Note: I wrote this post two years ago, on the day Mr. Johnson became Speaker. He spent the last 43 days holding the Republican fort in the House, safe and sound. He sent all reps home, and refused to bring them to try and resort the shut down. He also refused give the oath to the newly elected rep from Arizona. She was installed yesterday. She promptly added her named to the Epstein petition. Johnson has a dubious history when comes truth. Especially about trumps big lie. He championed the big lie and went to bat for Trump to try and overturn the election in Trump’s favor. Mr. Speaker, President Biden won the contest by 7 million votes. Will you play it straight next week when the Epstein files release come to vote?
Introduction: Mike Johnson, the new Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, has caused controversy with his remarks. They endorse Christian Nationalism. He also supports a conservative view of American history derived from the Founders’ Constitution. He notably avoids contemporary issues like climate change and nuclear war, instead focusing on the national debt. Accusations of dishonesty and participation in the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election have been leveled against Johnson. His discourse was construed to show a disregard for the Reconstruction Amendments that expanded rights to marginalized groups. His position, however, aids Democrats in future elections..
I listened to him give his opening remarks. This happened before he was sworn in as speaker. I found a text copy of his speech. I’ve reviewed the text and pulled five quotes highlighting some of his ideas. I followed his statement with a short discussion.
White Christian Nationalism
Near the beginning of his speech, Mr. Johnson let it known that he and others in positions of leadership were “raised up” by god. He’s what he said:
I want to tell all my colleagues here what I said to the Republicans in that room last night. I don’t believe there are any coincidences in a matter like this. I believe that scripture, the Bible, is very clear. That God is the one that raises up those in authority. He raised up each of you—all of us. And I believe God has ordained and allowed us to be brought here for this specific time. This is my belief. I believe we each have a tremendous responsibility today. We must use God’s gifts to serve the extraordinary people of this great American country. And they deserve it.
Mike Johnson, Speaker’s First Speech to the House, October 25, 2023
You claim that god raised you up to be a U.S. Representative. You believe that. But, to get into the House, you need to be elected by people. Your very large congressional district, LA 4, runs from I-20 down to I-10. People in District 4 voted for you. No one called you, least of all god. Do you think that god is only on the side of the winners of our elections?
So, Mike, let’s agree on something important. Representatives get to sit with you through the hallmark of a democracy. This hallmark is free and fair elections open to all citizens of the United States. These rights exist because of post-Civil War Amendments. You must fess up and answer the reporter’s question about your efforts to overturn the last election. Those with you booed the reporter, and one of them (Virginia Foxx (R-NC) told the reporter to “shut up,” twice.
When you evoke god as you did in your speech, you are identifying yourself as a Christian Nationalist. Andrew Whitehead and Samuel L. Perry are scholars who explore American idolatry and how Christian nationalism betrays the Gospel and threatens the church. They conclude that your statements indicate that “you show a strong embrace of the ethos of Christian nationalism” (Andrew Whitehead and Samuel L. Perry, The Christian Nationalism of Speaker Mike Johnson, Time, 10/28/23).
Old America’s Creed
What is our creed? “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” Not born equal. Created equal. And they’re endowed by the same “inalienable rights, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness.” That creed has given life to our nation since its founding. It has made us the great nation we are.
Mike Johnson, Speaker’s Speech
Not born equal. Created equal. This is the creed of the Founders Constitution, not our current Constitution. It was the creed of the colonists who wrote the Declaration of Independence. Only white men were created equal. Women, Blacks, and Native Peoples were not included as equals by the founders. As Speaker, Johnson should read and try to comprehend the 14th and 19th Amendments. The 14th Amendment (1868) granted citizenship to all persons born (not created) or naturalized in the United States. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote (1920). Mr. Johnson should also take note that the 14th Amendment, Section 3, banned anyone from holding office. This applies to those taking part in an insurrection. Supporting an insurrection, such as the Civil War and January 6th, also leads to a ban. I believe it could be construed that you gave favor to Trump’s failed coup d’état.
Existential Threats
The greatest threat to our national security is our nation’s debt. While we’ve been sitting in this room, the debt has crossed almost $33.6 trillion. And the time it will take me to deliver this speech will go up another $20 million in debt. It’s unsustainable. We have to get the country back on track. We know this will be challenging, and tough decisions must be made. The consequences, if we don’t act now, are unbearable.
Mike Johnson
The national debt stands at $33 trillion. It isn’t, though, the greatest threat to National security. Scholars, politicians, and activists use literature to emphasize threats. The most severe threats to our safety are climate change and nuclear war, which also endanger other nations. The earth’s climate has warmed significantly. We are experiencing the hottest summers. Fire seasons are longer and more severe. We are also facing more extreme weather. The United States and Russia hold 90% of nuclear weapons and launch vehicles. Both countries are spending billions on advanced nuclear weaponry and launch vehicles. The other six nuclear club countries are doing the same. We need to confront climate change by eliminating fossil fuel usage. Nuclear weapons need to be eliminated from the earth. Talk about these issues, Mr. Speaker, and then talk about what you think is the greatest threat to National security.
Look to the Reconstruction Amendments for America’s Core Principles not the Founders Conservative Core Principles
And that’s the same great things that have guided our nation since its founding. What are those great things? I call them the seven core principles of American conservatism. But I think it is quintessentially the core principle of our nation. I boil them down to individual freedom, limited government, and the rule of law. Peace through strength and fiscal responsibility are also important. Finally, free markets and human dignity are essential. Those are the foundations that made us the extraordinary nation that we are. And you and I today are the stewards of those principles.
Mike Johnson, Speaker’s Speech
American conservatism’s seven principles, according to Mr. Johnson, need to be revised. I’ve been reading Kermit Roosevelt’s book, The National That Never Was. Here is what he suggests are American values and their origin.
Our American values come from the Civil War and Reconstruction. Those events happened because of slavery and Black Americans. The fight against slavery inspired people. They reinterpreted the Declaration into the American ideals expressed in the Gettysburg Speech. Black Americans participated in that fight. It was their involvement that made those ideals become law in the Reconstruction Amendments. As Nikole Hannah-Jones writes, Black Americans have never been the problem; they have been the solution.
Roosevelt III, Kermit. The Nation That Never Was (p. 173). University of Chicago Press. Kindle Edition.
The
The Founders’ Constitution (Roosevelt, p. 164) was about hypothetical people (created), whereas the Reconstruction Constitution (Roosevelt, p. 126) is about real people, and they possess legal rights. Unlike the Founders, the new Constitution makes it clear that there are no outsiders (women, Blacks, and Native Peoples). Everyone is an insider, and we are genuinely “We the people—all the people.” The core principles of conservativism come from the Founders. They do not represent the current values that underscore American society. For example, Johnson’s use of individual freedom comes from Jefferson’s Declaration (Johnson, p.104). And Jefferson’s core principle has nothing to do with equality. Instead, it is about independence. It is about the right of people to do what they want. People can separate themselves from the larger political order.
Honesty and Integrity, Give us a break!
I want to make this commitment to you. I commit to my colleagues here and on the other side of the aisle as well. My office will be known for trust and transparency and accountability. For good stewardship of the people’s treasure. For the honesty and integrity that is incumbent upon us, all of us here in the people’s House.
Mike Johnson, Speaker’s Speech
It is difficult for me to read this statement. Then I think about the events leading up to the January 6th insurrection. There was no honesty or integrity in Mr. Johnson’s participation in trying to overturn the 2020 election. He directed an act that involved soliciting fellow Congressional Republicans. They were asked to sign on to a legal brief in support of a Texas lawsuit. The suit tried to throw out the results of elections in four states that Joe Biden won. Johnson also led the charge in the House to get Republicans to vote against certifying Mr. Biden’s victory on January 6, 2021. Johnson also was a proponent of allegations that the Dominion voting machines were rigged against Trump. I mentioned earlier that Johnson has not clearly stated his beliefs. He has not said what he thinks about the results of the 2020 election. Does he still think Trump won in a landslide?
Next?
A friend named Stuart Brewster spoke about Mike Johnson. He is a former senior editor of the Innovative Division of Addison-Wesley Publishing. He said having Mike Johnson as Speaker isn’t all bad. His constant presence in the spotlight may help Democrats re-take control of the House. Stuart is an intelligent man, and I think he is correct.