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The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Fortunately, that’s a mistake Republicans avoided by electing Louisiana’s representative. Mike Johnson to serve as their speaker on Friday during the 119th Congress.
After the two initial dropouts changed their vote, they even got the job done during the first ballot. In doing so, Republicans in the House of Representatives avoided repeating the spectacle of two years earlier, when the former Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy four days and 15 rounds of voting to earn the hammer. He lost it less than a year later, through a parliamentary procedure known as a “motion to vacation,” a concession he was forced to make with some of the same kind of rebels who rattled guns about Johnson’s fate this week.
Important lessons can be drawn from the past that apply not only to today, but also to the next two years of the reign and beyond.
GOP REBELS SWITCH VOTES FOR JOHNSON AFTER TRUMP’S 11TH-HOUR CALLS, PUSHING HIM OVER GOAL
First, you cannot replace someone with anyone. Even as doubts swirled about Johnson’s fate and future, no serious alternative materialized. Indeed, three initial Republicans who were Johnson defectors during the first round of voting cast their ballots for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn. Each of these three has had their name in consideration for speaker over the past two years. Each failed.
This time there was no rationale or reason to make their candidates more viable. A vote for everyone was a protest vote, not a serious alternative course of action.
MIKE JOHNSON RE-ELECTED AS HOUSE SPEAKER AS GOP THREAT OF REBELLION DISAPPEARS
Second, unlike 2023. President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on his support for Johnson ahead of Friday’s vote. It took three failed votes before Trump got behind McCarthy. After endorsing Johnson earlier in the week, Trump reaffirmed his support just before the vote on Friday.
Third, and most importantly, the GOP is on the verge of controlling all three branches of government. For Republicans to get serious about fulfilling their campaign promises, they need to function House of Representatives. The House of Commons is key to starting the legislative process so that bills can be signed into law that will last long after any presidential term. Executive order management makes it easier for the next administration to roll back initiatives quickly, as the outgoing Biden administration will learn on January 20.
With the lowest margin in nearly a century, getting the bill out of the House of Representatives will already be a narrow run. Although Trump has not yet been sworn in, the clock is already ticking.
After the president-elect takes office on January 20, it’s time for action, not more posturing.
After the president-elect takes office on January 20, it’s time for action, not more posturing. Second terms are historically not good for presidents, who are constitutionally barred from running again. The first year is crucial to enacting sweeping changes before the next election season starts all over again.
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Earning more than 77 million votes last November, the incoming president deserves to have a speaker of his choice. As the president-elect reportedly said in a telephone conversation with two of the original abstainers, “it would be disrespectful to the American people who voted in a historic presidential election — for this chairman’s vote to go on the second or third ballot.” Trump ended the phone call with, “Guys, we’ve got a lot to do. Let’s get to it.”
The GOP is on the verge of taking control of The white house once again, making the House of Representatives more than just an opposition body aimed at stopping bad ideas. Now I can focus on passing the good ones.
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Passing laws that expand Trump’s 2017 tax cutstough on the border and unleashing American energy dominance after four long years of extreme Biden’s green agenda requires a functional House of Representatives. Finally, seriously tackling out-of-control federal spending and restoring sanity can only happen with a united Republican caucus.
It’s still early, and with a two-seat majority, Speaker Johnson has his work cut out for him. Friday marked not only a positive step in the right direction, but also the ability to learn from the past.
