If this happens, and it well could, then it will simply be a harbinger of the total chaos that the Republican party brings to the new year and a sign of how utterly dysfunctional the party has become. January 6 is the magical day when the previous year’s election is certified. Once that happens, the person elected is set to take the oath of office on January 20. Except for last election. January 6, 2021 is a date that will live in infamy in American history along with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and a few other grim days, such as the assassination of four presidents. It is the only time in American history that a defeated candidate, much less a sitting president, has chosen to ignore the loss of the election and meet that event with conspiracy theory and violence.
So maybe karma is in play here, because the GOP itself may make it impossible for the election to be certified on January 6. And why is that? Because on January 3 the House of Representatives will vote to elect a Speaker. And if that Speaker is agreed to be Mike Johnson, then no problem. But that’s not the way the political weathervane is pointed. No, before the holidays, in the last days of the last Congress, there was the debacle of the government shutdown vs. Donald Trump’s demands, particularly to eliminate the debt ceiling. And there was Elon Musk, vowing to primary any Republican who opposed his will.
A temporary Continuing Resolution was approved and the lights will stay on at the government until March. But a lot of damage was done, particularly to Mike Johnson. And this could end up blowing up in Trump’s face.
According to Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram, should unhappy House Republicans depose House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) that could put in place a delay in certifying Donald Trump as the next president.
According to the journalist, that is the “doomsday scenario” GOP lawmakers need to confront if there is coup led by what one Republican lawmaker called a “mob” in the House.
In an interview on Christmas Eve, Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) admitted Johnson’s re-election was nowhere close to a done deal, telling reporters Johnson is a good person, before adding, “We’re dealing the mob here so I’m not sure how tough he is.”
“We’re dealing with the mob.” That’s a quote by a Republican about the state of her own party. And it’s an accurate one. Touche.
That led Pergram to tell the hosts, “So if the House fails to elect a speaker on the first vote, it must vote repeatedly until it elects a speaker.”
“Now in 2023 that process consumed five days,” he continued. “It was the longest speaker election since 1859. President Trump could be a difference maker.”
After sharing a clip of Johnson claiming he has been in constant contact with the president-elect, Pergram pointed out, “But Mr. Trump is said to be frustrated with Johnson. Here is the doomsday scenario: Say the House takes as long as it did two years ago to elect the speaker. That means it cannot certify the Electoral College on Jan 6. That House can’t do anything including swearing in the members until it picks a new speaker.”
You can watch the Fox News clip here.
It could happen. It very well might, in fact. And what a scene that will be. I lay odds that there’s at least a 60/40 chance that this will happen and I’m being conservative with that speculation. Word in Trump world for some time now has been that Elon Musk is being considered for Speaker of the House. That would be insane, and I’m not sure if we’ll get that far out there, but definitely another Speaker besides Johnson may be installed.
Remember: Trump only got where he got because the GOP was utterly in tatters and bereft of leadership. His particular brand of bullshit worked because there were only weak sisters and third-string players in the 2016 GOP primary. Nature abhors a vacuum and so Trump slid into that very thing and became the standard bearer of the GOP.
So let’s see what the next debacle will be. We ended the year with high drama over yet another government shutdown and we will begin the new year with the election of a House Speaker. And it very well may not be Mike Johnson. In which case, the doomsday scenario may kick in.
We guaranteed you spectacle with Trump 2.0. This could well be the beginning of that.
Karma has quite the sense of humor doesn’t she?
I think it’s very possible that this could happen. The only way it wouldn’t happen is if some machinations take place between now and January 3. The only thing I know for sure is happening is Mike Johnson is calling everybody to get their votes. At least that’s the belief, I don’t know if anything is for sure right now.
It doesn’t seem to be Karma as much as this is a consequence of DonOld’s own creating. I think that’s the beauty of it.
Isn’t the unexpected and unwanted consequence of one’s own creating the definition of Karma???
And, of course, the GOP and their media lackeys and ass-kissers will blame the Democrats for ALL the GOP’s woes. (Especially if Jeffries manages to hold his caucus to a “we ain’t gonna help them clean up their s#!+ anymore” attitude.)
Let’s see them do it. The GOP is in the majority. Let them government. If 2017 to 2019 is any indication, they’re going to trip on their own shoelaces.
Oh, I thought from the title, a call to arms was going to be issued to pack up the ‘supplies’, wink wink, and to congregate on January 6th TO FIGHT LIKE HELL OR WE WOULDNT HAVE A COUNTRY ANYMORE!!!!!
And Joe would sit in the white house for hours watching the results. My bad. Everything else seems like whistling in the graveyard of our former democratic republic. I guess the gop is the only party willing to go the limit. The rest of us over the next years might as well be strapped down, eyelids pinned open, and forced to watch this gruesome fascism at work. Clockwork Orange anyone?
“A Clockwork Orange” How appropriate! Sadly, that movie totally fits.
I remember Katie sitting through the Speaker vote chaos reading a book titled “The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F**k”. She and the book were immortalized in a photo.😅
Seriously, if they fight long enough, and the Democrats hold on to voting for Jeffries every single time, just a few disgusted Rs would be enough to tip it to him instead!
Nancy, THAT result is more than a little intriguing. Thank you.