The Republican party had chosen Tom Emmer, their third-highest-ranking member in the House, as their nominee for a leadership position. However, he withdrew from consideration shortly after due to resistance from Trump.
Martin Pengelly:
Matt Gaetz, a congressman from Florida, stated that Mike Johnson’s rise to the position of speaker of the US House of Representatives showcases the dominance of Donald Trump in the Republican party. He also mentioned that this proves the ascent of “Maga,” which is an acronym for Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America great again.”
“The swamp is retreating, Maga is gaining influence, and the replacement of Kevin McCarthy with Maga Mike Johnson demonstrates the growing strength of this movement and reveals where the true power of the Republican party lies. If you fail to recognize this, you are not properly attentive,” Gaetz stated in a conversation with former Trump campaign chair and White House strategist Steve Bannon on his podcast on Wednesday.
Gaetz precipitated three weeks of leaderless chaos inside the Republican party, and therefore the House, when he triggered the removal of McCarthy this month. Seven other Republicans voted to make McCarthy the first speaker ever ejected by his own party but Gaetz orchestrated the move.
Yesterday, Martin Pengelly and Sam Levine clarified that Mike Johnson shares many beliefs with them. And as of now, he is the head of the chamber. Here is additional information about their discovery:
Mike Johnson, a relatively unknown Republican from Louisiana, has risen to prominence as the new speaker of the US House of Representatives, gaining attention on a national scale.
The spotlight has shed light on opinions and statements that are considered extreme by many.
He attempted to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election.
Johnson’s stance on Donald Trump’s claim of voter fraud in his loss to Joe Biden aligns with the beliefs of the current Republican party. However, he took it to a greater extent.
Following the election, he expressed agreement with Trump’s belief that voting machines had been tampered with. Subsequently, he was among the 147 Republicans who contested the results in crucial states, despite the fact that a pro-Trump crowd stormed Congress on January 6, 2021, resulting in nine fatalities and numerous convictions.
Johnson wrote a legal document supporting a court case where Texas wanted to invalidate the results in a key state. The New York Times reported that a lawyer for the House Republicans deemed Johnson’s document as violating the constitution. Despite this, he convinced 125 of his peers to sign it, using methods that some considered aggressive.
The highest court declined to hear the case. On Tuesday, Johnson declined to answer a question about his efforts on behalf of Trump – grinning as other members of the Republican party booed and jeered at the journalist.
He served as a representative for a group known for promoting hate.
Prior to pursuing a career in politics, Johnson was employed by the Alliance Defending Freedom, an organization classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, an entity that monitors extremist activity in the United States.
The SPLC reported that the ADF has advocated for making consensual sexual acts between LGBTQ+ adults illegal in the US and other countries, defended the forced sterilization of transgender individuals in other countries, argued that LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely to engage in pedophilia, and suggested that a supposed “homosexual agenda” will lead to the downfall of Christianity and society.
The ADF senior counsel, Jeremy Tedesco, denied that the organization was a hate group on Wednesday and criticized the SPLC’s partisan classification.
He stated that Alliance Defending Freedom is a leading and successful legal advocacy group that focuses on safeguarding the religious freedom and freedom of speech for all individuals in America.
He is against the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals.
Johnson has actively attempted to reverse the progress made by LGBTQ+ individuals in achieving equal rights, both in state politics and on a national scale.
In 2016, while campaigning for Congress, he stated to the Louisiana Baptist Message that he had actively fought for religious freedom, the importance of human life, and biblical values in the “culture war”. He has continued to advocate for a nationwide bill that restricts discussion of LGBTQ+ topics in schools and also opposes providing gender-affirming care for minors.
On Wednesday, the Rev Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality, said: “Johnson has made a career out of attacking the LGBTQ+ community at every turn. His positions are out of touch with the clear majority support for LGBTQ+ equality in our country. His new leadership role is just further proof of the dangerous priorities of the GOP and the critical stakes for our democracy – and for LGBTQ+ Americans – in 2024.”
his rightwing beliefs as evidence that the GOP is too extreme to rule. The Louisiana lawmaker was an enthusiastic supporter of Donald Trump’s attempt to disrupt his 2020 election loss, opposes abortions and LGBTQ+ rights, and rejects the scientific consensus on climate change. The GOP has only a four-seat majority in the chamber, and Democrats are keen to topple some of the 18 Republicans representing districts Joe Biden won in 2020 and retake the majority next year – a campaign Johnson seems to be at the center of.
Before Johnson can move forward, he must address the task of reaching a consensus on a plan to finance the government beyond mid-November, when its current authorization expires. He will need to decide whether to push for significant spending cuts that may turn off voters and possibly fellow legislators, or opt for a more moderate proposal to keep operations running while long-term spending is negotiated. This will unfold in the coming weeks, with one certainty being that Democrats will be closely monitoring the situation.
Here are the other events taking place today:
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Joe Biden has no public events planned today, after staying up late yesterday for a state dinner with the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese. The usual press briefing takes place at 1pm eastern time.
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Authorities in Maine are currently searching for a suspect following a shooting that resulted in the deaths of 16 individuals. Stay updated on this ongoing situation by following our live blog.
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This afternoon, Nancy Pelosi, the previous speaker of the Democratic Party in the House, will speak to first-year students at Georgetown Law School. She may also give her thoughts on Johnson’s rise.
Source: theguardian.com
