While the news agendas often differ on blogs and Twitter, last week was an exception with the same three topics dominating discussions on both.

One was the 2012 presidential election, which was the No. 2 story on blogs and No. 4 on Twitter for the week of October 24-28, according to the New Media Index from the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism. And while the presidential campaign has registered among the top five stories in the mainstream press in each of the last 12 weeks, this marks only the third time it has shown up among the leading topics in the New Media Index in that period.

But even as the campaign surfaced as a leading story on both blogs and Twitter, the two social media platforms focused on different aspects. Many bloggers voiced their displeasure with the GOP candidates, most particularly Rick Perry. On Twitter, the emphasis was on an unusual campaign ad and an article discussing using social media in the campaign.

Two other stories also sparked debate on both blogs and Twitter. The Occupy Wall Street protests registered as No. 3 on blogs and No. 1 on Twitter. And the aftermath of the October 5 death of Apple founder Steve Jobs was No. 4 on blogs and No. 3 on Twitter.

Since his death, Jobs has been one of the top stories on blogs or Twitter every week except one.

2012 Presidential Election

Liberal bloggers trained their sights last week on Rick Perry, arguing that he was kowtowing to conspiracy theorists and resurrecting the birther issue when he said he doesn’t “have a definitive answer” on whether President Obama was born in the United States.

Republican analyst and power broker Karl Rove also was critical of Perry’s comments, saying on Fox News, “You associate yourself with a nutty view like that, and you damage yourself.”  That also generated in a response online.

“Well said, Turdblossom,” wrote The Pajama Pundit, referring to Karl Rove’s nickname.

“Rick Perry is so desperate to prop up his flagging presidential bid he’s listening to the birther king,” wrote Taylor Marsh.

“Over the weekend, we got another reminder that Rick Perry’s nomination strategy is to pander to the crazy: thus his new birther comments,” wrote Jonathan Bernstein on a Washington Post blog. “They fit right in with a campaign that embraced or at least flirted with many of the more goofy Tea Party ideas, such as repealing the direct election of United States Senators.”

In his remarks on Fox News, Rove also noted that Herman Cain may not be “up to the task” of president, asserting that he demonstrated a lack of understanding about key issues.

On Twitter, Cain was also a popular subject of discussion, thanks to his