IT'S A DEMOCRACY, STUPID, NOT A MONARCHY: Airline makes room for Sheila Jackson Lee

THE HILL ^ | 9/3/03

[Liz]

Members of Congress often use weekend plane trips back to their districts as a way to unwind after a hectic bout of lawmaking. Which could explain why Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) demanded a whole row of seats to herself on a recent Continental flight from Washington to Houston.

Jackson Lee usually gets first-class upgrades from the airline. But on this particular flight first class was full. After cabin attendants delivered the bad news and showed her to the coach section, Jackson Lee exploded, said one witness.

“When she saw that she had to sit with other people, she started shouting that she was in Congress and worked hard. She was really loud. Everybody in the plane could hear.”

Frequent flyers say that such outbursts are common whenever Jackson Lee is on board. The Continental crew seemed to take the whole situation in stride. Attendants scurried around to find her other accommodations, and once Jackson Lee got her own row of seats she quieted down.

Later in the flight she even paid a friendly visit to the people she had refused to sit with. According to a nearby passenger, Jackson Lee “handed out her business cards and invited them to stop by her office.”

[Conspiracy Guy]

I wouldn't insult the beloved warthog. I should have said this closely resembles Sheila many many pounds ago.

[MEGoody]

"She'd have gotten an earful from me, had I been one of those passengers."

Me too. Just imagine what she would have endured if you and I had BOTH been assigned to that row. LOL

[Conspiracy Guy]

Too classy fo da ho!

[jjm2111]

From National Review Online:

I give you the constitutional genius Sheila Jackson-Lee, Democratic representative from Texas, on the flag amendment: "The Constitution is to give rights. This amendment does nothing to enhance the rights of Americans." As for the first sentence of that statement, don't let this congresswoman near your kid's civics class.

---

ANOTHER RIDE WITH SHEILA JACKSON LEE

In last week's Weekly Standard, Sam Dealey reported on Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's using a government car and driver to chauffeur her one block to work on a regular basis, in seeming violation of Congressional Handbook rules. The Scrapbook hears that several members are considering filing formal ethics charges against Jackson Lee for misuse of public funds. But Leon Buck, an on-again off-again aide to the Texas Democrat, says Jackson Lee has a confidential memo from the Committee on House Administration clearing her of any wrongdoing (though he won't release it to us).

As the House ultimately must enforce its own rules, it's certainly possible it will decide to follow the philosophy of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, who memorably asked: "What's the Constitution among friends?" A greater inducement for Jackson Lee to shape up may come from public censure. And the public has taken notice. Since last week, we've been inundated with tales of the member's diva-like propensities.

According to a former Houston Aviation Department official, when Jackson Lee was a member of the City Council in the early 1990s, her staff would routinely call the airport's operations office to let them know she was on her way but "running late." Airport subalterns were expected to meet her at the door of the terminal and drive her personal car to the parking garage. Jackson Lee soon came to expect this curbside valet service from city employees. It wasn't until the employees asked for some document giving them indemnity from liability should something happen to her car that her demands stopped.

And it seems Jackson Lee exports her boorish behavior abroad. A veteran reporter described for us the inauguration of Nigeria's first democratically elected president in May 1999. Dignitaries from 25 nations traveled to Abuja for the celebration, including Britain's Prince Charles and South Africa's Nelson Mandela. Queen Sheila was there too, and apparently didn't like her seating placement at the formal dinner. So she planted herself in the chair of a prominent Nigerian official and refused to budge.

We also heard from a Houston Press writer who thought his paper deserved a bit more credit for its Jackson Lee coverage than the one mention we gave it. He's right. Besides the story we cited, we drew on the Press's terrific reporting on the congresswoman's squabbles with Continental Airlines, credit for which was mistakenly removed by an editor. Indeed, Jackson Lee's hometown weekly is a trove of reporting on Jackson Lee, this week unveiling her own Enron connection.

"Sheila Jackson Lee," write Brian Wallstin and Tim Fleck, "arguably the most liberal member of Congress and inarguably the most vocal, became a Ken Lay 'project' in her upstart 1994 race for the 18th District. As her fund-raising chairman, Lay rallied the Houston business community to join her against their common foe, incumbent Craig Washington.

"'We all had to give $250 to get rid of Craig,' says a Lay associate. 'But she was a pain in the ass to [Lay].' The source says that after her election, Jackson Lee would call Lay 'two or three times a day trying to get us to hire her cronies for big money.'"

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, brought to you by Enron. That's another strike against them.

[Conspiracy Guy]

There will be no survivor but Texas will be the winner.

[gridlock]

One problem with FReeping is that there is always somebody out there who knows more than you do.

So she gets to keep the FedGov's own frequent flier miles now. But what is the procedure for an airline when no first class upgrades are available? Does it give you a row in coach?

[SGCOS]

First class was full.. That's BS.

The only way to get her fat ass in coach was to tell her that first class wasn't going to Houston.

[StolarStorm]

Poor judgement? The FA's main goal was getting that plane off on time. They accomplished that task. Right or wrong they weren't going to risk their jobs over this issue. You can't rationally have expected them too.

[dogbrain]

"I wouldn't make that assumption. Why else would she get up, hand out her business cards and start telling people to come to her office."

Good point.
I won't make that assumption if you won't assume it was an attack of conscience which caused her to socialize among the peons.

[jjm2111]

Actually, I bet many people were asked by the flight attendants to move seats and they told them that the good Congresswoman could kindly eat sh-t and die.

[Conspiracy Guy]

She is in Congress and she works hard to spend our money while we have to buy our own ticket. Get with the program here ; )

[bk1000]

'No, the airline would be afraid of a false charge of "racism" and will therefore give the "Queen" preferential treatment'

This is the problem in a nutshell. People are so afraid of being called racist, that the race-baiters get whatever they want. Dosen't matter if the charge is true...just the utterance of the word sends them into a feeding frenzy.
Muslims have figured that out as well. People need to learn to say, "No, I'm not being racist, you are just being an a$$."

[dogbrain]

"Right or wrong they weren't going to risk their jobs over this issue. You can't rationally have expected them too.

I guess that's the point of this whole discussion.

Why should some average employee [FA] lose his/her job over telling some pushy, obnoxious elected public servant to sit down like everyone else?

Yes, I can expect that average employee to do just that.
And I can expect corporate policy to demand it.

BTW, you seem to enjoy telling me what/who I can and can not expect/blame.
I hope you're not expecting me to accept that.
Don't worry, I don't blame you.

[dogbrain]

Yeah, we can only hope that was the case.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Good point. I was going to wait and see how you responded since you were the target. Good job. Speak up America, you have the right.

[Liz]

Heheh.....an old joke.....but funny.

[Liz]

Sure would be a hit show, eh?

[TexasRepublic]

Sheila is a power-mad Mugabe-wannabe. She is a dangerous buffoon.

[Liz]

Sheila Jackson-Lee, Democratic representative from Texas, on the flag amendment: "The Constitution is to give rights. This amendment does nothing to enhance the rights of Americans."

I guess that's what they taught her at Harvard....her alma mater.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Did she really say that? "Stupid is as stupid does."