Bonner recalls mixing up the words ‘insect’ & ‘incest’ in his first House floor speech

WASHINGTON — On Thursday, Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile, gave what would be his last speech on the floor of the U.S. House as a sitting member of Congress.

Bonner, whose last day is today, will be vacating his seat to take a job with the University of Alabama system as vice chancellor.

He began by reflecting on his first speech on the floor, speaking as a member of the House Agriculture Committee when he mixed up the words insect and incest (story begins at 2:27 in the video above). But that anecdote had a purpose, Bonner said.

“I tell that story, Mr. Speaker, in closing for this one reason,” Bonner said. “You all laughed at that story. As so many others have over the years. And a little laughter from time to time is good medicine, as the doctor says. Perhaps our country needs to laugh a little more often as well. And stop yelling at each other and work closer together. For surely our great country has many daunting challenges facing us. All across our land, there’s anger, frustration and concern on both sides of the political spectrum about what’s going on or what’s not going on.”

“Public approval of this body, which we are all so honored to serve in, is at or near an all-time record low,” he continued. “But if I could say one parting word to the American people, it would be this. The men and women that you have elected to represent you in this, the people’s house, have different views and positions on the very issues that you have different views and positions on. And by and large, and with rare exception, these are men and women of courage, of integrity, of decency, and they serve, along with many, many men and women, as staff, who work here, oftentimes in the shadows of the spotlight, they serve for the same reason: a common love of country.”

Bonner also invoked the names of his two predecessors, former Reps. Jack Edwards and Sonny Callahan, applauding them as two that had left Congress as statesmen.

“I came to this job having studied at the feet of two of the most outstanding men I know — Jack Edwards and Sonny Callahan, like me, came to office as a representative from Alabama,” Bonner said. “But they left office as statesmen. And anything that my staff or I have ever been able to do for the people of my district, it’s been to build on the legacy of those two great men.”

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