Louisiana Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has, according to a new report from Axios, been getting mentored by a very infamous former speaker that will no doubt leave current members of the GOP cringing: former Speaker John Boehner of Ohio.
I mean, if Johnson really hates himself enough to commit career suicide by partnering up with someone as disgraced as Boehner to learn the ways of an establishment politician, why in the heck did he even bother running for Speaker of the House in the first place? It seems like a massive waste of time and resources.
In the end, this is like Anakin Skywalker submitting himself to the dark side teachings of Emperor Palpatine in “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.” Why, Speaker Johnson? Why?
Boehner helped provide Johnson with help to defy the conservatives in Congress in order to get a piece of legislation passed that would provide an aid package for both Israel and Ukraine, which our country, in the midst of severe economic woes, sincerely cannot afford. In other words, Johnson put other nations and their interest above those of his own.
Here’s more from Axios:
Why it matters: The two men have bridged generational, ideological and stylistic gulfs to form an extremely rare connection between today’s hard-right Republicans and the pre-Trump party of Bush, McCain and Romney.
Boehner, 74 — with his smoker’s cough, but undiminished love of the game — used his roguish touch to help talk Johnson, 52, toward a win on what the speaker called those “really important obligations” on foreign aid.
- In our column on Johnson’s historic road-to-Kyiv conversion, we told you how the speaker defied the loudest, most threatening GOP personalities, dug deep into government intelligence, and shifted his position on the most vital foreign policy legislation in years.
Johnson had to defy a majority of his party, and risk his speakership.
- He not only survived, but now has a good shot at remaining Republican leader (whether in the majority or minority) in 2025 — which once looked unlikely.
Behind the scenes: “For a guy who doesn’t drink, smoke, or cuss,” Johnson’s “really an affable guy,” Boehner, who does all those things (although he pivoted years ago from his trademark merlot to cabernet sauvignon), told us by phone from his home in suburban Cincinnati.
“He’s got to do this Kabuki dance every day to keep some of his more — I don’t even want to call them conservatives,” Boehner went on to say about the difficult job Johnson has being the Speaker of the House. “I don’t know what you — I think that’s the wrong word for them. He’s got to go through this dance every day to try to appease his caucus. But at the end of the day, he knows what has to get done, and he finds a way to get it done.”
Just a week ago, the odd couple of politics revealed their partnership when Boehner headlined a fundraising event in the city of Cincinnati for the speaker’s Grow the Majority committee. And let me tell you, Johnson is head-over-heels for Boehner, referring to him as a “living legend.”
Give me a break.
These two need to get a room already.
“I found it interesting, reading the press about him,” Boehner stated, making a reference to how the New Yorker referred to Johnson as “MAGA Mike.” “I think there’s a lot more there than what the press gives him credit for. … His members respect him, even those that may disagree with him. I think it harbors a pretty bright future for him.”
“This guy knows who he is,” the Ohioan later stated. “He’s not searching for a meaning in life.”
When speaking of the foreign aid package that was ultimately passed, Boehner said that Speaker Johnson “may not have been thrilled with the Ukraine stuff early on. But once you become speaker, one, you learn a few more things; and two, the gravity of the issues you’re dealing with change as well.”
“All of a sudden, you have not just a responsibility to your district or to yourself. You’ve got a team of members, and you’ve got what’s good in the long-term interest of the country involved as well. And I think he rose to the occasion,” the former speaker said.
Good grief.
This right here is why so many hardcore conservatives in Congress now want to boot Johnson from his position. He has compromised on core values he claimed to hold to on numerous occasions and he’s only been Speaker of the House since January!
We can’t expect to defeat the radical left with people like this in positions of leadership.