GOP Congressman Gets Applause Roasting Rebel Colleagues, Accusing Republicans of ‘Embarrassing’ The American People

Republican Congressman-elect John James (R-MI) nominated Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for House speaker on Thursday in the seventh vote taken thus far to elect a speaker and during James’s lengthy floor speech he needled the anti-McCarthy holdouts in his own party.

James began his speech by dropping some of his own biographical information and praising McCarthy as a civil rights leader.

“My father and mother, born in the 1940 and 1950s in the Jim Crow South, and my dad lived directly across the street from a school he couldn’t go to because he was black. He started a business. He started a business with one truck, one trailer, no excuses,” James said, adding:

With the help of his wife and now his son stands here on the precipice of taking back the majority for the American people and taking this nation in the right direction.

As his speech continued, James pivoted to discuss the historic events unfolding on Capitol Hill in recent days.

“I’ve heard I’m a freshman. I’ve only been here for a couple of days, but I’ve heard a lot of D.C. politicians tell me about how broken D.C. is. I don’t need DC politicians to tell me how broken D.C. is. The American people have already told us how broken D.C. is by giving Republicans the majority so we can fix this mess,” he added before listing off some of the House GOP’s platform items:

We will counter the socialist movement of envy and confiscation with a conservative movement of access and opportunity. We will stand on the right side of history again. We will end the growth of government and we will stop 87,000 new IRS agents from picking through your pocket books. We will secure energy independence.

We will ban the sale of petroleum from our strategic reserves to China, will establish a bipartisan select committee specifically to keep our eye on the ball. And China will address the crisis at the border that’s killing Americans by the day and improve both our safety and our nation and our dignity for those who come here in search of a better life.

“But not yet. We’re still stuck at the starting block,” James noted of the historic impasse.

“The American people have told us by putting a Republican majority here that they want Republicans to lead and they want a government that works and doesn’t embarrass them. And we are failing on both missions. That must change today. It will change,” James added as he paused for applause.

“Benjamin Franklin said We must hang together, almost assuredly hang separately. We’re stuck in a malaise at an impasse, and we will stay here. We will not be able to fight the real conservative fights. Until we find a way to come together. And fight that mission together,” he continued.

“Yesterday, we experienced very briefly our first win. It’s a small victory. It’s a small victory,” James added as laughs could be heard in the chamber and his colleagues gave the remarks a standing ovation.

The cameras in the chamber panned out and found Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who supports McCarthy, standing up as Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fl) continued sitting.

“It was a small victory. But didn’t it feel good?” James added, referring to the House GOP voting together to adjourn the House last night.

“We’ve been working hard for that victory and there are much more to come,” he declared, concluding:

Kevin McCarthy won the gavel back as minority leader and half the time uphill. We want to talk about people who can win. I’m a Lions fan and I’m on my hands right now. I’m well acquainted with snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Y’all, we need to learn how to win. We need to learn how to take a victory. And by Kevin McCarthy’s leadership, he’s given us victories on rules.

He’s given us victories on keeping cost down. He’s given us victories with winning majority back. I’m so proud to be a part of majority making class, and he’s earned my trust. And hopefully he’ll earn your trust. And he’s got 90% of us in the conference. When is the last time any of us had 90% approval ratings? Kevin McCarthy you’re going to see up there is over 90% approval ratings. If you really want to start making history, let’s do it the right way. We need a conservative fighter to help this country get back on the right track. But the first thing we need to do is elect Leader McCarthy as speaker of the House. I’m ready to make history, and I know you are. I’m excited to work with each and every single one of you because we have a job to do. So at the direction of the Republican conference, I advanced the name of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House for the 118th Congress.

Watch the full clip above via CNN