Johnson vote prompts Freedom Caucus to study Gingrich's era as conservatives issue demand letter

Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker who led Republicans to their first House majority in 40 years in 1994, advised the House Freedom Caucus to remember how his own caucus helped conservatives gain power within the party.

In 1983, Gingrich and other conservatives created "positive action principles" as part of the Conservative Opportunity Society.

"After 11 years, they led to the Contract with America and the first GOP House Majority in 40 years."

Gingrich stated that the Freedom Caucus could be more effective if they studied them, as agreed upon by Mark Halperin in his "Wide World of News" newsletter.

Halperin wrote that the Freedom Caucus is a group of rebels with a set of causes but no clear strategy to achieve them.

In the 1980s, while Ronald Reagan was president, Boston Democratic Speaker Tip O'Neill held significant power over the House. Despite their ideological differences, O'Neill and Reagan maintained a friendly relationship.

During the initial years of C-SPAN broadcasting live House floor sessions, Gingrich frequently spoke to conservative concerns in the late evenings, speaking to an almost empty chamber but with a rapt audience on the new TV medium.

Craig Shirley, biographer of Newt Gingrich, advised the Freedom Caucus to examine the Conservative Opportunity Society's work and the trajectory Gingrich took from a lesser-known congressman to speaker on Saturday, as shared on Planet Chronicle Digital.

Shirley remarked that the term "brilliant" is often used carelessly, but she believes Gingrich's work in the 1980s and 1990s was exceptionally smart politics.

"Reagan had already blazed that path eight years before Gingrich did."

Despite some critics claiming that the GOP has shifted its stance on certain issues and become more moderate on others, Shirley maintains that it remains essentially the same as it was during Gingrich's time.

"Strong national defense, pro-life, less taxes, more freedom, less government."

In a PBS interview, Former Rep. Vin Weber, R-Minn., stated that the Conservative Opportunity Society, or the Freedom Caucus, was a rare group and that there was a shared concern among members about alienating their party leaders.

During the time before the Reagan era, there were a few small conservative groups within the caucus, including one in the 1960s led by Rep. Donald Rumsfeld, who would later become the Pentagon chief twice.

Gingrich queried Weber on the final day of the 1982 session, inquiring about his plans for the following year and the decade ahead.

Weber remembered saying, "I thought that was interesting and added, 'I expect to be back here, but nothing special other than that.'"

Weber stated that he, as an individual, was not effective in achieving his goals. He acknowledged that I, as a person, had been supportive of his point of view and had some organizational skills, which he identified during the [GOP] conference.

If the Freedom Caucus plays their cards right, they have the chance to achieve their goals with full Republican control in Washington, as stated by Shirley.

Speaker Mike Johnson doesn't have a contract, but he has a core set of issues and an ideology that he follows easily. No one should doubt his commitment to Reaganite principles, as he said.

Gingrich on Hannity: Johnson's one-round vote victory on Friday was a great triumph.

"He is a decent, hardworking, and intelligent individual. I am not as patient as he is, nor do I possess the ability to keep moving forward in the same manner. His ability to do so is truly extraordinary."

According to Freedom Caucus member Ralph Norman, R-S.C., the group met with Johnson and found that he lacked the "umph" or willingness to fight for Trump's agenda.

"I utilize the past 14 months as a backdrop, with our omni-bills consisting of 1500 pages that were difficult to read, and there were no spending cuts to offset the $100 billion in new spending."

"Yesterday, we wanted to convey to [Johnson] that we had a slim majority, but that has now ended. Our goal was to inquire about his commitment to fighting for the things we've been requesting, such as a balanced budget, offsets, and support for the Trump agenda."

Johnson would have faced a second round of speaker votes if Norman and Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, had not initially voted for him.

Norman stated that "The Story" was the only way for him to express his voice.

Johnson's agreement to fight for the things he mentioned to Planet Chronicle, along with Trump's message that Johnson was the only speaker candidate with support in the caucus, influenced his decision to ultimately support the Louisianan.

In a "Dear Colleague" letter released Friday, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., and his members outlined several policy points that Johnson should adopt to "undo the harm caused by the Biden-Harris administration" and achieve long-standing conservative objectives.

The letter revealed that they voted for Johnson due to their unwavering loyalty to Trump and their desire to facilitate a seamless certification of the January 6 electors.

"Despite our reservations about the Speaker's past 15 months of performance, we proceeded with the task."

The caucus urged Johnson to adjust the House calendar to match the Senate's schedule, require reconciliation legislation to reduce spending and deficits in "real terms," and put an end to violations of the "72-hour-rule" for debating amendments to bills.

Johnson was instructed not to depend on Democrats to pass legislation that his own caucus majority does not back.

Norman stated that he believes Johnson comprehends the need to address the conservative bloc's demands after observing the initial silence of several Republicans during the first roll call and witnessing his and Self's initial non-Johnson vote.