Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) says that snappy comebacks are “effective at breaking through the clutter.”

So now, it’s the snarkiest wheel that gets the grease. “Most politicians are not known for edgy comments, and society has become much more vanilla with the 24-hour news cycle,” says McHenry. “You have to be punchy, tight and different. And that is why this strategy can be effective.”

Known for having one of the sharpest tongues in town, McHenry recalls a personal gem he came up with two months ago when he Twittered about once-Republican Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter jumping to the Democratic Caucus. “It would be more newsworthy if Specter finally became a Republican,” McHenry wrote. Afterward, the congressman said he got “a great response” from colleagues for the bon mot.

“The biggest compliment you can get is when someone else uses your line,” McHenry says, “and some other folks used it in some of their comments.”

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