A House vote that breaks the narrative
Almost as soon as the presidential primaries began in January, one narrative of this election year in the United States was dominant: that Americans merely faced a rematch between a current and a former president that most said they did not want. Yet a second and more compelling narrative may be unfolding in the U.S. House of Representatives, one about the capacity for the renewal of the American model of self-government.
On Saturday, a wide bipartisan majority of the House passed four bills funding military assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. The measures also included humanitarian aid for war-torn Gaza and Sudan. The bills follow the recent adoption of legislation to prevent a government shutdown and extend a covert surveillance law.
The flurry of activity in the House could mark the maturing of a new generation of leaders learning to temper partisan passions through reason and consensus. In one way, this was forced on the lawmakers. Republicans hold only a two-seat majority, making House Speaker Mike Johnson vulnerable to being ousted by just a few Republicans, as his predecessor was. To keep his job, he had recently favored strong immigration reforms over funds for Ukraine. Yet after hearing the nation’s highest intelligence briefings about the Russian threat in Ukraine and Europe, he apparently shifted his thinking. That change of heart led him to ignore the threat of a revolt of a few within his own ranks and move forward on legislation that had been stalled for months.
“I could make a selfish decision and do something different,” he told reporters last week, “but I’m doing here what I believe to be the right thing.”
The speaker’s decision reflects the design of American democracy to favor what James Madison called “the mild voice of reason, pleading the cause of an enlarged and permanent interest.” A study published last year by the Center for Effective Lawmaking at the University of Virginia found, based on 40 years of congressional activity, that bipartisanship is the key to effective legislating – especially amid division and polarization.
The reason for that may be rooted in what consensus requires. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries last week praised Mr. Johnson for being “open, honest, and highly communicative.” Rep. Jim Himes, a Democrat from Connecticut, told Politico, “I don’t think I agree with him politically on anything, but I do think he has integrity. And I do think he’s acting like a leader.”
Another quality at work was a willingness to listen to alternative views. “Only by having humility can leaders bring people together,” wrote Marilyn Gist, professor emerita of the Center of Leadership Formation at Seattle University, in The Hill in 2020. “When leaders display regard for others’ dignity ... compromise is much more likely.” This year’s election narrative might be about to change.
