It somehow seems fitting, in the same week the United States of America inaugurated its first Twitter-obsessed president, that the Maine House of Representatives found itself debating the pros and cons of social media.
Personally, I\u2019m torn over a request by Rep. Matt Pouliot, R-Augusta, to allow House members to fire up their Facebook and other social media accounts when they\u2019re in session.
As a public policy matter, it raises serious questions about discipline, diligence and deportment.
But as pure entertainment? Be still my beating heart.
We begin with House Rule 109, titled \u201cUse of personal electronic communication devices.\u201d
It states, \u201cDuring all sessions of the House, a member shall restrict that member\u2019s use of all personal electronic communication devices to personal business and business of the House and shall in such use exercise high standards of discretion, conduct and decorum.\u201d
Such high standards, of course, are subject to interpretation. House members routinely have their phones out and laptops open during those lengthy roll calls and interminable debates.
In fact, more than once in recent years, members have been caught from behind watching the Red Sox or playing solitaire when they\u2019re supposed to be conducting the people\u2019s business.
They also send text messages \u2013 the quicker, easier alternative to the longstanding practice of scribbling \u201cHear, hear!\u201d or \u201cYou know not of what you speak!\u201d on a scrap of paper, summoning a House page and having it hand-delivered to the object of one\u2019s admiration or scorn.
But Pouliot\u2019s plan, as articulated on Wednesday to the House Rules Committee, goes way beyond that.
He envisioned photos and video recordings, taken by House members of themselves or other House members, popping up on the internet in real time as the people\u2019s representatives go about their constitutional duties.
As reported by Press Herald State House staffer Scott Thistle, Pouliot told the committee, \u201cIt is all about creating broader access and insight to the governing process and frankly, it enhances the general public\u2019s ability to participate by using a platform such as Facebook Live that they\u2019re already familiar with.\u201d
Pouliot just turned 30 last month. He knows about these things.
Others don\u2019t.
Rep. John Martin, D-Eagle Lake, was once a young buck in the Maine Legislature just like Pouliot. That was \u2026 let\u2019s see here \u2026 more than a half-century ago.
Now 75, Martin described himself during the hearing as \u201cnot a proponent of social media.\u201d
The man\u2019s being modest. He actually hates social media.
\u201cIf I had my way, there would be no Facebook and no accounts out there, no tweakers or whatever else,\u201d Martin told Pouliot. \u201cAnd society would be a lot better off if they read the newspapers and watched the news.\u201d
OK, I admit I loved the society-should-read-newspapers part. But no more Facebook? No \u201ctweakers\u201d?
Give Pouliot credit for respecting his elder. \u201cSocial media is not going away,\u201d he gently informed Martin. \u201cI hate to break it to you.\u201d
Still, Martin had a point when he worried aloud that social media \u201ccreates more problems\u201d than it solves.
President Trump\u2019s tweets alone have already destabilized the entire planet. When it comes to fake news, Facebook has become an express lane on the disinformation highway. And don\u2019t get me started about Snapchat because, well, I\u2019m not sure how it works.
But back to the House floor. As if these people weren\u2019t dysfunctional enough, imagine what a savvy lawmaker could do with a raw, 30-second video of his opponent proclaiming, \u201cMadam Speaker, I may not be the sharpest tool in the box, but this bill makes no sense! I need help comprehending how it could, in any way, be beneficial to the Maine people!\u201d
The tightly edited Facebook video version: \u201cMadam Speaker, I may not be the sharpest tool in the box. I need help.\u201d
Then there are the perils of the still photo.
Back in 2005, during a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, then-President George W. Bush discreetly penned a note to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Captured for posterity by a nosy Reuters photographer, the message read, \u201cI think I may need a bathroom break. Is this possible \u2026 W.\u201d
Within hours, the whole universe knew the leader of the free world was, ahem, having trouble following the proceedings.
Nefarious edits and embarrassing moments aside, unleashing the power of social media on the Maine House also raises significant questions about what is and what isn\u2019t a matter of public record.
\u201cAny substantive transmission (by a legislator in the course of his or her official business) is a public record,\u201d said David Cheever, Maine\u2019s state archivist, in an interview on Friday.
Cheever has long struggled to educate anyone and everyone in state government that their official emails are public records and thus should be retained just like written memos were back in the day.
Facebook and Twitter only compound that challenge, Cheever said.
For starters, the moment a lawmaker posts something official on Facebook, it becomes the sole property of Facebook. How then does the state ensure that said posting, assuming it\u2019s juicy enough, is preserved for archival posterity before \u2026 poof \u2026 it\u2019s erased?
And what if a Facebook skirmish were to break out during a House floor session? One lawmaker starts video-recording another, prompting the other to video-record right back and before you know it, the entire chamber is engulfed in a smartphone shootout. Is all of that a public record?
Quipped Cheever, \u201cAll you\u2019re doing is underscoring my inability to do my job.\u201d
Wherever all of this is headed, it\u2019s not going to get there fast. After kicking Pouliot\u2019s proposal around for a while last week, the House Rules Committee voted to table it until \u2026 whenever.
Meaning Rep. Martin can rest easy. For the duration of the 128th Maine Legislature, at least, it appears there will be no Facebooking in the House chamber.
Or tweaking.
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