When a man of deep faith with a conservative worldview became speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, it drove the Left and its media apparatchiks to pearl clutching and the vapors.
Since Mike Johnson took office in October, the House speaker has been denounced by the Left with every radical name in the book. Journalists have camped out in his hometown trying to dig up dirt on this curious man from Louisiana who speaks boldly about his deep faith in God.
You'd think being attacked so vociferously by his opponents would have given the speaker some street cred with his fellow Republicans.
Not a chance. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who recently filed a motion to vacate the speaker's chair, is now out in the media criticizing the guy she helped vote in for speaker. Every day, her attacks get more shrill and conspiratorial—she has questioned Johnson's faith, claimed that he has surrendered to Democrats, and even suggested that he is being blackmailed.
Is any of this helpful?
Why would a House member on the same team in Congress feed the Left's thirst for gossip and political infighting on the Right?
Greene's attacks come only a few months after a handful of members of the House GOP caucus ousted Kevin McCarthy over his insufficient conservatism. Can such dissenters ever be satisfied, or are they more interested in the 15 minutes of fame that comes with bashing their leader?
The Republicans now turning on Johnson may need a reminder that we are only seven months from an election. Can conservatives in Congress afford weeks of chaos in the House over another speaker vote? How would they look to the American people if they force the House to go through that mess again? More importantly, what good would it do the country?
If voting to vacate the speaker's chair was ever a good idea, that day has passed. Members of Congress need to rethink whether giving one member this much power is a good idea. Dangling threats over the speaker's head is not a constructive way to govern.
Given the Republicans' five-seat majority, it has become evident how difficult it is to govern in a house divided, and with a Democrat-controlled Senate and a Democratic president who refuses to engage in negotiations.
Speaker Johnson is a strong conservative who understands the concerns of Greene and those in the House Freedom Caucus. He shares them, in fact. He has an "A" lifetime rating with the American Conservative Union, a 100 percent rating with Louisiana Right to Life, and an "A+" rating with Concerned Women for America, the organization I lead.
Throughout his career as an attorney and as a member of Congress since 2017, Johnson has fought for religious liberty, the right to life, and free speech, successfully litigating high-profile constitutional law cases in district and appellate courts nationwide.
In Congress, Johnson has focused much of his attention on offering legislation that reinforces the family and expands freedom. He introduced the Protecting Against Child Exploitation Act of 2017, which would make it a federal crime to knowingly produce a visual depiction of a minor engaged in any sexually explicit conduct.
What is needed now from a conservative speaker is a long-term vision, not just for the next Congress, but for the future of our beloved country. Without it, our democratic republic may truly perish.
I believe Speaker Johnson has such a vision. He talks frequently about the core principles he and his fellow Republicans should be pursuing and on which they should be running this election year.
Speaker Johnson has a plan and principles. His caucus needs to rally around them and all of his colleagues need to get on the same page quickly. Conservatives cannot wait until September to make our case. Americans know they are not better off with Joe Biden in the White House and radical liberals running Congress. House Republicans need to focus their energy on answering one question: Why are conservative policies better for families and for working men and women in this country?
Anyone who has looked at Speaker Johnson's background knows he is no shrinking violet, but he's not a man of confrontation or condemnation of the other side, either. Interestingly, one of the first pieces of legislation he introduced was a "Commitment to Civility," a document to help restore civility to Congress, encourage productive dialogue, and build consensus.
The speaker is working. But he doesn't own a magic wand and he cannot do it all alone.
Rather than running to the hills or running their mouths criticizing Johnson in the media, conservatives must unite, get behind a plan, and make their case to the American people.
Penny Nance is CEO and President of Concerned Women for America, the nation's largest public policy women's organization.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
House Republicans Need To Stop the Pointless Attacks on Mike Johnson
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09.04.2024
When a man of deep faith with a conservative worldview became speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, it drove the Left and its media apparatchiks to pearl clutching and the vapors.
Since Mike Johnson took office in October, the House speaker has been denounced by the Left with every radical name in the book. Journalists have camped out in his hometown trying to dig up dirt on this curious man from Louisiana who speaks boldly about his deep faith in God.
You'd think being attacked so vociferously by his opponents would have given the speaker some street cred with his fellow Republicans.
Not a chance. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who recently filed a motion to vacate the speaker's chair, is now out in the media criticizing the guy she helped vote in for speaker. Every day, her attacks get more shrill and conspiratorial—she has questioned Johnson's faith, claimed that he has surrendered to Democrats, and even suggested that he is being blackmailed.
Is any of this helpful?
Why would a House member on the same team in Congress feed the Left's thirst for gossip and political infighting on the Right?
Greene's attacks come only a few months after a handful of members of the House GOP caucus ousted........
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