January 20, 2015 12:50 PM UTC

Mike Coffman Embarrasses Himself...Again

• 10 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

Republican Rep. Mike Coffman seems to have trouble learning from his own mistakes. On Friday, Coffman Tweeted some heavy criticism at Secretary of State John Kerry:

Secretary of State John Kerry is a national embarrassment http://t.co/59E4qAhToL

— Rep. Mike Coffman (@RepMikeCoffman) January 16, 2015

Coffman's Tweet references a half-assed opinion piece in the New York Daily News that is critical of Kerry for not going to France to participate in last week's "unity rally" following the terrorist attacks at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Whether or not Kerry should have been in Paris is another topic, but whatever your opinion on the matter, calling Kerry a "national embarrassment" is a fairly ridiculous comment for a sitting Member of Congress to throw at the Secretary of State. You are quite the statesman, Congressman. 

You might remember the last time Coffman was so blunt in his attacks on another prominent politician; in May 2012, Coffman ended up in a mess of his own making when he told a crowd at a GOP fundraiser that President Barack Obama was "just not an American." A recording of Coffman's full quote made its way to 9News, and reporter Kyle Clark wasted no time in jumping on the story:

"I don't know whether Barack Obama was born in the United States of America. I don't know that," Coffman told donors. "But I do know this, that in his heart, he's not an American. He's just not an American."

Coffman's insulting comments about President Obama quickly became national news, and the Republican Congressman took plenty of lumps as a result. Coffman publicly apologized and even penned an Op-Ed for the Denver Post in which he called his remarks "inappropriate and boneheaded." But Coffman's real punishment came in the form of unintended self-flagellation; in other words, he made a complete fool out of himself when Clark eventually caught up with him on camera:

REP. COFFMAN: I think that… Umm… I stand by my statement that I misspoke and I apologize.

KYLE CLARK: OK. And who were you apologizing to?

REP. COFFMAN: You know, I stand by my statement that I misspoke and I apologize.

KYLE CLARK: I apologize, we talk to you all the time, you're a very forthcoming guy. Who's telling you not to talk and to handle it like this?

REP. COFFMAN: I stand by my statement, that I wrote, that you have, and I misspoke and I apologize.

KYLE CLARK: Was it that you thought it would go over well in Elbert County where folks are very conservative and you'd never say something like that in the suburbs?

REP. COFFMAN: I stand by my statement that I misspoke and I apologize.

KYLE CLARK: Is there anything I can ask you that you'll answer differently?

REP. COFFMAN: You know, I stand by my statement that I misspoke and I apologize. ​

KYLE CLARK: Thank you, congressman…

Coffman's comments about Kerry aren't quite as absurd as his statements about President Obama, but the same point applies to either remark. Coffman absolutely has a First Amendment right to say these kinds of things — we're not disputing that — but just because he can doesn't mean that he should.

Americans no longer expect Congress to actually do any work — can't they at least behave like decent, civil human beings?