GOP Rep. Hoekstra Compares Iran’s Election to Congressional Politics, Feels Fury of Twitter-verse

ABC News’ Nitya Venkataraman Reports: For Congressman Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., facing critics on health care and the auto industry might not seem so bad after a recent post to his Twitter account lit him on Internet fire.

“Iranian twitter activity similar to what we did in House last year when Republicans were shut down in the House,” Hoekstra tweeted on June 17.

And with those 20 short words comparing the use of Twitter in the e-rally following Iran’s elections to the GOP protest last summer calling on Speaker Pelosi to call the House out of recess for an energy vote, Hoekstra almost-instantly ignited a firestorm which has escalated from Tweet to meme to blog – Pete Hoekstra is a Meme – over the last 48 hours and spread the Internet wide in a string of succinctly worded jabs.

From HarrisW: “I just lot at a game of Jenga. Now I know what it was like to be there on 9/11. @petehoekstra”

From acoliver: “@petehoekstra I haven’t gotten a first class upgrade lately, now I know what apartheid was like!”

From tgkillfile: “@petehoekstra Stuck inside working from home today. Now I know how Anne Frank felt.”

From xIndieQueenx: “@petehoekstra Someone stole a bag of potting soil from my carport today. This must be how Native Americans felt when they lost their lands.”

All but lost in the noise, Hoekstra’s office has since tried to clarify the essence of his Wednesday post but, it’s worth noting, the congressman hasn’t tweeted since.

Famed Republican Strategist Resurfaces in Small-Town Election

ABC News’ Jonathan Karl Reports: Remember Arthur Finkelstein? He was once one of the most feared Republican political strategists in the country, the mastermind behind a series of ruthless, hard-hitting and high-profile campaigns during the 1980s and 1990s — Helms v. Gantt, D’Amato v. Javits, Mack v. McKay, Pataki v. Cuomo.

Finkelstein has re-emerged in an unlikely place: a local election in the tiny village of Lynbrook, New York (population 19,911).

Finkelstein’s influence isn’t hard to spot. A full-page ad in this week’s Lynbrook Herald savages two members of the Lynbrook Village Board, dubbing them “The Tax Twins of Lynbrook.” The ad declares: “It’s shocking but true, the Tax Twins Dave Penso and Tom Miccio recklessly raised taxes, created record debt and mortgaged our families’ futures. Call Village Hall for their Disgraceful Record. DON’T BE FOOLED!”

That’s tough stuff for a small-town election, but it’s vintage Finkelstein. Over the years, his campaigns attacked opponents as “recklessly liberal”, “embarrassingly liberal”, “hopelessly liberal”, “foolishly liberal” and “too liberal for too long.”

In this case, Finkelstein is not working for a Republican candidate with deep pockets. The Lynbrook village ad is paid for by a group called The New Vision Party, which is running two candidates against those evil tax twins. Campaign finance records show the party has paid Mr. Finkelstein $12,000 for “polling.”

Asked why they hired a once high-profile national political strategist for small local election, Leslie Rothschild of the New Vision Party told ABC News, “I’ve known Arthur for years. He’s the best in the business.”

Cruising to Re-Election, L.A. Mayor Eyes Guv Run

ABC News’ Teddy Davis reports: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is cruising to re-election on Tuesday but he is not making any promises about serving a full-four year term at City Hall.

“I’m not going to make a promise I can’t keep,” Villaraigosa said in a recent interview with the Associated Press.

Villaraigosa, who has no major opponents, wants to get more than 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s city election so he can avoid a run-off on May 19.

As L.A.’s first Latino mayor since 1872, Villaraigosa has faced personal scandal (his wife left him after he had an affair with Spanish-language television journalist Mirthala Salinas) as well as major policy setbacks (his bid to take over the Los Angeles Unified School District was rejected by the courts).

And yet despite these factors, he has no significant opposition in his re-election bid.

The city’s major politicians are biding their time, looking to run for mayor in 2013 or perhaps even sooner if Villaraigosa succeeds in his expected run for governor.

Republican Rick Caruso, a wealthy businessman who developed LA’s “The Grove” and “Americana,” two popular commercial developments, thought about running for mayor but passed on the race.

Villaraigosa has 9 minor opponents, including David “Zuma Dogg” Saltsburg, a fixture at City Council meetings, who was questioned by police on Thursday on whether he made a death threat on the answering machine of Craig X. Rubin, a pastor who is also running for mayor.

If Villaraigosa decides to run for governor, he will join a crowded Democratic field which is expected to include Attorney General Jerry Brown, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, and Lt. Gov. John Garamendi.

Republicans eyeing the California governor’s race include former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, state insurance commissioner Steve Poizner, former Rep. Tom Campbell, and Ventura County Supervisor Peter Foy.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is barred from running again by term limits.