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The internet is cringing at Democrats, Pelosi presenting 'Hamilton' performance on Jan. 6 anniversary

I mean Come. On.

Tim Marcin

on January 6, 2022

Credit: CSPAN

If reality has taught us anything in the last few years, it's that satire is too subtle. The world is so much dumber than we can imagine in fiction.

In a move that makes you want to scream WHAT ARE WE EVEN DOING HERE, the Democrats and House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi decided to mark the year anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection with a performance from the Hamilton cast. I wish I were joking.

Pelosi introduced Lin-Manuel Miranda, who talked about "strengthening democracy" and "finding a way forward together" before segueing into a taped performance of the song "Dear Theodosia" from the Broadway hit.

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Here, watch it.

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In case it isn't clear, this was at an official Congressional event marking that it had been a year since pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol building in a deadly attempt to overturn the presidential election results. So, a pretty serious day. And Democrats did this.

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For those not terminally online, Hamilton and Lin-Manuel Miranda have become shorthand references for the idea that Democrats like to present superficial progressivism while doing nothing actually progressive. This is especially true for Gen Z, among whom LMM is considered cringe, just in general. It's kind of like if Pelosi rolled out a projector and played a scene from The West Wing to get everyone feeling nice and warm about democracy again.

Anyway, people online couldn't believe how cringey and self-righteous the whole thing was.

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So sure, a year later, the lawmakers who helped this attempted coup have faced no consequences. And sure, the social spending bill long-promised by Democrats and President Joe Biden got shaved down then shelved indefinitely. Oh, and yes, we're in Year 3 of a pandemic and the president's advice for getting a test is... Google it.

But, hey, we've got this Hamilton performance to watch.

Topics Politics

Tim Marcin

Associate Editor, Culture

Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).