The new House Speaker, Mike Johnson (La.), is a well-spoken man with an affable demeanor. But what lies beneath the gentlemanly mien? Is there a “Christian nationalist” just waiting to crawl out? Or is he another “RINO” in disguise, perhaps?
It is usually wise to bet against the hysteria of the liberal press. The left-wing rag Salon only somewhat exaggerated the consensus by declaring Johnson a “bigger threat to America than Hamas could ever be.” Democrats are plugging the same message: Johnson is a “MAGA extremist” with a radical, religiously infused agenda.
On the right, the obloquy of the media is often a badge of honor. No one understands that better than the restlessly provocative Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who paved the way for Johnson’s sudden rise from obscurity. The evangelical backbencher is every bit the scary right-winger that the liberals say he is, if we take Gaetz at his word. Johnson means business. He is not one of those “uniparty” swamp creatures like Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). Or is he?
Unlike the comparatively urbane and un-ideological McCarthy, Johnson can at least be mistaken for a fanatic, or what today passes for one. In a recent interview with Sean Hannity, he described sodomy as a “lifestyle choice” rather than a sacrosanct “identity,” a big no-no in today’s world. At the same time he downplayed his record on culture controversies. America is many things, but “socially conservative” it is not. The Democrats understand this very well, and “MAGA Mike,” who seems to be an intelligent man, knows it too.
Given enough time, Johnson is likely to disappoint his new right-wing fans. Notes of skepticism are already creeping in. On foreign policy, his tentative backing of Ukraine, even as Western leaders come to grips with the inevitability of a negotiated peace, puts him at odds with the new (or rather, old) isolationism of “America First.” While the American right is overwhelmingly sympathetic to Israel, Johnson’s decision to make Israel his first priority, even as the invasion of the Mexican border rages unabated, will raise doubts in some minds about his commitments and his judgment.
Johnson’s hawkish foreign policy belies a soft heart. When America lost its mind three summers ago, Johnson joined the mad rush to declare George Floyd’s death a “murder” and demanded “transformative change.” He described the Declaration of Independence as a “promissory note,” adopting the radical view of the Founding as an incomplete project and a restless engine of permanent revolution.
Such woefully superficial rhetoric does not stray from the usual GOP fare. But in the era of Trump, Republican voters have raised their expectations. They want leadership that is unapologetically patriotic and which unequivocally rejects the radical left and its racial calumnies. Social conservatism married to aggressive foreign policy and “civil rights” with a folksy Christian touch is not radical; it is a well-established tradition in Republican politics, represented by the likes of the dearly departed Mike Pence.
Through no merit of his own, Johnson has done what McCarthy could not. He has unified the establishment GOP with its “America First” faction, which, after the seemingly pointless events of the past month, is beginning to look like a part of the “uniparty” it claims to oppose. Even if Johnson fails to meet the high expectations laid upon him by left and right alike, which appears likely, it is doubtful Gaetz will turn on the man he has already declared an anti-establishment maverick. Whatever happens next, the drama of the past weeks is finished: there is even word that the single-member motion to vacate rule, which precipitated McCarthy’s demise, will get scrapped.
The excitement of McCarthy’s sacking having passed, right-wingers may wake up to find that the GOP is basically the same party as before, with a Speaker more or less palatable to the status quo. The right will grow more disillusioned with any Republican not named Trump, and the left, no matter how mild Johnson turns out to actually be, will continue its untethered spiral into madness.
Johnson appears to be what he always was and what he was is only now being made apparent by his historical political record. The fact that he slid in under the radar, touted as a MAGA Republican, was not only a surprise but more like a life rope needed by the House Republicans who were being decimated by the media and Trump’s base. At least now the party can move forward against a sea of national and international troubles and try, by opposing, end them or at least stop the hemorrhage until reinforcements arrive in 2024.
Without a doubt the open southern border and support for the Israeli war represent existential priorities. Israel’s Oct 7, Day of Infamy, could not be a clearer forewarning for what to expect in America before the 2024 election.
Johnson will get that right however his greatest weapon is the overdue impeachment of a President that he knows was never elected but, instead, installed, to do the bidding of Obama who is championing America’s Muslim enemies. His weapon of choice is Article II, Section III of the Constitution which requires the President to faithfully execute the laws of the US. What is the point of having an Executive that ignores the laws, obfuscates them and attempts to deliberately work around them, because he dislikes them? Johnson does not need impeachment inquires to connect the dots between Joe Biden, his corrupt family enterprises and foreign governments. Republicans huff and puff and do little else. The House has the ability to enact budgets and to prioritize spending but most of all it has the power to damage the Executive Branch through impeachment proceedings, subpoenas and depositions which will do far more to bring the corrupt media and the distracted public’s attention to what cannot be illustrated, more throughly, by any other method.
Well said. The only other thing that Johnson must do is to impeach Mayorkas and Garland.
Seems like a false dilemma. Are there only those two options: MAGA or Rhino? Just asking.