The Republican caucus is a mess. Unlike the Democrats who seem to be able to vote unanimously on most issues despite some ideological differences, the Republicans have difficulty getting their act together. Being Speaker for them is like trying to herd cats. Contrast what the Republicans were doing with the relative ease that Hakeem Jeffries was voted in as minority leader, replacing Nancy Pelosi. Although Pelosi was an anathema to most Republicans, she was the unchallenged leader of the House Democrats. When she was challenged in her congressional races, it was always from the left who asserted that she was too moderate and not progressive enough. Yet she was elected to Speaker unanimously by the Democrats. Jeffries is in the same mold. Although many on the right try to paint him as a socialist, in fact he is anything but. By New York standards he is a “moderate” and actively campaigns against candidates of the Democratic Socialists of America. He would like nothing better than the socialists to lose in state races and in particular in races for the House. It is clear that he does not care for Jamaal Bowman and would like to see him defeated. I have written previously of how the Democrats could enact certain parts of their agenda even with the House Republican majority. All it would take would be seven defections from the Republicans and a unanimous Democrat vote. Thank goodness the Republicans finally elected a speaker, Mike Johnson of Louisiana. Who? Mike Johnson. Perhaps Johnson was the beneficiary of fatigue and exasperation, but finally we have a speaker. None to soon. The world is blowing up, the government shutdown is looming and the image in my mind is Nero playing his fiddle while Rome burns.
As expected, the Democrats and their allies have taken out the sharp knives to go after Johnson, instantly labelling him as the MAGA speaker. They have attacked his devout Christianity, his stand against abortion, against gay marriage and the administration’s trans policies. He was a lawyer with the Alliance Defense Fund defending conservative Christian interests. The ADF has been branded as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is becoming a badge of honor.
Johnson is a devout Christian with solid conservative credentials. He voted for McCarthy. He did not join Gaetz’ gang to ouster McCarthy. But he voted against the Ukrainian supplemental appropriations bill and supported the Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn the Trump defeats in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Johnson also voted for the resolution to impeach Joe Biden and is an advocate for single appropriations bills rather than the omnibus bills of Nancy Pelosi that no one had the time to read. Remember “We will find out what is in the bill after we pass it?” No wonder Trump endorsed him – but of course he also endorsed McCarthy. What will be interesting is that Johnson has only been in his fourth term making him one of the least experienced speakers in history. Hopefully he can successfully herd cats.
At least the Republicans tired of as my mother would say “making a fool out of themselves” and elected a speaker. It will be interesting to see what comes out of the House, especially with regards to the Federal budget. Expect any bill not to be passed by the Senate. Instead, the bills will go to conference to find a compromise. In the past, compromise mean Republican surrender. I have the feeling that with Johnson, it will be a true compromise. However, expect the Democrats to test him and maybe even force a government “shutdown” thinking that the Republicans will fold given the pressure from the Democrats’ allies in the media.
haroldblackphd.com 