'MAGA Mike' Johnson is learning that 'being speaker is much harder than it looks': analysis
When Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) was confirmed as House speaker in late October, the fact that House Republicans voted unanimously in his favor came as a shock in light of the weeks of chaos that followed the ousting of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) from that position.
House Republicans couldn't come together on the nominations of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) or Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota), but they came together with Johnson.
The House's GOP majority, however, didn't cease to be chaotic after Johnson's confirmation.
In an article published on February 26, Vanity Fair's Molly Jong-Fast stresses that Johnson finds himself surrounded by chaos after four months as speaker.
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"Once again, the federal government has started preparing for a government shutdown," Jong-Fast observes. "And the blame should fall squarely on the shoulders of Mike Johnson, the election-denying Louisiana backbencher whom Donald Trump wanted to become speaker of the House. It seems that MAGA Mike is learning first-hand that being speaker is a much harder job than it looks, with Johnson trying to lead a caucus seemingly more focused on impeachment stunts and further restricting abortion access than keeping the government open."
Jong-Fast adds, "Perhaps electing an inexperienced zealot to be second in line for the presidency wasn't the brightest idea."
The Vanity Fair reporter argues that Johnson "may have bigger problems than a government shutdown," including a flawed effort to impeach President Joe Biden.
"You'd think Republicans might try to pretend their Biden impeachment crusade never happened following the charging of informant Alexander Smirnov, whose claims they'd been pushing and who's now been accused of lying to the FBI and creating false records," Jong-Fast writes. "And yet, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer told Newsmax that Smirnov 'wasn't an important part of this investigation — because I didn't even know who he was'…. Republicans did this to themselves by letting Trump call the shots."
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Jong-Fast laments that although devotion to Trump is a requirement in today's Republican Party, it isn't automatically synonymous with effective governance.
"Trump has a long history of picking people who kissed the ring but weren't necessarily very good choices," Jong-Fast explains. "Just ask Senator Mehmet Oz, or Senator Herschel Walker, or Senator Blake Masters, or Governor Kari Lake. Fealty to Trump may be a prerequisite for Republicans to land the job, but it doesn't mean they can actually do it."
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Molly Jong-Fast's full Vanity Fair article is available at this link.
