Nancy Pelosi is ending her second and final stint as Speaker of the House, and despite her tenure being one of the most divisive and harmful in history, she’s taking a victory lap.

On Wednesday, a ceremony was held to unveil a comically large portrait of Pelosi that will now hang in the Capitol Building into perpetuity because our elites aren’t content with just stealing our money. They must also use that money to laud themselves on their way out the door.

At the ceremony, the spirit of bipartisanship was alive and well. Former GOP Speaker John Boehner spoke, and naturally, he cried over how amazing Pelosi supposedly is. In doing so, he reminded Republicans exactly why they can’t stand Washington, DC.

Boehner chokes up while delivering remarks at Pelosi’s portrait unveiling.

“As the younger generation says, game recognizes game.”

— Julie Tsirkin (@JulieNBCNews) December 14, 2022

Boehner: my girls told me, tell the speaker how much we admire her… pic.twitter.com/Ji2rAJ4sHl

— Acyn (@Acyn) December 14, 2022

I’m assured that I’m supposed to look at this spectacle and be happy. It’s such a beautiful example of humanity, right? Two people with somewhat (and only somewhat) differing political views coming together to hug it out. If only we had more of this, everything would be roses.

I just don’t feel that way, though. Instead, I look at the duplicity and resent it. For the elites, there are no stakes. There are no consequences. Nothing actually matters because it’s one big cocktail party where a select few get their payoffs while you languish at their hands.

Why should I cry over and celebrate the retirement of someone who supports abortion until birth and viciously attacks those who don’t? Who has described Republican voters as dangerous extremists? Who has spent the country into oblivion, nuking future generations, while enriching herself to the tune of over $100 million? I could keep going, but you get the idea. There’s nothing to celebrate in that, and to ignore that record takes a suspension of disbelief I’m not willing to engage in.

Then there’s the fact that the crying only goes one way. Out of curiosity, I searched for articles on John Boehner’s portrait reveal, which happened back in 2019. I couldn’t find a single one from a major news outlet. For Pelosi’s portrait ceremony, though, there are literally hundreds of pieces praising her to the hilt. Democrats are to be cried over out of jubilation, Republicans are to be shunned out of disgust. Further, we are expected to witness that double standard and not question it.

Do you know what Boehner’s bipartisanship adds up to? Absolutely nothing. Even pre-Trump, Pelosi would have just as assuredly spit in his face than help him pass a Republican priority. Pelosi didn’t cry at Boehner’s portrait reveal because she, unlike so many in the GOP, understands the game. She’s ruthless, and her ruthlessness shouldn’t be rewarded with adulation from those she spent years trying to destroy.

Yet, here we are, with Boehner tearing up, gushing over the greatness of a woman who will never return the favor to her successor. Because again, nothing actually matters. That’s the dynamic that has left GOP voters so disillusioned, and rightfully so.