Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is really excited about the Doc Fix bill passing the House. His office has decided to display a bunch of GIFs from scenes in “Titanic” to demonstrate not only the scale of the $200 billion Medicare package set for consideration by the Senate, but also a reference to the most previous entitlement reform (from the year the blockbuster movie came out in theaters).
The office blog reads:
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
Something big happened recently. You might even say it was something titanic. Republicans and Democrats actually came together to pass meaningful entitlement reform without raising taxes. Put plainly, it is the single biggest entitlement reform since 1997 – nearly two decades ago.
This breakthrough is more than just a life raft. It is an important step to begin to right the ship and secure fair winds and calm seas for our children and grandchildren — the future kings and queens of the world.
I get that the Titanic was big, both the ship and the movie. But isn’t this reference a little bit off, in terms of being a celebratory analogy?
The Titanic sunk. And a lot of people died…
Anyway, even though the whole thing is slightly ridiculous, I kind of love it. It’s hilarious to see the Speaker’s office taking advantage of using GIFs in an apparent attempt to reach a wider, younger audience with their message about the bill. But maybe it’s smart? Someone in charge of the site must be saying, “I like it, but it needs to be more Buzzfeed-y.”
Here are images of some of the good ones with their corresponding captions. (Go to the site to see all of them in GIF form.)
