House GOP keeps failed speaker because he's all they've got
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Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana is expected to return as speaker in 2025, leading yet another narrow GOP majority that can barely agree on what color the sky is, let alone pass legislation. NBC News, ABC News, and CNN all projected on Wednesday that Republicans will maintain control of the House, after the party clinched the 218 needed for a majority. And later that same day, Johnson secured the nomination of the House Republican caucus. Some right-wing House members crowed about wanting to put up a challenge to Johnson, who became speaker in 2024 basically by accident after Republicans ousted Kevin McCarthy and had an internal civil war about whom to replace him with—and Johnson coming out of nowhere to win that fight. But this time, the hard-line conservatives were unable to figure out who would challenge Johnson, according to The Hill. But after Trump told House Republicans on Wednesday that he supported Johnson for another term as speaker, that opposition melted away. That's unsurprising since when Trump says "jump," Republicans respond with "how high?" “If Donald Trump says ‘jump 3 feet high and scratch your head,’ we all jump 3 feet high and scratch our heads,” Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas, clad in fugly gold sneakers and a Trump tie, told reporters on Wednesday. Rep. Troy Nehls: “If Donald Trump says ‘jump three feet high and scratch your head.’ We all jump three feet high and scratch our heads.”pic.twitter.com/220ALFTpyx— Republican Voters Against Trump (@AccountableGOP) November 13, 2024 When all is said and done, Republicans will likely have between 220 and 222 seats, virtually unchanged from this current Congress. The fact that the race for the House was basically a wash was thanks to strong Democratic recruiting and fundraising, which led Democrats to pick off Republican lawmakers in states like New York and California, despite a vicious gerrymander in North Carolina that alone cost Democrats three seats. With such a narrow majority, Johnson will have little room for error to pass bills. And Trump is already narrowing that majority further. Recently, he nominated Reps. Elise Stefanik, Mike Waltz, and Matt Gaetz for roles in his administration. If they are confirmed, that will leave three House vacancies for a few months, until special elections can be held. Given that the House Republican conference is filled with a bunch of lunatics who would rather watch the world burn than pass actual legislation, that will be a problem for Johnson. During this current Congress, with a similarly small majority, Johnson has needed to plead with House Democrats to vote for legislation to fund the government because he could not get enough of his own conference to vote for must-pass spending bills. That gave Democrats negotiating power. Ultimately, now that Republicans will have unified control of Washington, any chaos that comes out of Capitol Hill will cause blowback to the GOP that Democrats can capitalize on for the 2026 midterms. And knowing this cast of clowns, there will be chaos. Buckle up. Campaign Action
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/11/13/2285983/-House-GOP-keeps-failed-speaker-because-he-s-all-they-ve-got?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source=main
Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana is expected to return as speaker in 2025, leading yet another narrow GOP majority that can barely agree on what color the sky is, let alone pass legislation. NBC News, ABC News, and CNN all projected on Wednesday that Republicans will maintain control of the House, after the party clinched the 218 needed for a majority. And later that same day, Johnson secured the nomination of the House Republican caucus. Some right-wing House members crowed about wanting to put up a challenge to Johnson, who became speaker in 2024 basically by accident after Republicans ousted Kevin McCarthy and had an internal civil war about whom to replace him with—and Johnson coming out of nowhere to win that fight. But this time, the hard-line conservatives were unable to figure out who would challenge Johnson, according to The Hill. But after Trump told House Republicans on Wednesday that he supported Johnson for another term as speaker, that opposition melted away. That's unsurprising since when Trump says "jump," Republicans respond with "how high?" “If Donald Trump says ‘jump 3 feet high and scratch your head,’ we all jump 3 feet high and scratch our heads,” Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas, clad in fugly gold sneakers and a Trump tie, told reporters on Wednesday. Rep. Troy Nehls: “If Donald Trump says ‘jump three feet high and scratch your head.’ We all jump three feet high and scratch our heads.”pic.twitter.com/220ALFTpyx— Republican Voters Against Trump (@AccountableGOP) November 13, 2024 When all is said and done, Republicans will likely have between 220 and 222 seats, virtually unchanged from this current Congress. The fact that the race for the House was basically a wash was thanks to strong Democratic recruiting and fundraising, which led Democrats to pick off Republican lawmakers in states like New York and California, despite a vicious gerrymander in North Carolina that alone cost Democrats three seats. With such a narrow majority, Johnson will have little room for error to pass bills. And Trump is already narrowing that majority further. Recently, he nominated Reps. Elise Stefanik, Mike Waltz, and Matt Gaetz for roles in his administration. If they are confirmed, that will leave three House vacancies for a few months, until special elections can be held. Given that the House Republican conference is filled with a bunch of lunatics who would rather watch the world burn than pass actual legislation, that will be a problem for Johnson. During this current Congress, with a similarly small majority, Johnson has needed to plead with House Democrats to vote for legislation to fund the government because he could not get enough of his own conference to vote for must-pass spending bills. That gave Democrats negotiating power. Ultimately, now that Republicans will have unified control of Washington, any chaos that comes out of Capitol Hill will cause blowback to the GOP that Democrats can capitalize on for the 2026 midterms. And knowing this cast of clowns, there will be chaos. Buckle up. Campaign Action
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/11/13/2285983/-House-GOP-keeps-failed-speaker-because-he-s-all-they-ve-got?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source=main