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It's been a long-running joke that Republicans don't understand technology, what with United States Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) trying to describe the Internet as a "series of tubes" and President George W. Bush referring to "the Internets."

However, a new generation of Republicans is not only learning to use technologies such as Twitter and YouTube, but is doing so to attack the Democratic-led Congress after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) adjourned it last Friday.

The #dontgo movement -- as in "don't go home" -- is now tagging its with #dontgo so they can be found more easily. The movement also has a website with news, links to videos, a FaceBook page, and all the other requisite information and links that one would expect to find on a Democratic activist page, such as one against the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

"The #dontgo Revolution all started on Friday when House Republicans refused to go home after the Democratic Majority shut down the House for a 5 week recess," the website explained. "Going on without microphones, cameras, and sometimes even lights, Republicans have been demanding that the House reconvene to vote on offshore drilling. Republicans gave speeches until 5pm on Friday and are continuing all week on the Floor."

But the actual issues involved -- whether offshore drilling would actually help Americans at the pump -- and Pelosi's adjournment without a vote on the matter, are taking a back seat to the demonstration that Republicans are embracing technology that some had thought they were unable or unwilling to learn.

Twittering Republican representatives thus far include John Boehner (R-Ohio), Christopher Shays (R-Connecticut), Dan Burton (R-Indiana), Denny Rehberg (R-Montana), Eric Cantor (R-West Virginia), John Culberson (R-Texas), Pete Hoekstra (R-Michigan), and Rob Wittman (R-Virgina).

Presumptive Republican Presidential nominee John McCain has also said he will come off the campaign trail to support the movement.

It is unclear whether the Republicans -- some of whom are up for re-election this fall -- plan to continue throughout the entire five-week recess. Exactly what the group hopes to achieve is also not clear; it describes its goals as "to achieve a tidal shift in American politics from the ground up, utilizing the great potential of the grassroots movement. On a multitude of issues, from energy independence to fiscal responsibility, we plan to return the country back onto the right path."

, the movement also inspired MoveOn -- one of the seminal Internet-based activist organizations -- to hold a rally in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.

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As noted, the thread points to a larger shift: political actors that previously had limited online presence began using social platforms to broadcast, organize, and shape narratives. The significance is not that every post changes policy, but that the first draft of political news and the pace of messaging moved closer to the public and away from traditional gatekeepers.

How to read that shift: early online adoption usually comes from campaign staff and aligned activists producing short, highly shareable content. That structure favors rapid amplification and emotional frames over detailed policy debate. Research groups have tracked how social platforms change political engagement and news cycles, which helps explain why online stunts get outsized attention compared with their real-world impact.

Practical checklist to evaluate political online activity:

  • Verify provenance: check for links from official campaign or institutional websites and consistent posting histories.
  • Check for coordination: identical wording across many accounts or simultaneous posting suggests centralized campaign management rather than spontaneous grassroots action.
  • Archive evidence: save screenshots and capture pages with the Internet Archive to preserve context and timestamps.
  • Follow the money and disclosure: fundraising links should include required disclaimers and be traceable.
  • Judge engagement quality, not just counts: look for sustained conversation, local press pickup, and offline events as signs of genuine momentum.
  • Watch for manipulation: bots, bought followers, and recycled memes can inflate apparent support.

Online organizing became a standard tool after 2008; it changed channels and tempo but did not replace policy work or grassroots organizing. For background reading and to capture ephemeral posts for later analysis, see the Pew Research Center on social media and politics and the Internet Archive for archiving snapshots.

Pew Research Center - Social Media and Politics
Internet Archive

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