What Mike Johnson had to say in his first national TV interview as speaker

[Flie]

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Silencing the media!!

 

[torbee]

Satire from The Borowitz Report

Johnson Promises to Be Greatest Speaker of the Seventeenth Century​

By Andy Borowitz
October 25, 2023

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In a stirring acceptance speech after being elected Speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson vowed to be “the greatest Speaker of the seventeenth century.”
“For years, time travel was the stuff of science fiction,” he said. “Now, as I take this majestic nation back four hundred years, I will make that dream a reality.”


Noting that L.G.B.T.Q. and women’s rights would be subject to his review, he said that he would also be taking a “hard look at some other so-called innovations, such as electricity and soap.”

“My message to the American people is simple: I work for thee,” he said.

When a reporter pointed out that there was no such thing as a Speaker of the House in the seventeenth century, Johnson replied, “I see you’ve been reading history books. Enjoy them while you can.”

 

[Ree4]

There’s a lot of people pushing a lot of stupid non-biblical ideas into the policy sphere as well (see “Defind the police” and “End mass incarceration now”). That’s why we have a bunch of people in our representative republic. To shoot the dumb shit down. Is this your first encounter with a politician pushing dumb shit?

So in the land of the free, you don't believe that mass incarceration is a problem?? How the hell are people so blind? Unbelievable.

 

[torbee]

So in the land of the free, you don't believe that mass incarceration is a problem?? How the hell are people so blind? Unbelievable.

That's American Exceptionalism right there!

 

[Ree4]

That's American Exceptionalism right there!

 

[lucas80]

Could be worse, I guess. The impeachment stuff seems stupid. Just red meat for the nutters.

Could be, except at some point he's going to have to deliver.

 

[RicoSuave102954]

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) gave his first national television interview since winning the speaker’s gavel, sitting down for an hour with Fox News’s Sean Hannity.
During the interview, which aired Thursday night, the newly minted speaker, offered his views on a wide range of issues, including the latest mass shootings in Maine. Johnson, who previously was a lesser-known conservative, also addressed his first major challenge: ensuring the government is funded before a looming Nov. 17 deadline.


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Here are some highlights of what Johnson said he believes.

1. Guns are not the problem in mass shootings​

Johnson opened his interview by offering condolences to the victims of the mass shooting Wednesday night in Lewiston, Maine, which killed at least 18 people and led to a massive manhunt for the suspected gunman.



“The end of the day, it’s — the problem is the human heart,” Johnson said. “It’s not guns, it’s not the weapons. At the end of the day, we have to protect the right of the citizens to protect themselves and that’s the Second Amendment, and that’s why our party stands so strongly for that."
Johnson added it was “not the time to be talking legislation" because the crisis was ongoing.
Asked if there was any new gun legislation he would consider, Johnson demurred, saying he had only been in the job for 48 hours.
“We’ll see,” he said, before reiterating he thought it was “not the weapon, it’s the underlying issue.”

2. Same-sex marriage is ‘the law of the land’​

Johnson, who previously was a member of the Louisiana state legislature before being elected to Congress in 2016, has a long history of fighting against gay rights. Hannity asked about some of the comments he had made, some in writing, calling homosexuality “sinful, destructive” and his opposition to gay marriage.



“I don’t even remember some of them,” Johnson said of the comments, adding that he was a religious liberty defense lawyer who had been called upon to defend state amendments in court.

Johnson called himself “a rule of law guy” and acknowledged that when the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges legalizing same-sex marriage, then “that became the law of the land.”
“I respect the rule of law, but I also genuinely love all people, regardless of their lifestyle choices,” Johnson told Hannity.
Later, Johnson seemed to criticize the fact that “five justices on the Supreme Court changed” the definition of marriage — a clip that was then blasted out by Biden’s reelection campaign.

3. Putin can’t be allowed to prevail in Ukraine​

Though Johnson has recently voted against additional aid for Ukraine, in his interview he suggested he would be open to sending more funding to the Eastern European country as it continues fending off a Russian invasion — as long as it was in a separate package from aid to Israel. The White House has requested $61 billion in funding for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel.



“I told the staff at the White House today that our consensus among House Republicans is we need to bifurcate those issues,” Johnson told Hannity, referring to a brief meeting he had with President Biden earlier Thursday.
“Now we can’t allow Vladimir Putin to prevail in Ukraine because I don’t believe it would stop there, and it would probably encourage and empower China to perhaps make a move on Taiwan," he added. “We have these concerns. We’re not going to abandon [Ukraine].”

4. Biden ‘very likely’ committed impeachable offenses​

Johnson, who until this week was a member of the House Judiciary Committee, seemed to suggest House Republicans would likely impeach Biden.

GOP lawmakers launched a formal impeachment inquiry into the president last month, alleging he accepted bribes from foreign sources in business dealings with his son and brother, but have not produced direct evidence that the president benefited from those dealings.


“If in fact all the evidence leads to where we believe it will, that’s very likely impeachable offenses,” Johnson said. “It looks and smells a lot like [bribery]... The evidence is coming together. We’ll see where it leads.”

5. A stop-gap funding bill would have ‘certain conditions’​

To avert a government shutdown after a Nov. 17 deadline, Johnson has proposed passing a stopgap funding bill, or continuing resolution, to fund the government until Jan. 15 or April 15.
Former House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) took the same approach to avoid a government shutdown last month — and it led to his ouster by hard-right Republicans who were furious that McCarthy had worked with Democrats.
Johnson told Hannity that another stopgap funding measure would need to be done “with certain conditions,” without specifying what those conditions would be.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/27/mike-johnson-sean-hannity/

His nickname should be Mr. October because he hit it out of the park with those responses!

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

he suggested he would be open to sending more funding to the Eastern European country as it continues fending off a Russian invasion — as long as it was in a separate package from aid to Israel. The White House has requested $61 billion in funding for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel.

There's also $14 billion for the border in Biden's proposal.

If they want to vote on Israel separately, OK. But keep the border money linked to Ukraine money or we could end up without Ukraine money.

 

[Tom Paris]

Like Hilliary Clinton and her lying 💩 about Russia for 3 years?

You have mental problems.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Johnson called himself “a rule of law guy” and acknowledged that when the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges legalizing same-sex marriage, then “that became the law of the land.”

This is code for "we need to overturn this."

Same thing that some con Supreme Court nominees said about Roe.

 

[fsu1jreed]

Anyone who says this should be punched dead in the mouth. And then punched again and again.

Fvcking facts

 

[joelbc1]

Yikes. He just seems fairly bright and well spoken. Is this true?

I’m thinking he’s MAGAt brilliant! I am sure you will be greatly satisfied with his ability to lead. And dammit mom, if it makes you happy, I’m happy!

 

[Jimmy McGill]

I, for one, can't wait to hear more about this supposed separation of church and state that the new speaker brings to the table.

 

[SeaPA]

He also thinks the story of Noah’s ark is real and that man and dinosaur lived together at the same time.

We live in the dumbest possible simulation.

Not sure about the Ark thing, but humans definitely lived with dinosaurs. There was a documentary series about it that aired on Saturday mornings when I was a kid in the early 70s, you should check it out. It's called "Land of the Lost."

 

[THE_DEVIL]

 

[TheCainer]

 

[RicoSuave102954]

Homerun pick - MJ has the "it" factor. I could see him sitting in the White House in a few years.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Homerun pick - MJ has the "it" factor. I could see him sitting in the White House in a few years.

Crazy values. Sounds nearly human.

Yeah, the bar is that low.

 

[RicoSuave102954]

Crazy values. Sounds nearly human.

Yeah, the bar is that low.

Any party that would have picked Barack Hussein Obama as Pres lowered the bar to ground zero.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Any party that would have picked Barack Hussein Obama as Pres lowered the bar to ground zero.

Nonsense.

 

[RicoSuave102954]

Nonsense.

Just ask those living near our southern border then.

 

[Finance85]

When a politician wears his or her religion on their sleeves, it bothers me. I would prefer they don't talk about their faith as their prime decision making factor for everything. My main two issues with the GOP are warmongering, and trying to be the morality police. I'm happy for Mike and his faith. I don't really want to hear about it constantly because it has nothing to do with most of our national issues. It makes him seem like a religious zealot at times, and not much different from Pence.

Instead, how about focusing on fiscal sanity, and how to rein in federal spending and out of control executive department regulations. Rein in the war mongering. Why, exactly, do we have so many military outposts in sovereign countries in the middle east? Why, exactly, does anyone think we should be trying to fund pension plans of the Ukrainian government or military?

Also, it's time to start expelling members of the House who are ethically challenged.

 

[joelbc1]

I was born and raised in a small Iowa town where a good portion of the population did in fact “wear their religion” on their sleeves...with great pride. These folks believed their business was “your business.” They were pretty openly critical of the actions of others. These folks worshipped at the alter of public piousness and honored those who were rich.
I learned early in my life to distrust folks who claim to be holier than thou...and ignore folks who claim to have money. These are the folks who are the greatest danger to what it means to be an American. A good American understands that what we are, what we breath I’d a product of all of our everyday efforts. They understand that that smell coming from the sanitary sewer plant is a product of all of us.

 

[Chishawk1425]

 

[cigaretteman]

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The sad part is that many Republicans actually believe this.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

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[ft254]

Johnson said. “It’s not guns, it’s not the weapons..."

I agree and this is so unfair. I also strenuously object to the term "mass shootings"... From this point forward I hope everyone can refrain from using unfair and inflammatory terms like this. Please refer to all incidents where many people are torn to shreds by high powered assault style rifles as mass loss of life events. Then and only then can we have a frank and honest dialog about the mental health crises facing this great nation.

T's and P's everyone.

I have a better idea. All "mall loss of life events" MUST be graphically displayed on network news. And this includes Fox and the other sewer networks.

Nah, forget this. Bodies ripped to pieces will become BAU, including babies and children, and will become incentive for more violence by anesthetizing the public to savagery, which appeals to too many of the wingnuts.

 

[ft254]

He also thinks the story of Noah’s ark is real and that man and dinosaur lived together at the same time.

We live in the dumbest possible simulation.

For a person to think like this is weird.

For a person to think he can serve in the position he is it and say it is beyond bonkers.

 

[RicoSuave102954]

He also thinks the story of Noah’s ark is real and that man and dinosaur lived together at the same time.

We live in the dumbest possible simulation.

And you're the leader of that group considering you live in shithole St. Louis and think it's great.

 

[ft254]

When a politician wears his or her religion on their sleeves, it bothers me. I would prefer they don't talk about their faith as their prime decision making factor for everything. My main two issues with the GOP are warmongering, and trying to be the morality police. I'm happy for Mike and his faith. I don't really want to hear about it constantly because it has nothing to do with most of our national issues. It makes him seem like a religious zealot at times, and not much different from Pence.

Instead, how about focusing on fiscal sanity, and how to rein in federal spending and out of control executive department regulations. Rein in the war mongering. Why, exactly, do we have so many military outposts in sovereign countries in the middle east? Why, exactly, does anyone think we should be trying to fund pension plans of the Ukrainian government or military?

Also, it's time to start expelling members of the House who are ethically challenged.

Fund pension plans? If you are going to discuss things quit throwing BS against the wall. You sound like a Fox news cast. We need strategic bases. We have naval fleets for christ's sake and token ground forces for tactical representation which translates to ultimately to diplomacy.

We are a world power. We have world economic interests and must protect them. It goes with the territory. If we become isolationists and withdraw international military presence, we not only forfeit the leadership role, but become subservient.

The Orange Turd was taking us off the cliff. He wasn't smart enough to strategize. Someone was pulling the strings.