-four percent of those surveyed sent out a message congratulating the senator for her vote, and 6 percent noted that they don't care or that the "bill sucks" regardless.

The most up to date analysis of the Tweetstream of about 6000 tweets.
(Photo Credit: Crimson Hexagon)

"What this demonstrates is the loudest voices in the conversation," says Crimson Hexagon executive Melyssa Plunkett-Gomez. "Of the tweets that we analyzed, it represents the proportions of tweets that are reflecting these sentiments. The loudest voice is anti-Olympia Snowe."

Crimson Hexagon is a non-partisan company that analysis the conversation on the Internet, including Twitter. It uses an algorithm that monitors the sentiment of tweets. The survey was commissioned by Mashable, a leading technology blog.

Follow Eric Kuhn on Twitter @KuhnCNN

George W. Bush meets with Twitter co-founder Biz Stone.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – After leaving the White House last year, George W. Bush has kept a low profile. He moved back to Texas and began writing his memoir. But on Tuesday, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone met with the former president. Bush said he just got a new BlackBerry. Stone, tweeting about his meeting, wondered if Bush will begin tweeting.

Someone has claimed the Twitter name @GeorgeWBush and added a photo, although there is currently no way to verify who is behind the account.

The NRCC tweet before it was removed.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The National Republican Congressional Committee has removed a tweet Tuesday that linked to a video comparing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with Adolf Hitler.

The tweet, sent out Tuesday morning on their official Twitter account, read: "Funny Video: Moonbattery: Hitler Reacts to ObamaCare Maneuvers http://bit.ly/2mOvZ7 #Pelosi". It comes the same day the NRCC released a petition on their site to "Fire Nancy Pelosi."

The tweet immediately drew strong criticism from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "House Republicans have gone way too far. The NRCC's despicable promotion of a video comparing Speaker Pelosi's effort to reform health insurance in America to Adolf Hitler's extermination of millions is a shocking new low that must be condemned," said DCCC spokeswoman Jennifer Crider. "Republican Leader John Boehner should order NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions to immediately remove this vile Tweet and apologize."

NRCC spokesman John Randall said Tuesday the group had made a mistake. "We obviously made an error in linking to this video and it has been taken down," said Randall.

This tweet comes on the heels of a controversial NRCC statement last week that called on Gen. Stanley McChrystal to "put [Pelosi] in her place" on the topic of Afghanistan.

Follow Eric Kuhn on Twitter @KuhnCNN