Towards the end of this fart-fest of wishful thinking and litany of of typical Trumpian lies about his 49.9% to 48.4% "landslide," is the would-be dictator's endorsement of MAGA Mike as his puppet Speaker for the 119th Congress. We'll soon see if any Republican besides Thomas Massie and maybe crackpot Victoria Sparz has the guts to stand up to Trump. My guess is no, and certainly not beyond the first round of voting.
You might be interested in knowing that while MAGA Mike's subservience to Señor Trumpanzee reflects this era’s trend of hyper-partisanship and presidential dominance over congressional leaders, other times saw more independent and assertive Speakers. Teddy Roosevelt was cursed with reactionary Republican Joseph Cannon as speaker and Cannon opposed progressive reforms that Roosevelt backed, from women’s suffrage and conservation to the labor movement and taxation. Cannon famously said of Roosevelt that he had “no more use for the Constitution than a tomcat has for a marriage license.” As Speaker, Cannon was an absolute dictator and was also a bane on the life of the next Republican president, Taft.
Although no Cannon, Democrat Sam Rayburn, who served on and off as speaker between 1940 and 1961 was known for his independence and for prioritizing congressional prerogatives. He famously guided legislation with a focus on institutional strength rather than presidential deference, something like Nancy Pelosi who wasn’t afraid to push back when necessary, particularly during negotiations over spending bills and stimulus packages.
In recent decades, especially under figures like John Boehner and Paul Ryan, the Speaker's role has been increasingly reflected party alignment with the president, driven by rising polarization, media influence and the fear of alienating the party's base to the point— under MAGA Mike— where the speaker’s extreme loyalty to (and dependence on) Trump has made the speaker a mere appendage of the White House and represents the culmination of a trend where personal loyalty to the leader has superseded legislative independence. The shift reflects not just changes in individual personalities but also structural factors— such as the rise of primaries and partisan gerrymandering— that have tethered politicians more tightly to party bases, reducing room for independent action.
This morning, Alexander Bolton predicted that Señor T is on a collision course with the Freedom Caucus— albeit not MAGA Mike— over the debt limit. Like the Democrats, Trump wants to just scrap the whole thing. GOP extremists, like the 38 who voted against his demand to extend the debt ceiling last week, “now say Trump will need to agree to deep cuts in spending if he wants their support for raising the debt limit in 2025… [Rand] Paul called the defeat of Trump’s proposal to raise the debt limit without spending cuts ‘a good day for conservatives.’… Just one or two GOP lawmakers may be able to derail any budget reconciliation package that includes language to raise the debt ceiling if conservatives think the spending cuts don’t go far enough— or if moderates think cuts go too far.”
Trump is already trying to hammer rebellious House conservatives back into line by threatening to support primary challenges against lawmakers who opposed his bid to raise the debt limit before taking office.
He zeroed in last week on Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), who is leading the conservative opposition in the House to raising the debt limit without big spending cuts.
“I hope some talented challengers are getting ready in the Great State of Texas to go after Chip in the Primary. He won’t have a chance!” Trump posted on social media.
…Brian Darling, a GOP strategist and former Senate aide, said Trump is going to have to give conservatives the spending cuts they want and put pressure on Republican moderates to go along with those reforms.
But that will also be a challenge, given Congress’s weak record cutting spending over the past 25 years.
“Now that the debt limit failed as part of the CR, it’s clear the [“Department of Government of Efficiency” (DOGE)] cuts will have to be married to a debt limit increase to get anything through Congress with the support of conservatives,” Darling said.
“If the DOGE thing is more than just a shiny object for conservatives, then its recommendations have to be part of any debt-limit deal,” he added.
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