Monday, January 17, 2011

Mike Kelly, Butler's Republican Congressman, Lives The Dream In A Self-Made Fantasy World

Mike Kelly of Butler, recently installed Member of Congress, might turn out to be an effective and sensible Representative. But only if he matures and recalibrates his language, his positions or both. Developing some self-awareness would not hurt, either.

For example, Rep. Kelly mocks Rep. Anthony Weiner as a guy who has "never had a job," despite Weiner's decade of service in the job for which Kelly is currently cashing paychecks from taxpayers. Before becoming a Congressman, Weiner worked as a Congressional staffer. Kelly is currently handing taxpayer-funded paychecks to his staffers, which seems incongruous given his obvious conclusion that none of them holds a job.

"You have never done anything on your own," Weiner was admonished by Kelly, who apparently never has worked outside an inherited business. Kelly also boasted he has "always paid for his own healthcare," overlooking the fact Kelly's health insurance was funded by Kelly's father until Rep. Kelly was nearly 50.

Rep. Kelly has displayed the diplomatic skills of a box of hammers, belittling Weiner and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz as "kinda cute" and "entertaining to be around."

Not so cute: Kelly's claim to prize "liberty and freedom" and "limited government" while supporting government discrimination against gays, favoring government's jailing of citizens for using marijuana, and arguing government should enforce strident abortion and contraception policies. Not entertaining: Kelly's claim to oppose "wasteful spending" while endorsing the expenditure of billions on attacking the wrong country, proposing continued and endlessly expensive drift in Afghanistan, and embracing funding of the drug war.

Let's hope Mike Kelly overcomes his original missteps and becomes a worthwhile Representative instead of just another dogmatic, hypocritical blowhard.

UPDATE: The Early Returners also considered Kelly's inexplicably condescending remarks concerning "kinda cute" colleagues noteworthy.

Infinonytune: Born In The U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The PG reported that he was so offended by the government allegedly telling him how to run his car dealership after the GM bailout that he was compelled to run for Congress. I really wish the government had exempted him from benefiting from the GM bailout and Cash for Clunkers. Let the Butler small businessman stand on his own two feet