Can Speaker Mike Johnson Bring Consensus To The House Or Further Divide It?
By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
“Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend. Remember a smile is just a frown turned upside down my friend”. These lyrics were made famous by the singing groups, The Temptations and War.
The song had a simple message which was everyone that smiles at you is not necessarily in your corner or is your friend.
We are living in a period of history where mistrust is at an all-time high. Sadly, we cannot trust a smile. This is a fact that makes you want to do a background check on everyone that you meet.
Recently the House of Representatives elected Representative Mike Johnson to be the 56th Speaker of the US House of Representatives. He is from the state of Louisiana. Remember now the Bayou State is the same state that has Steve Scalise as a fellow House member and John Kennedy as a US Senator.
We know that they are a part of Mr. Trump’s brand. Is America troubled by having an elected leader who still believes that Mr. Trump won the 2020 election? We must ask the question; can Mr. Johnson lead with fairness and integrity knowing what we know about him?
Many are saying that Representative Johnson has a more pleasant demeanor and has a nice smile. Will his disposition and smile win votes and influence lawmakers across the aisle? We will see in the coming weeks and months to come.
Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader said, “I don’t know Mike Johnson well. Based on his track record, he appears to be an extreme right-wing ideologue.” These comments were made during a CNN interview.
New Speaker Johnson on paper at least seems to be no different than Kevin McCarthy or Jim Jordan. It could be that when he smiles you want to believe otherwise. Remember smiling faces!
Some critics are saying that he is sending mixed signals. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said, “I’m still trying to figure out what his real priorities are. Obviously, we know he is a strong right-to-life supporter, but whether or not he would work to advance abortion restrictions remains to be seen.”
Speaker Johnson said, “Go pick up a Bible off the shelf and read it. That’s my world view. That’s what I believe.” That same Bible also says that we must feed the hungry and clothe the naked. We will see how all of this plays out.
After becoming the speaker, Mr. Johnson talked about the importance of an aid package for Israel. Last week, the House approved a plan for $14.3 billion dollars for Israel in its fight against Hamas.
However, reports are that the Senate will not go along with this plan and that President Biden plans to veto it if it gets to his desk.
Some Democrats and Republicans favor President Biden’s bill of $106 billion dollars which includes funding for Israel, Ukraine, increased border security and humanitarian aid. Ukraine funding is an important piece because of Russia’s war in the region.
Efforts regarding gun control, the current rule about removing the House Speaker and social services spending will be issues that Mr. Johnson and the House will debate in the coming weeks.
Regarding gun control, Speaker Johnson said, “At the end of the day, the problem is the human heart. It’s not guns, not weapons. We have to protect the right of citizens to protect themselves and that’s the Second Amendment.”
He makes the assertion about it being a heart problem. However, we must make it more difficult for people to obtain weapons that are used to kill innocent people.
The Speaker has had a conservative past during his time as a legislator. Will he decide to work with Democrats on getting legislation passed which will help the American people? I don’t know. Quite honestly, I don’t know if he knows yet.
