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Obama For America Cites Rep. Kelly’s Alleged “Knute Rockne-type Speech” in Email

Though he once swore to a swooning Dublin crowd that he returned to Ireland “to find the apostrophe we lost somewhere along the way,” President Obama apparently isn’t too fond of Congressman Mike Kelly’s (Pa-3) alleged Knute Rockne-esque moment this week.

Slate’s David Weigel reported on Thursday that Kelly, a former defensive lineman at Notre Dame, had sought to arouse GOP support for House Speaker John Boehner’s controversial debt ceiling proposal by invoking Rockne, the legendary Fighting Irish coach.

Weigel reported: “Kelly had placed ‘Play Like a Champion Today’ signs at the door, and when he spoke at the end of the meeting, he held up a big sign of his own.  ‘He gave a Knut Rockne-type speech,’ said [New York GOP Rep. Peter] King. ‘And it ended with “Put on your helmet, buckle your chinstrap, and knock the sh** out of ‘em.” He delivered it well.’”

By Friday afternoon, Obama for America was seeking to exploit Kelly’s reported rah-rah-ing in an email missive sent to supporters.

“Imagine you got to be a fly on the wall in a closed meeting of the House Republicans yesterday,” the email begins.  “Would you hear sober talk of the solemn responsibility our representatives have? Or empathy for those having a tough time in this economy?  No. You’d hear one freshman Republican tell his colleagues to ‘put on your helmet, buckle your chinstrap, and knock the sh** out of ‘em.’  This group thinks holding our economy captive is a game.”

The OFA email goes on to ask recipients to call their U.S. Senator – as well as House Speaker John Boehner – and urge them to negotiate in good faith with their Democratic colleagues. 

“If Congress fails to act, millions of seniors may have to go without the Social Security checks they rely on.  Veterans may not be able to get their benefits.  We could lose our AAA credit rating,” the email notes.

One Response

  1. The fact that the Obama folks noticed and attacked the speech gives Rep. Kelly an even stronger campaign tool, especially given the strident tone attacking fiscal controls from the left…The GOP hates seniors…You know the drill.

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