'You Are a P*ssy': McCarthy and Swalwell Get in House Floor Feud

[Nevilledog]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/you-are-a-pssy-mccarthy-and-swalwell-get-in-house-floor-feud

No paywall
https://archive.li/Mye1h

There’s a story going around Capitol Hill that Democrats insist you just have to hear. It’s about how Speaker Kevin McCarthy is “a pussy.”

On June 21, the day Republicans voted to censure Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Democrats stood on the House floor and shouted “Shame!” at their GOP colleagues. As the spectacle was taking place, one of the leaders of the demonstration, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), was standing in the well of the House near the speaker's podium and delivered some harsh words to his fellow Californian.

“This is pathetic,” Swalwell allegedly told McCarthy, who was presiding over the House at the time. “You’re weak. You're a weak man."

(You can actually see—and slightly hear—Swalwell staring at McCarthy and calling him "weak" at 3:49 in the tweet below.)

The exchange was conveyed to The Daily Beast by two separate lawmakers. When reached by phone, Swalwell said he would not discuss the story with the press, but he also did not deny the account. McCarthy’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment.


*snip*

[Joinfortmill]

1. 👍

[Westcoastguy99]

2. Not trying to steal your post, just adding the juicy part.

“McCarthy said, ‘If you ever say something like that to me again, I’m gonna kick the shit out of you,’” a member claimed to The Daily Beast.

Another member who witnessed the exchange provided even more context: “They were in each other’s faces. Basically nose-to-nose. And Swalwell said something like, ‘Are we really gonna do this?’”

After some back-and-forth, with chests puffed out, McCarthy issued a challenge to Swalwell: “Call me a pussy again, and I’ll kick your ass,” the Speaker allegedly said.

While both members told nearly identical versions of this story, they both delivered Swalwell’s response in exactly the same way.

“You. Are. A. Pussy,” Swalwell told McCarthy.

After both men stared each other down for another moment, McCarthy eventually relented. He stepped to the side and let Swalwell through to the bathroom

[LuckyCharms]

6. Eh? Swalwell would kick the dogshit out of him.

McCarthy should be more aware of who he is physically threatening.

[Polybius]

19. Let's see:

Eric Swalwell: 42, 5'9, 160
Kevin McCarthy: 58, 5'11, 165

Pretty close specs, but I'll give the edge to Swalwell because of the big age different. I do know never to say I'm certain without seeing either fight however, as some of the biggest assholes in UFC and boxing are Republicans.

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

44. I'll give it to Swalwell

He wins on the mental toughness, and I think he originally had a sports scholarship for college, until he broke his thumbs--playing football (real kind, not American). Football players don't break all that many bones. The ones who are scrappers do.

[OAITW r.2.0]

8. Swallwell is smart enough not to make a threatening move 1st.

He'd take McCarthy's first punch....then he'd clean his clock.

[Autumn]

3. Shame on Swalwell. Does he not know that McCarthy isn't "weak"? He's a poor ballless

bastard. Sporky Greene carries his balls in her pocket, she won them fair and square.

Swalwell is one hell of a man

[kimbutgar]

4. Ohhhh love that spork three toes carry's McCarthy balls in her pocket line!

[BigmanPigman]

5. That was an accurate statement.

We already knew this. I think the majority of the GQP falls under this category. If they had balls they would have stood up to tRump for the last 7 years instead of kissing his fat ass.

[SouthernDem4ever]

10. THIS!

Add the repug senators to that list. They might not all be GQP but they sure are cowards.

[Skittles]

14. there are plenty of women who stand up to Trump

male body parts are NOT required for courage

[Snooper9]

21. 100% correct

They are actually a liability when tree trimming

(not from experience )

[Habitation]

46. He also have called him a cock and this great follow up line:

"You are not going to cock out on me. I'd say pussy, but let's be honest, which one's weaker."
Margo, the magicians

[Scrivener7]

7. Well, it's true.

[peppertree]

9. Kevin the Klown earned that like's earned nothing else in his miserable life

Especially his defense contract millions.

[In It to Win It]

11. Where's the lie?

[Skittles]

13. yes, to be more correct

he should say YOU ARE A TESTICLE

[RussBLib]

15. current stereotypes aside...

we know a pussy can take quite a pounding and come back strong, whereas one blow to the testicle and guys will curl up in the fetal position.

[Skittles]

16. yup

and apparently now, here on DU, it is considered by some to be "clutching your pearls" to point out blatant sexism

[tenderfoot]

17. Here's Rep. Swalwell's contact info, you can let him know there's an issue with his choice of words.

https://swalwell.house.gov/address_authentication?form=/contact

[Skittles]

20. so glad you're so "concerned"

(already done)

over and out, done with you too

[Autumn]

40. I don't have any issue with what he said.

Sometimes you got to get down in the gutter with repukes. I applaud Swalwell for giving that asshole hell. He spoke truth to power and described the ass perfectly.

[edisdead]

18. I have always considered the term pussy in this sense to be short for pussycat.

I know people equate it to a woman’s body part but that has never made any sense to me at all.

[iemanja]

22. Come on

You know very well what it means. It refers to a woman's vagina.
It's amazing how people will make any excuse to defend someone in their tribe.
I like Swalwell a lot, but he made a mistake here. Is that so hard to say?

[edisdead]

26. Who is defending it?

I am not defending it. I am just saying that to me it doesn’t make any sense to call someone “A woman’s genitals”.

On the other hand calling someone a pussy at actually has been a thing and for a long time. In current days language you are probably rifht in that many people mean that when they use it. But it just doesn’t make any sense to me.

[Snooper9]

27. I think the confusion is you are replying on a smartphone

instead of your home computer-
Sentence structure is throwing some of us off...

[iemanja]

42. The purpose of the insult is to feminize a man

and thereby present him as less, as weaker. Your invention is false, period.

And the entire thread is full of people defending it. That is indeed what your post does by distorting the term.

[edisdead]

43. Ok gonna say it one more time

It doesn’t make sense to me that it is used that way. I am not saying it isn’t used that way. It is an absolutely ridiculous thing to say.

[Snooper9]

24. Really?

edisdead (860 posts)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217897515#post51

51. That seems off to me.
Not sure if penile penetration is the definition of rape. I have heard many women say that it isn’t but that any unwanted penetration should be considered as d rape.

[edisdead]

25. What does that have to do with it?

Because I said that most women I know consider any unwanted penetration to be rape that has something to do with me thinking the term “Pussy” as a put down makes more sense when you consider it being short for pussy cat?

What did my other post have to do with it?

[allegorical oracle]

30. Been hearing that term for years and, as a female, never took particular offense. The British comedy

"Are You Being Served?" characters used it all the time with a double meaning...couched as Mrs. Slocomb's cat's behavior. Never heard any objections and never figured out when and/or why it became regarded as outrageously sexist.

[Duncan Grant]

31. In this context, it's fierce contempt -- not double entendre.

Of all the insults available to men to express contempt for one another, why choose “pussy”?

[allegorical oracle]

35. I agree as to its meaning. Am saying it never bothered me like the "C" word does. BTW, my

Dictionary of Slang and Euphemism cites that pussy relates to "puss," which has been traced back to the 1600s as a British colloquial with the same references it has today.

[edisdead]

38. Exactly.

[MrsCoffee]

34. Gtfo.

When using it as an insult, it’s never been short for pussycat. But I guess it’s fun to pretend.

[edisdead]

37. There actually is a bunch of linguistics articles and discussions about this word.

So it isn’t as simple as it sounds.

http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/100990/ddg#100991

[MrsCoffee]

39. Context is everything.

So, yes, it really is that simple.

[Snooper9]

23. OMG

Not sure how this will play but you have the site owners approval.

So many memories by so many----

[Duncan Grant]

28. This is the lowest form of discourse at DU.

eom

[tenderfoot]

29. It is not

eom

[Oopsie Daisy]

33. It doesn't bother me either.

The Brits have it right.

[Autumn]

41. I have seen a lot lower.

[Oopsie Daisy]

32. It only takes one to remove him from leadership, right?

Hmmm.

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

45. Wrong.

It takes only one to propose his removal. They still have to vote on it, and get the necessary 218 votes to oust him.

It took 15 ballots to get him the office. They don't have what it takes to get their act together to remove him.