For years, NBC Late Night host Seth Meyers has demanded that Republicans put the country above their partisan self-interest, but when Republicans recently attacked Democrats for not doing so during the Speaker vote, Meyers essentially told Republicans on Thursday that they deserve it.
The reason wasn’t even a good one. For Meyers, the fact that Kevin McCarthy may have hurt Democrats’ feelings was enough:
But here's the especially infuriating thing. When this small band of GOP hardliners voted to oust McCarthy, McCarthy could have, if he really wanted to keep his job, reached out to Democrats to try to win their support, you know, the same way he made concessions to the hardliners in his own caucus to get the job in the first place. He didn't do that. He dissed Democrats, he told them to F off. So Democrats voted against McCarthy for extremely obvious reasons and yet Republicans have the gall to blame Democrats for not voting for McCarthy and bailing them out.
McCarthy never told Democrats to "F off," he did blame them for the government almost shutting down, but that is standard political rhetoric. Nevertheless, after a series of clips of various Republicans and Fox personalities blaming Democrats or labeling McCarthy’s ousting as one that was led by Democrats, Meyers ranted, “Are you out of your [bleep] minds? Democrats are in the minority while you accuse each other of downing Viagra like Pez and threaten to beat the [bleep] out of each other?”
Meyers then offered up a hypothetical, “Here's a thought exercise. Let's imagine a world where the shoe was on the other foot and eight Democrats were threatening to oust Nancy Pelosi you think Republicans would come galloping in to vote for her and keep her as Speaker for the good of the country in order to think that, you'd have to be high on ED meds and Red Bull and ready to bang harder than this guy.”
“This guy” was Interim Speaker Patrick McHenry emphatically gaveling the House out of session after the vote. More relevant, however, is that Democrats, Meyers, and the media have constantly lectured Republicans about the need to marginalize “the hardliners” for the betterment of the country. Yet, when given the choice between McCarthy and “the hardliners,” Democrats chose the latter. Who needs hypotheticals when you have a real world example?
Here is a transcript for the October 5-taped show:
NBC Late Night with Seth Meyers
10/6/2023
12:46 AM ET
SETH MEYERS: But here's the especially infuriating thing. When this small band of GOP hardliners voted to oust McCarthy, McCarthy could have, if he really wanted to keep his job, reached out to Democrats to try to win their support, you know, the same way he made concessions to the hardliners in his own caucus to get the job in the first place. He didn't do that. He dissed Democrats, he told them to F off. So Democrats voted against McCarthy for extremely obvious reasons and yet Republicans have the gall to blame Democrats for not voting for McCarthy and bailing them out.
KEVIN MCCARTHY: I think today was a political decision by the Democrats.
MIKE LAWLER: Democrats just removed the Republican Speaker.
HILLARY VAUGHN: Democrats basically turned on Republicans and ousted Kevin McCarthy.
STEVE DOOCY: Every one of the Democrats voted against McCarthy.
GARRET GRAVES: You had eight, eight Republicans that came together yesterday with 208 Democrats, so effectively, this was a Democrat eviction of Speaker McCarthy.
MEYERS: Are you out of your [bleep] minds? Democrats are in the minority while you accuse each other of downing Viagra like Pez and threaten to beat the [bleep] out of each other?
Here's a thought exercise. Let's imagine a world where the shoe was on the other foot and eight Democrats were threatening to oust Nancy Pelosi you think Republicans would come galloping in to vote for her and keep her as Speaker for the good of the country in order to think that, you'd have to be high on ED meds and Red Bull and ready to bang harder than this guy.
