WASHINGTON (CNN) – The flood of Twitter activity emerging from the street protests in Iran is bringing back some fond memories for Republican congressman Pete Hoekstra of Michigan.
"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 on Wednesday, referencing how House Republicans used the Web to get their message out after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi adjourned the House before an energy vote last August.
But just how "similar" was that effort to the passionate protests in the streets of Iran that followed last week's disputed election?
Barely a minute passed before Twitter users objected to Hoekstra's assertion. One user quickly tweeted back: "Except the Democrats didn't come after you with clubs and guns, did they?"
Hoekstra's office said the congressman was not making a direct comparison between the two situations and was simply highlighting the value that new technology can play in communicating with supporters.
“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."
This isn't Hoekstra's first Twitter controversy. Back in February, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee tweeted details of a congressional trip to Baghdad. Congressional Quarterly called that a security breach, but the congressman's office said the trip details were not classified and that the the tweets posed no risk.
Story updated with Hoekstra response at 2:40 p.m. ET
From CNN Politics
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Is this guy serious? He's comparing himself to people who are being beaten and murdered in the streets of Iran. This guy needs a serious reality check.
Pete Hoekstra is an idiot!
Don't be going against your word and promises, Barack
The GOP is desperate to become relevant. I think the rest of them are keeping quiet hoping no-one remembers what they did in Florida in 2000....
Iran can't shut down TWITTER so they blame President Obama for their lack of understanding of High Tech. Good thing to do Iran. Blame it all on Obama. He has already said he did not want to be seen as "MEDDLING" in the affairs of your country so you accuse him of doing it. Such a smart government.
This is not even close to any twitter comparison. The Iranian people are defending their strong belief for change and I would assume regular folks from all ages, classes and cultures around the world would show such support in the street for their defense!
Absolutely gutter trash.
the GOPneed to tweet on the business of the people, you dropped the ball eight years ago
What a tool. Republicans haven't learned that the benefits of Twitter are saying something intelligent.
Oh, I thought he was referring to fixed election in Florida....
Twittering from a twit.
Hoekstra reminds me of the Iranians who support Ahmadinejad. The difference is that Hoekstra benefits from a gerrymandered district and taxpayer money spent on promoting incumbents (franking privilege, travel expenses) to make it extremely difficult to be challenged for his seat.
Hoekstra's comparison is stupid and childish, the situation in Iran doesn’t have one iota of similarity with his situation in congress, and for more than 200 years the American society has been a beacon of democracy, where everybody is free to express their opinions without fear of reprisal. Not so in the republic of Iran, no long ago they had a brutal monarchy that in 1979 was replaced by a ultra conservative religious and more repressive regime.
Mr. Hoekstra should inform himself before speaking; he makes himself look like a fool.
Sorry but Sentor Pete is a total twit.
Bozo.
No comparison.
Why don't the Republicans send an envoy to Iran to meet with their Taliban brethren....they could party like it's 1999 and teach them how to tie up disputed elections in the Iranian court system for years...like they do here.
This is just another overpaid fool, receiving health benefits, who should be sent home. Don't these clowns THINK before opening their mouths? People are dying in their protest against oppression and he is childishly comparing it to the "NO" agenda!
Lord give me patience I pray!
Hoekstra is my Congressman with plans to run for Governor of Michigan.
I'm not anti-Republican, but I am strongly opposed to idiocy and idiotic posturing. Hoekstra is a perfect example of the Republican style that has been soundly rejected in recent elections but still can't pick up on the message.
If he wants to compare his version of the Republican party to Iran, he fits in with the old-school and the Supreme Leader being rejected.
Hey Hoekstra – Twitter is for people wanting to communicate, not political "twits" who only want to push their obstructionist agenda or give away details of our military's operations. Button it up Hoekstra, you're making a fool of yourself in fornt of the texting community...
The principal similarity between the Republicans and the opposition protesters in Iran is that the Republicans are on the side of the corrupt ayatollahs and behave like them. The opposition protesters are far more akin to the Democratic party. Ayatollahs and Republicans are equally indecent.
For the first time, the other day I heard someone use the term "Rightwing Jihadist Republicans." Now, here is a Republican basically going along with this. Interesting.
Horrible comparison! Are you for real?
The big difference is that the majority of Iranians are not
domestic terrorists.
What an idiot. The two have nothing in common.
Hey Pete, how is this a controversy ?
I believe the comparioson is quite accurate. Getting their message out when a group of individuals fill they have been wronged by someone else in power.
Except of course, the poeple protesting in Iran are the liberals rebelling against a conservative system driven by fear, hate, sabre rattling and interjecting thier beliefs into the lives of all Iranians.
Sounds familir doesn't it?
Takes a lot of gall to compare a political party fight to people being shot in the streets fighting for their basic human rights
What an idiot!
In making such presumptuous and far-fetched self-serving comparisons, Hoekstra seems to have forgotten the last three letters and reduced himself from "Twitter" to "twit."
I find it an insult that this man is comparing petty politician squabbles to IRAN's fight for political justice and freedom! The GOP has LOST THEIR MINDS!
I love when people try to compare themselves to or judge others when they've never walked in someone elses shoes.
Maybe this guy should visit Iran – then he'll see he has it pretty nice over here after all...
This man is a traitor to the US when he twittered about the democrats going to Iraq. Why would you do that if you didnt want harm to come to them?
O.K. so I'm just an old dinosaur, but instead of serious news and analysis, all I hear are "tweets" from Twitter. As I post this, a CNN ad invites me to "Follow us on Twitter." Objecting strongly to being just another digital ditto head, firmly believing that 145 characters in not enough to discuss anything more serious than acne medication, and understanding that the attention span of the average American is about the same as Obama's dead house fly, I respectfully decline to join your parade of TWITS.
Having said all that, how do I buy stock in this fad.
Wow, that was an arrogant thing for the Republican thing to say. But not exactly a surprise. Just another mark against the Republicans.
Wow, Nice try but the role of victim of election fraud is already taken in this senario by my party in 2000. It is nice to see the GOP finally come out fot fair and free elections. Where were thety in 2000 when GW Bush had his brother steal the elction for him in Florida? I wish we had had twitter back then.
Typical and expected response from the "DittoHead"
As a former Michigan resident and proud to call myself a Michigander, I am ashamed that Rep Hoekstra is a member of the US House of Representatives for Michigan. Rep. Hoekstra has shown himself to be not only clueless (tweeting security breaches, endangering our troops) but also elevating and equating his fellow GOP'ers efforts to block any progress in the US from moving on from the Bush/Cheney/Rove mess to the brave Iranian citizens who are risking their very lives to bring reform to the Iranian government.
Seriously, Rep. Hoekstra, please stop. Your and your fellow Republican compatriots' efforts are nowhere near as important nor as high-minded as the dissenting Iranian people.
Let Pete twit his day away, just makes him look as smart as he is; not very.
"Hey, they use twitter, I used twitter that means that we are the same."
Revolting against tyrants isn't easy whether it is the Iranian mullahcracy or Nancy Pelosi who is trying to destroy dissent and eliminate public debate.
BWAHAHHAHHAAAHAHAHA
The GOP are a bunch of ID!IOTS!
Obama had to find some way to pay this slug back for assisting him in stealing the election. Nice, cushy, White House job. Lots of access for his wifes lobbying firm.
With all due respect, the analogy is laughable! It is the liberals that rose up in Iran because of a stolen election, and because they want progress and change. The GOP's efforts represent not even ONE of these important aspects. The GOP is shut out because they have no ideas of their own, just whining, and more whining!
Oh, poor republicans! The election was stolen from them by a small group of right-wing theocratic elite! Oh wait, that was the 2000 election and it was the republicans who stole it!
Hoekstra comments bring back fond memories of all the stupid things Bush used to say. Will Hoekstra equat the GOP next to George Washington's troops crossing the Potomac against the Redcoats?
Go get him CNN.., tear those conservatives apart!. How dare they compare Nancy's non-transparency to to Iranian non-transparency.
This is who American’s are voting into office? Please tell me sir what your plans are to pull your constituency out of the mud. I know you are rolling in money but meanwhile back at the ranch, your people are eating rice and beans. I hope you choke on your next filet minon!
I will contribute handsomely to your successor.
He's kidding, right? If Hoekstra wants to compare the Republicans to what is going on in Iran, clearly they are the mullahs.
I think he meant that when we kicked the republicans out of the white house, senate and congress in large numbers, their response has been more like al Qaeda, as we get closer and closer to shutting them down also. Lots of fear and hate filled noise and of no benefit to the American people.
He's a republican – they don't' understand anything!
Whhhhaaatttt???
The GoP: The Dinosaur Party; ready for extinciton
They are not at all similar – by any stretch of the imagination. The people in Iran are fighting for the sanctity of representative rule. The republicans were throwing an extended tantrum.
Iran's protest does remind me of Rethuglicans... When they cheated the election process many, many, many times! Everyone remembers Bush's parade when he stole the 2000 elections? Everyone was throwing eggs at his limo when driving to the capitol.
Not really surprised. This not the first time Hoekstra has said something stupid.
The GOP just wants to make dems look bad at any cost and get back in power.
A good idea should be a good idea no matter what party came up with it. If everyone knows you are going to say no to every dem proposal no matter what then what good is it talking to you. You are not reasonable.
"The ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee"
Hoekstra proves, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that there is NO requirement of 'intelligence" for this position. Republicans lack any and all forms of intelligence.
They don't need a teleprompter, their idiocy is ingrained in them. Here's their substitute for a teleprompter: "Tax cuts for the rich, No to Progress, White People in charge, the other 95% of america should die, yes to torture and illegal wars"
I can't begin to explain just how laughable this flip flopping gasbag's argument is. LOL LOL LOL LOL!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, Hoekstra. Truly the poor, downtrodden Republicans can be compared to the desperate and freedom-starved people of Iran who are being murdered in the streets for wanting to be free. Is there any wonder that this party is making itself extinct?
This is funny...These situations are not similar whatsoever!
I've always thought the GOP wants the U.S. to be like Iran. This just confirms it. The GOP wants a theocracy.....like Iran. Just Jesus.....not Allah.
Want Proof? Who are there heroes? Sarah Palin (oh yeah hypocrite), Ted Haggert (oh right, he is a gay meth queen now), Charlie Crist (ooops, gay), Larry Craig (oh no...another one!), Mark Foley (oops...there we go again)....
Oh well...
He IS KIDDING RIGHT???????????????????????????????????
What NERVE does this man have to compare the Iranians protesting an election that was clearly rigged to their campaign of HATE & OBSTRUCTION against President Obama!
I suppose GOPers will say anything to get publicity!
The GOP is more like the Iranian regime than the protesters. The GOP was felled by a grass roots movement which emerged through new technology, which the GOP does not understand.
The only similarity between Iranian President Ahmadinejad and the GOP...Geezers of Propaganda...is that they are crooked, repressive and violent towards people, millions of them, who do not share their distorted fascistic world view.
This is the same guy that "twittered" on where he was in Iraq making the job of guarding him that much harder. He's a dumbnut and shouldn't be allowed to cross the street by himself.
I'd say the GOP is more like the Taliban – religious nuts who are trying to take down America by any means!
This man is in CONGRESS. An embarassment to all Americans.
Yeah, keep dreaming buddy. The GOP is once again in la-la land.
Comparing the repubs or dems and their spineless speaches to the Iranians who are willing to die is an insult to Iran and thier populace.
Americans have become pawns. Many years ago we had a populace as brave as that in Iran. Sadly, ours has died off.
Rep. Hoekstra......Some things are better left unsaid......
Let's hope the Iranian people have better luck with it. Oh for you republicans the @ sign is used in twitter, it's not just for email! :O)
The GOP just don't learn do they. They will take a situation which doesn't even apply to theirs and spin it to try to make it theirs until some sensible human being reminds them and asks them to, STOP LYING!!! 8 years was enough.
Moron. Even comparing "Government leadership attempting to limit debate" is still a far cry from the two situations.
Am I the only one who wishes we could go back to the "Ignorance is Bliss" days where we didn't actually know what our elected officials were thinking? My face is permanently red from all the face-palms lately.
Hoekstra is just another GOP old man who is no more than a tweety bird, just making noise to appear to be up on technology. Just ignore him, he's too old and the youth are driving him crazy with all this new technology.
Baloney. Big difference. The GOP has made itself obsolete and people are flocking away from it in droves.
Why has CNN not posted ANYTHING about Obama firing Gerald Walpin? This is the same thing people are saying Bush should be in jail for with the firing of prosecutors.
However, CNN has nothing on this. Go to the Sacramento Bee to get the story. It could be the beginning of a very nasty story.
Bad journalism CNN.
Really? The monumentally brave rising-up of people for freedom and against **actual** tyranny is the same/similar to the GOP tapping away on their cell phones last year?
Please, just stop. You all are getting more ridiculous by the day.
Good Lord....
When will the political party that held the Executive Branch for 8 years, the Legislative Branch for 6 years and still owns the Judicial Branch stop playing the frickin' role of VICTIM.
What a purely pathetic group of individuals.
The explanation form Hoekstra's office is weak, to say the least. He did make a direct comparison because the Conservative movement truly believes they are facing annihilation, and only by twittering and facebooking can they save the country. The sad thing about this is that I never recall anyone of any real significance on the Left or the Political Center equating any of their disputes with the Republican Congresses and Administrations with the Velvet Revolution, the Chinese Student Uprisings, the Prague Spring or any other mass popular uprising. The delusional aspect of some conservatives is both amusing and disturbing, especially when it comes to their collective self-image: oops, I should not have used the word "collective": now I'll be on the wacko Right-Wing list for "re-education" or termination.
A Republican taking the opportunity for showboating in front of the cameras and making thoughtless, nonsensical comparisons? Man, maybe Sarah Palin IS making the rules for the party.
I don't think so.
What a clown.
It is becoming increasingly clear that real Republicans chose not to run for office, letting a bunch of third-stringers and hangers-on run the circus for now.
I gotta say, they keep digging that ditch deeper and deeper.
Here's the difference, Petey, you had 8 years and we voted your party out.
"We are fighting with our lives and the world is just watching," said Ali, a Tehran University student who asked that his full name not be used. "They see how the government is trying to silence us, how they are beating us - but they don't come to our help. It's OK. We will succeed, even if we have to fight alone." (from CNN article)
THAT is why Iranians will OWN their freedom and why they will later thank us for not creating a situation a future POTUS, with similar ambitions and views as Bush, Cheney and the GOPers, will view as Iran owing us something. Freedom and democracy are not given, they are won and defended.
That is so far from the truth to compare the two. The Iranians are questioning the legitimacy of the election results. To even remotely compare them is just plain silly to put it nicely.
Exactly.
And Obama winning with ACORN's vote stealing and manipulation is just like the Iranian election.
America and the World is catching on to the dishonesty of people like Obama and Pelosi and Ahmedinnejad
Wow. Seriously? Someone needs a little perspective. Like, a whole truckload.
Hoekstra's yet one more GOP buffoon utterly stuck on STOOPID! Good lord almighty! Do Republigoons ever open their mouths without idiocy pooring out?? This bozo does not even know when to shut up, does he? Just because the details "were not classified" meant it was OK for him to broadcast trip information on Twitter???!! What in heaven's name is this idiot doing in Congress?
He has nothing better to do except make these claims. Looks like he would prefer twitter all day so that he can collect his paycheck and be happy opposing Obama. Mr. you can twitter as much as you want, unless GOP start acting for the working people, GOP will have the same fate as Iranian president will soon have. You guys , just wait and youi will see soon the results of DO NOTHINF fans like you.
Republicans seem to have a chronic case of foot and mouth disease.
NEWSFLASH!
The BULLY is gone from office now Rethugs. It is now about talking to people and respecting differences,
Give me a break is it another slow news day.. He also said that he thought the CIA lied to congress.. But, we never heard the uproar about that. Repubs are so sad..
Steve-Michigan
Talk about grasping at straws! The GOP is comparing themselves to Iranian protestors? The GOP really thinks that people are stupid and incapable of thinking logically or exploring an issue beyond a sound bite.
Guess that's what you do when your ideas and policies are proven failures ... smoke and mirrors is all the GOP has to offer.
He was comparing the Iranian police forces to the Democrats. Shameful.
the gop is dead thank you bush/cheney GO DEMS
How long will it be before Obama says that we need to give Iran more time to respond to our recent overtures to discuss the nuclear and other regional issues? I can see it now come December, Obama will say that the disputed elections in June distracted Iran's leaders from formulating a response, and they therefore need more time.
Obama is the silver tongued showman of the modern milennium. Anything he says can be taken with a grain of salt....it dissolves and goes away in two seconds flat!
Pete swallows foot in mouth once again...is this what the Repbs have come to?
See kids, this is what happens when you deny reality. You become Pete Hoekstra.
Pete, the next time you do drugs make sure they are FDA approved.
I view it more like when President Bush got elected and there were some disputes as to some votes in Florida were question just like how there is questionable election practices in Iran because it was an actual election not a decision to close down a vote on a certain bill which is commonplace in Congress and Parliament.
I agree with Bill Maher. Letterman should never have apologized for something he didn't say or intend to say. He's a decent man who has more character than Sarah Failin and her cronnies will ever have. The GOP has nothing to present to the American people but disruption, strife, and chaos. They are a bunch of sore losers and can't think of anything better to do than to attack comedienes. What a joke.
Laughter is good for the soul. Thanks!
Okay – I think that a bill should be passed immediately to ban all of Congress from having Twitter accounts. Enough evidence now exists to show too much time is being spent Twittering (its made them loco).
Republicans and technology just don't mix. Trying to explain it to them is like trying to teach an Alzheimer's victims to remember.
As a Republican I really need to say something in his behalf.
"What an Idiot!"
There... How'd I do?