While there were plenty of experts offering insights into the solar system and cosmic activity ahead of Monday’s solar eclipse, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) was certainly not one of them.
The Houston-area congresswoman raised eyebrows earlier this week when she incorrectly told a group of school kids that the Earth’s moon is a “planet” that is “made up mostly of gasses” and emits “unique light and energy.”
On Wednesday’s show, Megyn was joined by Victor Davis Hanson, author of The End of Everything, to discuss Jackson Lee’s factually inaccurate claims and what it says about the competency of our elected officials.
Space Cadet
Jackson Lee is being widely mocked for what she said to a group of students at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston on Monday ahead of the solar eclipse. The congresswoman had some curious observations about the sun and moon that were live-streamed on X.
According to Jackson Lee, it is “almost impossible to go near the sun,” but the “moon is more manageable” because of its composition. “You’ve heard the word ‘full moon’ and sometimes you need to take the opportunity just to come out and see a full moon is that complete rounded circle, which is made up mostly of gasses,” she said. “And that’s why the question is: Why or how could we as humans live on the moon? Are the gasses such that we could do that?”
Even so, Jackson Lee said she would be interested in living on “planet” moon. “I don’t know about you, I want to be first in line to know how to live and to be able to survive on the moon,” she added. “That’s another planet which we’re going to see shortly.”
The congresswoman also didn’t have her facts straight when it came to how eclipses occur. “What you will see today will be the closest distance that the moon has ever been in the last 20 years, which means that’s why they will shut the light down, because they will be close to the Earth, which is an amazing experience,” she said. “You will be able to tell because there will be complete darkness.”
It didn’t take long for people to start fact-checking the Democrat, which led her to criticize the GOP. “Obviously I misspoke and meant to say the sun, but as usual, Republicans are focused on stupid things instead of stuff that really matters,” she posted on X. “What can I say though, foolish thinkers lust for stupidity!”
‘A Complete Moron’
In Megyn’s view, the coverup was worse than the crime. “Her explanation or clarification makes it worse… and she’s also too dumb to realize that,” she said. “She is trying to come out and cover herself by saying… that she meant to say the sun… You tell me whether that makes it better or worse.”
Hanson said it is the latter. “She didn’t say, ‘I apologize. I don’t know what I’m talking about.’ She says, ‘The Republicans are glomming onto me,'” he noted. “You should say… ‘I’m going to be accurate when I try to inspire young people about the world beyond and do a better job next time.’ But that’s not where we go.”
According to her official bio, the 74 year old “earned a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University with honors in the first graduating class including females, followed by a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School.” It should also be noted that she once served on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in the House of Representatives.
Megyn said those bona fides don’t seem to matter much in Jackson Lee’s case. “For those of you who still think these are esteemed institutions that somehow validate one’s intelligence, think again,” she explained. “The problem is we’re relying on these people to help us with entitlement reform… to help us close up the southern border… [and] this is who we’re looking at.”
Ultimately, Megyn said she has “secondhand embarrassment” for the congresswoman. “This person is a complete moron,” she concluded. “It’s not a problem limited to the left in Congress… but boy, there are a lot of folks over in that far left part of the caucus that you’d never want to have dinner with because how could you make intelligent conversation?”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Hanson by tuning in to episode 762 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.