Jesse Kelly: Gabby “a hero of nothing” (UPDATE x2)
by David Pinar on Jun. 04, 2012, under Pol. & Govt.UPDATE: From some of the comments some thought I was implying that Jesse Kelly made the comment about Gabby after the January 8 2011 shooting. I don’t feel that I was. But to make it clear to everyone, the video is clearly labeled “2010″, he apparently made the comment during the 2010 Congressional campaign, and the voiceover also clearly says “when Kelly said 2 years ago . ..” . Perhaps Kelly doesn’t think anything he said just 2 years ago is relevant, but we do.
UPDATE: 2 As requested by some commenters I’ve located the entire 4 1/2 minute speech by Kelly, made at a TTP Tea Party Rally on August 28, 2010. YouTube video posted at end of the blog.
I make no bones about my strong dislike for Jesse Kelly. Frankly, he offends me – I think he is the biggest phony I’ve seen in a long time. When he started rising in Republican ranks in 2010 it was clear to me he didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, he was just repeating catch phrases he’d read on Tea Party and far right websites - “The corporate tax rate should be zero!” “We need to reduce and eliminate minimum wage!” “Social Security is the biggest Ponzi scheme in history!”. He’s even more offensive this time around – his handlers have obviously told him to just keep his mouth shut as much as possible, just smile alot, and let Grandpa do the talking. He won’t answer any question he doesn’t like, such as when a KGUN9 reporter asked him about his endorsement by the controversial group ALIPAC Kelly just repeated over and over “Our campaign is going to stay focused on lower gas prices using American energy, lower taxes, and creating jobs”. And even among his supporters I don’t recall any of them claiming Jesse is any kind of mental giant. But even I didn’t think he was this dumb – an ad by the House Majority PAC has Jesse Kelly on video telling supporters what he really thinks about Gabrielle Giffords during the 2010 campaign -
“And now she stands there with that smile and pretends to be some type of hometown hero. “She’s a hero of nothing!”
No, Jesse, as usual you have it ass backwards – while Gabby usually has a smile on her face she’s never ever acted like she was some kind of hero. She wasn’t acting like a hero during the 2010 campaign – she acted like someone in a tough reelection campaign who knew she had made some tough decisions that she knew would be unpopular with some of her constituents. And she hasn’t acted like a hero since that terrible day January 8 2011. She’s acted like she was one of the 19 victims of a deranged shooter, grateful to be alive, grateful for the love and support of her family, and grateful for the admiration and support of southern Arizonans. Hometown heroes are people like Medal of Honor recipient Spcialist Ross Andrew McGinnis, who was killed at age 19 in December 2006. While on a combat patrol in Baghdad an enemy fighter on a nearby rooftop threw a grenade into his Humvee and Ross covered it with his body to protect his fellow soldiers in the vehicle. His action saved the lives of four others. President George W Bush presented Ross’s parents with his Medal of Honor in a ceremony in June 2008. His hometown of Harrisburg Pennsylvania honored him with his parents as Grand Marshalls of the St. Patrick’s Day parade this year.
No Jesse, Gabby isn’t some kind of hometown hero, and has never acted like one. She’s just someone that we admire and look up to for inspiration as we face the challenges of every day life, knowing the challenges she faces as she struggles to walk and speak, to regain her life. Kelly’s words not only disrespect Gabby, they disrespect every true hometown hero. Do you really want Jesse Kelly representing you?
P.S. – Gabby will be in town this weekend for a Get Out the Vote Rally and Concert for Ron Barber this Saturday, June 9, 5-8PM at the Rialto Theater, featuring Calexico.
Here is the YouTube video of the entire speech by Kelly at a TTP Rally Aug. 28, 2010. He spends the first few minutes attacking Gabby, and then launches into typical Tea Party rallying cries like “we’re going to take our country back!”.
“She spent 4 years in Washington DC bankrupting the next four generations and pretends to be a patriot now? No!”
“Gabrielle Giffords is big spending San Franciso liberal, that’s what Gabrielle Giffords is.”
“And she has the gall to talk about us being extreme?”
“She has brought bankruptcy to this nation and we’re going to bring unemployment to her.”
“And now she stands there with that smile and pretends to be some type of hometown hero. “She’s a hero of nothing!”
