Not that I’m looking for Michigan’s version of Anthony Weiner … but I’d love to see a Michigan politician make a bold, important move on Twitter.

It’s a no-brainer for politicians – except for those who “think” with body parts other than the brain – since Twitter provides a soapbox directly connected to voters. And they’re not just ordinary voters. They include the coveted minority groups that can be key to influencing elections, according to a new Pew Research Center study.

Disappointingly, just 43 percent of Michigan state lawmakers were on Twitter as of February, according to a Truscott Rossman survey. It’s likely that number has inched up some, but it reflects a wariness that could keep some Michigan politicos in the backwaters of digital media.

Granted Twitter’s immediacy is not without peril. And it might just be that Michigan Congressman Pete Hoekstra’s major gaffe two years ago has made Michigan politicians overly cautious. You undoubtedly remember when the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee tweeted that he had “just landed in Baghdad,” while on a hush-hush visit to the Iraqi city. Oops…

Likewise, tweets by members of Congress were down 27 percent immediately following the Weiner episode, according to the website TweetCongress. Apparently some better-safe-than-sorry mentality kicked into high gear.

That’s a shame since social media provides direct conversations with voters that can influence opinions and make change happen – fast. But you do have to be smart, or at least thoughtful, about it.

Twitter will be providing the medium for those important conversations whether or not Michigan lawmakers choose to partake – but they abstain at their peril.