(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Just a Lightweight [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-01-03
There appears to be no public information on Speaker Mike Johnson’s height or weight. Based on a photo with him standing beside Trump, he may be 5’7” tall and weigh about 135 pounds. In the boxing world, that would classify him a lightweight, and that aligns with his political abilities.
Later today, Johnson faces an election for the Speaker of the House. Since his nomination on November 13, 2024, his chances of winning have been uncertain. For six weeks, Trump left him twisting in the wind. Hs odds of winning went up and down on the betting markets during that time. Johnson has been working furiously to win over his detractors. How much has he had to promise?
Trump finally endorsed Johnson on Monday, December 30, 2024: “Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!” This boosted Johnson’s odds of winning by 10%, bringing him to 90.4%., but not 100%. The gap may be due to Trump’s lame-duck status, the narrow margin the Republicans have in the House, and recalcitrant members of the Freedom Caucus.
Let’s face it. Trump needs Johnson for three days. To be certified as the 47th President, he needs a Speaker on January 6th—no Speaker, no certification. The gods, who love irony, have been praying against Johnson’s election and Trump’s electoral certification. As the Yiddish states, “People plan, and God laughs.”
Kevin McCarthy’s fight for Speaker lasted 15 rounds. Along the way, he took a lot of punches and, given all the promises he had to make, sold his political soul in order to become Speaker for nine months. Let’s face it, Johnson, a lightweight, is no McCarthy. And while McCarthy could never measure up to Paul Ryan or John Boehner, none of these Republican leaders rivaled Nancy Pelosi, the last true heavyweight in the Speaker’s chair since Tip O’Neill.
The record for prolonged Speaker elections belongs to Nathaniel P. Banks, who endured 133 rounds in 1855 to secure the position. A member of the Know-Nothing Party, who later became a Republican.
I’m not going to bet on it, but I think it will take two or three rounds for Johnson to get elected—enough to let him know that he is not in control—a bit of the “palace drama” that he wanted to avoid. And when he wins, he will have the benefit of it taking nine votes to call for a vote to vacate the chair in the 119th Congress, as opposed to just one vote in the 118th Congress. While the Freedom Caucus keeps its membership secret, it likely has at least 40 members, more than enough to approve vacating the chair.
And even if Johnson makes it in the first round, with a two-vote margin, meaningful legislation is unlikely. After all, the 118th Congress was one of the least productive since the Great Depression. With luck, perhaps it will slow or stop Trump’s dangerous initiatives.
Trump, for his part, remains largely indifferent to legislative processes. His preference has always been executive action, striving for an imperial presidency. Mike Johnson may become little more than a fleeting footnote in Trump’s ambitions.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/3/2294954/-Just-a-Lightweight?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
