First, via IJ Review, the video. It’s from a speaking engagement at a Department of Energy event to promote opportunities for minorities in the energy sector…

The quote…

“We seek greatness, goodness, excellence, hard work – usually wealth comes with that, not always. It’s not what we seek, but it’s what the result of our good work is – and prosperity for America. But that prosperity needs to be shared in a way that honors the talents and the strengths of the individuals that make up this great country.”

People are going to seize on the “prosperity needs to be shared” part of the quote and immediately call Mary a communist. If that’s what they want to do, it won’t bother me much.

That’s not really my takeaway from the statement. What I get from that is Mary’s more your amiable dunce than V.I. Lenin.

She’s bumbling through an attempt to send a message that it’s a good thing for minority people to achieve the skills and work ethic necessary to make big bucks in the energy sector, and that while not everybody who endeavors to make those big bucks will make it a lot of them will. And she’s also saying that big bucks are a byproduct of excellence and success.

Those are decent messages. They’re capitalist messages.

Then she lets her bumbling overrun the quality part of her messaging by using “prosperity needs to be shared.”

What she should have said is, “It’s important that the folks who utilize their talents and strengths to create the prosperity we’re here to pay tribute to find themselves suitably rewarded for their efforts.”

That’s exactly the same thing she was saying, but if you’re a Democrat with a lousy voting record on economic issues and you’re running for re-election, going around talking about how prosperity needs to be shared is really dumb. It’s evidence of a tin ear.

It’s a gaffe. She’ll pay for it, even if maybe she’s not saying what “prosperity needs to be shared” will make it sound like she’s saying.