A series of events in the past few weeks has undercut what little power Johnson ever had among his fellow Republicans in the House. GOP representatives – the group that he theoretically leads – are so angry that they publicly call him names. Republicans are using parliamentary procedures to get votes on bills that Johnson doesn’t want to bring to the floor.
Incumbents panicking over the potential to lose their seats, in a Democratic landslide, are blaming Johnson for their problems. He has to make promises he must know he can’t keep to get bills passed. And Donald Trump is doing nothing to help Johnson in his time of need.
I gotta once again ask every pundit who is convinced the Speaker is on his way out… who did the GOP plan to replace him with? Like, the entire appeal of Johnson is that he’s a mediocre compromise who offends nobody in the Republican House Caucus. He never had much power to begin with, which is why the House legislative output in 2025 has been relatively lackluster.
At the same time, getting votes on bills in the House that are unlikely to survive the floor and will inevitably fail (or simply be ignored) in the Senate isn’t a problem for Johnson. The biggest benefit of being Speaker - for Johnson anyway - is the pay and benefits, as he is one of the poorest House Speakers in history.
I’m sure I’m not the first person to remark upon Johnson being one of the dumbest men to hold the job. Even former gym coach and child sex predator Denny Hastert figured out how to make a few million under the table during his tenure.
I just don’t see any strong reason for as useful an idiot as Johnson to leave his post, unless someone who can make better use of the position can step up. In a legislature that’s increasingly irrelevant to the running of the federal government, there’s very little appetite for a Strong Speaker and very little profit in failing to negotiate changes to legislation on your party’s behalf.
Punditry pays well and Cox Media Group seems to own a lot of outlets.
Trump has always been somehow untouchable, but the same could never be said about Johnson, and he makes a great fall guy for everyone’s ire at Trump.
But the key here is, no one in congress on either side really wants Johnson to be in line for the presidency should Trump’s health issues, or pedophillia, finally catch up to him. Especially with the couch fucker around and not being popular except with Nazis.
I don’t think the problem with Johnson is untouchable. I just think he’s in the role because there’s nobody better to replace him with.
Also, I just don’t think “Trump dying in office” is a serious part of anyone’s math.
Trump is 79 and lives on fast food cheeseburgers. He also appears to be on dementia slowing drugs.
Everyone has plans for if Trump croaks in office. Not having those plans is irresponsible.
He’s got the best health care money can buy and a team of doctors ready to do a triple bypass at the drop of a dime.
He’ll live to be 100.
Of course. Republicans are famous thinking long term
First, the best doctors in the world can’t help an unwilling patient.
And again, the dementia drugs. Those are not even 50% effective. They actually sit at about 30% and that’s the best we’ve got.
But thinking that people aren’t quietly talking about what to do when Trump croaks, or can’t be paraded around anymore… That’s just a fantasy.
Everyone is talking about Trump’s health. Well, everyone except his most delusional supporters, but they’re busy photoshopping his head on a fit body.
Trump’s a hypochondriac and has never been shy about taking preventative steps for his health. He was first in line for the COVID shot and first in line to get paxlovid when he became infected.
This has been the subject of endless, unverified speculation. Trump’s old, not particularly smart, and regularly in meetings that leave him bored out of his mind. Its trivial to get a picture of him half-awake and drooling, then claim you can diagnose medical conditions with a cell phone camera that doctors struggle to categorize with a CAT scan.
I’m not suggesting nobody is talking. I’m stating that Mike Johnson’s position as House Speaker has nothing to do with his perceived capability as successor to the successor to the President. Nevermind the fact that Speaker of the House is also a powerful bureaucratic position. Why would you give a shit about Trump dropping into a coma, JD Vance getting - what? - hit by a lightning bolt, I guess? And then this thing that has never happened in 250 years of US History happening in the next three years.
Every Lib has been talking about how Trump could croak any second, because they’re coked up on Copium and have zero faith in the next round of elections.
Conservatives think you could drop a bomb on Trump’s head and God would step in to stop it.