The House was particularly chaotic this week after a series of debates and name calling led to one prominent figure leaving the floor entirely and others booing and yelling at one another.
Several days of debate, discussion and even badgering by Democratic leadership led to the melee, which ended with the floor booing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi was working hard to get Congress to condemn President Trump over what she termed his “racist tweets” in recent days. Pelosi apparently went too far with her badgering and insistence, and the House responded accordingly.
According to Pelosi, failing to condemn and speak out against President Trump would be a major breach of responsibility for House members. She insisted repeatedly that congressmen and women comply with a new resolution sponsored by House Democrats to officially complain about President Trump and “protect the American people.”
During a heated debate on Tuesday, Pelosi continued to hurl accusations at both the President and anyone who continued to support him. Her promise that she would continue to respond to actions and comments that she felt disrespected the diversity of America. She also accused the President of instigating fear and violence against people of color and attempted to shame any lawmaker who disagreed with the full substance of her remarks.
“It’s so sad because you would think that there would be a given that we would universally in this body just say ‘of course, of course,’” Pelosi remarked. “There is no excuse for any response to those words but a swift and strong, unified condemnation.”
Pelosi continued to demand agreement from all members of congress, no matter what their affiliation or constituents had to say. The one sided dialogue and lecture continued for quite some time, until members of congress had enough.
“Every single member of this institution – Democratic and Republican – should join us in condemning the president’s racist tweets,” she remarked. “To do anything less would be a shocking rejection of our values and a shameful abdication of our oath of office to protect the American people.” It was this final remark that led to actual boos from those in the room.
After members of congress reacted so strongly to her remarks, Pelosi yielded the rest of her time. When asked if she wanted to amend any of her statements, she declined, stating: “I have cleared my remarks with the parliamentarian before I read them.”
Pelosi then flounced away from the podium amid more boos and challenges from the group.
Pelosi was asked if she wanted to take down any of her words; this is the term given by Congress that allows speakers to review and adjust their remarks before those statements are evaluated by an oversight committee. Her harsh language could lead to penalties, including a bar from addressing the group for a set period of time or an official objection from the group itself. Pelosi indicated she did not wish to dial back her remarks before stomping from the room.
