Ileana Ros Lehtinen, GOP Congresswoman, Hangs Up On Obama Twice

MIAMI — When a man sounding remarkably like President-elect Barack Obama called a Florida congresswoman Wednesday, she assumed it was a crank call.

So Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen hung up. But, the Miami Herald reports, this was no prank.

"I thought it was one of the radio stations in South Florida playing an incredible, elaborate, terrific prank on me," Ros-Lehtinen told the newspaper. "They got Fidel Castro to go along. They've gotten Hugo Chavez and others to fall for their tricks. I said, 'Oh, no, I won't be punked.'"

The call came about 1 p.m. Obama congratulated her on her re-election, saying he was looking forward to working with her as the ranking Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs committee, Ros-Lehtinen told the newspaper.

The conversation lasted about a minute when she cut Obama off, telling him she wasn't falling for the hoax and that he was a better impersonator than the guy on Saturday Night Live, she said.

Then Rahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff, called the congresswoman to tell her it wasn't a joke. But she hung up on him, too. It took a call from Rep. Howard Berman, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, to persuade Ros-Lehtinen that Obama really did want to talk to her.

When the two finally talked, Ros-Lehtinen said she and Obama had a good conversation and she congratulated him for his victory despite how hard she campaigned for his opponent, Sen. John McCain.

He didn't even blame her for mistaking him for a radio-station prank, she said.

"He laughed a lot, saying in Chicago they do it all the time," Ros-Lehtinen said. "He said, 'I don't blame you for being skeptical.'"

Repeated calls by The Associated Press to two office numbers for the congresswoman rang unanswered after hours Wednesday. An e-mail message to an Obama spokeswoman after hours wasn't immediately returned.

Comments

[mergina]

Such a republican brat. So misguided.

[SammyGone]

Not true, a disapointed DEM

[SammyGone]

I wish he would call me, I would hang up on him 10X

[saber75]

I recommend that you join the College Republicans and then give yourself a black eye and claim that you were attacked by liberals; that's that fast track to promotion in the GOP ranks. Once you've made it onto the GOP's radar, maybe that will then get you noticed by Obama so he can give you your unwanted phone call.

[Nitalia]

Oh sure you would! But somehow I don't think you have to worry about that.

[LDnearthesea]

Are you making over $250K? Afraid you taxes are going to be raised? Or are you just a pissed of Repug, especially since a WASP didn't win for once?

[JMBrodie]

Hater.

[NYC07]

Let's face it the women just didn't want to be "Palined"

[Irishfly]

My thoughts exactly!

[PlanetK27]

This congresswoman smiles like the proverbial Cheshire Cat.... behind that false smile lies a deceptive agenda. Just watch her and .... your back. Not much scarier than a smiling politician.

[renatam]

She better watch HER back. Living in a hurricane zone that requires annual Federal bailouts -- makes this a dangerous game for her constituency, which she stupidly seems to have forgotten about -- showing off to her Cuban friends in Miami.

[MNmommy]

Holy shizz, is there anyone that you aren't vindictive about?

[Grunty1]

That's Bush's way. It's unlike that Obama would without emergency action for the people just because this GOP Smirker hung up on him.

[TheMastadon]

I happen to hold Obama in much higher regard than what you are insinuating.

[lbolle]

Ding dong! Is anybody home?

[saber75]

I propose that instead of being punked, we now make it Palin'd.

"Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, why did you hang up on the President-elect?"

"I thought it was one of the radio stations in South Florida playing an incredible, elaborate, terrific prank on me. They got Fidel Castro to go along. They've gotten Hugo Chavez and others to fall for their tricks. I said, 'Oh, no, I won't be Palin'd.'"

[truthyguy]

Ros-Lehtinen has always reminded me of Gilda Radner's SNL character Roseanne Roseannadanna.

[qxav949]

The surprise of this Democrat President-Elect issuing a personal call to a staunch Republican congresswoman would amaze many of us, not in the least Ms. Lehtinen. This gesture, in conjunction with his centrist cabinet picks and olive branch to the Republican Governors underscores Mr. Obama fulfilling his campaign promise to reach across the aisle.

Very well done, Sir.

[truthyguy]

To understand Ros-Lehtinen you have to know her background. She is a Cuban-American from Miami whose husband Dexter Lehtinen was an assistant U.S. Attorney who resigned after the Justice Department opened a case against him on charges of "misconduct" and potential conflicts of interest for investigating a "a potential political rival of his wife." She was elected by being Cuban at the right time (when congressman Claude Pepper died) and place (in a Miami district heavily Cuban). She is not the sharpest knife in the drawer and for the most part follows whatever her party line is. Some have said that if you stamped a duck "republican" and ran it for office she would support it saying it was the smartest duck in the world and had many creative ideas. In all fairness though, she has at times supported certain non-partisan, non-religious charities very vigorously.

[strangerinthenight]

I believe it was a mistake. She had explained the situation, and no one was offended. Are you just trying to drive a wedge between Obama and Lehtinen ?

[truthyguy]

Yes - definitely "a wedge". Why just the other day when Obama called me for my opinion I told him . . . . And he hangs on my every word.

[Grunty1]

[not the sharpest knife in the drawer and for the most part follows whatever her party line is]

That (R) behind her name already said both of those.

[lawyerboyd]

This is similar to my last million posts (ok, so I exaggerate a little). It is similar to the one I just did on the incredibly importants Sarah Palin 'trip' story: between the stories HP editors are choosing to prioritize and the all to commonplace 'tabloid" keadline use, this is really becoming a rag.

My only question is 'why'? This is a cute, funny story and a funny headline would've been perfectly appropriate. There was just no reason to 'tabloid" it.

I think Blutarski and the other drunk children have taken over the ship. Now, I'm all for fun and pranks, but this is getting way too commonplace and disproportional.

[2grainsofsalt]

A "lawyer" with bad spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

[johndeckbose]

As a former legal proofreader, I'd say it's harder to find a lawyer who exhibits good spelling, grammar and punctuation.

[JenMI]

lots of hate and no humor here....

[SammyGone]

Just the normal losers

[prcleburne]

I did the same thing when the President- elect called me the first time.

[annjude]

I'd like to know why he called her at all? She is one of the more repulsive people in congress.

[JustSteve]

I realize that its difficult to understand how PE Obama is going to operate as President. His goal, which may or may not work, is going to be the President to everyone, even to the people you may not like.

As it said in the article, she's the RANKING REPUBLICAN in the House Foreign Affair Committee, and as I'm sure you've noted in the newspapers there is a lot of foreign affairs going on right now. The Representative may never agree with President Obama on anything over the next several years, but at least she won't be able to say that he never even tried to connect with her.

Which, I think, is the point of the article anyway.

[TheMastadon]

exactly

[liberalissima]

He called her because he has class, he is not an dordinary person like she is, and he shines with his elegance and greatness. VIVIA OBAMA !!!!!!

[SammyGone]

Shines with elegance and greatness? You drank the kool-aid, didn't you?

[JenMI]

This is hilarious...both parties laughed and apparently Ros-Lehtinen learned something from the Palin prank. Why make this a partisan issue?

[wjb0965]

Shocker....another misleading headline from HuffPost. This is really turning into the cyber version of a checkout line, tabloid rag. Maybe a few editors should go before you lose a few thousand readers.

[realityczech4u]

turning?

[rubberstamp]

here here!!
I have loved this site and relied on it for solid info but lately its becoming very misleading.
With BAD HEADLINES and THIN ARTICLES.

CLEAN UP YOUR ACT HUFFPO