The Democratic Party is once again alight over the prospects of Republican infighting. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has a tenuous hold on power. His majority is down to three seats. He has been constantly attacked by members of his own party since taking the speakership. As Patrick T. Brown wrote recently, the position of Speaker has become “a job whose description asks its occupant to herd cats with very few sticks, even fewer carrots and only the vaguest sense of where they should be heading.” It is generally accepted that he will likely be voted out if Democrats retake the House at the end of this year.
The reason for the latest debate is funding for Ukraine. Johnson supports a Ukraine aid package along with a large number of Republicans and Democrats. But Johnson does not have enough votes to pass the bill with Republicans alone. House conservatives have threatened to challenge Johnson’s speakership if he brings the bill to a floor. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene attacked Johnson for his “total surrender” to Democrats on Ukraine. With his razor-thin majority, he will likely have to recruit Democrats to support the vote. The question now is whether the Democratic Party should take a vote to bolster someone they clearly loathe at every level.
Will Democrats save Johnson?
House Democrats have not been open to saving Mike Johnson in the past. They have usually put forth their own candidate in Hakeem Jeffries when asked to vote directly on a new leader. Mike Johnson has done almost nothing to cater to them. He has, of course, kept the government open, but that is in many ways the bare minimum for an elected official who is third in line to the presidency. In previous speakership fights, the Democratic approach has mainly been to sit on the sidelines and enjoy the spectacle.
But Democrats do not have the luxury of playing hardball to secure a Democratic House Speaker. It is clear that the vast majority of Republicans do not want to have another speaker fight. The reason for this is simple: speaker fights are all about them. Individual members are interviewed, polled, cajoled, and sometimes harassed. They are forced to take decisive action in the national spotlight for several days while Democrats and Donald Trump attack them from the sidelines. If forced to choose between their own comfort and the comfort of Ukrainians, they will choose themselves every time.
The Ukrainians do not have the luxury to wait for the next election. They need supplies as soon as possible, both to fight the Russians and to show the rest of Europe that their cause is viable. Their plight is the only leverage Mike Johnson has over the opposing party. He knows that Republicans would rather do nothing on Ukraine than fight another battle over the speakership. That leverage is why he will likely force the opposing party to support him in a potential leadership election.
Democrats are understandably wary of Republican overtures. They have been burned time and again in the past over long-ranging promises and rules packages. But in this instance, Mike Johnson can run both votes concurrently and offer a direct transaction for Democratic support. Democrats should take him up on the deal. The Ukrainian resistance cannot afford to wait for an alternative.