There has been a bit of pearl clutching in official Washington over recent episodes involving members playing rough with each other, witnesses and decorum in general.
There was the alleged elbowing incident between Reps. Kevin McCarthy and Tim Burchett which, in the grand scheme of things, barely rises above a typical commuter's ride on the subway.
There was the more troubling incident between Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin and a committee witness, Teamsters Union president Sean O'Brien.
Given a change, that one might may become a genuine rumble, save for the intervention of committee chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders. (RELATED: ‘Sit Down! You're A United States Senator!' Fistfight Nearly Breaks Out On Capitol Hill)
And let's be honest: whenever Bernie Sanders is the adult voice of reason and decorum, you know the offending parties are acting like bawling two year-olds who deserve timeouts, not positions of authority.
But members of Congress behaving like overstimulated toddlers is hardly new. Nor is violence – real, imagined or whatever it was that happened between Reps. Burchett and McCarthy.
That doesn't excuse such lapses in adult behavior, particularly among those who serve in positions of public trust. Then again, none of these would-be MMA stars can hold a candle to the real champion of congressional grappling, the late Sen. Strom Thurmond. In order to prevent a committee vote on President Lyndon Johnson's nominee for the Community Relations Service, Thurmond physically blocked the door to the committee room.
Enter Texas Sen. Ralph Yarborough:
The Texan laughingly said, “Come on in, Strom, and help us get a quorum.” In a similarly lighthearted manner, Thurmond responded, “If I can keep you out, you won't go in, and if you can drag me in, I'll stay there.” Both men were 61 years old, but Thurmond was 30 pounds lighter and in better physical condition.
After a few moments of light scuffling, each senator removed his suit jacket. Thurmond then wrestled the increasingly out-of-breath Yarborough to the floor. “Tell me to release you, Ralph, and I will,” said Thurmond. Yarborough refused. Another senator approached and suggested that both men stop before one of them suffered a heart attack. Finally, Chairman Magnuson appeared and growled, “Come on, you fellows, let's break this up.”
Recognizing a great exit line, Yarborough grunted, “I have to yield to the order of my chairman.” The combatants did their best to compose themselves and entered the committee room.
Where Thurmond lost the vote. The Republic endured, the Senate regained its comity and the rest is history.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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