Those Happy few…

The Congress has reason to celebrate. The House finally has a Speaker.

The House elected Mike Johnson (R-LA) by an unanimous vote by the House Republican Caucus.

Johnson, who was first elected to Congress from Louisiana’s 4th Congressional in 2016, was the Vice-Chair of the House Republican Caucus and Deputy Whip until his election as Speaker. Johnson supported Trump’s assertions of election fraud in the 2020 election, and challenged Electoral College votes for Joe Biden, but also has been chosen by his colleagues for the above mentioned leadership positions. Still, Democrats, who also can’t seem to get past the 2020 election, will use that as their focus for their attacks on Johnson.

Donald Trump stopped short of an endorsement, but suggested on Truth Social that the House should go with whoever was the leading candidate.

Ironically, it took until St. Crispin’s Day for Republicans in the House to unite around one candidate, ironic as the William Shakespeare’s “Band of Brothers” speech in Act IV, Scene III of his 1599 play, Henry V, was made on the eve of the outnumbered English forces battle against the French at Agincourt, which took place on St. Crispin’s Day, Oct. 25, 1415.

In Shakespeare’s play King Henry V rallies his weary English forces with the words:

And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember’d;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

From Henry V, Act IV, Scene III

After more than three weeks, the House Republican Caucus, upon Saint Crispin’s Day, finally acted, not as a bunch of squabbling siblings focused on each getting their individual ego stroked and fundraising war chests filled, but instead, acted as a “band of brothers (and sisters)” and finally elected a new Speaker of House.