Democrats Take Control Of The House (Sort Of)
When you hold all the cards, you're in charge no matter who holds the Speaker's gavel.
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A little over a week ago, the House passed a $95 billion foreign aid package. This package was passed very much over the objections of the GOP’s Putin Caucus, that group of Republicans who are mysteriously1 pro-Russian.
How did this happen? The Democrats made it happen:
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) found himself in an unusual position for a minority leader last week: It was he, not the House speaker, who had the ultimate power to decide whether legislation came to the floor.
Why it matters: Democrats got everything they wanted – a $95 billion foreign aid bill, the credit for passing it, and adversaries more divided than ever.
The press glossed over what happened here because it was hugely embarrassing for the Republican Party. Instead, they tried to focus on Mike Johnson’s “triumph” over the MAGA Caucus.
But let’s rewind a few months to January. Democrats were desperate to get funding for Ukraine and, to a lesser extent, Israel. To get it, they did something they really didn’t want to do: They gave in to Republican extortion on the border.
Republicans, being the scumbags they are, had blocked all foreign aid until “something something secure the border.” Because they were playing to the racism of their base of xenophobic assholes in an election year, this was great politics for them even as it was terrible policy for the country. Democrats, backed into a corner as Ukraine was being pummeled after a full year without aid because those same scumbag Republicans had refused to help, did not see any choice but to give Republicans what they were demanding.
Republicans would happily sacrifice Ukraine and blame a larger war in Europe on Democrats later for a minor advantage now. Democrats would rather take the political hit on the border now because avoiding the blood and horror of a larger war in Europe is more important for the nation. It’s the fundamental difference between the parties. Republicans only do what’s best for Republicans regardless of the cost to the country. Democrats do what’s best for the country regardless of the cost to themselves.
And so Republicans got almost everything they could have ever dreamed of in a border deal. It was racist. It was draconian. It was awful in every way.
And then they killed it in early February because Donald Trump told them to.
A border deal would have cleaned up the mess Republicans had made of the border under Trump. But no mess meant no “chaos at the border!” talking points. This is a large part of Trump’s campaign, pushing the racism button to terrify his base of rabid bigots. Therefore, the bill had to die.
So now we skip back to a few weeks ago. Democrats, through a combination of public and private pressure, convinced Mike Johnson of the reality that Ukraine was going to fall this year without weapons and supplies from the United States. Apparently, while Johnson was being bullied by Putin’s puppets, he was not personally in the pocket of Putin the way, for instance, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump clearly are. So he put the bill up for a vote.
Johnson was unable to get the bill through until Jefferies stepped in and got it done. Now, Democrats got everything they wanted back in January/February and Republicans got exactly nothing on the border.
Truly, a masterful gambit, sir. Well played.
Now, here’s the fun part. Greene and others in the MAGA Caucus are furious they were sidelined and they’re threatening to oust Johnson from his Speakership. Which would work and lead to weeks and possibly months of chaos in the House, except…
Democratic leaders in the House officially declared Tuesday that they would vote to keep order in the House by protecting Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from any far-right Republicans seeking his ouster.
Well, that’s the end of that idea. If even just a third of Republicans voted to keep Johnson (it would be a lot more than that), more than enough Democrats would vote to keep him in his seat.
This does several things:
It shows that Democrats are the adults in the room. People have been screaming for bipartisanship for years. This is what that looks like.
It permanently sidelines the crazies in the House. Greene and Gaetz and Boebert can fling shit at the wall all day long and no one will care.
This means Johnson can actually move ahead with GOP priorities.2
But what it really means is that Hakeem Jefferies is in charge of the House. Especially now that Republicans have a whole one-seat majority (for the moment at any rate) Johnson wants to do X, Y, and Z? Sure. As long as Democrats get A, B, and C. And who do you think is going to get the better deal out of that? The noob Speaker who is in way over his head? Or the guy who was trained and personally handpicked by Nancy fucking Pelosi to replace her?
I don’t know about you, but I’ll be putting my money on Jefferies. And, curiously, Johnson has so far turned out not to be a backstabbing piece of shit so if he makes a deal, chances are he will stick to it. A rarity for a Republican in this day and age.
This doesn’t mean we’re suddenly going to see a flurry of bills passed. It’s an election year and not a lot gets done right before an election. But at least if something important needs to get done, it can get done now without the screeching monkeys of MAGAland setting fire to everything.
In the meantime, Democrats and Hakeem Jefferies are more or less running things which means a whole lot less chaos. It’s really hard to overstate how much a big deal that is. MAGAland needs chaos to thrive. Take it away and they have nothing. Breaks my heart. Really.
There are 187 days until the 2024 election. Vote blue like your life depends on it.
Just kidding. There’s nothing mysterious about it. They’re all being paid off or blackmailed (or both) by the Kremlin.
Look, I don’t want them to move ahead with GOP priorities but they control the House. That’s how a democracy works. You win, you get to do things you want. That’s the point.
The GOP could have had their cake and eaten it too. Instead they’re left with stale magaty crumbs and a majority in ruins.
Hakeem Jeffries is what a Speaker should be. Looking forward to his tenure.
“Republicans only do what’s best for Republicans regardless of the cost to the country. Democrats do what’s best for the country regardless of the cost to themselves.”
In bold, italics, underlined, and 100 point font.