The praise heaped upon Speaker Mike Johnson in recent days for finally defying the right wing of his party and allowing the Ukraine aid bill to pass the House may have seemed a little over the top.
After all, the speaker's job is all about passing legislation through the House, and as Saturday's vote to pass the bill showed, the Ukraine bill had overwhelming support. But Mr. Johnson's accomplishments echo those of another embattled Republican, Mike, who faced difficult choices and was hailed as a hero for simply doing his job, under immense pressure from far-right Republicans. It wasn't all that different from former Vice President Pence's accomplishments.
When Pence refused to accede to former President Donald J. Trump's request to overturn the 2020 election results while presiding over Congress' counting of electoral votes on January 6, 2021, it was a baseball game. Not even angry mobs with baseball bats and pepper spray were receptive. He stormed the Capitol and yelled, “Hang Mike Pence.” He was praised for his courageous act of carrying out the normally unremarkable task in the vice president's job description.
Mr. Pence and now Mr. Johnson are the most high-profile examples of harsh political realities. In today's Republican Party, which has been co-opted by Mr. Trump, maintaining norms and following a consensus-driven path could anger voters and the public. It would be the end of his political career.
Mr. Johnson and Mr. Pence are both mild-mannered, deeply conservative evangelical Christians who put their faith at the center of their politics and hold similar positions in their parties. Both men went through twists and turns in response to Trump and the forces he unleashed on their party, ultimately leading to Trump coming after them. Pence served the former president loyally for four years, defending his every word and deed. Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, played a leading role in trying to overturn the election results on Trump's behalf.
But at two critical moments, in the face of intense and sometimes violent pressure from within the party, both chose a more difficult path.
Mr Johnson faces a growing right-wing movement to remove him from office. Even after Mr. Johnson stood by Mr. Trump's side at Mar-a-Lago and appeared to be gaining support, he continued to criticize his son, Donald Trump Jr., and Sen. J.D. Vance, one of the leading vice presidential candidates. The former president's top representatives, including Ohio residents, have praised his decision to advance security policy.
“He hasn't had his moment yet, and Mike Johnson has to go like Kevin McCarthy,” said Stephen, a former Trump adviser and host of the influential right-wing War Room podcast. K. Bannon said this Friday at a conservative retreat in Florida. Johnson's predecessor was a public speaker.
Pence's short-lived presidential campaign struggled to raise money because of his difficult break with Trump, and he was unable to gain support in the polls, which had the former president in the lead from the start.
upon Social media Pence this week called on Democrats and Republicans alike to “rally around Speaker Johnson.” Not surprisingly, his post was besieged by commenters calling both Republicans “traitors.” One person said this was an example of “Judas supporting another Judas.”
Mr Pence has personally encouraged Mr Johnson in recent weeks as he faces growing dissatisfaction from the far right.
“I think they're both courageous,” said Marc Short, Pence's chief of staff, who credited both men's Christian faith with helping them navigate difficult situations.
Sarah Longwell, a prominent anti-Trump Republican political strategist, said Washington Republicans are “remarkably doing the right thing. They certainly deserve credit for standing up to their own party.” said. She added: “We still need strong mechanisms to encourage and maintain expectations of people to do the right thing.”
On the House floor Saturday morning, several lawmakers tried to do just that. Florida Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart praised Johnson's “indomitable spirit” to press forward “even in the face of difficult obstacles.” He called the simple move to bring security policy to the full House floor with broad bipartisan support “a testament to his character.” On Friday, a group of about 70 former members of Congress, foreign policy experts and other supporters of support for Ukraine sent a letter supporting Mr. Johnson's efforts.
“We are grateful for your courageous leadership,” the group led by the Ukraine Freedom Project wrote. “Your call for America to re-emerge as a nation that defends freedom and stands up against tyranny is clear for our time.”
Even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Mr Johnson by name minutes after the bill was passed. “I'm grateful to the U.S. House of Representatives, both parties, and Speaker Mike Johnson personally for making decisions that put history on the right track,” he said on social media.
Not everyone wanted to heap praise on him.
Rep. Jim McGovern (Massachusetts), the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, said Friday as the House vote approached, “I'm so glad that Republicans are finally recognizing the gravity of the situation and the urgency with which we must act.'' I'm happy,” he said. to pave the way for the bill. “But here, you don't get an award for doing your job.”
At a news conference later that day, the minority leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, praised Mr. Johnson's accomplishments and said, despite being pressed repeatedly to consider whether Democrats would cooperate on the policy. , resisted praising Johnson. Please save his speakership.
“I'd like to think Americans care about what I have to say about how my colleagues are doing their jobs, but I don't think that's the case,” Jeffries said. “What the American people are concerned about right now is meeting their needs in a very dangerous world by supporting our democratic allies. “This is going to be the ultimate test,” he said during the House session on Saturday, saying that along with Democrats and President Biden, “traditional conservatives, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, have risen to the occasion.”
Alyssa Farrar Griffin, Trump's former chief of staff, said praise for Mr. Johnson was lukewarm at best, noting that Mr. Johnson hesitated for months before moving forward with aid to Ukraine. They agreed that aid is important.
“It's remarkable that this is being considered a courageous or heroic act. We just introduced a bill in the House to pass with bipartisan support,” she said. “While Prime Minister Johnson was dithering over whether to allow the vote, Ukraine lost ground and Ukrainians were killed by the Russians.”
“History will judge our actions,” Johnson told reporters at Parliament House last week. “We can make selfish decisions and do things differently, but I believe we are right here. I'm doing something,” he added. thing. “
Even after his glowing comments, he was reluctant to release the text of the bill, leaving Democrats worried that his indecisiveness and desire to appeal to the far right would win out again.
On Saturday, some of them verbally shrugged off Mr. Johnson's plight, arguing that it was the cruel reality that Mr. Johnson had signed up to throw his hat in the ring for the thankless job of chairman of the Republican Party. there was.
“He didn't volunteer for an easy job,” said Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, D-Maryland. “And he knew exactly what situation he was going into.”
Karl Hulse Contributed to the report.
