# The Great Ongoing Revolving Speakership of the 118th Congress {Mike Johnson is new speaker as of 2023-10-25} **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 12, 2023, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432 "2023-10-12T02:05:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 66
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2023, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1301 "2023-10-25T21:18:07Z")
I thought the rules are set at the start of each session, and remain in place thru that session. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2023, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1302 "2023-10-25T22:05:30Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > So why would the FC care about whether Johnson causes a shutdown, two (plus) of the three possible options outlined in the post? They want it. > > I’m sure I’m missing something here… You think Johnson will hold power by causing a long-term govt shutdown? I assume at some point, the non-FC side will then kick him to the curb. They also have the power to do so… ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2023, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1303 "2023-10-25T22:10:13Z")
There really isn’t a non-fc side. Look at who just got the job. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2023, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1304 "2023-10-25T22:13:25Z")
Do folks really think all House members on the Repub side are looking forward to an extended govt shutdown? They have a lot of supporters on that payroll. Maybe they truly do want to watch things burn. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2023, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1305 "2023-10-25T22:31:08Z")
Moderating: > [@wguy123](#): > > Do folks really think all House members on the Repub side are looking forward to an extended govt shutdown? This thread was for the discussion of getting a Speaker. We now have one. We’ve created a thread to discuss the ramifications of this Johnson Speakership, here: > [@What is the Import of Mike Johnson's Win as Speaker of the House?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-import-of-mike-johnsons-win-as-speaker-of-the-house/992097): > > Not wishing to hijack this thread: But I have some thoughts. I hope I’m wrong, but I fear from this outcome that the takeaway is that Republicans will devote all their efforts to steal the next election in 2024 in the same way they attempted to steal it in 2020. Johnson was a key architect in the 2020 effort (gift link): I believe Republicans will spend the next year putting as many fixes in place as they can to do “legally” this time what Trump was unable to accomplish in 2020. Between… If Johnson gets tossed out and the search for a Speaker resumes, this will be a great thread to return to. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1306 "2023-12-05T20:54:24Z")
I guess three weeks as temporary speaker completely wore him out: > **[Rep. Patrick McHenry, who served as temporary speaker, will not seek re-election](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/rep-patrick-mchenry-served-temporary-speaker-will-retire-rcna128136)** > > McHenry, 48, served as House speaker pro tempore for three weeks this year after conservatives ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the top House job. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1307 "2023-12-05T21:14:46Z")
They probably just put the re-election form on the top shelf and said, “ah fuck it.” ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1308 "2023-12-05T21:25:23Z")
To be fair, he will have served for twenty years when he is done. What’s surprising to me is that he’s only 48 years old. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1309 "2023-12-05T22:11:14Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > To be fair, he will have served for twenty years when he is done. Yep. Now that he’s got a nice safe pension, it’s time to cash in on lobbying or a Fox News show. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1310 "2023-12-05T22:16:12Z")
That dude is my age?? I looked at a picture of him and thought, “How could that old guy be the same age as me??” Then I realized that how old I _think_ I am, and how old I _actually_ am, is off by about 15 years. Always a kick in the gut to be reminded what 48-year-olds look like. [![](https://images.wsj.net/im-895862?width=700&height=466) ](https://images.wsj.net/im-895862?width=700&height=466) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1311 "2023-12-05T22:19:36Z")
The gray hair doesn’t help. Mine was that color at 28. If he had a head of dark hair and lost the glasses for contact lenses he’d look much younger. Bowties are another marker that screams “I’m a fogey at heart” regardless of one’s actual age. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1312 "2023-12-06T00:10:18Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Always a kick in the gut to be reminded what 48-year-olds look like. I’m 46 and I certainly don’t look nearly as old as that guy. Then again, I am not cosplaying as Orville Redenbacher. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1313 "2023-12-06T00:57:42Z")
[This is kind of baffling](https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/05/politics/mike-johnson/index.html) > [@](#): > > House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that before publicly releasing footage of the US Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, the faces of the mob will be blurred to protect them from the Justice Department. … “We’re going through a methodical process of releasing them as quickly as we can. As you know, we have to blur some of the faces of persons who participated in events of that day because we don’t want them to be retaliated against and to be charged by the DOJ and to have other, you know, concerns and problems.” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1314 "2023-12-06T01:11:15Z")
Ladies and gentlemen, the party of law and order! 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1315 "2023-12-06T01:26:12Z")
Lord knows we don’t want our law enforcement agencies going after criminals that vote Republican. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1316 "2023-12-06T02:29:07Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Bowties are another marker that screams “I’m a fogey at heart” regardless of one’s actual age. My version: Bowties are another marker that casually indicate that one has the confidence to make personal, possibly quirky, style choices, regardless of the opinions of other conformists ~~screams “I’m a fogey at heart” regardless of one’s actual age~~. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1317 "2023-12-06T03:39:34Z")
He _does_ know that the DOJ already has the unredacted tapes, I’m sure. He just doesn’t want _us_ coming after them. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1318 "2023-12-06T03:42:09Z")
More specifically the Sedition Hunters ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1319 "2023-12-06T05:26:43Z")
Republicans: “We help criminals hide from the law!” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432/1320 "2023-12-06T09:57:11Z")
Huh. So _that’s_ what Rick Moranis has been up to. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432.md?page=65) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-revolving-speakership-of-the-118th-congress-mike-johnson-is-new-speaker-as-of-2023-10-25/991432.md?page=67)