Congressman Mike Honda (D-San Jose) has had a rough week. First, a social media snafu, then a revelation that could become fodder for opponents as the campaign heats up.
While enjoying Washington D.C.’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival, Honda broadcast what one blogger called the “dumbest tweet of the year.” He shared a picture of cherry blossoms and went nostalgic on 100 years of “friendship” between the US and Japan.
Happy to celebrate the beautiful cherry blossoms, & over 100 years of Japanese-American friendship http://t.co/uofj1QGml1
— Rep. Mike Honda (@RepMikeHonda) April 13, 2014
As one might expect, Tweeple picked up on the length of that friendship, reminding Honda of, oh y’know, Pearl Harbor, atomic bombs and WWII internment camps—which Honda and his family were actually forced to lived in.
@RepMikeHonda Yeah, that whole WWII thing was just a practical joke, huh?
— Jimmy Simpson (@informedblackmn) April 14, 2014
.@RepMikeHonda Except for that little contretemps between 1941-45, right? pic.twitter.com/6ORM87aUT8
— Alo Konsen (@OhioCoastie) April 14, 2014
@RepMikeHonda well, there was that brief spot of unpleasantness a while back; but what friends haven't bombed Pearl Harbor? #ItHappens #tcot
— Ben Crystal (@Bennettruth) April 14, 2014
San Jose Inside came across the brouhaha and wondered what Honda could have been thinking.
.@RepMikeHonda wrote a very odd Tweet this weekend.
— San Jose Inside (@sanjoseinside) April 14, 2014
A couple hours later, the congressman sent out a clarification.
.@BIZPACReview @sanjoseinside To clarify my previous tweet, the cherry blossoms in DC were received over 100 years ago in 1912
— Rep. Mike Honda (@RepMikeHonda) April 14, 2014
Not everyone was buying it.
@RepMikeHonda @BIZPACReview @sanjoseinside Yeah, uhhh...too late
— Jeff Allen (@JeffAllen2143) April 14, 2014
To make matters worse, The San Francisco Chronicle's political reporter Carla Marinucci revealed that Honda can't even vote for himself come election day. Honda doesn't live in his own district, something that's allowed in federal races but will no doubt become a talking point amongst his challengers, notably the well-funded business attorney and ex-Obama appointee Ro Khanna.
Honda's spokesman said the congressman has lived in the same San Jose home for decades. But when the legislative lines were redrawn in 2010, Honda's house fell outside his own jurisdiction and into Rep. Zoe Lofgren's (D-San Jose).
"Congressman Honda has owned his current home in San Jose for over 40 years," Vivek Kembaiyan told Marinucci. "It was the first home he purchased with his wife, and it's where they raised their children."
This Cherry Blossom SNAFU; it’s funny that Congressman Honda [erroneously] proclaims 100 years of friendship. Besides the fact that he forgets about WWII, but also because he has spent a lot of his time in Congress chastising the Japanese over the Comfort Women Issue. Clearly Japan ought to apologize, however to laud friendship on one day while at the same time admonishing Japan on another is confusing.
I really hate it when social media comments (criticisms) become a story on a news site. First off, it should be pointed out that the “blogger” who called this tweet out as the “dumbest tweet of the year” is a conservative blogger. Click through the responses the blogger focused on in the story, you can tell right away that most of those people are conservative…of course they’re going to criticize Honda. Second, when I first saw the tweet (by itself and without all of the other comments criticizing it) … I did feel that it was probably not the best thing to say…because it ignores the atrocities and bloodshed of WWII (on both sides) and the injustice of the internment camps. BUT…Honda was at the Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C….after a second of thinking about it, you can tell that he probably meant the tweet to be about the *gesture* of friendship more than 100 years ago when Japan gave the cherry trees to the U.S. (1912)….also…knowing the kind of event he was in… it’s not surprising that he would tweet something like that… the event is one big kumbaya session about the “enduring friendship” and “close relationship” of the two countries. http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/about/history/ …. context people….context… Now the district issue…yes, we should talk about THAT.
> you can tell right away that most of those people are conservative . . .
Shocking! Horrific! Don’t those people know that San Jose Inside is an official “safe zone” for illiberals?
People who choose to read SJI, the Mercury News, the New York Times, or ingest MSNBC should never have to entertain a critical or unkind thought about any member of the “progressive” tribes.
I never said that the comments were “horrific” or “shocking.” I merely pointed that out to put this whole thing into context. This became a story because of a bunch of social media comments were compiled together. I see these types of stories all the time. Any my point is that we, as readers, should know where those perspectives are coming from.
Honda IS an old destructive corrupt dope but there was nothing wrong with that comment.
I wish both the media and candidates could attempt to elevate the substance of what they focus on.
In the short amount of time many voters have to pay attention to elections, shouldn’t they hear about topics like: who is best capable to get the stalled Startup Up Visa through Congress, who has a vision to fix online privacy issues, how do we both reduce the burden of health care expenses and have healthier Americans, how do we fight climate change, or how can the Federal government -effectively- help public education? Even if the are the same on their policies, voter deserve to know who is more capable to pass legislation in a legislative body of 435 diverse Congress members.
Rather, what I hear here is this media’s attempt to create controversy over Congressman Honda living in the same home for forty decades, how is that a “surprise” revelation, would the same vapid story be shared if he had bought a new condo somewhere? OR that he mistweeted about an annual festival? Or Ro Khanna’s attempt to make issue recently about Congressman Honda taking PG&E PAC donations. How taking PG&E funding any different from taking money from Valley CEOs? Both issues are not worthy of the public’s time unless you can prove there is biased policy to match those donations.
At least the “refusal to debate” new cycle was worthy of public attention because in a debate, even if short, substance would at least be discussed, because here, and by the candidates, it is not.
Hey, Blah; pull your nose of of Mike’s rectum long enough to apply for an internship in his office, OK? He needs people like you to explain away his mistakes, and I’d bet you’d enjoy the job. The political alignment of those critical of his gaffe is irrelevant–he made the mistake. Using your “logic”, one could write that all those who try to explain away his gaffe are liberals.