Michigan Congressman Pete Hoekstra got pummeled today in the Twitterverse after comparing Republican Twitter activity last August to the use of the social messaging tool in Iran over the past few days following the hotly contested national election.
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Rep. Hoekstra says Iran turmoil similar to dealing with Nancy Pelosi
By Jimmy Orr | 06.17.09
You can see where he was going with the analogy but it doesn’t exactly work.
The same Congressman who tweeted the whereabouts of a mission to Iraq last year is getting into some hot water again because of his Twitter use.
Just like Iran
This time Michigan Representative Pete Hoekstra compared the Twitter activity in Iran to when Republicans used Twitter to express dissatisfaction over Speaker Pelosi’s decision to adjourn Congress.
“Iranian twitter activity similar to what we did in House last year when Republicans were shut down in the House,” Hoekstra tweeted from his BlackBerry today.
It’s almost exactly the same. Except there’s been five straight days of protests in Iran, foreign journalists are banned from covering the demonstrations, at least eight people have been killed, violence is widespread, protesters have been jailed, and businesses closed down early today just so hundreds of thousands of people could protest the election results at a rally.
This compared to last August when a few Republicans got on their BlackBerries and voiced their disappointment with Speaker Pelosi’s decision to adjourn Congress before taking a vote on an energy bill. They tweeted for awhile, enjoyed a ham sandwich, and then went on vacation for a month.
Heckling
This point was not lost on many in the Twitterverse who let Hoekstra have it after his tweet. And they pulverized him.
Look at these tweets as compiled by the innovative guys at Talking Points Memo:
ArjunJaikumar @petehoekstra i spilled some lukewarm coffee on myself just now, which is somewhat analogous to being boiled in oil
chrisbaskind @petehoekstra My neighbor stopped me to talk today. Now I know what it is like to be questioned by the Basij!
luckbfern @petehoekstra I stand in solidarity with the oppressed rich white men of Repub Party in the House. #GOPfail Allah Akbar!
aciolino @petehoekstra Today I poked my finger on a hanger. Now I know what all those aborted babies go through.
netw3rk @petehoekstra Someone walked in on me while I was in the bathroom. Reminded me of Pearl Harbor.
MattOrtega Walked out onto Constitution Ave in D.C. and was almost hit by a taxi. Reminded me of Tienanmen Square.
tharodge @petehoekstra maybe now is a good time to reconsider whether you are ready for national politics?
TahirDuckett @petehoekstra ran through the sprinklers this morning, claimed solidarity with victims of Hurricane Katrina
paganmist @petehoekstra Had to move all my stuff to a new office w/o a corner view. Now i know what the Trail of Tears was like. #GOPfail
Not literal
By the way, Hoekstra said he wasn’t comparing the two situations literally. His office says he was just talking about the benefits of the technology.
“Congressman Hoekstra did not compare the ongoing violence in Iran to when Democrats shut down the House chamber during the energy debate last summer,” said spokesman Dave Yonkman. “The two situations do share the similarity of government leadership attempting to limit debate and deliberation, and the ability of new technologies to bypass their efforts and allow for direct communication. That’s the only point that he was trying to make.”
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2. Ken Bruce | 06.19.09
Today I was forced to have a medical exam.Now I know what Dr. Mengele’s experiments felt like.
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Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
1. Frater SODDI | 06.18.09
Today I tried to contact my right wing extremist Republican Senator about health care. It made me feel just like I was trying to discuss health care with a right-wing extremists Republican.