Mike Johnson emerged from the ashes of Kevin McCarthy’s speakership as the man most acceptable to the far right of his party, and least objectionable to the so-called moderates - including our own Tom Kean Jr. Was Kean hoping that since he and his GOP colleagues didn’t choose Marjorie Taylor Green or Lauren Boebert or Matt Goetz for the speakership that his constituent would breathe a sigh of relief for this “nornal” pick?
Whatever Kean’s intent, the result is still bad—really bad. Johnson IS an extremist, and a dangerous one at that, a dream come true for the evangelical right: an originalist, a religious zealot and an avowed opponent of abortion. “There is no right to abortion in the Constitution,” Johnson crowed in an interview on Fox news following the overturning of Roe in 2022. “There never was; it’s not in its text, structure, or meaning and the court said that decisively. Many of us have been working towards this day our entire adult lives and it is a joyous occasion.” Not one to shy away from politicizing the issue, Johnson once blamed Roe vs Wade for depriving America of able-bodied workers. Will he use his new-found power to lead the charge on a national ban on abortion—or attach anti-abortion legislation to critical spending bills? Either seems likely, given in early 2023, he co-sponsored (with 110 other Republicans), the Life at Conception Act, which declares “the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization.” In other words, they called for a national abortion ban.
But Johnson won’t stop there. It’s not just an abortion ban he’s after but likely a contraception ban, too. And as for LGBTQ+ rights? America’s new Speaker has promoted “conversion therapy” for gay teens, the criminalization of gay sex, and even blamed homosexuality for the downfall of the Roman Empire. When he gave the keynote address at the convention of the National Association for Christian Lawyers on December 6, Johnson claimed that weeks before he became House Speaker, God began preparing him to lead the nation through “a Red Sea moment”—with Johnson as Moses. The conference ended with anti-LGBTQ evangelist Andrew Wommack calling transgenderism and homosexuality “demonic.”
Given Johnson’s ties to a network of “charismatic” Christians, known as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), which teaches that there is a theological imperative to bring America under "biblical governance," Johnson’s statements shouldn’t surprise us. Separation of Church and State, be damned! Outside his House office, Johnson flies three flags: the U.S. flag, the State of Louisiana flag and the “Appeal to Heaven'' flag, popular with the extreme Christian nationalists and election deniers who flew it during the January 6th assault on the Capitol.
Remember, too, that Johnson voted against certifying the 2020 election in the House—and authored the supporting brief on behalf of House Republicans asking the Supreme Court to block Electoral College certification. This is the man who will oversee the House in the interval between the November 2024 election and the Presidential inauguration in January 2025.
And THIS is the man that our Congressman, Thomas Kean, Jr, has invited to a $1000-a-plate fundraising lunch in Springfield, NJ next week. Kean’s regular constituents, of course, won’t be admitted. We can be sure that the fat cats in attendance will be treated to a set of tub-thumping, wallet-loosening diatribes representing viewpoints wholly antithetical to our own.
We cannot stand by and allow this brazen affront to the women and the men of the 7th Congressional District to go unremarked. We are organizing, in conjunction with other grassroots groups, a rally to protest Johnson's presence at this fundraiser. It will take place between 12:00-1:30 in Springfield on February 21. The final location has not been named, but if you sign up for the event at this link, you will be notified of the precise location well in advance. We will NOT be broadcasting the location widely, so signing up is key to voicing your displeasure at Johnson’s presence in our district!
Tom Kean has to learn that if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. This November, let’s send him packing—before he infests the entire body politic of our district.
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