The weeks-long drama over who would become the next Speaker of the House of Representatives finally ended on Wednesday with the fractious and divided Republican caucus unifying behind Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson.
Who?
The answer to that question depends on your preferred news sources. For example, CBS Evening News on Thursday presented Johnson as an election-denying, anti-gay bigot who opposes abortion rights.
Conservative news sources, on the other hand, reported that Johnson made a commitment to establish a fiscal commission to fight inflation by reducing excess government spending, and that he raised the issue of the “catastrophe” on the southern border and called on the White House and the Senate to stop ignoring the crisis.
The 2024 elections are well underway. If you’re a voter who will be motivated to go to the polls to protect abortion rights, you’ll be getting mail, phone calls and text messages slamming Republicans. On the other hand, if you’re a voter who’s worried about inflation and the fact that in just a couple of years roughly 7 million people have walked into the country across an effectively open border, your inboxes will be overflowing with messages slamming Democrats.
Other news coverage focused on the role former president Donald Trump played in the unfolding saga. Answering questions from reporters in the hallway outside the New York courtroom where he’s on trial in one of the many cases in which he has been charged since announcing his candidacy for president, Trump weighed in on developments and dropped hints about his preferences as the speaker’s race serpentined to its surprising conclusion.
Trump’s handprints were on the race most visibly after House Majority Whip Tom Emmer won a vote in the caucus to be Republican party’s nominee for speaker. The former president posted a statement on Truth Social calling Emmer a “Globalist RINO” who is “totally out-of-touch with Republican Voters” and declaring that Republican House members would be making a “tragic mistake” by electing Emmer as speaker. Then, according to reporting by Politico, Trump worked the phones and solidified opposition to Emmer, who dropped out of the speaker’s race just four hours after he won the nomination.
That cleared the way for Rep. Mike Johnson to secure the nomination, after which he won a majority vote on the floor of the House with solid Republican support.
Everyone seems to agree that Mike Johnson is very conservative, but not everyone agrees on the meaning of that term. What does it mean to the newly elected Speaker of the House?
In 2018, Johnson drafted a list of what he called “7 Core Principles of Conservatism.” At the very top is “individual freedom,” followed by “limited government,” “the rule of law,” “peace through strength,” “fiscal responsibility,” “free markets” and “human dignity.”
Where does Johnson stand on the issues? The global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, published a guide to the new speaker’s policy positions. A few highlights:
“Speaker Johnson is an outspoken supporter of Israel and said the House must ‘take all necessary actions to end Hamas forever.’”
“Speaker Johnson supports increasing domestic production of oil and gas to increase America’s energy independence and create jobs.”
“Speaker Johnson supported a variety of legislation that would strengthen U.S. border security and reform asylum policies.”
“Speaker Johnson voted against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021.”
“Speaker Johnson is a supporter of the impeachment inquiry into President Biden.”
Speaker Johnson “has also called for oversight of the aid that the United States is sending to Ukraine, saying that ‘we should not be sending another $40 billion abroad when our own border is in chaos, American mothers are struggling to find baby formula, gas prices are at record highs, and American families are struggling to make ends meet, without sufficient oversight over where the money will go.’”
And, “Speaker Johnson historically has been against tax increases.”
Johnson’s speakership could be short-lived. Republicans have only a bare majority in the House and Democrats already are trying to portray the new speaker, and all Republican candidates, as unacceptable extremists, especially on the issue of abortion. However, voters are also concerned about the need to secure the border and get control of inflation. Republicans may have the edge there.
Leading into the election year is the threat of a government shutdown amidst a fight over federal spending. Just before the lights went out on former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, he negotiated a continuing resolution (CR) that expires on November 18. Congress will have to pass a new CR, or a spending plan, to keep the government open.
There’s a division in the Republican Party between those who want transparent, individual spending bills and those who would rather have last-minute omnibus bills that cover everything but are too long to read before they’re voted on. An omnibus on Christmas Eve is a fine place to hide ridiculous government spending. Some Republicans are sick of that.
Democrats have pointed and laughed at what they called “chaos” in the House Republican caucus. It’s true that Democrats are very unified. The problem is that they’re unified in their desire to spend the money you haven’t even earned yet and then hand the bill to your kids.
Write Susan@SusanShelley.com and follow her on Twitter @Susan_Shelley
