'Human sacrifice': Mike Johnson is caught between a shutdown and being fired as speaker

When Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) was confirmed as House speaker, the vote came down along party lines. No Republicans voted against Johnson, whose far-right Christian nationalist views and efforts to help former President Donald Trump overturn the 2020 election results have been drawing a great deal of scrutiny from critics.

But as far to the right as Johnson is, that doesn't necessarily mean he is immune to the fate that former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) suffered when he was ousted as speaker in early October. No matter how much McCarthy attacked President Joe Biden and relentlessly defended Trump, he was never MAGA enough for Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) — whose "motion to vacate" led to McCarthy's ouster.

Two articles — one published in the Daily Beast on Friday, the other by the conservative website The Bulwark on Thursday — describe Johnson's vulnerability as speaker and the fact that he is caught between a rock and a hard place. Johnson will be blamed if there is a federal government shutdown, but he risks being ousted as speaker if enough far-right House Republicans turn against him.

The Bulwark's Joe Perticone explains, "While the potential victim of the human sacrifice is different this time, the reasons for offering it are the same: Far-right members of the House Freedom Caucus and their allies are livid that compromises are a necessity of a functioning government and that their own uncompromising positions and policy proposals are not being given priority in the negotiations. Thanks to Republicans' waning majority, these tantrums are upstaging normal business. Something's got to give. That's why Speaker Mike Johnson is at risk of losing the gavel just three months into the job."

Perticone adds, "Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) made clear that all options for bringing Johnson to heel are under consideration, including a potential motion to vacate — the rule Republicans implemented when they took control of the chamber that allows a single member to prompt a vote to remove someone from the speakership."

Reporting for The Daily Beast, Riley Rogerson stresses that early 2024 finds Johnson is "at a crossroads in his speakership" — and the "clock is ticking."

"Ever since Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) agreed to even just the framework of a government spending deal with Democrats on Sunday, the House has been in chaos," Rogerson observes. "First, it was conservatives raging against the deal, calling it 'a sham.' While there wasn't much talk of an effort to boot Johnson, some Republicans — like the perpetually dissatisfied Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) — made it clear it was an option on the table."