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“Republicans unanimously elected Rep. Mike Johnson as House speaker on Wednesday, eagerly elevating a deeply conservative but lesser-known leader to the major seat of U.S. power.” AP News
The right praises Johnson, arguing that he is both likable and conservative.
“[Johnson] used to chair the Republican Study Committee, nailing down his right flank. His leadership position as House Republican Conference vice chairman meant he had personal relationships with many moderate members, who liked his low-key style and his willingness to listen to them. And he has demonstrated an interest in the details of legislation, impressing other members expert in tax, budget and defense issues…
“It also didn’t escape the notice of MAGA members that he had served on the defense team in Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial in 2020… Rep. John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican, told Newsmax that Johnson ‘works well with all segments of our conference. I never heard a bad word about him.’ Other members called him a ‘Happy Warrior’ out of the same mold as the late Jack Kemp, who could disagree with someone without being disagreeable.”
John Fund, New York Post
“No sooner was Johnson’s name floated than the Left pounced on him as a 2020 ‘election denier,’ owing to the fact that Johnson wrote the House Republican amicus brief in Texas v. Pennsylvania, the lawsuit filed over the manifest irregularities affecting that election…
“Prior to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, Johnson was set to deliver an exhaustive argument about the substandard conduct of that election in multiple states — not to claim that Joe Biden had stolen the election, but to make the far less assailable case that the six swing states particularly in question (Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada) violated their own laws in allowing illegal practices to take hold…
“Johnson’s brief in the Texas case is well-written and delivered in a moderate tone. It bears little resemblance to the arguments made by President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the election, correct (or incorrect) though those may have been.”
Scott McKay, American Spectator
“Democrats are already branding Mr. Johnson a MAGA ideologue, which is unfair. But he will have to explain his view of the 2020 election, given that he pushed an implausible lawsuit at the time asking the Supreme Court to decertify results in four swing states. When a reporter Tuesday tried to ask him a question on that, Republicans hooted it down, which isn’t a great start for retaking the suburbs…
“On the other hand, Mr. Johnson wrote a ‘Commitment to Civility’ that was signed in 2017 by dozens of his fellow freshmen. In a brief House speech Wednesday, he came off as gracious, funny and smart, and if he continues in this tenor, he will be an asset for the GOP. Whatever the McCarthy mutineers might say, the three weeks of turmoil have hurt the GOP’s image as a party that can competently govern while acting as a political check on Mr. Biden. A big part of Mr. Johnson’s job is to bring order to this Republican chaos.”
Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal
The left criticizes Johnson, arguing that he is an election denier and also too conservative.
The left criticizes Johnson, arguing that he is an election denier and also too conservative.
“Johnson’s triumph is more a reflection of the power of attrition than of his unique charms. The Louisiana House rep is a vanguard election denier—not exactly the spear tip of the attempt to overturn the 2020 election results, but definitely part of the pointy end…
“He is also an entrenched opponent of gay marriage and an abortion ban enthusiast. He’s got an A-plus rating from the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which Democrats will be sure to declaim loudly from here on out. He’s not even all the way on board with legal, no-fault divorce…
“The downsides are manifold, and obvious. All swing-district Republicans have now had to throw in their lot with an unreconstructed election denier who extols the most aggressively unpopular positions on social issues. Messaging around that in New York and California will take Olympic gymnastics–level agility, and it still might not work. Democrats, once they finish reading up on him, will be fairly happy with the outcome from an electoral standpoint, though all things equal, they’d probably prefer if Johnson were a Freedom Caucus member, rather than just a doting Jim Jordan understudy.”
Alexander Sammon, Slate
“It’s true that the more institutionalist wing of the party didn’t keel over immediately. Last week, it stood strong against repeated efforts to install a man with even more history of aligning with the hard right, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). This wing’s denizens even made an important show of calling out threats that Jordan’s allies unleashed — a largely unprecedented and significant development given the apparent impact of intimidation in today’s GOP. But in the end, that wing took its win in a momentary battle and decided to wave the white flag in the larger war…
“While this was the expedient move in the moment, it probably only emboldened future efforts of a similar nature. Republicans have to ask themselves how long they’ll keep allowing the likes of Gaetz to lead them around by the tail. Much as Trump has taken hold of the party thanks to Republicans continually deciding to just look the other way in the name of keeping the peace, the speaker drama probably will be replayed until the mainstream holds just as hard a line. Today is not that day. Nor is tomorrow looking great.”
Aaron Blake, Washington Post
"The government will shut down in just over three weeks, and Congress is being asked to authorize billions of dollars’ worth of aid for Israel and Ukraine and billions more to secure the southern border. Johnson will have to manage it all with a scant track record, a slim majority, and no relationships with any of the other key figures in the government. Even if he can pull off this near-impossible task, keeping the House majority intact next year will not be easy either for a politician with little national profile and lackluster fundraising. But it could always be worse.”
Ben Jacobs, New York Magazine
