Dem
51
GOP
49
Actually, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is more a troll than a goblin, but Spider-Man never faced off against the Green Troll. In any case, after strongly implying she was going to stand down on her threat to try to remove Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Greene changed course, pulled the trigger... and was humiliated.
Technically, the House did not actually vote on whether or not to vacate the chair. Johnson foresaw that Greene might move forward despite her assurances to the contrary, and had a plan in place. So, the vote was actually on whether or not to even consider her motion. Perhaps this gave Democrats, and even some Republicans, some cover, since they weren't actually voting on Johnson directly. In any event, the motion to table succeeded by a vote of 359 (196 R, 163 D) to 43 (11 R, 32 D), with 28 members (10R , 18D) either voting "present" or else not voting.
Not only did Greene's MTV go up in flames, but she was booed loudly, by members of both parties, when she stood on the floor of the House and converted the MTV into a privileged resolution. On top of that, many Republican members are so tired of stunts from Greene and other far-right Republicans, there is now talk of changing conference rules to punish such behavior. Possible penalties include loss of committee memberships (which would be the second time for Greene, if it happens) and expulsion from the House Republican Conference.
Meanwhile, the fact that Johnson won the battle does not mean he's won the war. He's shown himself to be pretty savvy, particularly as compared to Kevin McCarthy. However, the primary thing keeping him safe right now is that House Republicans don't want yet another embarrassing "we are barely capable of governing" fiasco. If the GOP holds its House majority (a big "if"), Johnson has indicated he wants to run to keep his job in the next Congress. Quite a few of his members are not enthused, to say the least.
Also, Johnson survived the MTV challenge thanks to Democratic votes. Exactly what deal Johnson struck with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is not known, but it's possible the debt incurred during the negotiations over Ukraine funding has now been paid. Further, Johnson cannot be both a bipartisan unifier and a hyperpartisan bomb thrower (see the item immediately above, and the one immediately below). Point is, if the Democrats decide they've had enough of his song and dance, they could have a chat with the 11 Republicans who apparently would like to see him go, and tell those Republicans that the blue team is no longer going to bail the Speaker out. In short, Johnson shouldn't feel too comfortable, even if he did beat the Greene Goblin handily. (Z)