Massive Bipartisan Majority Votes to Keep Mike Johnson as Speaker
The “majority of the majority” overwhelmingly rejects Greene’s motion
By Mark Strand
In one of the biggest bipartisan votes in this very polarized election year environment, the House of Representatives rejected Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to vacate the Speaker’s chair. Only 10 Republicans joined her, along with 32 Democrats.
This vote vindicates the vast majority of Americans who want to see Congress work together for the good of the American people. It rejects the politics of hate and destruction. When Greene began to read her motion on the House Floor, her Republican colleagues loudly booed her.
Politics is a rough game, and Congress is the big leagues. It would have been easy for the Democrats to vote with Greene to throw the House into turmoil during an election year. Still, to their credit and the credit of Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, they rejected that temptation for the good of the House of Representatives. There were 163 Democrats who joined 196 Republicans in rejecting “The Mouth that Roared.”
Greene tried to pull a fast one today when she offered her motion after promising earlier in the week to wait. But Congress was ready. Under the House Rules, once a privileged resolution is made, the House Leadership has two days to bring it up. During these two days, Greene expected to get more television time and try to raise money from the effort. Instead, the House moved immediately to a motion to table her resolution, depriving her of much sought-after attention.
One thing Ms. Greene’s constituents should consider is how ineffective and isolated their representative is in Congress. The fact that she lost the vote by 196-11 amongst her Republican party colleagues shows that they have lost all respect for her egomaniacal ways. The fact that 32 progressive Democrats joined her shows that her bipartisan voting block consists of the most extreme members of Congress.
The likelihood of Greene accomplishing anything for Georgia’s 14th District is non-existent. This is in a district where her Republican predecessor, Tom Graves, was highly respected and had a record of achievements. Clearly, Georgia’s 14th District has done better in the past. The country can hope they do better for themselves in the future.
The ten other Republicans who made up the distinct “minority of the majority” voted with Greene against tabling the motion are:
Warren Davidson, R-Ohio
Alex Mooney, R-W.Va.
Barry Moore, R-Ala
Victoria Spartz, R-Ind.
Chip Roy, R-Texas
Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.
Eli Crane, R-Ariz.
Eric Burlison, R-Mo.
Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.
Matt Gaetz motioned to vacate the Speaker’s chair when Kevin McCarthy was the Speaker, who was noticeably absent from this sect of malcontents. You may have gone too far when Matt Gaetz thinks you are showboating.
Greene makes a fuss about the “Uniparty.” Well, it turns out that the most significant bipartisan majority in the 118th Congress rejected her. The members who rejected Greene’s arrogant push were members of Congress who came to get things done for their districts and the nation. It is a matter of the more serious-minded members versus a marginalized group of extremists who are more interested in shutting down the government and getting themselves on the evening news.
Congress will always have extremists. They actually serve a purpose. The purpose of the extremes in both parties is to try to pull legislation in their direction. The goal of getting everything they want is unrealistic because, by definition, the vast majority of Congress will determine the outcome of any legislation. The goal of those members on the fringe, if they had any strategic and tactical vision, should be to move things in their direction incrementally. However, they can only do this by compromising and working with their colleagues.
Unfortunately, Marjorie Taylor Greene and her dissatisfied clique don’t seem to understand how to be effective. That is their political loss, but it comes at the cost of depriving the 700,000 in their districts of effective representation.
Congress did a good thing today. It took a bipartisan stand against madness and, in doing so, showed that there is still life left in the Institution. Speaker Mike Johnson, a surprise mid-Congress choice, has proved himself to be an effective Speaker in just over six months on the job. His ability to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle is precisely what most Americans expect from a Speaker. That kind of leadership has been missing for some time now.
Yes, it was a good day for Congress. Let’s hope we have more to come.
I strongly concur with your analysis of yesterday’s events. She complains about the Speaker needing Democratic votes to survive, but overlooks that she needed Democratic votes to topple him. There are substantial policy differences between the parties, which could not be more evident on many of the votes the House takes. But a significant majority in both parties know how essential it is for the country that Congress be a functioning institution. Remove the Speaker and, as we have seen, the House immediately comes to a halt. Congress seizes up. Is it really good for the American people to create a vacuum, where a dysfunctional Legislative Branch cedes power to the Executive and the courts? If successful, her stunt would have paralyzed Congress. It is heartening that significant majorities of both parties stood against that.
outcomes matter and Mark makes the case very well over all the noise leading up to the vote