Exposing Capitol Hill since 2007.

July 13, 2007 6:59 AM

The Capitolist - Web 2.0 meets Capitol HillThe Capitolist is an anonymous BBS for Capitol Hill staffers to post to, and the rest of us to read. Anyone coming from a Hill IP can post anything they want: weird, banal, frustrated, or the occasional full-blown cry in the wilderness. There's even LOLcats here. How long will it last? How far will it go? Hit refresh & find out!
posted by scalefree (31 comments total)

What a brilliant idea.
posted by delmoi at 7:06 AM on July 13, 2007

WashingtonWatch is much cooler.
posted by pjdoland at 7:07 AM on July 13, 2007

"If you're already tired of having the responsibility for governing, we'll take it back.

Really, because you did so well the last time."
posted by scalefree at 7:08 AM on July 13, 2007

I admit I work on CapHill and I can tell you that I read this TheCapitolist all day long...

Right now it is filled mostly with interns ranting...but when the summer interns leave, I hope more staffers post and give a real insight into the day-to-day goings on in the nations capitol. While I understand that few of the posts will come from senior staffers, it is often the jr. staffer who is able to shed light on things the senior staffers are unwilling/unable to.
posted by photodegas at 7:17 AM on July 13, 2007

we're ALL members of the inner party.... ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebop5NEHVeU

Heh.
posted by delmoi at 7:20 AM on July 13, 2007

They seriously need to upgrade their server, it feels like it's being run on a Commodore 64 right now.
posted by scalefree at 7:20 AM on July 13, 2007

Every time you say "Web 2.0", Jesus strangles a kitten.
posted by Mister_A at 7:21 AM on July 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

Who's eating all the Hostess Suzy-Qs in the Russell basement snack machine?

A question that I think we'd all like the answer to.
posted by octothorpe at 7:25 AM on July 13, 2007

This is very cool.
posted by chunking express at 7:26 AM on July 13, 2007

That's AWESOME.

It'll be blocked though, I bet.
posted by empath at 7:32 AM on July 13, 2007

Obey just farted on the House floor as he was speaking, loudly apparently.

This, ladies and gentleman, is exactly why Al Gore invented the Internet.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 7:34 AM on July 13, 2007 [2 favorites]

Oh, please, please, please let this be true.
posted by octothorpe at 7:37 AM on July 13, 2007

And it even has some intelligent posting.
posted by gaspode at 7:38 AM on July 13, 2007

in re: Cheney on DC Madame's list

I wonder if he likes to shoot in the face?
posted by DU at 7:49 AM on July 13, 2007 [4 favorites]

Every time you say "Web 2.0", Mohammad Uzi's a llama.

Every time you say "Web 2.0", Buddha smothers a monkey.

Every time you say "Web 2.0", Krishna decapitates a platypus.

It's a fun game even robots can play!

-----

Anyway, on the subject, you know this will only be interesting until the sides figure out they can shill here without penalty, then it'll become just like everything else in our overgamed political culture.
posted by JHarris at 8:00 AM on July 13, 2007

"Anyone know a Captial Hill IP address?" he asked innocently.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:06 AM on July 13, 2007

things that need to be eradicated from the hill:1)seersucker2) ill-fitting suits3) croakies4) boat shoes5) ostentacious class rings6) awkward people7) senate bean soup8) madras9) self-proclaimed "southern belles"10) republicans

Hah.
posted by delmoi at 8:15 AM on July 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

From the thread: Cheney on the DC-Madam list, when he was at Halliburton.
posted by delmoi at 8:18 AM on July 13, 2007

They have the img tag and we don't
posted by caddis at 8:19 AM on July 13, 2007 [2 favorites]

Shit, if we're going to derail to Cheney and the DC Madam, here is something weird from Capitol Hill.
posted by exogenous at 8:22 AM on July 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

I will be on record: I love TheCapitolist. I just wish the info on it tended to be a little more useful. What is there *is* useful, but I have yet to see some good policy rumors or "the Energy and Water subcommittee just passed their appropriations" or whatever. Stuff that you just couldn't get anywhere else, except by people in the know, speaking from behind the veil of anonymity.
posted by indiebass at 8:32 AM on July 13, 2007

Very fun. Bookmarked.
posted by rtha at 8:44 AM on July 13, 2007

Completing the circle.
posted by scalefree at 8:57 AM on July 13, 2007

This is cool. Also: I'm really tired of seeing that Cheney link.
posted by absalom at 9:17 AM on July 13, 2007

Hmm! I'd love to see this in scrolling realtime a la MST3000 for C-Span. Or am I only see a static posting page?
posted by uncorq at 9:39 AM on July 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

in re: Cheney on DC Madame's list

I wonder if he likes to shoot in the face?

with the river of heart medication going through his veins, whatever he's getting isn't going to involve him shooting anything...
posted by geos at 10:04 AM on July 13, 2007

Recursion!
posted by empath at 10:04 AM on July 13, 2007

Oh, i'm all late to the party.
posted by empath at 10:04 AM on July 13, 2007

Capitolist should throw some point-to-point encryption into the mix, too.
posted by Skwirl at 1:14 PM on July 13, 2007

Wow. Capitol Hill staff share my general impression of Capitol Hill staff, only with 25% more annoyance.
posted by Tehanu at 2:09 PM on July 13, 2007

Just noting: The "cry in the wilderness" mentions "the dude outside of Union Station mumbling "conservative opposed to Bush" and handing out his schizophrenic-word-salad literature".

Conservative Opposed to Bush Guy stands out there every single morning in rain, in snow, and in 100 degree summers (does anyone know how long he's been there?). I was amused and curious until one of my office's interns brought me a flier of his - essentially it said that everything is the fault of aliens (the outer space kind) and the Jews. Definitely out fo his mind.

*waves at photodegas* Howdy, neighbor.
posted by naoko at 5:40 PM on July 13, 2007