The Evolution of Congressional Censure
When a member of Congress is censured, it is supposed to be a rare and shameful event. The chastened lawmaker is to stand alone in the well of the House as the speaker reads out the offense they have committed and their infamy is formally recorded in the Congressional Record for posterity.
That’s not what happened on Thursday.
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Al Green: A Case Study
Green’s behavior would have earned him reproval in any era, although it is hard to imagine it happening at any other time. Sitting almost front and center in the House chamber Tuesday, Green got up and waved his cane, shouting at Trump, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid!” repeatedly until Johnson ordered him ejected.
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The Changing Face of Censure
In each of those past instances, the speaker was able to deliver his verbal reproach. It didn’t happen this time. Green joined with his colleagues, many from the Congressional Black Caucus, and sang verse after verse of the civil rights anthem as he waved his cane in the air.
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Reflections on Modern Political Dynamics
Put another way, it felt like the continuation of a bipartisan cycle of performative provocation and that the norms that once bound America’s democratic institutions together are increasingly as antiquated as the spittoons that once sat on the House floor.
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