Retweet of the Day - July 25, 2013

Politicians speak in public en masse every day. Nobody is perfect. Therefore, it is inevitable that some politicians will misspeak. These (mostly) harmless "gotcha" moments provide amusing fodder for late night talk shows and cable news op-ed shows. For a reference, see our last President, George W. Bush, who had so many verbal gaffes that desktop calendars with a new (mis)quote for each day made for popular Christmas stocking stuffers during his second term in office.

Still, the vast majority of the time, a verbal slip is just that: a slip. The vast majority of the time, we know what a public official is trying to say, even if the words came out all wrong. While some of us may poke fun, the gaffe is usually forgotten quickly. We're all human and most of us do not have a mic in our faces several times per week (if not several times per day).

THE NATIONAL METS

Then there is United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada). Congressmen use sports analogies often to explain policies and Congressional procedures. Sports topics are something to which a large swath of Americans can relate. Like with any other topic, Congressmen can misspeak. Like with any other gaffe, we usually know what they are talking about.

Senator Reid, I think, was recently trying to explain how Congress needed its leadership to guide it. He proceeded to evoke the example of Washington Nationals Manager Davey Johnson. Johnson was the manager of the 1986 World Series Champion New York Mets. Since Johnson took over as manager of the Nats in 2012, the team vaulted from "pretender" to "contender" status, finishing the season with the best record in the National League East for the first time, ever, and reaching the playoffs for only the second time in the franchise's history (1981).

Sen. Reid referred to Johnson as the manager of the "National Mets", the baseball team that D.C. was so happy to have. HUH?!?!? The "NATIONAL METS"??? Does he live in Washington, D.C.? I could understand a, "Washington Mets" or the like slipping out, but "Natioanl Mets"?!?! He couldn't even get both team nicknames in their proper plural form!

That leads us to today's retweet, by Chad Pergram ‏(@ChadPergram):

"On the Senate floor, Reid calls Davey Johnson the manager of the "National Mets." (True). Unclear if Johnson also managed the "Red Orioles.""

I couldn't make this up (scroll to 0:18).