Kevin McCarthy’s Dr. Seuss Stunt Leaves People Very, Very Puzzled
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It was storytime with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Friday when he released a five-minute video of himself reading a Dr. Seuss book.
But the reading, below, left many people on Twitter confused as to what point the top-ranking House Republican was actually trying to make.
Watch the video here:
I still like Dr. Seuss, so I decided to read Green Eggs and Ham.
RT if you still like him too! pic.twitter.com/2pbRbSiJD6— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) March 6, 2021
Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ decision to pull six books containing outdated and racist imagery incensed GOP lawmakers and Fox News personalities this week, with many falsely blaming the private company’s decision to stop the publication on Democrats and President Joe Biden.
With his video, McCarthy appeared to join in with the criticism. But critics pointed out that he read “Green Eggs and Ham” — which is not one of the books that have been pulled.
CNN’s Don Lemon couldn’t quite believe the stunt from the key ally of ex-President Donald Trump, who voted to overturn the 2020 election result.
“While Americans are desperate to get vaccinated and desperate for COVID relief, here is what Kevin McCarthy is doing right now,” the “CNN Tonight” anchor said Friday night.
“That really happened. Those are your Republican leaders,” he added, slamming McCarthy for having nothing better to do than “stoke this fake outrage.”
“It has nothing to do with Democrats, nothing at all,” Lemon continued. “And that particular one by Dr. Seuss, is still in distribution, so none of it makes any sense. They are playing you. Are you going to fall for it?”
Watch the video here:
“While Americans are desperate to get vaccinated and the desperate for Covid relief. Here is what Kevin McCarthy is doing right now.”
CNN’s @DonLemon discusses a video posted by Rep. Kevin McCarthy in response to Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ decision to no longer publish six books. pic.twitter.com/WRNY00M7nQ— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) March 6, 2021
Twitter users were equally confused and aghast at the stunt:
They did not ban Green Eggs and Ham
I'm full of crap I am I am
So I will grandstand in a box.
And I will bullshit with a fox.
And I will showboat in a house.
And I will have ethics the size of a mouse.
And I will cry wolf here and there.
Say! I'm an asshole anywhere! https://t.co/PYT7dsBalI— Triumph® ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴsᴜʟᴛ ᴄᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴅᴏɢ™ Headquarters💩 (@TriumphICDHQ) March 6, 2021
Read the one about you denying the results of a free and fair election.
— The Good Liars (@TheGoodLiars) March 6, 2021
I notice you aren’t reading the ones the Seuss estate thinks are too offensive to keep publishing. Why is that?
— Helen Kennedy (@HelenKennedy) March 6, 2021
How nice! You were probably able to purchase it in literally any book store in the country.
— Seth Masket (@smotus) March 6, 2021
I’m glad this is what we pay you to focus on.
— Mark Feinberg (@MarkLFeinberg) March 6, 2021
They do not want you in a house
They do not help your ailing spouse
They will not get grandma vaccine
They will not make your power clean
They do not want your vote to stay
They do not want your living pay
They do not like democracy
They do not like us - the GOP https://t.co/yssS7lz3jP— Candace Valenzuela (@candacefor24) March 6, 2021
(civil servant earning his $174,000 salary in the middle of a global pandemic and economic turmoil) https://t.co/ltljiihCi5
— Ben Philippe (@gohomeben) March 6, 2021
.@nbcsnl https://t.co/s6gnV2mrVf
— David Jolly (@DavidJollyFL) March 6, 2021
w t the actual f https://t.co/nYR6KGAg4Z
— Lucy Small (@lucyleid) March 6, 2021
normal tweet from an adult man https://t.co/HhQJFC2yjy
— Alise Morales (@AliseNavidad) March 6, 2021
This clown makes almost 200K a year. Has time to goof off on Twitter, spread lies that cause an insurrection, travel to Mara-Lago, bow to Trump, but no time to travel to his district. McCarthy hasn't held an in person townhall in over a decade. Keep reading Kevin, you're funny.
— Bruno Amato (@BrunoAmato_1) March 6, 2021
I honestly think this is the dumbest thing that's happened in my time covering politics.
Seuss Enterprises announced it is stopping publishing 6 books — not including Green Eggs and Ham — that it determined employ racial stereotypes.
That's it! This is absurdist gaslighting. https://t.co/6YE1exwJ1N— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) March 6, 2021
My grandpa died of COVID, as have 522,000 other Americans.
Get a fucking grip. https://t.co/TvoDVteIBn— Max Berger (@maxberger) March 6, 2021
2,000 people are dying daily of COVID-19 and you pull this @GOPLeader
The GOP can't be entrusted with *any aspect* of his nation's future https://t.co/Qk30zwCXRd— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) March 6, 2021
If you're going to protest Dr Seuss books being discontinued you could at least read one of the six books in question.
Only you couldn't because you've probably never heard of most of them, and likely don't have any of them. https://t.co/VG9TaJ5OzF— Dylan Reeve (@DylanReeve) March 6, 2021
I loved reading this book to my kids. My kids loved it too. But this is not a Dr. Seuss book that has racist images and is no longer printed by the publisher. It's available anywhere. So what's the point? Forgive me if I am confused. https://t.co/3Wgxwru2le
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) March 6, 2021
Dudes.
If you read a book in protest but don't pick one of the banned ones, what point are you even making? https://t.co/8Bxdd0pZka— Robert VerBruggen (@RAVerBruggen) March 6, 2021
This is what being in the minority in the House of Representatives is like if you don't care about governing. https://t.co/q1QNzaQRF4
— Jim Swift (@JimSwiftDC) March 6, 2021
one day you're backing a violent insurrection and trying to overturn a national election, next you're sitting on camera reading a Dr Suess book https://t.co/9FykyjZTmN
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) March 6, 2021
The problem isn't that Republicans think we're this stupid. The problem is that enough of us are. https://t.co/S0WXoUPD4X
— Dan Savage (@fakedansavage) March 6, 2021
I'm sure this will be a comfort to the 1 in 4 children facing hunger in the US. https://t.co/oCNx3dYoLv
— Eric Garcia for Congress (@EricG1247) March 6, 2021
Green Eggs and Ham wasn't even one of the "controversial" books. https://t.co/g9IO2U89ic
— Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta) March 6, 2021
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.