Holding the Gavel
Imagine how life went for Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson yesterday. As pointed out by Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier, Johnson woke up yesterday number 213th in seniority in the U.S. House. He went to bed last night as Speaker of the House and second in line for the presidency.
That rivals a World Series matchup between the Rangers and the Diamondbacks for the best worst-to-first story. Each of those teams lost more than 100 games just two seasons ago…and now they face off starting tomorrow night for the major league baseball title.
It was well past the time for the Speaker issue to have been resolved, so all manner of issues could be addressed; we discussed that yesterday in this space. Members of the GOP caucus no doubt checked public opinion polling, their own constituent calls and emails, and in-person backlash during trips back home and finally hit the breaking point…to not just elect someone, but to do it unanimously to reclaim some sense of public confidence.
But the same issues that led to Kevin McCarthy being tossed earlier this month are still there. The new Speaker is already floating the idea of a continuing resolution that might be for a month, or up to six months…literally, until April…more than midway through the fiscal year.
The show of unity, the kumbaya moments on the floor and on the steps of the Capitol building…all good, all appropriate.
How long that lasts will determine whether this Speaker will beat McCarthy’s record for shortest tenure…and how much productive action is taken with the interest of citizens in mind.
