Democrats Seize Control of House: For First Time in Recorded History, Speaker Mike Johnson Relies on

[mystery-ak]

Democrats Seize Control of House: For First Time in Recorded History, Speaker Mike Johnson Relies on Minority Party Votes to Advance Foreign Aid Plan

Bradley Jaye 8 Apr 2024

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) made history Thursday night just before midnight by essentially surrendering Republican majority control to Democrats.

For the first time in recorded history — since the House began keeping records — the House Rules Committee relied on minority party votes to overcome objections from the majority and advance a rule bill to the House floor.

The committee voted nine to three, with all four Democrats on the committee voting with five Republicans to move a rule to the House floor, which, if passed with Democrat support as expected, would allow votes on Johnson’s foreign aid package, including a bill that includes tens of billions to fund Ukraine.

Conservative Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Thomas Massie (R-KY), and Ralph Norman (R-SC) voted no.

https://twitter.com/freedomcaucus/status/1780959875788415117

The powerful House Rules Committee, known for generations as “the Speaker’s committee” for the control the Speaker of the House possesses over the committee and its reputation as a rubber stamp for the Speaker’s agenda, sets the floor agenda for the House through what are known as rules.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/04/18/democrats-seize-control-house-speaker-mike-johnson-relies-minority-party-votes-advance-foreign-aid/

[mystery-ak]

Lawler: ‘Gaetz and Seven Useful Idiots’ Weakened Speaker Johnson’s Hand

Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY) said Thursday on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had a weakened hand in legislation negotiations because Republicans ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2024/04/18/lawler-gaetz-and-seven-useful-idiots-weakened-speaker-johnsons-hand/

[mystery-ak]

Mike Johnson Surrenders: Democrats Seize Control of House Floor

Bradley Jaye 19 Apr 2024

Democrats are in the minority no longer. In a stunning historical development on Friday, Democrats seized upon a Republican surrender to take control of the agenda of the House floor.

An astonishing 165 Democrats voted for a rule from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to allow a $100 billion foreign aid supplemental package to the floor Saturday. The House will hold four votes on final passage for each of those packages, including a Ukraine funding bill with tens of billions of American taxpayer dollars.

Minority party members rarely vote for a procedural rule to allow the majority party’s agenda to proceed through the House. Doing so in such numbers is wildly unprecedented.

History was first made on Thursday, just before midnight, when, for the first time in recorded history — since the House began keeping records — the House Rules Committee relied on minority party votes to overcome objections from the majority and advance a rule bill to the House floor.

The powerful House Rules Committee, known for generations as “the Speaker’s Committee” for the control the speaker of the House possesses over the committee and its reputation as a rubber stamp for the speaker’s agenda, sets the floor agenda for the House through what are known as rules.

Johnson disregarded history and abandoned his own party despite its majority, however slim. With more Democrats voting to advance the House’s agenda than Republicans, the minority party has effectively taken control over the bills that will come before the House.

In the end, 151 supported the rule, with only 39 Republicans in opposition. The final tally was 316 to 94.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is a messenger in the minority no longer. He has taken over.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/04/19/mike-johnson-surrenders-democrats-seize-control-of-house-floor/

[mystery-ak]

Thank you Gaetz and Green...we were better off with McCarthy..

[libertybele]

Thank you Gaetz and Green...we were better off with McCarthy..

Were we really?? A majority means nothing if they vote along with the minority and if their leadership continues to cave.

McCarthy should have never been Speaker and perhaps this whole debacle would have never happened.

How much were Johnson and McCarthy truly working on behalf of the GOP and their constituents?

Yes, the GOP now has an absolute fiasco on their hands as do the American people -- the DEMS have a super majority.  I predict, coming very soon; amnesty for ALL ILLEGALS.  There will be no way that a Republican will be seated again.

It's completely over.  We've lost our Republic. This is my opinion. I realize that there are a few in here that think that America is doing just fine and we'll see sunnier days. However, I definitely don't see that happening in my lifetime.

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/1781290987660198232

[DefiantMassRINO]

The GOP has punted the ball to the Dems because House GOP has no game plan.

Once again, the GOP does not know how to be a governing majority party, proving it deserves to be in the minority again.

[banddag]

Thank you Gaetz and Green...we were better off with McCarthy..

Conservatives eat their own. You would never see the dems do this.

[mystery-ak]

Were we really?? A majority means nothing if they vote along with the minority and if their leadership continues to cave.

McCarthy should have never been Speaker and perhaps this whole debacle would have never happened.

How much were Johnson and McCarthy truly working on behalf of the GOP and their constituents?

Yes, the GOP now has an absolute fiasco on their hands as do the American people -- the DEMS have a super majority.  I predict, coming very soon; amnesty for ALL ILLEGALS.  There will be no way that a Republican will be seated again.

It's completely over.  We've lost our Republic. This is my opinion. I realize that there are a few in here that think that America is doing just fine and we'll see sunnier days. However, I definitely don't see that happening in my lifetime.

It's not that I disagree with you it's the timing of all this especially in a election year...btw I had high hopes for Johnson believing he was a conservative...

[mystery-ak]

Byron Donalds: Matt Gaetz’s Ouster of Kevin McCarthy Brought House to ‘Lord of the Flies’-Type Environment

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) on Friday said that Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) move to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has turned the House into a “Lord of the Flies”-type situation.

“Matt’s vacating Kevin McCarthy has brought us to Lord of the Flies on Capitol Hill. Not a good situation,” Donalds said.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/04/19/byron-donalds-matt-gaetzs-ouster-of-kevin-mccarthy-brought-house-to-lord-of-the-flies-type-environment/

[rustynail]

Freedom Caucus Posts Rotating Guard To Block Sneaky Leadership Moves

In a sign of growing discord among House Republicans, members of the Freedom Caucus are taking turns monitoring the House floor to prevent the GOP leadership from using sneaky procedural tactics to sap the power of increasingly rebellious conservatives. 

Specifically, they're wary that party leaders and their allies will, without prior announcement, bring measures to the floor and seek their passage via "unanimous consent." With that approach, the presiding officer simply states, "If there is no objection, the motion will be adopted." After a pause to allow for objections, the officer declares, "Since there is no objection, the motion is adopted."
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/freedom-caucus-posts-rotating-guard-block-sneaky-leadership-moves

[libertybele]

It's not that I disagree with you it's the timing of all this especially in a election year...btw I had high hopes for Johnson believing he was a conservative...

I certainly had higher hopes for Johnson as well, and I should have known that him getting a unanimous vote was a red flag.

[libertybele]

Byron Donalds: Matt Gaetz’s Ouster of Kevin McCarthy Brought House to ‘Lord of the Flies’-Type Environment

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) on Friday said that Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) move to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has turned the House into a “Lord of the Flies”-type situation.

“Matt’s vacating Kevin McCarthy has brought us to Lord of the Flies on Capitol Hill. Not a good situation,” Donalds said.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/04/19/byron-donalds-matt-gaetzs-ouster-of-kevin-mccarthy-brought-house-to-lord-of-the-flies-type-environment/

Well, I really like Donalds and believe that he would have been a great Speaker.  His analogy is correct, it is just conservatives are in a real quagmire and one I don't think that they are going to get out of.

[berdie]

I certainly had higher hopes for Johnson as well, and I should have known that him getting a unanimous vote was a red flag.

I truly think the Pubs roped, coerced, bribed  or whatever to get him to even consider the position. I'd would just try to herd cats and I'm sure Johnson knew that. They needed someone that was a little neutral to end the deadlock that was making everyone look like a bunch of idjits.

With the slim majority we have, no one will succeed. Especially with the rift in the Pub HOR. I truly hope they leave the motion to vacate off of the table until after the election. Who knows? Maybe we'll get a larger conservative majority. Hey...let me have hope.

[roamer_1]

GOOD. Shows the true lay of the land. Maybe folks will pay attention, though probably not... Like here, they blame the ones who would not play along.

[unite for individuality]

Am I missing something here?
Did the Dems really take over the House?
Or did they only collude with Speaker Johnson
in some procedural trickery to get just one bill passed?

I suppose one could say that this sets an example
of how the Dems and RINOs could do the same sort of thing again.
I don't see this as "the Dems taking over the House."
It looks to me like it's just another example of someone caving in to political pressure.
Which is hard to stand against when the majority is so slim.

Also, am I the only one who thinks that Speaker Johnson
looks similar to Clark Kent?

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Were we really?? A majority means nothing if they vote along with the minority.....

I don't get this at all.  So you're against allying with Democrats on voting issues?

The people who voted to get rid of McCarthy were a tiny minority of Republicans who conspired with the overwhelming majority of Democrats.  But those are the people you support!

On this foreign aid bill, a majority of Republicans on the committee voted for the rule, and a majority of Republicans in the House overall voted for the amendment on the floor.  But the Speaker somehow is wrong for being aligned with a clear majority of his own party??

Why are their opinions discounted just because they were joined by some Democrats?  Do you know who joined much of the Freedom Caucus in opposing that Amendment?  The Progressive Caucus!  The entire "Squad" voted against it, so those are your political allies.  Should we now judge the validity of your political opinions based on your allies on that vote?

This is the kind of hyper partisanship @jmyrlefuller was talking about elsewhere.  Judging legislation not it's actual merits, but on who is for or against it.  Which seems rather like a chicken/egg problem as far as I'm concerned anyway.

Maybe people just have a reasonable basis for disagreeing on some issues, and so end up on opposite sides even though they are generally aligned.