by Curt Kovener
The election is over and many of us have already offered up a sigh of relief and a pre-Thanksgiving prayer of gratitude.
But campaign promises and rhetoric oft carry over into elected officials’ misspeaks, verbal faux pas, or proof that we don’t elect the smartest people.
According to my Bathroom Book of Lists here is what some politicians really said…really.
“When a physician removes a child from a woman, that is the largest organ in a body,” according to Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin, a Republican from Alabama.
“Men often do need maternity care,” said Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services Secretary.
“The earth is about 9,000 years old,”said Rep, Paul Brown (R-GA) who at the time was a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
“The Internet…has not done well, just like when Google started doing all their things, it didn’t work out well,” said Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) on the technical difficulties of the rollout of the Affordable Care Act.
“Presidents Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt have all authorized electronic surveillance on a far broader scale,” said Republican Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez.
“Every month that we do not have an economic recovery package, 500 million Americans lose their jobs,” said Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. (The current US population is less than 325 million.)
“The temperature on Mars is exactly as it is here. Nobody will dispute that,” according to Republican State Senator Brandon Smith of Kentucky.
“My concern is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize,” said Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) in voicing his opposition to stationing 8,000 Marines on the island of Guam.
“Just because the Supreme Court rules on something doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s constitutional,” proclaimed Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) who apparently failed his high school government class.
“We’ve lasted 400 years, operating under a constitution that clearly defines what is constitutional and what it not,” said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) who apparently failed her high school government and history and math class as the constitution was enacted in 1789, just 227 years ago.
And showing that mistakes can be made at the top: “We’re the country that built the intercontinental railroad,” said President Barack Obama speaking about the transcontinental railroad.
And finally, something from former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich on which we all should be able to agree, “It is perfectly American to be wrong.”
And, my friends, we are frequently good at it.