Comedian and political commentator Jon Stewart is having a little too much fun watching Congress, specifically the House Republicans, stumble over their own feet trying (and failing) to elect a Speaker of the House. That being said, his words mirror what is likely the universal sentiment across the country right now.
In a two-part tweet, Stewart wrote, “This is the best season of cspan… ever… If only there was a gif of someone watching this with great anticipation whilst enjoying popcorn…”
Stewart’s tweet comes after California GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the majority vote for Speaker of the House for a fourth time, the most recent of which crashed and burned this very morning. The division over McCarthy’s nomination makes it the first time in a century that House Republicans and House Democrats have entered into multiple rounds of voting to secure a Speaker of the House.
McCarthy’s fourth attempt to secure the nomination ended with him receiving even fewer votes than he did on Tuesday, in which he lost 20 Republican votes while Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries received all the Democratic votes. McCarthy’s fellow Republications, or at least those who oppose him, have had their sights set on Florida GOP Rep. Byron Donalds and Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan for Speaker of the House, the latter of which has made clear he doesn’t want the job.
Without a speaker, several functions of Congress cannot be carried out, such as swearing in new members, attending to usual business, and even paying staff, according to Politico. By no means it is a laughing matter, but sometimes, as Jon Stewart pointed out, the only possible thing you can do is exactly that. All the while shoveling popcorn into your mouth, of course.