After what seemed like months of Republican infighting within the House of Representatives, a new Speaker of the House has finally been elected.
The first candidate to win the nomination was House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, but with 16 Republican candidates indicating that they would vote for Jim Jordan instead, Scalise withdrew from the race before the vote would commence in the House.
The second nominee was none other than the far-right conservative Jim Jordan of Ohio ( unfortunately sharing my namesake), but he was challenged by Republican member Austin Scott of Georgia. After three failed rounds of voting through October 16th-20th, the Republican Party dropped Jordan.
The third winner of the nominee was an ally of McCarthy, Tom Emmer of Minnesota. He did not last long, though, as the opposition from former President Trump and far-right members of the House led Emmer to dropping out of the race mere hours after winning the nomination.
At this point, Republicans were seen running around the House chambers, crying and pulling their hair, screaming that this nightmare (that they caused) would never end. Then…BAM. The lights cut out. A lone spotlight appears, shining on the smart, the brave, the oh-so talented…Mike Johnson.
Um…who?
Mike Johnson, Louisiana representative since 2017, was previously a litigator and spokesman for the Alliance Defense Fund, an American, conservative, Christian legal advocacy group. There, he pursued a career and subsequently exposing himself as stanchly against LGBTQ+ rights (evident through his twice defense of Lousina’s anti-gay marriage bill in 2004 and 2014, before the Supreme Court ruled for gay marriage in 2015 ruling, Obergefell v Hodges).
Mike further expressed his views on homosexuality in several editorials found in his local Shreveport, Louisiana, paper: The Times. Here’s a telling quote of his: “Your race, creed, and sex are what you are, while homosexuality and cross-dressing are things you do.” He also describes homosexuality as “inherently unnatural” and a “dangerous lifestyle”.
Alongside his strict views on homosexuality belongs his stance on abortion. Johnson is staunchly against abortion, even calling abortions “a holocaust”. When Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, he commented “Many of us have been working towards this day our entire adult lives and it is a joyous occasion.”
I would like to remind everyone that The Speaker of the House is second in line to the presidency.
Mike and his spouse, Kelly Johnson, are religious Christians as well. Kelly runs a company, Onward Christian Counseling Services, in which their 2017 operating agreement writes “We believe and the Bible teaches that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God.”
Her comparison of homosexuality to crimes such as incest and bestiality has come under fire, especially now that her husband has gained the Speaker position. The website for her company was sadly pulled down Saturday, October 28th.
The Speaker’s Christianity constitutes a large role in his life. When asked about his policies, Johnson answered “Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That’s — that’s my worldview. That’s what I believe.”
According to a 2020 study, Pew Research Center has found that only 64% of Americans follow Christianity (including children). Would a Speaker whose policies are strict to the Bible represent Americans? How does that statement read to those outside of the Christian religion?
The cherry on top of this disaster sundae is Johnson’s role in the 2020 election. He is a Trump supporter and election denier. Claiming that the results were false, Johnson collected Republican House members’ signatures for a legal brief in support of a Texas lawsuit trying to overthrow the election results in four swing states.
Though the Supreme Court rejected the lawsuit, Johnson managed to get 60% of House Republicans to sign the brief by misleading representatives that Trump approved of the initiative to get an understanding of who backed the former president.
No, this is not a playground drama where the bully (Trump) tries to gather supporters through his sidekick (Johnson). This is Congress.
Johnson faces many issues now as Speaker of the House. High amongst the current problems is passing a budget and avoiding a government shutdown— part of why the original Speaker McCarthy got ousted in the first place.
If the U.S. government has proven anything lately, it’s that truly anything can happen at any time. Mike’s new position serves no exception. Americans are patiently waiting to see how Johnson will perform, and the effect it will have on the very divided Republican party.
