Yesterday, I watched some of Attorney General William Barr’s hearing before the House of Representatives. I noticed a peculiar trend among the Democratic Representatives who asked him questions. They were given five minutes each. Usually, the first four minutes consisted of a diatribe against President Trump, and then they would ask a quick question. As Barr began to answer (with a disappointingly accurate reply), they would ring in with, “I reclaim my time.” Per House rules, this indicated that Barr should stop in the middle of his answer. Then, after talking over Barr for a few seconds, and complaining about Barr’s answer, the representative would finish his or her five minutes continuing with their diatribe. Then they would “considerately” yield their remaining five seconds back to the chairman.
First of all, as Barr noted, it was odd that he was called before Congress for a hearing, but they didn’t really want to hear him. They only wanted some free air time for a campaign ad, since they’re all running for re-election in three months.
Secondly, the tone in which they each used the phrase “I reclaim my time” indicated that what they really meant was “Shut up.” I suppose the next time your kids are too loud at the dinner table, parents should simply say, “I reclaim my time.”