There's getting a little choked up. There's shedding a few tears. There's full-on crying. And then, there's John Boehner, American politics' crier-in-chief.
This week, (soon to be former) Speaker of the House Boehner's tear ducts stole the show yet again, definitely upstaging the Pope's little black Fiat and newly-named baby panda Bei Bei to become our #MemeOfTheWeek.
So, what happened?
Well, Pope Francis made a visit to the U.S. this week, and on Thursday, John Boehner arranged for him to make an address before a joint meeting of Congress. Boehner (a devout Catholic), didn't disappoint with the tears. And a lot of the Internet thought it was funny.
#PopeInDC drinking game:☕️ Sip coffee if Boehner cries☕️ Espresso shot if RBG falls asleep☕️ Chug coffee pot if someone shouts "you lie"
— Erin Ruberry (@erinruberry) September 24, 2015
Every time Boehner cries, a RINO gets their wings.
— Veronica Lewis (@VeronicaLewis) September 25, 2015
John Boehner is probably the only person who cries as much as me and I wonder if we should be friends?
— Ali (@anniesperson) September 24, 2015
That man cries if Lassie doesn't come home. ~Boehner
— thefieldnegro (@fieldnegro) September 25, 2015
Even Evita/Madonna got involved (turn the sound on for this one):
The tears even extended through Friday, when the speaker abruptly announced his resignation:
Chances of Boehner crying at this presser: 196%.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) September 25, 2015
Of course, there's a history of Boehner crying. According to Politico, he's done it "during a tribute to golf legend Arnold Palmer, while listening to Irish music on St. Patrick's Day (Boehner is of German ancestry) and while singing "America the Beautiful," among other occasions." Of course he cried when he became Speaker of the House. NBC Philadelphia says Boehner's choked up at an unveiling of a Rosa Parks statue, during an event honoring the painter Constantino Brumidi.
But not everyone thought mocking Boehner for expressing his emotions was the right thing to do:
Do I really need to point out that mocking Boehner's crying is rooted in patriarchal misogynist narratives about acceptable emotionality?
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) September 25, 2015
But, in the end, even Boehner was kind of in on the joke:
Of course; everyone knows it doesn't take an act of God. https://t.co/W730ftzEsp
— Speaker John Boehner (@SpeakerBoehner) September 24, 2015
So hats off to you this week, Mr. Speaker. You got the Pope to the Capitol, you're about to get a lot more time to golf, you won the #MemeOfTheWeek, and you were a good sport about it all.
9(MDE1MTIxMDg0MDE0MDQ3NTY3MzkzMzY1NA001))
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