This GOP leader is becoming increasingly unhinged — and it isn't Mike Johnson: analysis

Although House Democrats did a lot to save Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Louisiana) was trying to oust him from that position in 2024, he isn't shy about demonizing them. Johnson is claiming that Democratic lawmakers fighting to fund Obamacare subsidies are trying to give health insurance to undocumented immigrants — a claim that has been repeatedly debunked. The speaker also described No Kings Day protesters as a "hate America" combination of communists and Hamas supporters even though, in reality, the protesters included everything from middle-of-the-road Democrats to liberals and progressives to right-wing Never Trump conservatives (including attorney George Conway).

But in an article published by the conservative website The Bulwark on November 3, journalist Will Saletan stresses that when it comes to being mean-spirited, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) is much worse than Johnson.

"Republicans in Congress claim to be innocent in the government shutdown," Saletan observes. "Unlike Donald Trump — who has used layoffs, termination of construction projects, and additional threats to bully Democrats during the impasse — House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune say they just want to work constructively across the aisle, not score political points. Johnson and Thune insist that they're helpless in the standoff because they need 60 votes in the Senate to break a Democratic filibuster. But the third-ranking House Republican, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, has abandoned this pretense."

Saletan argues that Emmer is decidedly more unhinged than Johnson in his attacks on Democrats.

"Like Trump, Emmer is vilifying Democrats, hurling gratuitous insults, and urging Republican senators to exempt appropriations bills from the filibuster," Saletan explains. "Johnson often accuses Democrats of kowtowing to American Marxists. But Emmer goes further. In the past month, by my count, he has called Democrats, their political base, or No Kings protesters 'communist' (seven times), 'Marxist' (14 times), 'violent' (nine times), 'almost jihadist' (once), and 'terrorist' or 'pro-terrorist' (24 times)."

Saletan continues, "In a radio interview on October 9, Emmer accused Democrats of having changed completely from the days when they merely disagreed with Republicans 'over the size and scope of government.' Nowadays, he professed, 'They want Venezuela. They want Cuba. These are not constitutional republic-loving Democrats. These are Marxists, communists'…. If there's anything about you that a demagogue could use to turn people against you — if you're old, for example, or if you're fat, or if you came from another country — Emmer will find it."

Will Saletan's full article for The Bulwark is available at this link.