HARRISBURG - When Rep. Tarah Toohil became the target last week of an anonymous YouTube posting using photos of her at a decade-old party to question her traditional Republican values, she gave her main response in a video produced with taxpayer money.
The response video posted on the Hazleton Republican's legislative website and on YouTube several days after the "pizza party" video surfaced showing a young Ms. Toohil amid what appears to be drug paraphernalia illustrates dramatically how social media are changing the culture in Harrisburg.
During the past two years, tweets by lawmakers announcing floor votes on bills, having Facebook conversations with constituents and posting in other social media have become part of the daily communications fabric at the Capitol. But here was a sudden, unpredictable and anonymous attack on an incumbent, first-term lawmaker just several weeks before Election Day.
Decisions about the Toohil response were made in a context in which six former state lawmakers are serving state prison terms for convictions based on the misuse of public resources for campaign purposes.
"This is a blatant and personal attack against me as a legislator," said Ms. Toohil in her response video.
The "party" video twice shows Ms. Toohil in her official House photo, a key factor in the House Republican caucus decision to produce the response video and not have an outside campaign committee handle it, said Stephen Miskin, spokesman for House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-28, Pittsburgh.
The caucus video was produced in less than an hour at nominal cost with existing staff and equipment and features Ms. Toohil acknowledging it was her in some of the party photos and warning young people about the dangers of drug use, said Mr. Miskin.
"If it wasn't so close to the election would anyone question it?" asked Mr. Miskin about the caucus involvement.
Still, he pointed out the rapidly evolving use of social media has left everyone trying to figure out the boundaries for using them.
The GOP caucus video includes a disclaimer that it is not responsible for any YouTube-generated comment. House Democrats make a similar disclaimer in videos they post on YouTube with lawmakers discussing such issues as natural gas drilling and education, said Bill Patton, spokesman for House Minority Leader Frank Dermody, D-33, Allegheny. A disclaimer is used because a caucus video can be grouped on a YouTube screen with links to other videos that Democrats aren't associated with.
A Capitol activist thinks the GOP caucus made the wrong call.
The Toohil response with its anti-drug use message is similar to a public service announcement, which aren't run during the campaign season, said Eric Epstein, founder of RocktheCapitol.com. He said the video job should have been delegated to a campaign committee. "This is a political commercial dressed up as a public service announcement," added Mr. Epstein.
Contact the writer: rswift@timesshamrock.com