I’ve been covering Congress for years, and I never heard of the man who was elected speaker on Wednesday, writes Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet.
I’ve been covering Congress for years, and I never heard of the man who was elected speaker on Wednesday, Republican Mike Johnson of Louisiana.
Google got a workout when his name suddenly surfaced as a contender only a few days ago.Opinion
For 21 deadlocked days, House GOP members struggled to find someone who could muster 217 votes. After now former Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California was ousted in a coup led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio and Tom Emmer of Minnesota tried and failed to win the gavel.
To say Johnson, first elected to Congress in 2016, is low profile might be an exaggeration. Perhaps obscure is better.
Johnson, 51, from Shreveport, won the speakership with 220 votes, on the first ballot.
Democrats have a lot to complain about Johnson.
What I am urging is in the discussion about Johnson, we separate policies where people disagree, for example his support for a national abortion ban and his opposition to gay marriage, with his alarming positions playing a role in the unraveling of our democracy.
That should be of concern to everybody – but obviously it’s not since Johnson is now speaker.
By the unraveling of our democracy I mean:
·Johnson, now in line for the presidency — after the vice president — is a leading election denier.
· Johnson voted to overturn the 2020 election in an attempt to keep President Donald Trump in power and deny Joe Biden the presidency.
