A "Churchillian Moment"?
...Hardly. But Johnson FINALLY did the right thing
More than six months after taking the Speakership by default, Mike Johnson finally had the gumption to stand up to the nihilists, Putinists, and Trumpists in his caucus and allow a vote on an aid package to Ukraine. For weeks — if not months — there were a substantial number of Republicans in the House that wanted to do this…and with near-universal Democratic support it’s been clear for a long time that if the vote came to the floor it would pass overwhelmingly. But the Speaker alone has the power to put a bill on the floor — or not.
And for months Johnson refused to.
In his first weeks on the job he resisted President Biden’s request for an aid package that would bundle aid for Ukraine with aid for Israel (following on the heels of the Hamas atrocity) and Taiwan with a demand to strip out the Ukraine aid and take any funds that would go to Israel from funds that were earmarked to enable the IRS to ferret out more high-rolling tax cheats (i.e., a key Republican constituency). 1
Then, he tied any aid for Ukraine to progress on “border security.” When the Senate gave him just that — authored by very conservative Oklahoma Senator James Lankford — and containing what was widely acknowledged as a bill full of Republican border policy “wish list” items, he turned THAT down.2
Meanwhile Russia pummeled the courageous, determined, but hopelessly outgunned Ukrainians. And many historians, commentators, and observers compared Republican resistance to an aid package to the “America First” movement of the '30s — also led by Republicans of that era with a big assist from Nazi sympathizer Charles Lindbergh — that resisted giving aid to Great Britain as it held out — alone — against the German onslaught.
…But Better Late Than Never
But Johnson finally got the bill to the floor. According to a variety of news accounts Johnson has been talking privately with President Biden, supportive members of his caucus, and with the leaders of the intelligence community, and was finally convinced that the US — and he — needed to step up. And he did, despite withering criticisms from the far right of his caucus, and the possible threat to his role as Speaker.
One of those supportive members of his caucus, Representative Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas and the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, made the case during the House debate:
“Our adversaries are working together to undermine our Western values and demean our democracy, We cannot be afraid at this moment. We have to do what’s right. Evil is on the march. History is calling and now is the time to act. History will judge us by our actions here today. As we deliberate on this vote, you have to ask yourself this question: ‘Am I Chamberlain or Churchill?’”
And the bill passed by a vote of 311 to 112. All 112 “No’s” were Rs, more than half of their membership. Once again (as in the vote to keep the government running) Democrats came to his aid to pass an important bill. THIS IS HOW GOVERNMENT IS SUPPOSED TO WORK.
So bully for Mike Johnson. But this was no Churchillian moment, or a profile in courage. It was just doing his job. Finally. Belatedly.
OK, I’ll give him credit…but that wouldn’t stop me from asking him — if I ever had the chance, “what the hell took you so long?” And “what good is having the Speaker’s job if you are not going to lead and do the right thing?”
Now we’ll see if the chaos caucus punishes him as they did Kevin McCarthy. And if they do, whether Dems will come to his aid and help him remain in the Speaker’s chair. Should that come to pass, can we hope that it will usher in a new period of at least minimal comity in the service of doing the public’s business?
Out-Takes and Sidebars, “New Speaker’s Priorities: Surrender Ukraine, Hobble the IRS to Protect Tax Cheats”
Out-Takes and sidebars, "We Want Border Security"