In case you missed it, Mike Johnson was re-elected Speaker of the House today. Watch his speech here: At the fourteen minute mark, Johnson said: …I was asked to provide a prayer for the nation. I offered one that is […]
Speaker of the House
Mike Johnson is feeling the rush of power
Power is a heck of a drug. Just ask Mike Johnson. Watch: The conservative evangelical Speaker of the House appeared today on CNN’s State of the Union. During the interview, Jake Tapper played this clip of Mark Wayne Mullin talking […]
New reporting on Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, the Paul Pressler School of Law, and a Southern Baptist college
We have covered Mike Johnson’s connection to the Paul Pressler School of Law here and here. The Washington Post has has taken a deeper dive into this story. Here is Michael Kranish and Isaac Stanley-Becker: On Aug. 15, 2012, Mike […]
Does Speaker of the House Mike Johnson really believe in religious freedom?
Conservative evangelicals like to talk a lot about religious freedom. When they do address this topic, they are usually talking about their own religious freedom–freedom not to bake a wedding cake, or something like that. I am sure Mike Johnson, […]
Mike Johnson is not the only David Barton fan to be Speaker of the House of Representatives
I was recently talking with a reporter who asked me if Mike Johnson was the first Speaker of the House to embrace the teachings of David Barton. I didn’t know the answer off the top of my head so after […]
Mike Johnson was the dean of the Paul Pressler School of Law
I noted this in my piece last week: “Who is Mike Johnson?” It has now caught the attention of the Associated Press. Here is Brian Slodysjo: Before House Speaker Mike Johnson was elected to public office, he was the dean of a […]
New York Times: “Trumpism is running the House”
It’s official. With the election of Mike Johnson to Speaker of the House the Trump wing of the Republican Party–and especially its Christian Right faction–is now running the House of Representatives. As I wrote yesterday: Johnson was elected to the […]
What the Christian Right is saying about Mike Johnson
We covered a lot of the responses at today’s evangelical roundup. Here’s more: David Barton and his Wallbuilders gang are over the moon. Johnson has a long history with Wallbuilders. Tim Barton says that Wallbuilders have been praying for a […]
Mike Johnson is the 56th Speaker of the House
I will have more to say about this in tomorrow’s feature at CURRENT. In the meantime, here is CNN: The Republican-led House elected Rep. Mike Johnson as the new House speaker on Wednesday – a major leadership change that comes three […]
Mike Johnson wins first round of GOP Speaker of the House voting, but he doesn’t have a majority
The House GOP is trying to pick another Speaker nominee after Tom Emmer dropped out of the race earlier today. In the first round of closed-door voting, Louisiana’s Mike Johnson garnered the most votes: Since Fleischman received the lowest number […]
Any House member who voted to certify the 2020 election has no real chance of being Speaker of the House in today’s GOP
Earlier today, the GOP caucus chose Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer as its candidate for Speaker of the House. Hours later Emmer dropped out of the running. This leaves five candidates: Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee Mark […]
Jim Jordan takes a third shot at the House speakership. This time he’s invoking the Wright brothers, Neil Armstrong, and 2 Timothy 4:7
As I type, the House of Representatives is about to consider Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan’s candidacy for Speaker of the House. On the first vote, Jordan was unable to garner the 217 votes he needed. 20 Republicans voted against him. […]
What is it like to be Nebraska GOP Congressman Don Bacon today?
Don Bacon represents Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district. Yesterday he was the first Republican member of Congress to refuse to vote for Jim Jordan as Speaker of the House. And then this happened to his wife: Here is Jordain Carney, Sarah […]
Speaker of the House George W. Bush?
As of the publication of this post the House of Representatives has been without a Speaker for 13 days and roughly 17 hours. Later today, the House will convene to vote on Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan’s candidacy. Last night, Kentucky […]
Steve Scalise drops out of Speaker race
Yesterday the Republican Party nominated Lousiana’s Steve Scalise as their choice to replace Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Today Scalise withdrew his name from consideration. Here is CNN: Rep. Steve Scalise announced he was dropping out of the speaker’s race […]
Steve Scalise wins GOP nomination for House Speaker
Here is CNN: Rep. Steve Scalise has won the House GOP’s nomination for speaker during a secret ballot vote, according to multiple sources familiar. The final vote tally was 113 for Steve Scalise and 99 for Jim Jordan. The threshold […]
Is Kevin McCarthy leaving Congress?
Here is Olivia Beavers at Politico: Kevin McCarthy is considering resigning from the House before the end of his term, two people familiar with the matter told POLITICO. The deposed former speaker has made clear he plans to stay at […]
The GOP clownshow rolls on
In 1910, the House of Representatives voted to remove Speaker of the House Joseph Cannon, an anti-progressive Republican (as opposed to the progressive Republican presidents Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft) from Illinois. Here is Hillsdale College historian Joseph Postell: […]
Will Kevin McCarthy last more than 66 days as Speaker of the House?
66 days. That’s how long Didius Julianus lasted as Roman emperor in 193 C.E. As historian Edward Watts notes, he “ran out of things to give his allies.” Here is a taste of his piece at Zocalo: Julianus was so […]
Historian Joanne Freeman on the near scuffle between Mike Rogers and Matt Gaetz
Here is part of what I wrote last night after the fourteenth ballot for Speaker of the House: Before the end of the vote, McCarthy had to walk up the aisle to talk to Matt Gaetz to try to get […]