Day Two Of House Speaker Election Circus Features Democratic Congressman Referencing 'Leeroy Jenkins' Meme

The circus developing in the United States House of Representatives around the election of a new Speaker of the House got a little more absurd this afternoon as Democratic California Representative Jared Huffman infused the proceedings with some meme humor from 2005, dropping a reference to Leeroy Jenkins while voting for Hakeem Jeffries for House Speaker.

pic.twitter.com/fPO5mQP4lM

— michael (@NotAlexLawther) January 4, 2023

Yesterday, it became obvious that the election of a new House Speaker, a normally blasé occasion, would become a "Whole Big Thing" when Republican Kevin McCarthy (the choice for most of the 222 Republican members of Congress) would not receive the 218 votes he needed to be elected Speaker because at least 19 Republican congresspeople are apparently dead set on not voting for him. The rules of Congress demand that a speaker be elected with a majority of Congress's votes, so even though Democrat Hakeem Jeffries received 212 votes to McCarthy's 203, the vote would have to be taken again.

After two more ballots were cast, no progress was made for McCarthy, Jeffries or whichever Republican the 19 holdouts decided to vote for each new ballot. The day ultimately ended with no new speaker, and the voting began anew this morning.

At this point, Huffman, 58, whipped out the reference to legendary World of Warcraft character Leeroy Jenkins to the apparent confusion of his peers. Some internet-literate C-SPAN viewers quickly suspected the cadence of Huffman's Jeffries vote matched that of the classic viral video. Huffington Post reporter Arthur Delaney called it out first and Daily Beast Washington Bureau Chief Matt Fuller was able to confirm it in a text with Huffman himself.

I believe Rep Jared Huffman just yelled Hakeem Jeffries in the style of a Leroy Jenkins internet humor, can you confirm @MEPFuller

— Arthur Delaney 🇺🇸 (@ArthurDelaneyHP) January 4, 2023

Can confirm. https://t.co/2IQFE1M6tH pic.twitter.com/Dg1CBonlu3

— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) January 4, 2023

As the clip spread through the old internet heads who have transitioned to politics on Twitter, many reacted with glee, albeit with some exasperation at the Kafka-esque Speaker election that still has no end in sight.

I'm not sure what it says about our democracy that the words "Leeroy Jenkins" have been used with great frequency to describe the Speaker of the House / Congress situation right now.

— Ellie Hall (@ellievhall) January 4, 2023

The world comes back to the Blood Plague incident and Leeroy Jenkins. https://t.co/jnqooAABB2

— Death Cult for Cutie (@neonarodist) January 4, 2023

As the Speaker election drags on into what looks like days of infighting in a harsh stalemate, one wonders what other mid-aughts memes could make it onto the House floor. Could we see a Charlie Bit My Finger reference? Porkchop Sandwiches? America waits with bated breath.