Save Johnson

MTG thinks she can get rid of Johnson like Gaetz got rid of McCarthy. The Democrats have an historic opportunity in taking her power away.

When Trump was at best complicit and at worst responsible for the Jan 6th riot, the whole Party seemed united in their condemnation of the solipsistic President. He served the remainder of his term in relative silence, and went back to Florida with his tail between his legs on Inauguration Day.

Then, Kevin McCarthy(then CA20) went to Mar-a-Lago. There, he had a happy photo taken of himself with the former President, and he officially kissed the ring. That's why the House Democrats voted with Matt Gaetz(FL01) to vacate the Speaker's chair in October. If not for McCarthy, the world might even be rid of Trump by now.

Mike Johnson(LA04) is no prize, but he's also not Kevin McCarthy. He's a novice legislator, and a terrible Speaker, who has been puppeted from Mar-a-Lago since he got the gavel. Trump is beholden to Putin, so Trump will not allow Johnson to bring a vote on Ukraine aid to the floor. The GOP is tying itself in knots to conform to Trump's whims and requirements, which are seldom if ever in the interest of anyone other than Trump himself.

The wheels of confiscating Mike Johnson's gavel were just set to spinning by Marjorie Taylor Greene's(GA14) motion to vacate, but this time, I think the Democrats have an historic opportunity to get basically everything they need, by manhandling the Speaker. They have no particular quarrel with Johnson, other than his repugnant positions on a variety of issues, so they're in a position to save him. If all 213 Democrats vote against vacating the chair, then the Speaker only has to convince three of his best friends in the House to support him. In exchange for this salvation, I propose the Democratic Caucus impose the following requirements upon Johnson:

1) The motion to vacate requires fifty votes now-- or a hundred --just not one.
2) The partisan score-settling is over. The Weaponization Committee and impeachment efforts are dissolved. The House returns to doing the People’s business, not the Party’s. This will look better for the GOP too, as they currently are making complete asses of themselves, revealing incompetence and potential criminal and treasonous behavior in their own ranks in their vain efforts to embarrass their opponents.
3) A vote to pass the budget is presented cleanly and as-is, to remain in effect until after the 119th Congress is seated in January. No more nail-biting continuing resolutions.
4) A comprehensive aid package for Ukraine goes to the floor for a vote within 20 minutes of the defeat of the vote to vacate the Speaker’s seat.

All of these concessions are good for everyone except Trump and his winged monkeys in the Freedom Caucus.