Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) did something rarely, if ever, seen in the MAGA era when he won passage Saturday of a $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. He defied the loudest, most threatening GOP personalities, dug deep into government intelligence -- and shifted his position on the most vital foreign policy legislation in years.
@#2 ... Honestly I don't see how that changes anything, except personally, for him ...
I agree. That's likely why it was stated in an "Oh, and..." type of phrasing.
... because he won this battle is a great way to lose the war in November. ...
That depends upon how and when the Democrats decide to work with Spkr Johnson in order to promote their agenda.
Rep Greene has indicated she is backing down from her threat to oust Spkr Johnson.
Then, I wonder how much this had to do with Skpr Johnson's change of viewpoint?
Donald Trump says Ukraine's survival is important to US (April 18, 2024)
www.reuters.com
... Donald Trump said on Thursday the survival of Ukraine is important to the United States, a shift in tone days before the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives is due to vote on a $61 billion aid package. ...
Still, the post seemed to be one of Trump's first acknowledgements that Ukraine's survival is an important U.S. security interest. During a CNN town hall last year, Trump refused to say whether he wanted Ukraine to win its war with Russia when questioned about the conflict.
"Why can't Europe equalize or match the money put in by the United States of America in order to help a Country in desperate need?" he wrote on Thursday.
"As everyone agrees, Ukrainian Survival and Strength should be much more important to Europe than to us, but it is also important to us! GET MOVING EUROPE!"
Trump's post came the day after he praised Poland, following a meeting at Trump Tower in New York with Polish President Andzrej Duda. ...
That Pres Trump's change of viewpoint came just after meeting with Polish Pres Duda is not surprising. Pres Duda was a friend and supporter of fmr Pres Trump when he occupied the Oval Office.
@#11 ... Not so sure of that (from this morning: ...
Here's what I saw yesterday afternoon ...
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene blasts Speaker Mike Johnson, says will wait on potential move to vacate
www.cnbc.com
... Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she will let her fellow House Republicans hear from their constituents before deciding whether to move forward with a vote to remove Speaker Mike Johnson.
Greene made the remarks to a gaggle of reporters aired on CNN after the House passed four bills in a Saturday session. Three of the bills were for aid to Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel and the fourth approved a potential TikTok ban if its parent company, China's ByteDance, does not sell it.
Greene listed several reasons why she believes Johnson should not be Speaker, but she also said she wants to be "responsible" and not call for Johnson's resignation before garnering enough support. ...
That's why I noted that she seems to have been backing down.
Funny how her opinion changed in less than 24 hours...
(thx for the update, btw)
Related...
Analysis: How Republicans castrated themselves
www.axios.com
... Never before has the party in control of the House of Representatives knowingly and willingly castrated its own power so thoroughly as today's Republicans.
Why it matters: Republicans blew years of potential authority by weak leaders surrendering to keep power. So with a razor-thin GOP majority, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) had to depend on Democrats to muscle through the $60 billion Ukraine bill over the weekend.
- - - "The structural changes they made, made the place ungovernable," a former member of GOP leadership told Axios.
- - - "When you give this many nihilists ... this kind of leverage, this is what's going to happen and it was just a matter of time," they said.
Two mistakes haunt House Republicans, both dating back to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's fight to win the gavel in January 2023:
- - - Letting any member call a vote on removing the speaker. This gives insurgents like Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) extraordinary power to threaten to oust the party leader any time.
- - - Surrendering authority of the Rules Committee, which sets the terms for how legislation will be handled during votes. After allowing non-loyalists onto the committee, leaders can't depend on getting their way.
Zoom in: The new Rules Committee " with McCarthy-appointed hardliners such as Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas) " has become a roadblock. Seven bills were defeated in the past year during the rules process.
- - - This is an unprecedented collapse in control: Former Speakers Nancy Pelosi, Paul Ryan and John Boehner never lost a rules vote.
- - - "By not voting for rules, it forces suspension votes that are by definition more bipartisan. ... They are creating what they profess to hate," one House GOP moderate told Axios about their hardliner colleagues. ...
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