Step 4: Collaborate with Speaker Mike Johnson
On October 25, 2023, history was made when, for the first time, a second Speaker of the House was appointed in a single Congress. Mike Johnson, someone no one had heard of, and then, out of nowhere, became the 3rd most important person in the free world. From January 7, 2023 — to October 3, 2023 (Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ousting, there was a precedent set to have a bias against the democrats, led by McCarthy). When you have a house with a majority of only three seats, it is crucial to work with the other side; otherwise, nothing will get done. But McCarthy alienated all the democrats, ignoring the fact that he had a divided Republican Party enough to put him out of power, and that happened. But since Mike Johnson took the ranks, he has worked closely with the democratic house leader Hakeem Jeffries, showing his comprehension of working with the Democrats to get stuff done, even if it means postponing government shutdowns. Then, it came time in January for Speaker Johnson to prove himself to his party. He proposed a compromise for funding to Israel and Ukraine if border security was included. But what does Trump do? He calls his allies in the house, knowing they were enough not to hold up the majority, and tells them not to vote for it because he needs to make Biden look bad. This was the Speaker’s way to prove himself to the country, and he didn’t even have support within his party due to the former president’s remarks.
There is a weak link between Mike Johnson and Donald Trump, and Biden should and could seize the opportunity to work with the Speaker. As of a couple of weeks ago, Speaker Johnson passed, with the help of the Democrats, a $1.2 trillion funding package. After multiple continuing resolutions to avoid a shutdown, with the help of democrats (which its first way around got McCarthy ousted as members of the Republican Party disapproved of the Speaker working with democrats), Speaker Johnson finally got the votes in and passed a budget. A bit lower than previous funding bills that got this country through the pandemic. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right member, filed a motion to oust Speaker Johnson. She wanted the budget to be much lower. Even if she has a point of lower government spending due to the high national debt, compromise is crucial for any congress’s success. However, Representative Greene has not formally put in the motion, meaning it’s just a card she is holding up her sleeve. It also means the House won’t vote for it until the motion is formally presented. Unlike former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who had alienated both the Republicans and the Democrats (until the very end), Speaker Johnson won’t necessarily get ousted as he has Democrats on his side. The $1.2T funding package was passed with the help of several Democrats. That means no shutdown is in sight. President Biden should use this opportunity to connect with Mike Johnson and get the Democrats behind him because Biden has a better chance of getting moderate Republicans. This probably won’t happen, as Mike Johnson’s bias is increasing towards Biden surrounding Israel, but Biden should use this to increase his bipartisan profile. After all, if it is a Trump vs. Biden rematch, most likely, the moderate Republicans and potentially the moderate Democrats will stay home, but if Biden gives them a reason that he is willing to work with both sides, then they may not just sit on their couch and watch the election from their living room.
Conclusion/Closing:
When you look at Biden’s clear opponent, former President Trump, who brings polarization and chaos, some view it as unfavorable, and others don’t care. Trump doesn’t do well during an international pandemic, but COVID-19 was the one-in-a-century type of thing; that’s no longer an issue, meaning when it comes to the media, Trump could argue there, and he can also say by the time Biden came into office unemployment and GDP growth were already being reversed from the terrible economic disaster even though the financial disaster was partly due to Trump’s mismanagement of the economy when the world shut down. However, Biden didn’t exactly initiate the recovery process; numbers started going down under Trump. Biden is going to have to prove himself all over again. His age is an issue, and his administration is on the brink of division with an uprising in cabinet members for and against a ceasefire for the war in the Middle East, not to mention, at this point, the only thing going well is the economy. But it’s not too late. All these steps will enable Biden to get media attention and success in areas he is failing, guaranteeing him a victory in November.
This was not an article to highlight Biden’s faults. This is an article of advice on what Biden needs to do to guarantee a win. Both candidates do not represent the next generation, but Biden brings a less polarized presidency. This election will be about messaging and working with the other side. Trump can’t get moderate Democrats, but Biden can get moderate Republicans if he plays his cards right. If he were to win, this is what he needs to do, and it can’t be one or two; it needs to be all four. And yes, there is still enough time for Biden to do all of this, but Biden would need at least six months to lock in before the election to confirm he’s up to the job of being the leader of the free world. Tick-tock, time is running out, potentially for him too.
If there are any objectives that you may disagree with, email me at mason.dwek@mastersny.org. I’m ready!
