
20, Cardinal Dolan gave the benediction and recited a prayer from the Book of Wisdom, “a book no one in Washington is familiar with.” He noted that at Trump’s inauguration Jan. He also said that the only difference “between a Catholic Mass and a filibuster is that one ends with a sip of wine and the other ends with an entire bottle.” Either place it takes about seven years for someone to get confirmed.” “You know, the Catholic Church actually has a lot in common with Washington, D.C. “I am proud member of the church,” Ryan remarked. It was the perfect preparation for being in Congress.” The president explained it in a tweet, ‘Hashtag, I won.'”Ĭiting another fact, he said, “I once drove the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile, which meant people were constantly laughing at me. She took eight months, writing 10 hours a day, to explain what happened in 512 pages. “This sums up today’s politics perfectly. “Speaking of which, I got Hillary’s new book,” Ryan continued. But she lost the state in last year’s election. Looking back, someone should have told Hillary.” Clinton famously skipped the blue state, feeling it was so solidly Democratic, she didn’t need to campaign there. “And they all must be true - you can find them on the internet,” he said.įor starters, “I’m from Wisconsin. So Ryan said he wanted to give some background facts about himself for those who don’t know him very well. “Breitbart will lead with ‘Ryan slams the president amongst liberal elites.’ The New York Times will report, ‘Ryan defends the president in a state Hillary won.’ And the president will tweet, ‘300,000 at Al Smith dinner cheer mention of my name.'” “Everyone will report what happened here tonight differently,” Ryan continued. … Well, thank God he’s learned his lesson.” Some said it was unbecoming of a public figure and that his comments were offensive. “I know last year at this dinner Donald Trump offended some people with his comments which critics said went too far. “Now I promise you, you can all relax about my remarks,” Ryan said in his speech. He also made a few funny remarks about growing up Catholic and the Catholic Church in general.

In his dinner remarks, Ryan took some shots at Trump, but the House leader also aimed some jabs at much of Washington officialdom, including fellow members of Congress. A CNN story from September said that Ryan was for Congress trying to keep DACA. The paper said another 50 people demonstrated against the president’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, and accused Ryan of not supporting continuing the program. The New York Times reported that outside this year’s dinner, about 100 protesters marched past the hotel decrying Trump’s plan for a border wall.


In 1928, he was the first Catholic nominated by a major political party to run for president of the United States.ĭuring a presidential election year, the dinner planners invite the Republican and Democratic nominees for the nation’s highest office to roast one another usually good-naturedly.Īt last year’s event with then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his rival, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, the gloves came off and by all accounts was more contentious than in previous years. Smith, a former governor of New York who was raised in poverty. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer of New York could not attend, as they had to be in Washington for votes. Dinkins, Catholic leaders and other dignitaries. Others on the 50-seat dais included Mayor Bill de Blasio, Gov.
Al smith dinner emcee series#
She currently stars in the ABC series “The Middle” and also played Raymond’s long-suffering wife in the popular comedy series “Everybody Loves Raymond.” Heaton is well known, too, for her support for pro-life causes. Dolan.Īctress Patricia Heaton, a Catholic, was the emcee - the first woman to take that role at the august dinner. Ryan was accompanied by his wife, Janna, at the dinner hosted by New York Cardinal Timothy M. His speech followed the customary tone for the event, which has been a traditional opportunity for speakers to poke good-natured fun at themselves, one another and prominent guests from the worlds of politics, business and philanthropy without inflicting wounds. “Amazing, I don’t think I’ve seen this many New York liberals and Wall Street CEOs in one room since my last visit to the White House,” the Catholic congressman quipped. This looks just like our dinner parties in Janesville, Wisconsin,” the Republican said in his keynote speech. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York Oct. NEW YORK (CNS) - “Everyone looks great tonight,” House Speaker Paul Ryan told the crowd of women in ballgowns and men in white tie and tails at the 72nd Alfred E.
