Part political performance, part stall tactic, Republican leader Kevin McCarthy unleashed a long, rambling and vitriolic speech, seizing control of the House floor and preempting passage of President Joe Biden\u2019s big domestic policy bill.<\/b>
\nWASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Part political performance, part stall tactic, Republican leader Kevin McCarthy unleashed a long, rambling and vitriolic speech overnight, seizing control of the House floor and preempting for a time the vote on President Joe Biden\u2019s big domestic policy bill. Sneering with disdain one minute, spilling sarcasm the next, McCarthy carried on for more than eight hours as Thursday night became Friday morning. He spewed a tirade of grievances that reached far beyond Biden\u2019s legislative package, morphing into a monologue of complaints over what\u2019s wrong with the country and the Democrats who control Washington. Far from the \u201chappy conservative\u201d he claimed to be, the California Republican debuted a new role: angry heir to the Donald Trump legacy, picking up where the former president left off, mercilessly attacking his political opponents and their ideas with a ferocity that is rare even for the divided halls of Congress. The speech was a fact-checker\u2019s bonanza. \u201cIf I sound angry, I am,\u201d he said as the speech began. \u201cI\u2019m just getting geared up, go just sit,\u201d he said several hours later. At another point, he said, \u201cI know you don\u2019t like me, but that\u2019s OK.\u201d The drawn-out speech did not stop the advance of Biden\u2019s bill \u2014 the House approved it early Friday, sending the legislation to the Senate \u2014 but provided a politically pained capstone to an extremely tense week in what has been one of the more divisive and dangerous years in Congress. Monday started with celebration, a rare bipartisan achievement, as Biden signed the related $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law. By midweek the House censured one of its own, Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., for posting a graphic video depicting violence against fellow elected officials. And as Friday began, McCarthy was deep into his stemwinder, shutting down business as usual. Overheated rhetoric is nothing new in politics, but the post-Trump era has set the bar for a troubling new normal, a climate that has allowed fiery speeches to quickly devolve into more dangerous terrain \u2014 like the former president\u2019s own rally cry that sparked the Jan.6 insurrection at the Capitol trying to overturn Biden\u2019s election victory. \u201cGreat job,\u201d Trump said about McCarthy in a statement Friday. McCarthy\u2019s speech began as almost any other during the final debate on Biden\u2019s bill. Democrats were laboring to wrap up work on the package of social services and climate change programs, shelving their own differences to deliver on the president\u2019s domestic priorities. Typically, floor speeches last one minute during the debate, but McCarthy used the prerogative granted party leaders to speak as long as they wish. As the minutes stretched to hours it was clear McCarthy\u2019s speech was becoming something else \u2014 a moment. He tore into Biden\u2019s package as reckless overspending, chided Speaker Nancy Pelosi\u2019s running of the House and swerved from topic to topic \u2014 inflation, immigration, the threat of a rising China, his childhood in California, the Lincoln presidency, the Jim Crow era, even the influence of the movie \u201cRed Dawn\u201d on his politics \u2014 all while stabbing the air, scowling across the aisle, his voice cracking at times. McCarthy called on a few Democrats to join the Republicans in opposing Biden\u2019s package, trying to deny the party the votes it will need for passage. There appeared to be no takers. Dozens of Republicans, some sitting directly behind McCarthy, urged him on. Democrats on the other side booed, and some tweeted snickering replies. \u201cLoved it,\u201d said Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind., the brother of former Vice President Mike Pence. \u201cThis is a historical moment for Kevin, for sure.\u201d Tweeted Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the Intelligence Committee chairman: \u201cIf you took the worst orator in the world\/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.\u201d Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota said Friday it was \u201csad\u201d to see the GOP leader portray such a dismal view of America. \u201cFear, fear, ugliness, hate division, mean spiritedness\u2026 everything that is so different than what I see when I go back home,\u201d he said. It\u2019s no secret Democrats are facing a potentially tough midterm election next fall that has put their slim majority at risk. If Republicans take control, McCarthy is in line to become speaker, a job he tried, and failed, to attain before, only to bow out when it was clear he would not have the support of his Republican peers. McCarthy\u2019s overnight performance could be seen as an audition of sorts, an appeal to the Republican colleagues who denied him the job last time. It could also be seen as a performance for another audience \u2014 of one. Earlier Thursday, McCarthy said he had received a phone call from Trump, who was playing golf but had dialed him up. McCarthy would not disclose what was said, just that they talked. Theirs has been a rocky relationship at times, even though McCarthy had been among the first in Congress to support Trump\u2019s 2016 campaign and enjoyed special status from the former president as \u201cMy Kevin.\u201d Republicans in the House have stayed close to the former president, emulating his style. The House Republican campaign committee recently held a fundraiser with Trump, and the party has determined that his support will be vital if they hope to win back control of Congress. Unlike the Senate, which is known for its lengthy filibuster-style speeches, such addresses in the House are rare. Pelosi had held a modern-day record, having dug in with her own eight-hour floor speech in 2018 in support of immigration law changes, reading heartfelt letters from immigrants, some seeking protection from deportation. McCarthy had been preparing for months, according to a Republican familiar with the planning and granted anonymity to discuss it. Knowing Democrats would be on the verge of a history-making moment, the Republican leader wanted a comparable defining moment, the person said. McCarthy broke Pelosi\u2019s speechmaking record just before 5 a.m. Friday. He ended around 5:10 a.m. Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, who is part of the vote-counting whip team, said it did not appear that McCarthy\u2019s speech changed any support for Biden\u2019s bill. Just one Democrat who had previously announced their opposition voted against. \u201cI think Kevin is also trying to show his conference that he\u2019s a tough guy,\u201d said Jackson Lee. \u201cAnd he has the right to do that. And when I was in there, I showed him the respect that a person on the floor deserves. But, frankly, there are desperate people in my district who need every single aspect of this bill.\u201d ___ Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri, Mary Clare Jalonick and Alan Fram contributed to this report. Copyright \u00a9 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.<\/p>\n