Members of Congress are well-practiced in straddling the line between Capitol Hill decorum and the brutal nature of partisan politics. It was evident last year when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) referred to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) as his “friend from Texas” and a “schoolyard bully” in the same sentence.
But that tension may never has been as awkward (or hilarious) as it was Tuesday, when an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act produced footage that quickly went viral.
In the clip, posted on Vine by NBC News producer Frank Thorp V, congressional leaders like Reid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) can be seen swaying, hand-in-hand, while a group sang the civil rights era anthem “We Shall Overcome.”
Their faces say it all.
What the fuck? Seriously, what the fuck?
OMG watching that was painful.
Nancy is really into it.
Notice how three of the four Democrats know the words. The two Republicans look painfully uncomfortable.
Harry Reid especially does NOT look like he’s having fun.
“…Who ARE these people and what am I doing here? Wow, This is embarrassing, Geez, I wish some sudden governmental crisis would come up to get me out of this…”