This Is The Party That Thought Hackers Were People Who Smoked A Lot

OK, full disclosure: We don't pretend to understand half of what's going on out here in the Blogistan. Even before we've had a chance to lubricate our muse with an adult beverage or two it's still pretty much a mystery to us how most of this stuff appears on our computer screen. So you can imagine our surprise when we see the republican party welcoming their new electronic overlords with a zeal they usually reserve for the incoming class of Congressional Pages. It's a puzzle thinks us, that a party whose platform is pretty much out of the nineteenth century (as are most of its members) would aspire to become the new Technorati.

Well, as Arthur Clarke said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." And when you put that magic in the hands of people still honked off that women can vote, the results are predictably hilarious.

Yesterday the Virginia GOP came very close to taking control of the state Senate, nearly luring a Democratic Senator to switch parties and put them at a 20-20 tie, which would have been broken by the Republican Lt. Governor. Then Jeff Frederick, a state legislator and the party chairman, ruined it all by Twittering.

The author then goes on to lay bare the concept that apparently slipped by Mr. Frederick:

Really, Mr. Frederick, you don't live-blog about ongoing secret negotiations!

Details, details details. Look, he was probably just trying to track back to that...erm...male enhancement ad and pressed the wrong button. Could have happened to anybody, right Mr. Hoekstra?

The Pentagon is reviewing its communications with lawmakers traveling to war zones following a senior member’s disclosures about a delegation trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, the top-ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters about the trip days before the group departed and then posted updates on the delegation’s approximate location every few hours using the Twitter social networking service. "Wait, you mean anybody can read this?" Hoekstra asked.

Yeah. Well, that's why they call you twits Congressman. Or, as no doubt Mr. Tedisco prefers, twidiots.

Up in New York State, James Tedisco is running for Congress in the 20th District. And, as blogger Phillip Anderson reports, "It seems someone [associated with Tedisco's campaign] decided it would be soooo awesome to scoop up every Tweet tagged "#ny20" and dump it directly to their front page." And so, Tedisco's website became an awesome source of Tedisco oppo:

Dang kids and their electronicals. Maybe you should go back to coming out on your porch in your robe and yelling at everyone to get off your lawn.