After Mike Johnson, a Congressman from Louisiana, won a long-drawn-out battle to be elected Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, several Republicans gathered about him, beaming with pride. When a reporter asked Johnson about his leading role in trying to block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory, his adoring backers booed the reporter. “Why ruin this special unifying moment?” they seemed to be saying.
To that response, I say “hogwash.” Anyone who tried to overturn a legitimate election doesn’t deserve to wear an American flag pin or serve in Congress, let alone hold the third highest office in the land.
Hey, GOP Reps, you really blew it when you elected — by a unanimous vote — a man who remains passionately devoted to Donald Trump, a con man who faces 91 charges across four criminal indictments; a narcissist who has already been convicted of sexual assault and financial fraud; an authoritarian who has trashed the U.S. Constitution and, for good measure, referred to members of the judiciary as “deranged” and “nut jobs” and “thugs.”
But wait. Time out. Let’s try to be fair to Mike Johnson during his honeymoon period. He looks clean cut. And he wears a suit and speaks in a calm voice, unlike his fellow election-denier, the bombastic Jim Jordan. After all, isn’t Mike Johnson a “good Christian?”
Yes, Johnson loudly proclaims to be a “Christian.” In fact, when asked by television commentator Sean Hannity to explain his world view, Mike replied, “The best way to understand my world view is to pick up the Bible and read it.” He’s also referred to America as “a Biblical nation,” casually ignoring the quaint notion of the separation of Church and state.
Hmmmm, Mike. I didn’t realize that a true Christian would do headstands and backflips to defend Trump, a man who’s put his fingers on more women’s private parts than Bible verses in his lifetime, but what do I know?
In fairness, the newly elected speaker does have his defenders. For example, Matt Gaetz, who threw the House of Representatives into chaos by ousting Kevin McCarthy, refers to the new Speaker as “MAGA Mike Johnson.” That’s music to Trump’s ears.
Brooke Leslie Rollins, the President and CEO of the America First Policy Institute had this to say: “This man, this new speaker, did not win merely as himself or by virtue of his own name. He won as the bearer of a particular set of policies, of principles, and of priorities that are themselves the outcome of the sort of vigorous debate that is a signal not of dissolution and disarray, but of strength and vigor. That’s what gets missed, but it is what you and I absolutely should not miss. There was a conversation at length — one delayed and one long overdue — and one set of views persuaded the others.”
So Brooke Rollins, let’s unpack your assertion about Johnson’s “particular set of policies, of principles, and of priorities.” And let’s see how they align with the views of most Americans. In a sermon, Johnson warned that attempts to address climate change are an attempt to destroy capitalism. (Note to Brooke and Mike: 60% of Americans believe global warming is a real problem.) Johnson has spoken out against any serious form of gun regulation. After the massacre in Lewiston, he pontificated that, “At the end of the day, the problem is the human heart. It’s not guns, it’s not weapons.” (Note to Brooke and Mike: 65% of Americans support banning assault weapons.) He has said, “Same-sex marriage will destroy our democratic system.” (Note to Brooke and Mike: 70% of Americans support same-sex marriage.)
The message to America is clear. By unanimously electing Mike Johnson as the House Majority Leader, the GOP has gone all in for Donald Trump, all in for Christian nationalism, all in for the extremist wing of one of our two major political parties.
Have enough Americans been paying attention to Congress to change our course for the future? I hope so. I really do hope so.
David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns at dtreadw575@aol.com.
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