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Congress returned to Washington this week with a change of structure. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has long struggled with a slim majority (complaining about it is one of his favorite party tricks), but now, after the passage of the foreign aid bill, is now the de facto leader of the centre-left coalition. — that was promised to protect him from being ousted by his own colleagues.
Ironically, the deal gives him more security in his job than he did at the beginning of April, but it also gives him less power. Far from complaining about narrow margins, Democrats, on the other hand, succeeded in fielding what is likely the strongest minority in Congress’ history.
Mr. Johnson feels more at ease with the promise of support for his leadership from the Democratic Party. His job security is a reward for a man who has pushed aside demands for border security from his party and voters to pass foreign aid legislation. Yes, it’s ugly, and no one can remember a more public display of one-party power, but it’s also true.
Meanwhile, efforts by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Rep. Thomas Massey (R-Ky.), expected as soon as Wednesday, to remove him from office will fail (and be disastrous). results). If it were to succeed, the struggle to support Ukraine was that moment. If they move forward now, while they are virtually guaranteed to win Republican votes, they are also virtually guaranteed to fail, likely giving even more power to the Democratic minority. .
First, some background. Although Greene remains fairly popular among her base, she remains somewhat isolated in Congress, with her conservative positions causing a rift in her relationship with liberal Republicans and the favoritism of then-House Speaker Kevin. did not build bridges with conservative Republicans in order to rally together. Mr. McCarthy (R-Calif.) was adrift after his fall from office.
Popularity battles aside, members of the Freedom Caucus know that the most likely candidate to replace Mr. Johnson is Representative Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), who currently holds the gavel. They see them as more cunning and therefore potentially more dangerous than relatively novice strategists.
Most importantly, Democrats understand that having a weak voice works to their advantage, and they are eager to see that happen. In recent days, they have been urging Greene to file the motion in the Playbook newsletter, the morning Punchbowl newsletter and in the New York Times.
“Mike Johnson doesn’t need many Democratic friends,” said Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
Said Times. “[Greene] This statement is one of the best things this speaker could hope for from him, since so many people find her insufferable. ”
Democrats know they have the votes to move Greene’s resignation motion and can procedurally block it before it takes place (and thereby allow their own voters to replace the ostensible Republican chairman. (No need to actually vote).
This means that even if every member of the Freedom Caucus joins Greene in voting against Johnson, Johnson will survive. The 40 or so non-votes from the Republican Party will not oust Mr Johnson, but it will publicly guarantee a real leadership challenge in January. Until then, the speaker felt safe with his new friends.
The question, then, is what Prime Minister Johnson can achieve with this new centre-left coalition government. Much of the rest of the House’s schedule is filled with message votes for the 2024 election, including the speaker’s new initiative to punish elite universities for anti-Semitism on campus. Most of the 112 Republicans who voted against his Ukraine bill will therefore revert back to their party.
Even the 30 or so members of the conservative Freedom Caucus, who are most likely to be swayed by Mr Johnson’s proposed date, will not break on these types of votes. Personal and professional grudges can play a big role in Washington, but it doesn’t look good to let them get in the way of campaign messaging legislation. It doesn’t matter that even anti-Semitism initiatives fail to get a hearing in the Senate, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
The real challenge is the 2025 budget. Mr. Johnson’s new Democratic friends will be eager for an omnibus packed with goals that will hamper the prospects of a future Trump administration, and Republican hawks will be eager to see more money go to Ukraine and other war projects. They will be eager to cooperate in any way they can.
This type of move would hamper former President Donald Trump’s first year in office if he wins in November. Mr. Johnson is now working overtime to demonstrate his closeness to the former president, so if he chooses to use his political capital in this way, Mr. Trump will put pressure on him to prevent an omnibus from occurring. It will put you in a strong position. But now he is caught between the Democratic Party’s legal issues and its campaign and fundraising needs. If Democrats succeed in further deteriorating relations between conservative and liberal Republicans, that will be good for the omnibus crowd.
No matter what happens, one-party rule is the new normal. It’s a matter of degree.
In other news
Democratic judge threatens Trump with gag order, fines, jail timeI.
New York State Supreme Court Judge Juan Marchan gave President Trump the maximum fine for nine violations of the gag order he imposed, but the maximum penalty under state law of $1,000 for each violation is for wealthy candidates. There were concerns that it would not be high enough to deter people. Mr Machan threatened jail time for future crimes.
At the same time, Marchand walked back his threat to keep Trump in court during his son’s high school graduation.
Mr. Marchand’s threat of imprisonment raises the bar and, if carried out, would be a left-wing dream come true, but so far Mr. Trump has benefited from Democratic legal overreach. His Georgia mugshot was a huge fundraising success for him, and his photo has permeated popular culture.
Blaze News:Trump trial: Judge rules on gag order violation, witnesses discuss Michael Cohen’s payments to Stormy Daniels
“Columbia students invaded campus halls throughout the night, barricaded doors and hung intifada banners.”
The situation on America’s campuses is getting worse, not calmer, and calls for peace and order from liberals and Democrats are being ignored by violent protesters, squatters and vandals. has been done.
The White House is struggling to deal with the political fallout, fearing taking sides in what is shaping up to be a Democratic civil war that unfolds outside the Democratic National Convention in August. Chicago, of course, was the scene of the disastrous 1968 convention, where street fighting ensued between police and anti-Vietnam War demonstrators.
Meanwhile, House Republicans are planning a move to deny public funding to universities that allow pro-Hamas mobs free rein. The vote likely won’t be taken up in the Democratic-controlled Senate, but it will cause even more heartburn for Democrats in November.
Blaze News:Pro-Palestinian protesters occupy Columbia University campus.Officials will close all school entrances except one
free beacon: Columbia University students storm university building and hold banners calling for ‘intifada’
Steven Spielberg rushes to rescue White House message
The legendary coach has reportedly been working with Democrats from the beginning on planning for the potentially disastrous Democratic National Convention.
Spielberg is a longtime supporter of the Democratic Party. During the 2012 election, he delayed the release of the film “Lincoln” until after the November election. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president and a hero of both the country and the abolitionist movement.
After President Barack Obama was re-elected, Spielberg met with him to support him.
plan The “story” after his inauguration as president.
Message has taken precedence over content in almost every aspect of this administration, with supporters often blaming poor polling on poor communication rather than bad policy.
The president signed legislation last week forcing TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company, but the White House has repeatedly worked with TikTok influencers to reach younger audiences.
Over the weekend, Farha Khalidi, a TikTok influencer and porn star on OnlyFans, tweeted that the White House was “going full-scale political propaganda” without disclosing that it was an ad because “technically it’s not a product.” He claimed that he was paid to promote the company.
Rewind to 2015 — MarketWatch: Steven Spielberg is helping President Obama build his post-White House ‘story’
pack: Spielberg’s Biden Project
zero hedge: “Please do not disclose that this is an advertisement”: OnlyFans creator says Biden administration paid for ‘political propaganda in full force’
Flames Rising: “General Principles to Solve the Campus Takeovers Sweeping Across America” difficult problem cluster
Conundrum Cluster is a substack primarily dedicated to how communists succeeded and how they were defeated in the 20th century. While much of the content is historical, there are valuable lessons to glean now that a century later we are once again plagued by violent left-wing mobs. Our latest post explores the mobs that form on college campuses and the apolitical clarity needed to maintain order.
“The issue at hand is not important. Don’t talk about what the left is talking about. By doing this, you are giving them permission to set and ultimately control the conversation. Judaism is not illegal. Protesting Israel is not illegal. This is not about Jews or Palestine or anything like that. Making dissent a point of view makes it a protest (at least in the abstract). It alienates not only moderates who might agree with them, but also those who value fairness.Conservatives are generally good-natured and fair-minded people. I want a certain kind of society.
…
“If you look at the leaders of the protests on campus, they are clearly not the kind of people you can work with. So we know this is not personal or political. They don’t care what you say. They won’t argue with you about why you’re wrong or admit that you might have a point, even if they don’t like what you’re doing. I won’t. It’s all irrelevant, what really matters is the action. School is there to learn, not for the political purposes of the day. Most students do not participate in these protests. Only a minority feel truly passionate about either. Students have a right to an education and a right to enjoy a campus free of offensive behavior.
“Schools must ensure that people are aware of vandalism, camping, demonstrations outside authorized areas, disruption of public areas, loud disturbances, and other incidents that may be captured on video so that people can clearly communicate what is happening. There must be clear rules regarding student conduct that prohibit any kind of behavior that is really problematic. Please spread the word about this. posters, public relations, e-mails, etc. It should never be a mystery what the traffic rules are on campus…”
Learn more about Conundrum Cluster here. Blaze News: “Political change in a time of mass psychological harm”
