Congressional Charity Baseball Game Takes a Sad Turn, Again
One of the few remaining truly bipartisan activities on Capitol Hill, a baseball game for charity, has fallen victim to Democratic incivility. Again.
It began in 1909 and has a storied history. And despite rancorous times, it has always been a refuge of civility in a partisan town, even during election years. A trophy is involved. Protests and partisanship are shelved, at least for this one annual occasion, both in the stands and on the field.
Until this week.
I’m talking about this year’s 87th annual congressional baseball game for charity, featuring mostly US House members, Democrats versus Republicans. I’ve attended several over the past 40 years (not this year). Proceeds from the contest now played at the Washington Nationals Stadium support several local charities, including DC’s Boys and Girls Clubs, the Washington Literacy Fund, and the US Capitol Police Memorial Fund.
They raised $1.5 million for those charities and one other this year.
That last charity is noteworthy. The Capitol Police Fund is included “in gratitude to the brave officers at the Republican practice shooting on June 14, 2017.”
Perhaps you remember the deranged “Progressive” Bernie Sanders supporter from Belleville, Illinois, James Hodgkinson. Upset over Donald Trump’s election, he opened fire with a rifle at a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, where House and Senate Republicans were practicing for the 2017 charity contest. Capitol police shot and killed Hodgkinson, but not before the assailant gravely wounded House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA). Two current or former GOP staff and two Capitol Police officers were wounded. Scalise returned to play in the annual contest after a long recovery.
No one blamed Senator Sanders for the assailant’s actions, nor should they have. Members on both sides of the aisle were horrified.
Unfortunately, the bipartisanship resulting from that tragedy and built over 86 previous annual contests bit the dust this week. Sometime after climate cultists disrupted the game by trying to block access and unfurling a banner at the game, earning some arrests, US Rep. Linda Sanchez jogged past the GOP dugout and flipped her colleagues the finger. I don’t think it was interpreted as a Hawaiian good luck sign.
Sanchez later claimed she responded to an “offensive and misogynistic” comment from the GOP dugout. She had drawn a walk and was being replaced at first base by a pinch runner, leading her to jog past the GOP’s dugout on the way to hers.
But she won’t quote or call out the offensive member. Eyewitnesses, including those in the dugout, deny anything inappropriate was said. Sanchez lied. She made up an excuse to cover up her obscene act.
UPDATE: Now, her story is changing again. It was someone in the stands. Uh-huh.
Sanchez should know better. High school athletes are usually benched or suspended for such vulgarity. She is a nearly 20-year veteran Member of Congress, completing her 10th consecutive term this year. She’s a former ranking Democrat on the House Ethics Committee. She describes herself in her official biography as “kicking ass for the working class.” She practiced law before her election to Congress.
Her “defenders” ran to Twitter to reflexively respond, but Trump!
One thing she is not, however, is a class act. She is a public embarrassment. And the Democrats will be glad to include her in next year’s game.
Sadly, she represents a safe Democratic district (what is now California’s 38th District) and has already been reelected with 57 percent of the vote, thanks to California’s “open primary” system. According to the Cook Political Report’s Partisan Vote Index (PVI), it’s only a D-14 district. About 58 percent of voters here are Hispanic. This might be a district worth looking at in 2024 based on the massive shift of Hispanic voters to the GOP in polling and a recent special election.
Too bad San Dimas isn’t in the district. We could get “Bill and Ted,” one of them anyway, to run. Either would be an improvement. Maybe they could relocate to Diamond Bar or Whittier. A most excellent idea.
By the way, Republicans won the game 10-0. Too bad that wasn’t the lead story of the game, including the huge donations to charities helping DC’s children. We have the cretinous Sanchez to thank for that, along with her climate cult buddies. At least they weren’t armed.