On Wednesday, PJM’s Matt Margolis reported that Democrats were being warned by House leadership not to celebrate the impeachment of President Trump, because bad optics or something:
Desperate to give the false impression that impeachment isn’t what Democrats have always wanted since the moment Trump was elected, House Democrats have received strict orders on how to handle themselves as the impeachment vote proceeds. Axios reports that “House Democratic leaders told caucus members not to cheer or applaud when today’s impeachment vote totals are announced.” One Democrat from a Trump district reported they were told, “Don’t cheer, keep it solemn.”
And “solemn” was the word du jour, as Democrat after Democrat after Democrat invoked it in their floor speeches during the lead-up to the impeachment vote. (To quote the brilliant sage Inigo Montoya, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”)
Aside: I wish someone would make a supercut of all the times they said “solemn.” If you come up with one, shoot me an email and I’ll post it.
The order to remain solemn proved to be challenging for some unruly Democrats, who had to be shushed by The Great and Terrible Pelosi after she announced that the House had voted to impeach the president. The Speaker of the House, clad in black for dramatic effect, had to shush her members not once, but twice, as some apparently refused to comply with her order to remain very, very, oh-so-solemn, leading to jeers in the chamber:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces the passage of both articles of impeachment against Pres. Trump, charging him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. https://t.co/LbonpyZBTc pic.twitter.com/CYUe0Upvsp
— ABC News (@ABC) December 19, 2019
(For what it’s worth, I have to give Pelosi credit for whipping out a tried and true shushing move — I used it myself when my kids were little and acting up in church. A sharp “shht” with a finger snap and a sideways glance usually straightened them right up.)
I wasn’t the only one to notice the classic “shush” move:
That "shush you know better don't you dare" look Pelosi just shot the Democrats applauding is like the look mom gives you when you're about to tell a HILARIOUS story about your drunk uncle to polite company
— 𝕂𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕤𝕒 ℂ𝕙𝕖𝕟 (@karissachen) December 19, 2019
Did Nancy Pelosi just shush her entire caucus from being too rowdy?
— FiveDecadesIn (@InDecades) December 19, 2019
Indeed she did, my friend,
So you got the Solemnity Narrative Memo Pelosi and her Cabal drafted. 'depressing' fits the feaux solemnity spin.
Twice Nancy had to shush her 🤡s from cheering post vote. You're a fraud for not admitting to the glee written all over your face. Shush now, Turd. #Shampeachment
— William II 🇺🇸 (@WCM_II) December 19, 2019
Let’s not kid ourselves: Democrats were happier than a dog who miraculously happens upon steak hanging off the end of the kitchen counter.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has to shush the Democrats as they start to cheer
Hilarious after hearing Democrats go on about what a grave, somber, prayerful thing impeachment is & they've been avoiding for years until they just couldn't let it go on any longer
— NahBabyNah (@NahBabyNah) December 19, 2019
Right?
My own opinion of/ reasons for not supporting President Trump are irrelevant. Highlight of my week was Pelosi telling House Democrats to shush as the vote went through. This is serious, Constitution-challenging stuff and it should be treated with a commensurate level of gravitas
— Alex Hammond (@Alhambre) December 19, 2019
Sorry, Alex, they just don’t have it in them.
Meanwhile, Trump seemed to be enjoying every minute of the proceedings, alternately mocking and ranting about the historic vote at a raucous rally in Battle Creek, Mich., Wednesday night.
And don’t miss this: While Dems were putting on their show-trial in the House, over in the Senate, the quietly-cunning Mitch McConnell was methodically getting a slew of conservative judges confirmed to the federal bench.
Who came out on top today? Let me know in the comments.
Addendum: On a more serious note, the impeachment of a president, regardless of the party, is a very serious event, and this is a very sad day for our country. Unfortunately, Democrats have not been serious in their attempt to oust the president — they’ve made a farce of the hearings, impeaching the president on the flimsiest of grounds. And now, Pelosi is indicating that she doesn’t even want to send the articles of impeachment over to the Senate, likely because she knows this is hurting her party more than the Republicans. No, Trump’s call to Zelensky didn’t look good, but it most certainly didn’t rise to the level of “high crimes and misdemeanors” as required by the Constitution. The whole thing is just depressing, and knowing we’re not even close to the end of this debacle just makes it worse.
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