Post-election showdown: dueling Ybarra Twitter parodies

It was going to happen at some point. On Wednesday, it happened twice.

Not one but two Sherri Ybarra Twitter parody accounts surfaced Wednesday, one day after the Mountain Home Republican was elected Idaho’s next superintendent of public instruction.

In one corner, we have the @YBarraYouBetcha parody account, drawing its handle from the winning slogan in Ybarra’s catchphrase contest. In there other corner, we have @NotYbarra, or “Not Sherri Ybarra,” a more generically named account.

The tweets are more or less what you might expect from Ybarra parody accounts. Lots of jokes about educating the “whole child,” a talking point from Ybarra’s campaigns. Plenty of jokes about Ybarra referring to herself as Idaho’s “chief of schools,” in a prepared statement issued after the final ballots were counted Wednesday morning.

No middle ground here. Both accounts are likely to amuse Ybarra’s detractors and anger her supporters.

The bigger question may be whether even the snark-infested Boise Twitter community can support two dueling parody accounts. I liken it to VHS vs. Beta, for those of you who: A) Use Twitter; and B) Are old enough to remember VHS or Beta.

(UPDATE, 11:25 a.m.)

Who’s reading these tweets? A quick follower tally:

  • YBarraYouBetcha: 118.
  • NotYbarra: 40
  • @ybarraforidaho (the campaign’s official Twitter account): 113.
Kevin Richert

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 30 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KevinRichert. He can be reached at [email protected]

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