That’s one tough gavel.
At least that’s the reaction some might have had after Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina, slammed said gavel to announce on Tuesday that Rep. Kevin McCarthy, his Republican colleague from California, had been removed his role as House speaker.
The slam set off a wave of responses on social media, with many mocking the historical moment or at least having fun with it. As one observer on X (formerly Twitter) noted: “The memes are epic.”
Here are just a couple of examples of posts making the rounds:
One commenter took pity on the gavel itself:
And CNN’s Jake Tapper perhaps called it best in a post that has already been viewed nearly two million times:
It didn’t appear McHenry, who will be taking over as the temporary House speaker and who’s already being dubbed the “bow tie gavel banger,” damaged the mallet after the slam. But that hasn’t always been the case on the House floor.
In an historical overview, the Washington Post noted two such incidents — one in 1906 involving Illinois Republican Rep. Joseph Cannon (the gavel came off and landed near some congressional clerks) and another in 1931 involving Texas Democratic Rep. John Nance Garner (actually, he broke three gavels in one week!).
The Washington Post said congressional gavels come from the House carpentry shop, “whose workers have diligently and expertly produced the mallets for decades.” In other words, blame the gavel slammer, not the gavel maker.
For those who might want to re-create the McHenry moment, take note: Gavels can be found for as little as $2.99 on Amazon — bow tie not included.
Read the full article here