Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas, recently spoke in front of a group of students. Her remarks led to some controversy and she has responded to it.
Lee was caught on camera telling a group of students something about the moon that raised quite a few eyebrows. She mentioned that the moon was made up mostly of gases and posed questions about the possibility of humans living there because of these gases. The thing is, that description sounds a lot more like the sun than the moon, considering scientists believe our moon is one of the dentists in the solar system.
Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee: It’s “almost impossible to go near the sun,” but the “moon is more manageable” because it’s “made up mostly of gases” (it isn’t)pic.twitter.com/0t8CPI4QzW
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 9, 2024
Well, after this clip started circulating, it didn’t take long for critics to jump in.
Rep. Jackson Lee did respond and she’s decided to blame conservatives and Republicans for her wild screw up.
She admitted to misspeaking, stating that she actually meant to refer to the sun when she was talking about gases. But she didn’t stop there. She pointed out that, in her view, the focus on her slip-up was missing the larger picture. According to her, there are far more pressing issues at hand, such as prenatal care, affordable housing, and student loan debt reduction — all areas where she believes attention should be redirected.
They should be focusing on issues like prenatal care, building more affordable housing, and more reduction of student loan debt as President Joe Biden is.
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) April 9, 2024
She also emphasized her commitment to the children at the event, expressing pride in their enthusiasm for the eclipse and reiterating her dedication to protecting the rights of women and children over engaging in what she termed “senseless dialogue.”
Interestingly, the situation also caught the attention of commentators like Robert Patrick Lewis, who noted Rep. Jackson Lee’s roles on the House Science and Space committees and her representation of a city closely linked to NASA, sometimes nicknamed “Space City.” Another commentator, Josh Hammer, hinted at the surprising turn of events, suggesting that the story had layers that kept it intriguing.
Also, I care more about these children who would not have experienced the eclipse in this enthusiastic manner. And, I care more about protecting the rights of women and children than engaging in this kind of senseless dialogue!
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) April 9, 2024
“She was on both the House Science and Space committees. Seriously. She represents a city that is one of the homes for NASA. It’s called ‘space city’ for a reason. Vote better, people,” Robert Patrick Lewis pointed out.
She could have laughed it off instead, she just made everything worse for herself.
