Marathon Pundit: WhipCast app lets you keep track of Congress; Roskam comments

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

WhipCast app lets you keep track of Congress; Roskam comments

I just downloaded the WhipCast app on my Android phone. Some translation: Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is the House Majority Whip and Rep. Peter Roskam is the Chief Deputy Whip. And Whips are responsible for keeping track of legislation and how members of their delegation will vote when bills hit the floor of the lower chamber.

And it is McCarthy and Roskam's name I see when I click on my WhipCast app.

From a Roskam press release:

Roskam Applauds Release of WhipCast Application

WASHINGTON – Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam (IL-06) issued the following statement applauding today's launch of WhipCast, a first-of-its-kind government app available on the iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, and Android. WhipCast is a revolutionary effort in government transparency that will provide real-time information from the House floor, including facts about legislation, upcoming floor votes, and key vote alerts on topics of interest. Watch the trailer for WhipCast here.

"WhipCast is a breakthrough in government transparency and its launch marks an important step in ensuring that the American public can stay up-to-date with the latest in Congress. As someone that values constituent communications, WhipCast will be an important new tool to keep the public informed about Congress. The app will provide a higher level of accessibility and transparency for constituents, helping the public to engage in the political process and provide direct feedback. With WhipCast, you'll have the latest information on the House of Representatives. I urge you to download it."

Download WhipCast by clicking: iPhone/iPad; Android; Blackberry

Here's the video, courtesy of McCarthy's office:

Appearing in the video with Roskam and McCarthy are Tim Scott (R-SC), Patrick McHenry (R-NC), and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA).

The app, particularly the video section, works great. I was initialy less enthusiastic about the text portions, but then I discovered the zoom option.

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