By Ray Cardello for November 2, 2023, Season 22 / Post 48

From the opening sentences of his first address to the House as the 56th Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson had a different tone, a refreshing tone that is welcome in a town where everyone has an edge. I admit to no familiarity with Johnson until he took the gavel to lead the House, but I like what I hear and now know of the 51-year-old Representative from Louisiana. When asked about the Speaker, you listen to words not often associated with D.C. Soft-Spoken. Mild-Mannered. Humble, Kind, and a Raging Theocrat are some of the descriptive adjectives. The latter is the term that caught my attention.

Mike Johnson has no issue with being described as a theocrat. He readily admits that his spirituality drives and guides him. It is one of the reasons he cannot hold ill feelings toward his critics. His religious upbringing teaches him to love all and not harbor hate towards anyone. Johnson seems genuine and not just spewing words to mask the true man. Over the weekend, Johnson was compared to the Maine mass shooter by Bill Maher, and Jenn Psaki, the former Press Secretary for Joe Biden, said on her MSNBC show:

“Most Americans might not be able to pick Mike Johnson out of a lineup, but in reality he’s far from benign,” said Psaki. “It’s not just his political ideology that should scare us. Johnson is basically a Christian fundamentalist.”

This statement was part of her rant against Johnson and, by extension, anyone with a deep belief in God. I thought Maher was beginning to lean more toward the center, but his and Psaki’s comments were equally out of line.

We have heard much about hate speech and antisemitism in the last few weeks, but what is the difference between attacking Jewish people and taking shots at Christians? There is none, and we have to put an end to attacks on people based on their ethnicity or religion.

In an interview with Kayleigh McEneny of FOX News, Johnson brought her to the Congressional Prayer Room, where he said he would start each day as he meditates and prays for guidance in his duties and decisions. Speaker Mike Johnson is a marked man. Just like the FBI investigating Radical Traditional Catholics, this Administration and possibly Democrats as a whole see no value in religious beliefs in our politicians. These people worship the Green New Deal or Bidenomics. Religion would get in the way, as it would not allow them to propagate lies to the American people.

We are still unwrapping the gift from the Republican Party. The debacle from McCarthy being fired and the three-week process to elect a replacement was painful to watch and embarrassing as a Republican. If Mike Johnson is the real deal and can get Congress to cooperate and build a rapport with Chuck Schumer, then maybe every member of Congress should stop by the Prayer Room and kneel in front of the George Washington stained glass for divine inspiration.