Vocabulary

Litany: any long or tedious speech or recital 

Snub: to insult (someone) deliberately 
  
Nix:  to veto, deny, reject, or forbid (plans, suggestions, etc) 
  
Admonish:  to caution against specific faults; warn 

Lag behind: to achieve less than someone or something else: 
Britain is lagging far behind the rest of Europe on this issue. 
 
Gist: the point or substance of an argument, speech, etc 

Useful idiot: a person who is easy to persuade to do, say, or believe things that help a particular group or another person politically. The term was originally used during the Cold War to describe non-communists regarded as susceptible to communist propaganda and manipulation.