Is Speaker Mike Johnson In Over His Head?
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Is Speaker Mike Johnson In Over His Head?
Managing this paper-thin House Republican majority, and its weird mix of grifters, conspiratorial wingnuts and (comparatively speaking) moderates, would be a stiff challenge even for legendary Speakers like Henry Clay, Joseph Cannon, Sam Rayburn, and Nancy Pelosi.
Is Mike Johnson up to the task? Put me down as: extremely worried.
I'll explain why, but first, here's what's leading the Washington Monthly website:
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If Conservatives Care About the Border So Much, They Shouldn’t Wreck Section 702: My look at how some of the most viciously anti-immigrant Republicans are trying to hamstring the critical counterterrorism program. Click here for the full story.
What John Roberts Could Learn From Niccolò Machiavelli: Law professor Steven Lubet dissects the Chief Justice's mishandling of the Supreme Court's ethics problem. Click here for the full story.
“Why Would Someone Give Me a Story Like This?”: Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and Contributing Editor to the Washington Monthly, remembers what he learned from his mentor Charlie Peters. Click here for the full story.
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I began my Monthly article, exploring Republican division and hypocrisy regarding Section 702, with the news that earlier this week Johnson quickly reversed himself on ensuring the program does not expire at the end of this month.
On Tuesday, he ruled out tacking on a temporary extension to the must-pass annual National Defense Authorization Act. On Wednesday, he tacked it on.
At a time when the Middle East is still aflame, Donald Trump is openly planning to exercise dictatorial powers, and Taylor Swift was named Time's Person of the Year, this seemingly minor Beltway drama did not attract much news coverage.
But Johnson's flip-flop is unsettlingly amateurish.
As a defender of Section 702, in my view Johnson flopped in the correct direction (your mileage may vary!).
Nevertheless, this is how he handles one of the most sensitive programs in our national security apparatus?
This is how he navigates his unruly House Republican Conference, raising the hopes of the anti-government right-wing one day, then stomping on them the next?
As with the prior speaker, Kevin McCarthy, there is hope to be derived from how, in crunch time, Johnson tends to disappoint the extreme right. But the improvised nature of Johnson's decision-making hardly nurtures confidence.
Even tougher decisions await, on keeping the government open, funding Ukraine, and maintaining critical surveillance tools over the long-term.
I don't know how Johnson is going to do it.
And I suspect Johnson doesn't know either.
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Best,
Bill Scher, Washington Monthly Politics Editor