Mike Johnson, the recently elected House Speaker, is yet again another example of failure in politics.
Johnson’s conservative stances on issues like same-sex marriage and abortion are concerning and detrimental to true progress. Elected officials who have the power to vote for Speaker of the House need to do better and choose someone who truly wants to improve the U.S.
Johnson is a walking red-flag. None of the political issues he supports are going to benefit citizens. If anything, he is only going to divide the U.S. further than it already is.
Johnson supports Donald Trump and his policies, which is the epitome of a toxic person. Johnson supported Trump’s Muslim ban in 2017 and called it “common sense,” according to NPR.
The Muslim ban was a series of executive orders that prohibited people from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S., according to Immigration History, a non-profit organization that promotes the study of immigration.
Muslims are people and deserve to be treated as such. Those seeking a better life by settling in the U.S. should be able to enter the nation if they choose to.
Johnson is a supporter of “marriage and fidelity,” according to ABC News. He does not support same-sex marriage, so he can’t be that big of a supporter of marriage.
When Johnson was part of the Louisiana House of Representatives, he proposed the Marriage and Conscience Act, which prevents harmful treatment of people based on their views of marriage. However, the act also protects people that discriminate against same-sex couples.
The protection of people who discriminate against same-sex couples is unjust because same-sex couples do not receive protection.
With the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, the U.S. has grown more divided than ever.
Johnson has also introduced many bills that aim to restrict abortion access, such as H.R. 407, the “Protect the UNBORN Act.”
The bill limits funding for and implementation of reproductive health care services, including abortions. Individuals that can get pregnant should be able to terminate their pregnancy if they choose to. People should have the human right to do what they want with their bodies.
Scot Schraufnagel, an NIU professor of political science, said that just because Johnson has conservative beliefs does not mean he’ll be able to enact them.
“It’s one thing for people to have opinions, it’s another thing for them to be able to enact policies,” Schraufnagel said. “His policies are not that popular, and I doubt that he’ll be able to have much effect in being able to get those things done.”
Even though Johnson worked with Democrats to pass a bill to keep the government open, the bill is only short-term and lasts until mid-January, according to the BBC.
Having opinions is OK, but someone in a high position of power like Johnson needs to put their personal preferences aside and act on what the country wants.
