There have been high hopes for the GOP-led House of Representatives ever since Kevin McCarthy was ousted and Mike Johnson promoted to Speaker of the House. Johnson is a Christian and conservative, and some said he was a fighter as well.
That last label has been debated but the debate may be over. He recently declared that he would not use the risk shutting down the government if the border crisis wasn’t addressed. That’s not what a fighter would do, and while some would say it’s all some sort of 4D chess or something, I’m not seeing it. The most important power the House has is over the purse and if a Speaker is unwilling to use that power to solve the most pressing crisis this nation currently faces, then his chess moves are futile.
Here’s the clip in question:
As some in the House GOP threaten to halt government funding until President Biden signs their border security proposals into law, @SpeakerJohnson tells @margbrennan the government won't shut down – but his members "understand this is a critical issue." Tune in Sunday for more. pic.twitter.com/94Rf8Pu6nS
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 5, 2024
Johnson’s response was not impressive. He had an opportunity to play off Representative Chip Roy’s threat and instead he diffused it for the “Face the Nation” audience.
Bonchie over at Red State took a more nuanced approach to Johnson’s strategy:
Reactions to this will likely vary. On the one hand, how effective would a government shutdown over the border even be? It is clear that Democrats do not fear any political backlash associated with the issue. Instead, they would likely just use it as messaging fodder in an election year, and perhaps with some success.
On the other hand, some would question what the point of electing Republicans to office is if they aren’t going to use all the leverage they’ve got. Part of politics is being willing to stand up for what’s right even if there is a risk it might not work. Would a shutdown do more harm than good to Republicans? I honestly don’t know, and I don’t think anybody truly does. Is that an excuse to not make a stand, though?
I suppose it’s debatable, and while it may seem like I’m making a definitive judgment, I’m not. I can see both sides of the argument. Much in life boils down to risk and reward. Can Democrats even be swayed in this environment by applying pressure? Or is it better to have a strategy solely focused on winning more power in 2024 to neutralize Democrat input? Again, it’s a fair question that fair people can come to different conclusions on.
Still, this latest move from Johnson does bring us back to the elephant in the room, which is what exactly was gained by the fight to oust Kevin McCarthy as Speaker? Has there been a distinct shift in governance? I would say, not really. We still ended up with a continuing resolution, and now we are getting the same strategy regarding avoiding a shutdown at all costs. Those were the two major issues that got McCarthy booted.
To reiterate, this article is not a criticism of Johnson. I like him as a person (far more than McCarthy), and I think he’s doing what he can with what he’s got to work with, which is an extremely slim majority. I don’t know if I agree with all his decisions, but I’m not suggesting it was a mistake to make him Speaker.
While Bonchie seems to be giving Johnson the benefit of the doubt, I will not. Call me naive but I see this as a no-brainer. The American people understand that there’s a crisis and they want it solved. As bad as the GOP is at optics, surely they can position a move to fix the border as a positive reason to play hardball with a government shutdown.
Is Johnson better than McCarthy? Yes. But being better and ACTING better are two different things. Thus far I’ve seen nothing done by Johnson that wouldn’t have been done by McCarthy.
Like Bonchie, I’m not going to pass judgment from a clip. But if the GOP caves to fund the government without major action taken to secure the border, than I’ll be far more critical of Johnson’s short tenure with the gavel.
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Meet the new boss; Same as the old boss…
Absolutely weak. Christians value courage. God demands that us. Our country was founded on that.
Sorry for my verbiage — But
He’s the same pile of s hit just deposited in a bigger clump !
This is not the usual situation in which Democrats can B.S. voters about the cause of a shutdown. Voters are very afraid right now. They see hordes of illegal aliens invading our country with no attempt on the part of the Border Patrol to stop them. The voters who are not paying attention may not appreciate that Democrats are the ones who are deliberately and intentionally causing this problem. But if Republicans would follow through on a government shutdown over the lack of border control, I believe that for once, nearly all voters would see it as a black or white situation in which one party wants to close the borders and the other party is so dedicated to flooding American cities with as many invaders as possible that they will allow a shutdown of government to occur.
I bet he’d threaten a shutdown over giving money to support the war crimes in Israel, because that’s the Christian thing to do.
Ahhh, here is a nitwit trying to reference scripture. Yes standing behind Israel is the Christian thing to do and you would know that if you actually knew anything in scripture. Instead you are just a hate filled anti semite trying to make a secular point about something you don’t even understand. You would need to actually be a Christian to even have an opinion on the topic which you clearly are not. So why don’t you just stay in your lane and push you childish unfounded theories somewhere else.
Only a Bible-studied Christian knows what “a Christian thing to do” even is. I am not amazed at the level of biblical ignorance among the secular world, but I am amazed at the biblical ignorance among church goers (not the same as a Christian, necessarily). And I am absolutely “gob-smacked” at how often the ignorant in both camps speak as if they have intellectual authority on a subject from a book they’ve never read. Do they not know they are ignorant or do they think everybody else is as ignorant as they are?
I like how the author of this article describes Johnson as a christian conservative, he’s a fake, a stooge, a puppet, nothing more.
As far as his faith goes, that’s a real joke too.
These scumbags are all as fake a three dollar bill.
But idiot republicans will support some ridiculous liar and charlatan just because he claims to be a christian, how utterly stupid.
There are no good christians in government, there are no good people, period, in government.
There are no good Christians in Government? Likely accurate, but can you back that up with some evidence? Just the part in scripture where God abdicated his role of judging the hearts of men to you. That’s what would be required to make that statement. You also don’t know everyone in Government, so another strike exists. Sadly, you might have a point if you had framed it correctly. So let me help you with that. You are likely not a Christian yourself, evidenced by your lack of understanding of scripture.
Christians would be known by their fruit, i.e., conduct and what they produce. Mike Johnson, who claims to be Christian, is intentionally withholding the Jan 6 tapes to collude with the far left, the democrats, the media, and the globalists, which constitute 99.9 percent of Congress at this time, to assure that Donald Trump never steps foot in the White House again. His excuse that he is trying to protect people from the FBI is utterly preposterous. The FBI viewed that footage the week it happened. People would have to be utterly brainless to not see through his deception.
The problem is everyone else in Congress who also is aware of this remains silent on the issue. Instead, we have the Colorado nonsense; Theater, the Maine nonsense; Theater, The republicans going to the Border ; Theater, the Biden investigation; theater, the Hunter Biden investigation; theater, and the phony impeachment. All theater. All staged to keep the conservatives, who are the ones responsible for the state of the country, wallowing in apathy, waiting for other people to fight their battles. Every time a phony Republican says they are going to investigate something, they get all excited, not realizing we’ve been told that for six years now with zero results. Yet the democrats, in just 3 years, managed to essentially jail dozens of people for exercising their right to free speech and attempt to prosecute a former president on phony manufactured charges.
If the roles were reversed and it were democrats in the Jan 6 situation every member of congress that is a democrat would have walked out and brought the country to a standstill. They would have stood in the streets and provoked protests nationwide which would have happened until the people were released from prison and the ridiculous charges against the president were dropped.
what are the republicans doing. Nothing. Pretending to do a lot while intentionally ignoring the elephant in the room. But are they responsible. Nope. It’s the people sitting at home wallowing in apathy refusing to do anything whatsoever waiting for other people to fight their battles.
How many people on here have called their congressman every single day stating if they don’t have those tapes released or McCarthy Junion driven from the speakership by the end of the week will face impeachment before the month is out. How many. ZERO. How many are meeting everyday in groups to become a unified voice to demand meaningful action. ZERO. That’s what the democrats do and that’s why they keep winning. Republicans are fat lazy and apathetic. They are slaves to their conveniences which is why the NFL continues to contribute to causes that gets Cops murdered. But we still watch. Facebook continues to push the gay/lesbian fascism, push phony medicine while censoring republicans but we still log in. Literally two of my friends, both avowed conservatives spent a week derailing demonic Disney for their evil. Can’t make this up. Within two weeks both were posting pictures all over social media of them at Disney with their kids and Grandkids. When I confronted one of them his response was, My grandkids wanted to go, what could I tell them? NO. That’s what you tell them. We prioritize our entertainment over our values. Liberals will actually make sacrifices. So they won. It’s over. The Country is finished. We sat back and did nothing for the past 30 years while the left infiltrated the schools and every aspect of society and we did nothing because the nonessential trite entertainment we seek was more valuable to us that any of our ethics, values and principles.
I just think its time we stopped blaming the left. If we want to see why the nation is over we need to go in the bathroom and look over our sink. With few exceptions the answer is right there.. I can help those suffering in denial who think it’s not them.
If you are still on facebook it’s you.
if you watch Football it’s you
If you use Amazon, it’s you
If you watch any of the Marvel movies it’s you
If you put a penny into anything tied to Disney, it’s you.
End of story.
Amen! My exact sentiments, those you’ve spoken, so well. ACTION is the magic word.
Probably Spoken from an idiot Dem who voted for the “good Catholics,” Biden and Pelosi…devils both.
You have no idea what Johnson’s faith or faithfulness to his faith is like. None…zero, zilch, nil, nada. Quit passing gas.
Imagine a ship captain refusing to repair a breach in the hull days before a hurricane.
Folks, get right with the Lord Christ Jesus. Uniparty Government is not going to preserve this country. The one side is pure evil, the other side is pure evil masquerading as an angle of light. Globalists will NEVER let Trump get back into the White House.
The House has passed bills that are sitting on Schumer’s desk. It is the Senate that will shut down the government, not the House.
Johnson is a total coward just like 50% of the rest of congressional republicans. 49% are corrupt and 1% may represent their constituents.
Just another do-nothing Republican pu$$y.
The proper term is eunuch.
Quit saying he is a Christian. Evan as broad as the term has become, the Bible still says “you will know them by their fruits”!
Speaking of fruits, I don’t believe has his. Eunuch, he is!
But you have no idea what Johnson’s “fruits” are. You don’t have the details, you don’t know his procedural limitations, you don’t know how many RINOS will not hold the line but vote with Dems. You don’t know squat about Johnson…yet you dare to judge his character because he didn’t do what you think he should politically? Romans 14:4. “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” You just said more about your own lack of obedience to Christ’s commands than you did about Johnson’s. Way more.
We have heard this for DECADES.. Why would think think we would beleive them now?
No there have not been high hopes, anyone with a clue knew from jump street he was a joke just like everyone before him.
WTF do we need politicians if they’ll just let gumment run on autopilot, then? TERM LIMITS. Just take over the courts, put juries in charge too, to solve crime. Make lawyers starve.
Sigh!
How long does it take to learn? Whenever an Institutional Republican wants support from the base he/she/it will promise the sun, moon, stars, and a first lien on the most attractive body part of your supermodel of choice that they will fight to the death against the Left. How many have actually stood and fought for anything against them?
Subotai Bahadur
Another GUTLESS RINO!
The Republicans are as gutless as the Gimmedats are crooked. We’re just screwed.
I won’t put words in the Speakers mouth nor Devine what remains unsaid in his head.
The horses left the barn 2 1/2 years ago, this debacle has been ongoing. Let’s put the blame exactly where it belongs shall we? You expect your adversary to do what is best for them, Democrats only care about power Country be damned. You do not expect the representatives of the opposition party who run against the policies of their adversary to do Nothing about it. This started under the 1st term of Obama, ran past a super majority of a Republican Congress, past Republican Trump who valiantly fought the battle with Zero help from All Republicans who took turns giving lip service sound bites. It took off with a straight flush of Democrats as McConnell made sure the Senate fell. Kentucky rewarded him. We all know the recent House history but there you have it, this is not a failure of Democrats though of course the policy itself is a major existential threat to the American way of life but a failure of all Republicans in Congress since 2008.
Now what? Expect the Democrats to wind it down incrementally for election optics. Expect the do nothing Republicans to let them. Don’t listen to any of them because they are all liars, proven liars since 2008. Democrats will get good press showing leadership, DHS who’s director is laughably being threatened with impeachment will hide all the uglies.
What will fix this? Citizens, police, soldiers refusing to obey the dictates of the Democratic policies. Their must be a standoff that forces the Federal government to stand down. This is the only way because the Republicans in Congress have no intention of doing anything and if you’re good with that well you get what you get.
The people have far more power than the government. The absolute last thing Democrats want is bad optics before this election so the people if they act now will remove the Democrats ability to appear to wind it down. It’s now or never folks. Peaceful resistance like all the radicals you see shutting down freeways etc. Get out there, stand on the border and see if the Federal Government will dare confront a mass of citizens. My bet they will back down. We as citizens can put them on their heals right at the worse possible moment, election time. Expect Republicans in Congress to stand up and take credit. Vote every last one of them out.
A National walkout. Not just one day but as many as it takes.
Shut down big businesses, they will loose big money and when that happens lobbyists in Washington start ringing politicians. See who blinks first. When is enough enough? They let criminals walk out of court with no charges. They are flying these invaders to every State every hour of the day in your face while big city mayors whine about buses and say nothing about Biden’s airplanes. They use the lawsuits to wipe out all desenters by taking them to court, bankrupt anyone who dares to step up. Doctors were threatened with loosing their license if they spoke up during Covid. How much of this shite are we going to take?
Keep only emergency and essential services like food going and shut everything thing else down. That is a power they cannot defeat. Influencers need to step up and get this going.
Meet the new boss… same as the old boss!