Senate Majority Leader John Thune decided Wednesday was the perfect day to march onto the chamber floor and deliver what amounted to a professional tantrum about how nobody appreciates him. As USA Journal reported, the man basically gave a speech that boiled down to "I'm working really hard and you're all being mean to me." Spoiler alert: the internet did not offer him a hug.
Here's what makes the whole thing so deliciously absurd. Over in the House, Speaker Mike Johnson has been operating with what is essentially the thinnest majority in American history, dealing with procedural rebellions from his own members, and STILL managed to pass appropriations bills, a stock trading ban, NDAA reauthorization, and a continuing resolution that prevents a government shutdown on September 30 with the SAVE America Act attached. Meanwhile, Thune's big accomplishment was announcing he's collaborating with Democrats on a separate stopgap measure. You know, the exact same strategy that turned the DHS funding battle into a 75 day embarrassment. Bold move, Senator. Really learning from those mistakes.
When White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt publicly called out the Senate for being about as productive as a screen door on a submarine, Thune's comeback was to suggest from the Senate floor that maybe she should come work the phones herself. That's right, the Senate Majority Leader got so flustered by accurate criticism that his best retort was essentially "well YOU do it then." Peak leadership energy right there.
The online response was absolutely savage. One user wrote that nobody was impressed watching him read a speech from his handlers with his hands in his pockets, demanding he pass the SAVE America Act instead. Others called him a waste of space and questioned whether he understood the basic requirements of his own job title. The ratio was, as the kids say, devastating.
Perhaps the most revealing detail is that President Trump apparently went to the Capitol in person to pressure Senate Republicans on the SAVE America Act and walked away with nothing to show for it. An anonymous operative tried spinning this as evidence the fight was unwinnable. What it actually demonstrated is that Thune cannot wrangle his own caucus on his own party's president's top legislative priority. The president physically showed up, and Thune still couldn't get it done.
So instead of passing election security legislation that Republican voters specifically sent this majority to Washington to accomplish, Thune spent his Wednesday delivering floor remarks about South Dakota values and his hurt feelings. Republican base voters wanted the SAVE America Act. They got a therapy session disguised as a Senate speech.
The whole episode perfectly captures everything frustrating about watching someone complain about being called ineffective while actively being ineffective. It's like watching someone set their kitchen on fire and then give a PowerPoint presentation about how they're actually a great cook. The replies wrote themselves, and honestly, they were more productive than anything that happened on the Senate floor that day.
Read more conservative news commentary at: USA Journal News
