Wonkette
Who’s someone people like? The Sullenberger guy, Chesley B. Sully Sullenberger, who became famous for not crashing an airplane last summer or whenever it was. Anyway, coincidentally, you know who the Republicans decided would make a great new congressman from California? So reports The Hill, with signature Cheeky Juxtaposition: “Republicans hoped the hero who saved all 155 of his flight’s passengers and crew by landing in the Hudson could help them retake a seat that long had been in the GOP’s control.”
Sullenberger said no, of course, and went right back to flying airplanes. This is because he is a highly trained pilot, and not interested in working any service-y grift like being a House Republican.
Sullenberger was back in the news Thursday for returning to work to fly the same corridor he was to have taken on Jan. 15. Sullenberger piloted an Airbus A319 from Charlotte, N.C. to New York with Jeffrey Skiles, the same co-pilot from the earlier flight.
Passengers on Thursday’s flight reportedly burst into applause when Sullenberger’s voice came over the intercom. In a statement released by U.S. Airways, Sullenberger said he had missed flying with colleagues during his time away.
“Capt. Sullenberger has repeatedly stated that he has no desire to run for office,” said Alex Clemens, a San Francisco publicist who represents Sullenberger. The captain is happy with the job he has trained his whole life for, Clemens said.
Yeah yeah yeah. Anyway, it is BACK TO GOOGLE for House Republicans, who will now try to remember that other human that everyone likes… whatshisface….Twitter. Everyone likes Twitter. Chesley B. “Sully” Twitter for Republican Congressman from California.
[The Hill]
Since Sullenberger is pro-union, I find it funny that the GOP tried to recruit him.
Let’s see, you’re one of those very rare people who everyone loves, doing a job you love to do. Why not cut both by 2/3′rds? I can’t believe he said no to that.
Isn’t there a vicious exterminator or an unlicensed plumber they could turn to in that district?
and after that whole Fred Thompson thing didn’t work out for them, too. Also.
Not even superhero Sully can save the Republican Party. hmmm…superheros. Maybe Sarah Palin can dress up like Wonder Woman and Michelle Bachmann like Cat Woman in Pali/Bachmann 2012. Still. Not winnable but who wouldn’t want to see that.
He’s a old white dude. Republicans love old white dudes.
This sounds like a McCain idea. McCain loves petite blondes and crashing airplanes.
What is Paul Reuben doing these days? He seems nice.
The only people who would vote for twitter are already in congress. Youths think its a retarded old people thing and the olds think its a terrifying new-fangled contraption. Only senators and congressmen like it.
Spike: Also, they need someone with experience at crash-landing a plane/campaign without killing everybody on board.
WadISay:
That is the greatest comment I’ve ever read.
Don’t congresscritters only make about $170k a year? I thought that even in these tough times a pilot of Ches’ tenure does a bit better than that. True, a pilot has to actually do work, but he gets to actually feel useful, too.
Maybe later, when he’s ready to retire?
Where does California Republican Representative fall in the continuum of career highlight status? My guess it’s somewhere above septic tank cleaning and below used car sales. I think Sullys making the right call here. His cup overflows with dignity, but not so much that associating with the California Republican party couldn’t empty that sucker quickly.
Lascauxcaveman: Actually, the airlines royally screwed him, so 170k might be a better gig. If he was willing to degrade himself, anyway. Knowing the present GOP, they would probably try to use him as a point man for deregulating airlines further and other similiar activities.
How about that squirrel, in the picture? In front of those people camping out in the mountains and stuff, everyone loved that squirrel. Have they contacted the squirrel about running?
He would make a great Republican congressman: Por-union, pro-regulation. Too bad the repubs would turn on him for not being ideologically pure. The Right drive for ideological purity is like a family concerned with racial purity so much that they only marry cousins. Eventually they are left with morons.
If I was Sully I would totally do it. Then I’d say “surprise” and vote far left/commie on every issue. I’ve always wanted to do that.
Jim Demintia: Haha, how long have you had this handle? Great name.
Hey GOP, everyone likes ice cream.
Mint Chocolate Chip, 2012???
They wanted him to run for congress as a republican? What made them think he’s a pedophile?
But seriously folks, the GOP’s name is already sullied enough…thank you, thank you; I’ll be here all week.
WadISay: That land in water! McCain would have supported him for President if irate Manhattanites would have started pummeling Sully with sticks after came out of the water.
He’s a Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley. Yup, sounds like GOP material, you betcha.
Airman Certificate! Airman Certificate!
What about Richard Phillips, the hero ship captain from the Somali pirate thing? Surely being a Republican congressional candidate is better than dodging pirates off Somalia? Right? No? OK, Twitter it is.
WadISay: You have won the year. Holy shit, man. Just— beautiful.
Sully’s no fool — an airplane at 3,000 feet with no working engines is one thing — but a brick in a death spiral over a flaming volcano is an entirely different matter.
Jim Demintia: Dale Gribble seems to fit the bill quite nicely. Plus his views are now rather mainstream GOP stuff. Rush Limbaugh keeps jars of his own urine, right?
Eh, in the end Sully won’t work out, they’ll end up choosing skoalrebel as their hero.
What’s Bernard Goetz doing these days? He shot some blacks once and some people clapped, I think.
hobospacejunkie: Hobospacejunkie (R) for Congress! You have my complete support, please let me know when you get your website up so I can donate.
- Resident of Texas (Republican)
- Middle aged white guy (Republican)
- Kind of a typical looking Joe Average schlub (Rebublican)
- Recovering junkie (*LIMBAUGH* Republican)
YOU WOULD BE AN AWESOME REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN. You’d probably have have to move away from that gay-ass Austin to get elected, but hey.
Prommie: Thanks for the spit-take.
Catholics4Condoms: Eh, I bet they have Sully over a barrel. He can’t come out and say he’s a D because he’s going to be marketing a book.
takes12no1: Depends. Would they be making out?
There are probably days where Sully wishes he HAD crashed that plane onto a field. At least when you are dead, no one bothers the fuck out of you all the time.
AnnieGetYourFun: I imagine at some point it starts to get really old, “Yeah, yeah, applause applause, let’s just light this fuckers’ candle and get airborne, Jeezus!”.
I hear Jon Gosselin is available.
magic titty: Even better, everyone likes pizza and even a bad pizza is usually not THAT bad.
Pizza/mint chocolate chip 2012!! I’d hit that.
glamourdammerung: As a flight crew member for over 20 years, I can assure you that 3 out of 4 commercial airline pilots are (R)wingnuts. Don’t know if Sully is the rare lib or not.
Sorry, but I have to call a Lanny Davis on this story and demand an immediate correction to the 2nd sentence to ensure that Wonkette continues to be considered a “respected news organization” - in point of fact the Sullenburger did CRASH the plane - he just crashed it gently, when he couldn’t make an Airbus A320 into a glider.
Let’s see…
-they ran Lynn Swann in Pennsylvania
-they want to get Tom Brady and Curt Schilling in Mass
-Linda McMahon is running in Connecticut
The strategy is apparently to choose sports (or in some cases, “sports”) figures to run. This of course is because Jim Bunning is so well loved.
PsycGirl: Grilled cheese sandwich with image of Christ. That would get the wingnut vote.
magic titty: Chocolate? From this republican party?
Sully would make a TERRIBLE Republican. Remember when he told Katie Couric that instead of praying, he actually focused on his job?
katrina: Maybe he is one of an increasingly vanishing breed of moderate Republicans.
Danville, where Sully lives, is more the “money” kind of conservative than the “wingnut” kind. Mind you, the district really has a split personality; it was gerrymandered after the last census to favor the then-incumbent, who lived over the Coast Range in the Central Valley (which has gotten more and more wingnutty lately). He lost a lot of his Valley base when the lines were redrawn, but got the conservative outer suburbs of the Bay Area.
Pombo was, however, really corrupt and got washed away by the “throw the bums out” wave in ‘06.
katrina: Sullenberger has been heavily involved in union activities and praised the unions when stating how people doing what they were trained to do actually made the system work correctly. Last I heard, he was a registered Republican, but there is a difference between never changing your voter identification and running for national office.
Prommie: No dice: that was a Canadian squirrel. I think she’s already running for the Green Party in Alberta.
katrina: My sister is an airline pilot and she’s a flaming liberal. She drives the winger-pilots crazy–tells me she’s constantly pointing out to them the cognitive dissonance/hypocrisy re unionized & pro-regulation. I’m so proud of my little sister!
She is also a rep for their union ALPA (Airline Pilots Assoc)
yellowdogdem: grilled cheese… yumm!
WadISay: “This sounds like a McCain idea. McCain loves petite blondes and crashing airplanes.”
Quite possibly among the best (if not the best) comment I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, on here. Petite blondes and crashing airplanes, indeed.
Jumping Jim: “That land in water! McCain would have supported him for President if irate Manhattanites would have started pummeling Sully with sticks after came out of the water.”
This gets an honorable mention for the week. The picture of some Lower Manhattan freak shows beating this guy’s ass is priceless.