Good luck, Mike Johnson!

Mike Johnson won the speakership, but he may still have a rough road ahead of him. The Washington Post described the vote as “messy,” and said that while Johnson did win, it’s a sign of yet another fractured and chaotic caucus. That just seems to be today’s Republican nature. They are unable to work with each other, let alone across the aisle. Republicans’ biggest obstacle is figuring out how to get the far-right faction to work with the more traditional Republicans. Their views could not be farther apart if they were from different parties, but they’re not. They need to get it together. The funny thing is that Trump’s agenda is not that different from the first time he took office: he wants money to finish the border wall and wants to cut taxes on the wealthy (again). Neither of those agenda items does anything for most people in this country, but history tells us they will push those things through and do nothing that benefits everyday people. Many analyses have indicated that people voted Republican because of their frustration with the economy. We’ll see how they feel after four years of Trump’s self-serving agenda.

Winning the speakership seems to have given Mike Johnson a notion of power he doesn’t have. After winning the vote, he took to social media to take a jab at President Biden, calling him “a disgrace” to the presidency. He further complained about Biden’s pardons and “celebrat[ing] shamed politicians like Liz Cheney and Hillary Clinton who lied to the American people and did everything they could to try to take down President Trump.” Here we go again with pointing fingers while pointing three back at himself. No one, and I mean no one, has lied as much as Donald Trump. By calling Clinton and Cheney liars, Johnson need not throw stone in his glass house. He is the joke, and others couldn’t wait to tell him so. According to Raw Story, journalist John Harwood responded: “You serve in disgrace.” Democratic influencer Harry Sisson was more brutal: “You bow down to convicted felon Donald Trump every damn day. You give in to lunatics like Marjorie Taylor Greene. You are everything that’s wrong with politics. President Biden is a great man and a great president.” Valentina Gomez, a failed MAGA candidate, wrote: “He gave them medals and pardons because you didn’t hold anyone accountable. Your hearings, investigations, and strongly worded letters did absolutely nothing, Mike.”

Both left and right are correct about Johnson. He’s no leader; he’s a milquetoast. After bending over for Trump for months, he allowed Trump to berate him, leaving him in fear of being able to keep the job. When Trump finally decided to endorse him, Johnson began his groveling once again. Johnson is not a leader. He is better described as a follower, as he hangs on Trump’s every word as if everything he says is the gospel. Leaders speak their minds, regardless of the positions held by others. In the Republican Congress, however, that’s not always possible. Ask Kevin McCarthy.

Shirley Kennedy

Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years