Auctioneer in the House
If you thought Washington was a town full of stuffy suits, Missouri Congressman Billy Long just may have proved you wrong.
In a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Sept. 5 that featured testimony from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, far-right activist Laura Loomer stood up in the audience to protest.
As Dorsey was questioned about accusations of Twitter discriminating against conservatives, Loomer took the matter into her own hands. She began shouting and accused Dorsey of trying to sway elections and shadow banning conservatives on social media.
“Please help us, Mr. President, before it is too late, because Jack Dorsey is trying to influence the election, to sway the election, so that Democrats can steal the election! That is why he is censoring and shadow-banning conservatives!”
Prominent conservatives have claimed that Twitter has “shadow banned” their profiles, meaning that their posts are not seen by their followers, in whole or in part.
Even President Donald Trump has gotten on the bandwagon, tweeting: “Twitter ‘SHADOW BANNING’ prominent Republicans. Not good. We will look into this discriminatory and illegal practice at once! Many complaints.”
While Capitol Police officers escorted Loomer out of the hearing room, 30-year veteran auctioneer and Congressman Long took the matter into his own hands. He began doing what he does best—auctioneering.
No matter what your political affiliation, this was downright enjoyable to watch and pretty effective.
The mock auction went on for about a minute, with the congressman even auctioning off Loomer’s cellphone. The audience could barely keep their composure, with several folks bent over laughing. When Loomer exited, the hearing room erupted in applause.
In 2016, Congressman Long was inducted into the National Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame. He isn’t the only talented auctioneer in Congress. Congressman Jeff Duncan from South Carolina is also a member of the club. Both are Republicans.
The stunt garnered so much attention that Speaker of the House Paul Ryan featured Congressman Long on his YouTube channel.
In his famous auctioneer voice, Congressman Long rattles on good news about the American economy. He says the unemployment rate being at an 18-year low; layoffs are at a 49-year low; consumer spending is up at six straight months of gains; consumer confidence is at its highest level in 18 years; worker pay and benefits are rising at their fastest rate in 10 years. And the list goes on.
But the rowdy antics last week weren’t limited to the House of Representatives.
That same day across the Capitol in the Senate, far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones confronted and harassed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, of Florida, during an interview in the hallway. The senator acted like he didn’t know him, and that only fired up Jones more. So much for civility.
And throughout the week, there was no shortage of drama, with nearly constant fireworks in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Hundreds of protestors were arrested, many in a variety of very interesting homemade costumes. I’ll leave it at that.
Editor’s note: Seymour Klierly writes Washington Whispers for the Journal from inside the Beltway.
