By the time the House of Representatives adjourned late on Wednesday after Republicans failed on their sixth attempt to elect a new speaker, tempers had flared, a chorus of booing had erupted, and gleeful Democrats munched popcorn as turmoil erupts in house.
After two days of backroom dealings, Republicans and Democrats could not even agree on whether to call it a night – the knife-edge vote to adjourn prompted shouts and confusion. On CNN, an anchor pondered: “Is this normal?”
What should have been a straightforward vote for Republicans, who hold a majority in the lower chamber, has turned into a political drama that has paralysed the third branch of American government. Democrats munched popcorn as turmoil erupts in house.
Wednesday was day two of the chaotic saga, as a group of hard-line Republicans refused repeatedly to support party leader Kevin McCarthy, denying him his long-coveted speaker position and bringing all other House business screeching to a halt.
“Well, it’s Groundhog Day. Again,” congresswoman Kat Cammack, a Florida Republican, said from the floor as she again nominated Mr McCarthy to lead the chamber.
When the members of the House entered the chamber on Tuesday, there was a sense of celebration in the air.
The first day of a new Congress is typically a family affair. Parents, spouses and children crowded the chamber and surrounding hallways, hoping to see their loved ones take the oath of office.
“He loved it,” Mr Gomez said.
But as the first ballot became a second, then a third, that initial enthusiasm faded. Members paced back and forth in the chamber, some letting their heads loll back over their chairs. Pennsylvania Democrat Madeline Dean handed out chocolate to a bored-looking Representative Larry Nadler.
Mr McCarthy sat placidly in his chair, managing to laugh ruefully amid the dysfunction around him.
Despite all the horse-trading, little has changed. Mr McCarthy has vowed to keep fighting, meaning another day of political disarray is probably in store.
