House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s effort to delay passage of Democrats’ Build Back Better Act was effectively useless. Democrats returned to the House floor not long after the California Republican delivered his eight-hour speech late Thursday into Friday morning.
His meandering speech was difficult to watch — even by filibusters’ standards. When he wasn’t rambling about Tesla prices, he was regurgitating rote conservative talking points.
“Inflation is at a 31 percent high, gas prices, Thanksgiving, a border that in a few months breaks every record of the last three years combined,” McCarthy said at one point, described hilariously by The New York Times as a “Mad Libs of Republican attacks.”
As it unfolded, McCarthy’s speech quickly became a roasting session among Democrats. Here are some of the best tweets.
There was Rep. Adam Schiff of California. This one is funny because of how frank it is.
If you took the worst orator in the world
— Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) November 19, 2021
Gave him the worst speech in the world
And made him read it for the longest time in the world
That would be a lot like listening to Kevin McCarthy tonight.
Except, probably better.
Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia stayed committed to the bit, explaining key milestones throughout the night and into the morning.
Thanks for following, hope you all enjoyed this. In the end McCarthy's speech was longer than David Bowie's entire 1970's studio output, and longer than every REM studio album with the band's original lineup put together. He did NOT stop us from passing the Build Back Better Act!
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) November 19, 2021
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York had a theory on the contents of McCarthy’s binder.
Fun fact: it only has pictures in it https://t.co/eHe63K5G21
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 19, 2021
Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri was doing the people’s work.
On behalf of the Black and brown women he’s trying to deny lifesaving benefits, I motion to have the Trump Minority Leader stop talking 🙋🏾♀️
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) November 19, 2021
“The Office” references always win, as Rep. Mark Pocan clearly knows.
Which Kevin did it better?
— Rep. Mark Pocan (@RepMarkPocan) November 19, 2021
Cc: @BBBaumgartner pic.twitter.com/gH8zVgqYm0
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland was not the least bit impressed.









