Social studies.
In New Hampshire elected officials' apparently never-ending social media learning curve, add the name of state Rep. Al Baldasaro of Londonderry. In fact, let's send him to the head of the class--at least for the time being.Baldasaro, a Republican, threw a hissy fit earlier this month after learning that photos of his recent wedding that were posted on Facebook weren't just for the viewing of his friends. Or even his friends' friends. But also for much of the world to see. And it looks like not everyone was willing to keep their opinions to themselves on what they saw.
First, the photos: They depicted the bride and groom and other members of the wedding party carrying rifles of various sorts. Not exactly boilerplate wedding pictures.
Second, let's look at how social media works: The photos were posted by at least one friend of Baldasaro's, namely Goffstown rep and fellow Republican John Burt. And since there are 400 members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a bunch of 'em are Facebook friends--and "friend" in Facebookspeak doesn't mean they're necessarily friendly, or even simpatico on things political and otherwise. So they--in this case, Dem Rep. Peter Sullivan of Manchester--get to share the photos on their own pages. And post comments that might tick off real friends of the Baldasaros.
Third, keepin it real: Getting ticked off about the reaction of unfriendly friends, Rep. Baldasaro threw the aforementioned hissy fit, and eventually the photos were taken down from Facebook. What's interesting is that Rep. Baldasaro is not exactly what you'd call a shrinking violet--in fact, he's shown that he's fully capable of ticking off people himself--whether it's saying it was "great" that a GOP debate audience a few years back booed a gay soldier or tweeting (there's that social media again) that the state Dem Party chair a was a "pervert."
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| Title Annotation: | Flotsam & Jetsam; Al Baldasaro |
|---|---|
| Publication: | New Hampshire Business Review |
| Article Type: | Brief article |
| Geographic Code: | 1U1NH |
| Date: | Sep 6, 2013 |
| Words: | 310 |
| Previous Article: | End of an era. |
| Next Article: | F&J tote board. |
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