Advertisement

Opinion: Bobby Bright’s not-so bright crack about fellow Democrat Nancy Pelosi maybe dying

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Democratic mutiny? In Alabama now?

Last week, as The Ticket reported here, Democrat President Barack Obama switched the blame for the continuing poor economic news from the Republican you-know-who from Texas, to Congress, which is controlled by his very own Democratic Party.

Now, comes another Democrat, Rep. Bobby Bright of Alabama. He’s finishing his first -- and, new polls show, quite possibly last -- term representing his state’s Second District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Advertisement

At a public meeting Wednesday, as the country’s midterm election campaigns gain humidity even before Labor Day, the former mayor of Montgomery was asked if he would support fellow Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to keep her party leadership post next January.

‘She may step away,’ Bright replied. ‘She may get sick and die.’

Ouch! Imagine in the current political climate what Bright might say about his female Republican opponent, Martha Roby. Or, worse, what the world would be saying right now if Bright was a Republican who talked publicly about a female Democrat’s demise.

Here’s the entire Bright statement on Pelosi, as reported by the....

...Montgomery Advertiser: ‘Never cross a bridge until you come to it. She may get beat. She may step away. She may get sick and die.’ The newspaper states the comment about Pelosi possibly ceasing to live was made in a light-hearted vein. And that Alabama audience members responded appropriately; they laughed. Good thing he didn’t tell a Haitian earthquake joke.

True enough, Pelosi, who is first in line to the presidency after VP Joe Biden, is currently among the least liked public officials in America, with 59% disapproving of her at last count.

She has driven Obama’s agenda relentlessly. And like Harry Reid and Barbara Boxer, she is old, turning 70 this year.

Now, good ole Bobby is one of those Democrat members of Congress who even Biden admits has no business representing what is supposed to be a Republican district -- and was between 1964 and 2008.

The 58-year-old Bright won then by 1,790 votes in the southeast Alabama district carried 63% by John McCain and Sarah Palin, who are not Democrats.

Bright is a ‘Blue Dog’ Democrat, so-called because they hold their breath a lot when they don’t get their way. (Just kidding.) It means they are conservative Democrats and were recruited by then-Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Chicago because they had at least a prayer of winning.

Enough did in 2006 and even more in 2008 to give Emanuel’s party not only control of Congress but, despite the frequent appearance of crippling, intra-party bickering, whopping control of both houses, plus the large Washington house that’s white.

Advertisement

Which, big picture, is a good thing for a national party. But Bright and the others of his political ilk were a real pain in the Bay area for San Francisco’s Pelosi last year.

Like many conservative colleagues, Bright voted with Republicans against the wishes of the speaker and her favorite presidential fundraiser on healthcare, bailouts, a federal budget with 12 zeros and the so-called stimulus spending bill that’s so successfully helped stimulate unemployment up near 10%.

Now, watch one of Bobby’s TV ads here:

Notice anything special in there? Besides the absence of Pelosi and the Real Good Talker from Illinois. Check out Bright’s campaign sign near the end. What party does it say he’s in?

Oh, no! Bobby forgot to mention the word ‘Democrat’ on there. It’s that kind of year for this kind of candidate in those kinds of places.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Speaking of a landslide, join the 52,000+ global readers who follow The Ticket with Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us @latimestot. Our Facebook Like page is over here.We’re also available here on Kindle now.

Advertisement