The Artist Formerly Known as MAGA Mike

Author

Bubba
25 Sep

Mike Johnson’s rise to House speaker was heralded as a win for anti-establishment conservatives, but MAGA supporters now see him as even more entrenched in the "swamp" than his predecessor. (WaPo)

Then: Following the ousting of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year, MAGA Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida celebrated Johnson’s election as a “great moment for the House” saying, “The swamp is on the run.”

  • Gaetz: “If you don’t think that moving from Kevin McCarthy to MAGA Mike Johnson shows ascendance of this movement and where the power in the Republican Party truly lies, then you’re not paying attention.”

  • One of the main reasons Gaetz and other conservative hardliners gave for booting McCarthy was the California Republican’s reliance on Democrats to pass a government funding deal.

Now: Johnson has had to rely on Democrats to get major spending deals across the line on five separate occasions — and he’s about to do it again with a bipartisan plan to avert a government shutdown.

  • After a six-month funding plan from the House Freedom Caucus was rejected by 14 Republicans, Johnson was forced into negotiating with top Democrats to pass a short-term stopgap known as a continuing resolution, or C.R.

  • Conservatives, including Gaetz, are now mad the C.R. wasn’t paired with the SAVE Act, which requires prospective voters in federal elections to prove they are U.S. citizens.

Bubba’s Two Cents

It’s easy to say you’re going to fight the establishment. But more important is what happens when you get power, and it’s time to govern. With a narrow majority in the House, the extent to which Johnson was going to be able to shake things up was always going to be limited.