Pa. Democrats' email misfire targets U.S. Rep Bob Brady on 'Trumpcare'
The state party blamed a computer malfunction for an email that falsely accused the chairman of the Democratic City Committee of voting for GOP legislation on May 4.
It had the makings of a political bombshell. But it was really a digital dud.
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party on Monday took aim in the state's First Congressional District, accusing U.S. Rep. Bob Brady of voting May 4 to pass "Trumpcare."
Yes, that Bob Brady, chairman of the Democratic City Committee in Philadelphia.
"This was just another in a long line of horrible votes by Rep. Brady, a congressman who seems to care more about tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires than the health and welfare of his constituents," read an email from the party, asking recipients to sign a petition opposing the legislation.
But Brady didn't vote for it. In fact, no Democrat in the House supported it.
The American Health Care Act passed in a 217-213 vote, pushed by Republicans at the behest of President Trump as an effort to unravel former President Barack Obama's signature Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.
Still, Brady took the email hit in good humor, explaining Monday that Marcel Groen, chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, had just called him to explain the error.
"It will give me a talking point," Brady said, planning to use the email misfire to poke fun at his fellow Democrats.
Brady wondered if the party mixed him up with Kevin Brady, a Republican congressman from Texas.
That wouldn't explain why the Pennsylvania party made the same mistake Monday in an email to residents of the state's 14th Congressional District, in Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties. That district is represented by U.S. Rep. Michael Doyle, another Democrat who did not vote for the legislation. There is no Republican named Doyle in the House.
Groen blamed a computer malfunction for the emails. The party, he said, is looking into it.
"We don't know what happened or how it happened," Groen said. "It was obviously a mistake. No Democrats voted for Trumpcare, period. It's important that people know that this was an error made by a computer somewhere."