U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) shared a post by former Obama Senior Advisor Dan Pfeiffer in which Pfeiffer implies the election of new House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will ultimately be a victory for Democrats.
“Every Dem should thank every Republican for choosing a guy with Paul Ryan‘s economic policies,” Pfeiffer writes, “[and] Mike Pence‘s position on abortion and marriage, and Donald Trump’s insane views on the 2020 election.” (Rep. Johnson was one of the key Republican lawmakers driving the effort to overturn the election results in 2020 to allow Donald Trump to retain power, election denialism he has not recanted.)
Every Dem should thank every Republican for choosing a guy with Paul Ryan's economic policies, Mike Pence's position on abortion and marriage, and Donald Trump's insane views on the 2020 election. https://t.co/apiZsmA5Ci
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) October 25, 2023
If the Democrats see an advantage in the GOP’s recent inability to come to consensus, then the fraught battle for the Speakership has been, as Pfeiffer believes, a gift — a prime example of Republican conference chaos driven by intransigent lawmakers on the far right. (Note: The White House says it doesn’t relish House dysfunction.)
Speaker Johnson won Trump’s approbation — Trump didn’t endorse, but “suggested” Johnson get the job — helping MAGA Republicans re-establish control of the GOP conference, though it’s not clear that Johnson’s policies are less polarizing to the Left than those of ousted Kevin McCarthy, who unilaterally authorized a Joe Biden impeachment inquiry.
Pfeiffer predicts an electoral advantage for Democrats because according to polling, the majority of Americans don’t support the Ryan/Pence/Trump positions on the economy, abortion, or the 2020 election denialism. But Republicans have proved before that an obstinate minority can strong-arm a majority, shown by the Speaker fight itself, where a mere eight Republicans led by Matt Gaetz stopped the government.
Electing a Speaker who sits ideologically so far to the right of the majority American opinion could be an advantage to Democrats, as Pfeiffer predicts, or it could be a problem. Predictions like the midterm red wave or Hillary Clinton‘s certain victory often leave out a critical detail that only in hindsight becomes apparent.
Sen. Murphy and Pfeiffer may be thanking the GOP for electing a hardliner now, but whether Democrats will benefit may not be known until next November.
True reflection that the adults in the room left a long time ago because they got tired of working with these children.
— Sofia B. Kinzinger (@sofiakinzinger) October 25, 2023
Once again I say, the Republican party will not win majority in the House for a long long time. https://t.co/NJeOXWpHSM
