Skip to content

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Obama’s Birthday Snub

Updated: 4:12 p.m.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.) and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) took a little time out of their day to tweet birthday greetings to the U.S. Coast Guard, which turns 221 today, but, rather pointedly, did not mention President Barack Obama’s special day.

“Happy 221st birthday @USCG. Thank you for your service,” tweeted @SpeakerBoehner, who didn’t have the time to tweet similar greetings to @BarackObama.

(To be fair, North Carolina Rep. Mike McIntyre, a Blue Dog Democrat, did the same thing.)

Perhaps the Speaker figured the Republican National Committee’s birthday tweet covered the whole of the GOP? Who knows. But the RNC did provide the birthday boy with a helpful list of 50 ponder-worthy things.

Members of Congress are busy after all — even on recess — and probably don’t have time to remember things like people’s birthdays, even if this one is the president’s 50th birthday and on the front page of Roll Call and every other media outlet.

Coble sent his birthday greetings to the president later in the afternoon.

“No snub intended,” he tweeted. “I’ve been celebrating [U.S. Coast Guard] birthday’s since before you were born. Happy 50th!”

He sure has! Coble joined the Coast Guard in 1952, which strikes us as awesome-sauce.

Recent Stories

Muslim American appeals court nominee loses Democratic support

At the Races: Lieberman lookback

Court says South Carolina can use current congressional map

Joseph Lieberman: A Capitol life in photos

‘Take the money and run’: Obama, Clinton to raise campaign cash for Biden at A-list NYC event

Cole considered early favorite to win House Appropriations gavel