OBSCURE SPEAKER

When Politico reporters asked different politicians from around the country about the new speaker of the US House of Representatives, this is what they heard: "Wait a minute, let's google it..."

Do you think it helped? For example, one of the respondents could find lists with half a dozen politicians with the same first and last names, professional athletes, a punk rocker from Oregon, and even a serial killer. But not the person he was looking for.

Even many Americans have never heard of this guy. The New Yorker assumes that most US senators have had little or no previous contact with the new speaker of the lower house. Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he had never met him, while Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer doesn't know him at all.

Newcomer

Almost new to big politics, Mike Johnson (51) unexpectedly received the unanimous support of his Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives on October 25. This put an end to the 22-day marathon to determine the winner for one of the top leadership positions in the US.

Never has America been without a speaker of the House of Representatives for so long. Many commentators believe that no major party has ever looked so divided.

Before Johnson, his more experienced colleagues were unable to unite the Republican caucus to win the necessary number of votes. But the newcomer did and became, as some politicians believe, the least experienced speaker in decades.

Breaking the oath

The newly elected head of the US House of Representatives is the third highest-ranking leader in the country after the president and vice president, currently being Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Ironically, the incumbent speaker is a man who played a significant role in trying to overturn the 2020 election, which Biden won, and insisted that the vote was rigged.

Yet, Johnson did not oppose his own re-election in the same election, even though the ballots, electors and online voting system were the same. Not to mention that the second-in-line official violated his oath of office by attempting to disenfranchise the citizens of the country.

Mike Johnson is considered a staunch supporter of Donald Trump in the House of Representatives. In fact, it was Trump who recommended Johnson for his current job.

Immediately after the 2020 election, Johnson led the fight in the House of Representatives to overturn the results. The day after Joe Biden was declared the winner, Johnson called Donald Trump and said: "Stay strong and keep fighting, sir! The nation depends on your resolve. We must use every legal means available to restore Americans' confidence in the integrity of our electoral system."

He even put a pressure on his fellow lawmakers to support a Texas lawsuit that sought to overturn the election results in four swing states. And later boasted that Trump had endorsed his efforts.

Record time

Upon assuming his duties as the new speaker, Johnson outlined a tentative timetable for the House to approve new government spending and pass other legal acts. But things can change quickly once he faces the realities of governance under the unstable Republican faction.

Earlier, it would have been unthinkable for Republicans to strike out at the speaker chosen by their party. But under the modern Republican politics, frequently breaking the rules and opposing the majority yields more incentives and bonuses than negative consequences for the offenders.

A case in point is Johnson's predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, who fell victim to the ambitions of a small group of MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters.

Among the many concessions McCarthy made to the far-right in exchange for supporting his candidacy was a rule allowing any member of the House to seek a resolution for the speaker's resignation. This allowed him to get the speaker's gavel after as many as 15 rounds of voting. However, it also sealed his fate as the first speaker in US history to be removed from office after a record-breaking nine months in office.

Speaker's resignation

The US Constitution remains silent about the procedure for removing the speaker of the lower house of the Congress. "The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker" is the only reference to this official in the entire document. The constitution also obliges the House to make its own rules.

In 1837, a parliamentary procedure was finally developed: "the Speaker may be removed at the will of the House". It was subsequently decided that formally any representative could demand for the speaker's resignation.

In nearly 200 years, representatives have used this power only once. In 1910, Speaker Joseph Cannon used it to demonstrate the strength of his position. He asked his ally to formally move the motion and won by a margin of almost 40 votes.

In the last decade, this rule has been used to threaten to remove leaders of the House of Representatives. In 2015, a petition was filed against Speaker John Boehner. But it was not even considered, as it was not properly formalised. However, Boehner did resign a little later.

McCarthy paid the price for his desire to please everyone. He might not have changed the rules Democrats put in place before him in 2019. Under those rules, a request for resignation could only be brought to a vote "on the motion of a party caucus or committee," making the process much more complicated.

Beneath dignity

In addition to actively influencing his supporters in the Congress, the current leader of the Republicans, former President Donald Trump, does not mind running the lower house either. The rules make it possible for him to become speaker without being a deputy.

Right after the House of Commons voted in favour of McCarthy's resignation in October, Trump began actively expressing his desire to become speaker in the media.

But none of the deputies supported his decision. This may have been influenced by several factors, including the rules of the Republican parliamentary faction. According to them, "a person shall step aside if indicted for a felony for which a sentence of two or more years imprisonment may be imposed". Trump, however, faces a much longer sentence.

November 2023 will see the publication of journalist Jonathan Karl's book Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party, in which the author reveals that the former president was secretly planning to become speaker as early as January 2023, replacing McCarthy.

In fact, the idea of electing Donald Trump as speaker first appeared on the same day he left the White House, January 20, 2021. It was actively promoted by Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist in the White House.

At first, Trump showed no interest in the idea, considering it beneath his dignity. But then he changed his attitude, as Karl writes, when he saw McCarthy fail one vote after another.

A big fan of reality shows and tired of the media attention, Trump suddenly discovered that the entire country was eagerly following the speaker's election campaign. Live broadcasts were on each and every major media outlet. How could he miss such an opportunity? Trump called the right people, and the next day, during the ninth ballot, his candidacy was announced!

But to Trump's great disappointment, out of 435 MPs, only one voted for him! He could not believe it and demanded to put it to the tenth vote, and then to the eleventh... The result was the same! To make the things worse, the announcement of the vote count was accompanied with increasingly loud laughter in the hall! Not only Democrats, but also journalists began to openly tease him, and Trump gave in. "Get me out of here!" Trump shouted into the phone to a member of the house.

A puppet?

There is a popular belief that the former US president has now a figure who holds a key position in the Congressional leadership who willingly dances to his tune.

As a rank-and-file lawmaker, Johnson advocated for the impeachment of President Biden and supported Kevin McCarthy's decision to launch a unilateral investigation without a vote in the House of Representatives. However, after becoming speaker, he received assurances from the president that the White House did not want a partisan confrontation and was willing to work together to address the domestic and foreign challenges facing the country. In particular, important issues such as funding for government operations, as well as aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.

Only time will tell whether the new speaker will be able to fulfill his duties or become, like his predecessor, a puppet of the far-right minority of his party and the ex-president.