It may have been House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s press conference, but it was Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters who stole the show.
A 15-second clip of Pelosi speaking at the Summit of the America’s conference in Los Angeles on Friday as the congresswoman from California stood nearly motionless behind her went viral on Tuesday.
In the clip, Waters stares straight into the camera, expressionless. She is totally disengaged from what the Speaker is saying. At the 11-second mark, she blinks and averts her gaze from the camera.
What’s wrong with Mad Maxine 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/d5btZZtn6j
— Real Mac Report (@RealMacReport) June 14, 2022
The clip was taken from a 34-minute video in which each member of the Democratic Congressional Delegation said a few words. At the 4-minute mark, Waters is introduced. She reads from a prepared statement for two minutes and nothing seems amiss.
Still, the earlier clip understandably drew an outsize response on social media.
If BSOD (blue screen of death) was a person……
Somebody reboot Maxine! https://t.co/6BV9K60v9V
— Scary A-A-non (@Scary_A_A_Non) June 14, 2022
— Edward (@edwardrussl) June 15, 2022
— 🇺🇸 Ultra Critical Based Theorist 🇨🇦 (@s_zumock) June 14, 2022
I encourage you to peruse some of the other responses.
At any rate, Waters’ demeanor sure was peculiar.
Scouring the internet to find out what might be wrong with Waters, I came across a report from KCBS-TV which said she had tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday morning. She may have been feeling the onset of the virus four days ago.
Or perhaps Waters, who will turn 84 this summer, was simply exhausted. What 84-year-old wouldn’t be tired after attending a large political conference which required a trip across the country?
Which begs the question: Why are there so many octogenarians serving in Congress? And particularly in positions of leadership. Pelosi is 82-years-old. Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland celebrated his 83rd birthday on Tuesday and Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina will turn 82 next month.
The oldest Democratic Reps. include Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, 86, Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, 85; and Grace Napolitano of California, 85.
The oldest Republican Rep. serving in the House is Hal Rogers of Kentucky, age 84.
On the Senate side, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s cognitive decline is now an open secret in Washington, D.C. Yet the California lawmaker, who will turn 89 next week, insists she’s fine and refuses to retire.
On the Republican side, the oldest members include Sens. Chuck Grassley of Ohio, 88; Richard Shelby of Alabama, 87, and Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, 87.
In comparison, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell seems a spring chicken at 80-years-old.
Certainly President Joe Biden, who will turn 80 in November, is no longer fit to lead the country.
And while the viral clip of Waters was singled out for its shock value, the ability of these octogenarians’ to serve the country effectively is a legitimate question.
Should there be a maximum age limit for members of Congress?
According to a YouGov poll released in January, the majority of Americans think so.
Readers?
A previous version of this article was published on The Western Journal.
Follow AFNN:
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/afnnusa
Telegram: https://t.me/joinchat/2_-GAzcXmIRjODNh
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfnnUsa
GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/AFNN_USA
CloutHub: @AFNN_USA
Please follow me on LinkedIn or Twitter
Personally I think this type of thing got worse after they instituted congressional pensions or improved them significantly in the late 60’s or 70’s. Instead of having to worry about providing enough to live in later years on they had a gold plated pension that allowed them to indulge their power trip. Driven vainglorious people like McCain one of the Maryland reps John Lewis seem to be fixated on the idea of being viewed in the Rotunda. They make an idol of power and they will be judged by it in the end. Instead of an age limit eliminate the pension. Allow contributions to TSP so they can help their future but make it less feasible to just hang on.
Sort of like SSRI eyes 🎶 ( a Betty Davis -eyes parody)👺
Maybe all those octogenarians are too scared to retire, thinking all that money they got the fed to print ain’t the same as the ones they keep on hoarding?
Or, they are so infatuated with the idea of ruling over the rest of us.
I doubt I’ll make it to 80.