Speaker Mike Johnson may keep his seat with Democratic votes, but his opponents have signaled they won’t stop trying to get rid of him.
What happens after Johnson survives a motion to vacate?
If Johnson survives a vacate motion, it might be hard to believe, but things could get even more dysfunctional in the House.
Politico recently reported:
Massie hinted that there could be further attempts to oust Johnson even if he survives the first one, meaning Democrats would have to actively decide to step in to help him again and again.
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It would also force other members of Johnson’s right flank to vote to retain a speaker who has Democratic support, potentially exposing them to criticism from their base.
“They will condemn him. … They won’t save him. How is this sustainable?†Massie said. “If his mandate depends on the Democrats, it becomes more difficult for him.” [Republicans] vote for him in subsequent eviction motions.â€
If Johnson gains Democratic votes, he could lose Republican votes. Democrats will not continue to repeatedly intervene to save Johnson.
House Democrats will bail out Mike Johnson once because they have given no indication that their votes are permanent. In fact they said the opposite. They will help President Johnson this time because he did the right thing regarding aid to Ukraine.
However, House Democrats will not continue to vote for a Republican president.
There is also the great unknown of how many House Democrats are willing to vote to keep Johnson alive. It could be five or it could be ten. It’s certainly not a large number, so if the dam breaks and there’s a wave of Republicans leaving Johnson, just like there was for Kevin McCarthy, he’ll be finished.
Mike Johnson looks doomed. He has to hope that Democrats continue to vote to keep him alive, or he can prevent a full Republican rebellion. In any case, Johnson will emerge from this situation even weaker than Kevin McCarthy.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House press pool and a congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
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