Our new House speaker is a normal guy – the horror!
Like most of America, I knew very little about Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson until he was elected speaker of the House. Now, of course, every aspect of his life and past is being examined under a microscope. The mainstream media – which has been engaging in a great deal of pearl-clutching over his conservative Christian values – is desperately trying to uncover some dirt on the man so they can brand him as a hypocrite or a danger or a criminal. So far they're not coming up with much. As a relative newcomer (he was first elected to Congress in 2016), maybe he simply hasn't been around long enough to tick off important people.
On the surface, Johnson seems to be a decent guy. He and his wife have been married almost 25 years and have four kids. No personal scandals are associated with his name (beyond the "scandal" of being a conservative Christian, of course).
Contrary to the mainstream media complaints (MSNBC calls him a "Christian nationalist" who wants to end abortion rights and gay marriage; The Guardian accuses him of being an election denier, climate skeptic and anti-abortion), Johnson's primary political focus appears not to be cultural issues so much as the national debt and international saber-rattling. Whatever.
So, in the absence of anything more substantial, the mainstream media are doing what they do best: Manufacturing scandal out of nothing. To this end, they came up with the most shocking and disturbing information they could about Speaker Johnson. After thoroughly scouring his personal and financial histories, Democrats have launched a full-scale assault on Johnson for an unforgivable reality: He isn't rich.
Yes, really. That's the best they could come up with.
The liberal rag The Daily Beast put out a hit piece entitled "Does New Speaker of the House Mike Johnson Have a Bank Account?" which noted in shocked tones, "Speaker Mike Johnson has never listed a bank account on his financial disclosure. In fact, on his newest disclosure he doesn't list a single asset at all."
The Beast goes on: "Over the course of seven years, Johnson has never reported a checking or savings account in his name, nor in the name of his wife or any of his children, disclosures show. In fact, he doesn't appear to have money stashed in any investments, with his latest filing – covering 2022 – showing no assets whatsoever. Of course, it's unlikely Johnson doesn't actually have a bank account. What's more likely is Johnson lives paycheck to paycheck – so much so that he doesn't have enough money in his bank account to trigger the checking account disclosure rules for members of Congress."
According to Jordan Libowitz, communications director for watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, this lack of assets "raises questions about [Johnson's] personal financial well-being," which, in turn, could be seen as a vulnerability to exploit – "ripe for influence buying," concludes Libowitz.
The Beast piece also lists Johnson's loans and debts, which is probably why the man doesn't have a savings account. I know it must come as a shock to the Beast, but 80% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Apparently, Johnson is included in that number.
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Matt Fuller, the Beast's Washington, D.C., correspondent, snarks: "Mike Johnson doesn't have any retirement savings, own a single stock, or have any assets at all. He has less than $5,000 in his bank account. He's got a 250-500K mortgage, a home equity loan, and a personal loan. So what's his retirement plan? To lobby?"
In other words, Johnson is being attacked by liberal media outlets for not profiting off his seven years in Congress. The horror!
Needless to say, Johnson's financial situation ratcheted up his standing with the millions of ordinary people who have no appreciable retirement savings. "The Daily Beast is furious that @SpeakerJohnson isn't rich, corrupt, or rich from being corrupt," wrote Rep. Matt Gaetz on X. "He doesn't have shady business deals. He doesn't trade stocks as a congressman."
Or, as Twitchy so richly put it, "The Daily Beast has breaking investigative news ... Mike Johnson is literally the most normal guy ever!"
The Daily Beast piece concludes, "With Johnson appearing to not have even a single dollar in the stock market, a savings account, or a retirement plan, the new speaker may have plans to use his congressional position as a springboard to something more lucrative once he's done in government. That could happen once he's done in government, but if the new speaker sees a boon while in office, he certainly wouldn't be the first member of Congress to do so."
No sh*t, Sherlock. Nancy Pelosi famously became a prolific stock trader who passed legislation relating to companies in which she held a financial stake. Let's not forget the wealth-building exercises of the Clintons, Feinstein, Obama, or (dare I say it) the entire Biden clan.
The left's concerns about Johnson's "normal guy" finances underscore how upside-down America's values have become of late. Corruption is normal and expected in the highest offices of the land, to the point where someone who isn't corrupt is suspect. Darkness is light and light is darkness. Bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. Evil is good and good is evil.
"Crazy times when some see it as a strike against lawmakers who are not actively using insider knowledge to make millions of dollars while serving as 'public servants,'" writes Fox Business host Charles Payne. "Worse than [lobbying] upon retirement is getting paid millions in campaign contributions (wink) while in office."
Having written all this, I'm not necessary throwing my unwavering support behind Speaker Johnson. I have very little faith in any politician, since politics itself changes so many people (witness the number of politicians who emerged rich after serving in office, not before; see my comment about Pelosi, Clintons, Feinstein, Biden, etc.). Washington, it seems, is phenomenally good at breeding swamp creatures. If nothing else, Johnson's financial situation is something of a novelty in Congress.
Still, it's been kinda fun to watch the leftist pearl-clutchers bend themselves into verbal pretzels trying to find nefarious intent in Johnson's modest financial situation. Of all the things they can find to nitpick over, this makes them look the most stupid.
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