The day before his big and unexpected day, Republican lawmaker Mike Johnson said that “democracy is complicated sometimes, but it’s our system.”
Johnson, an evangelical Christian, had just been nominated for the presidency of the United States House of Representatives and his words wanted to achieve something that had become a chimera: to appeal to the unity of his people.
After three previous fiascos, this ultraconservative united the rival factions within his party and was elected this Wednesday as speaker.
For many, the first Speaker of the House clearly from Donald Trump’s MAGA movement. He is one of the conspirators who endorsed the voter fraud lie, who refused to certify Joe Biden’s victory and who was the main architect of the plan after the lawsuit to invalidate the results in several states from replacing the electoral representatives elected by others selected to said. He was also part of the defense team in the impeachment against Trump, who quickly congratulated him on the election.
“No,” President Biden said when asked if he feared Johnson would again encourage his colleagues to deny victory if he wins in 2024. “He can’t. I am not worried because after the election there were 60 lawsuits and in each case the courts spoke and lost. I understand the Constitution”, argued Biden, in a press conference at the White House.
Playing in Johnson’s favor was the conservatives’ historical ridicule, fatigue and frustration as they portrayed themselves to American society. Even his voters felt shame.
The rise of Mike Johnson, a little-known Louisiana legislator since 2016, came to the rescue after 22 days of unrest, which began when eight far-right insurgents forced the fall of Kevin McCarthy. More than conviction, Johnson, 51, tied the vote to the collective disaster and damage Republicans were doing to the country.
When questioned about taking the mace for denying Biden a 2020 victory, Johnson remained silent.
