Mr. Johnson Declares That Congress Should “Do The Right Thing

It could make the difference in who is President.

WHEN HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON SAID, “WE SHOULD DO THE RIGHT THING,” ON FOX NEWS, I FIGURED SOMEONE MUST BE PUTTING POT GUMMIES IN THE CONGRESSIONAL COOKIE JAR. (SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO FROM NUVA FRAMES)

ust when I thought the world as we know it was about to end, House Speaker Mike Johnson called on Democrats to support his plan to pass a massive $90 billion-plus aid bill to give $60 billion to Ukraine, $26 billion to Israel including humanitarian aid for civilians in the conflict zones aka Gaza, and $8 billion in humanitarian aid to Indo-Pacific.

The New York Times reported that, in an interview on Fox News of all places, Johnson is reported to have said:

We’ve taken the Senate supplemental bill and we’ve improved the process and policy, and that’s a really important thing,” Every member gets to vote their own conscience.

And, that in a CNN interview shortly after, Johnson added:

We’re not the world’s policeman, but we’re going to do the right thing.

Do the right thing? Vote their conscience? On Humanitarian aid? Has Johnson gone mad?

Something tells me someone’s putting pot gummies in the Congressional cookie jar!

Nevertheless, Johnson plans the vote for Saturday.

Why, sometimes I’ve believed six impossible things before breakfast. — Alice in Wonderland (1951)

The bill closely resembles that which Senate passed already which means it could actually end up on President Biden’s desk for his signature.

And, in an unprecedented outreach, President Biden endorsed Johnson’s efforts in a statement and urged everyone to get on board.

I strongly support this package to get critical support to Israel and Ukraine, provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, and bolster security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed.

But of course, not everyone is eager to jump on the bandwagon.

A vote to oust the House Speaker can be brought by just one nut-case member. And promises have come from two of the nutiest members to call for ouster if Johnson brings Ukraine aid to the floor.

Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie of Kentucky have said they will vote to dump Johnson. So Johnson is going to have to seek help from (GULP!) Democrats if he’s going to survive. And, most believe that it will take some serious magic for that to happen.

If you remember last time, House Democrats stood by smirking at the Republican ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy and refused to budge to save him.

Now though, there’s a strange sound resonating through the hallowed halls of Congress that is as loud as thundering horses' hoofbeats.

KAZAM! The magic happens! The cavalry has come to the rescue. Two Dem Reps. Jared Moskowitz of Flordia and Tom Suozzi of New York have pledged to vote against any resolution to vacate Johnson as speaker.

But the question still remains, what could have happened to make the Republican leader start acting like one? At first I thought maybe Speaker Johnson was actually reading the Bible he purports to live by in Isaiah 11:6 :

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

But then I realized there’s a stronger motivation. Turns out it’s not as strange as I thought. It’s a simple matter of survival.

He’s going to make a deal with Democrats to vote to keep him as Speaker when Greene and Massie (and a whole list of conservative Republicans) vote to oust him.

This sort of cooperation across party lines has not been seen in this century.

Many Republicans are appalled. Texas Republican Representative Chip Roy groused:

This is not the way we should be doing business. I believe this is part of a larger effort to push something through for very politically expedient purposes that I’m on record as disagreeing with.

No, Mr. Roy, actually it is the way you should be doing business. It’s called compromise. It's the only thing that has ever made progress in civilization possible.

Will someone please pass him the gummies?