U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy has failed a sixth time to secure enough votes and become the next speaker of the House. But while some may see this as an epic political crisis — the House can’t effectively function until a new speaker is elected, after all — others are viewing it as pure political comedy.
There are memes and memorable tweets aplenty about the California Republican’s plodding quest — and how to resolve the stalemate.
Let’s begin with what’s emerging as the joke of the moment, with a special nod to the world of soccer. Namely, that the speaker vote should now be decided by penalty kicks, just as the winner of the World Cup was determined last month.
Others are having fun with the idea that, while there are many types of speakers, McCarthy doesn’t apparently meet the criteria.
Some see parallels between McCarthy’s many attempts to land the gig — a career-long ambition of his, requiring both policy and positioning gymnastics — and Charlie Brown’s ill-fated attempts to kick a football as Lucy pulls it away.
Speaking of multiple attempts, some are invoking this familiar refrain:
One tweet invokes a help-desk trope.
At least one person has suggested that the House might want to consider another Kevin McCarthy for the job — specifically, the Kevin McCarthy who serves as an assistant coach for the NHL’s Washington Capitals.
And leave it to the veteran political-minded comedian Jon Stewart to have a final word — and suggest that this odd congressional drama makes for good television. Well, sorta.
