It only took Democratic National Committee (DNC) vice chairwoman and political analyst Donna Brazile a span of minutes to go from praising the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to questioning her legacy.
Brazile, who briefly served as chair of the DNC a few years ago, is currently an Adjunct Professor of Women and Gender Studies at Georgetown University and a contributor to CNN, NPR and ABC News.
She began the morning by tweeting her respects for Britain’s first female prime minster, who reportedly died of a stroke earlier today.
RIP #Iron Lady. Margaret Thatcher was tough, decisive & fearless. She was a controversial figure. Ronald Reagan respected her leadership.
— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) April 8, 2013
She sent a follow up tweet two minutes later praising the 87-year-old, whose nickname was “The Iron Lady,” for her resolve and called her a “role model” for conservative women.
Baroness Thatcher was also a role model for the conservative movement here in the USA. A woman of valor and strength. Good qualities indeed!
— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) April 8, 2013
Brazile even said she was looking forward to discussing the fellow female political heavyweight’s impact on the world.
Looking forward to reading your comments on the #ironlady and what she did to advance women in society. We know Baroness Thatcher was tough!
— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) April 8, 2013
But then, out of nowhere, Brazile did a 180 and sent out this absurd tweet suggesting that the conservative hero’s life and work was NBD and potentially inconsequential.
Okay, what did the #ironlady do to advance Great Britain and the world? Did she leave lasting footprints for women in politics? #justsayin
— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) April 8, 2013
The suggestion that Margaret Thatcher – the most well-known female politician in the history of the world – had no lasting affect on women in politics is outlandish, especially coming from an accomplished political analyst.
Even President Barack Obama, who is no friend of conservatives, noted Thatcher’s contributions to Britain and named her as a role model for all women.
“As a grocer’s daughter who rose to become Britain’s first female prime minister, she stands as an example to our daughters that there is no glass ceiling that can’t be shattered,” President Obama said in a statement on her passing. “As prime minister, she helped restore the confidence and pride that has always been the hallmark of Britain at its best.”
Conservative pundits responded to Brazile’s ludicrous tweet in turn with tongue-in-cheek tweets about Brazile’s account being hacked.
@donnabrazile I’m going to assume someone hacked your account.
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) April 8, 2013
Apparently there’s a @donnabrazile parody account called @donnabrazile.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) April 8, 2013
Were you hacked? @donnabrazile: what did #ironlady do to advance Great Britain & the world? Did she leave lasting footprints for women?
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) April 8, 2013
It took Brazile roughly two hours to respond to the less-than-favorable replies she received to her out of touch question about Thatcher’s impact.
A few tweets came back and wow… Strong opinions on Baroness Thatcher leadership as PM in Great Britain. #ironlady
— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) April 8, 2013
Clearly, Brazile did not receive enough responses to make her realize how bone headed the tweet was in the first place.
