On October 29, 1929, the U.S. stock market crashed. It had been rocked five days before, when heavy trading early in the day drove it down, but leading bankers had seen the mounting crisis and moved in to stabilize the markets before the end of the day. October 24 left small investors broken but the system intact. On Monday, October 28, the market slid again, with a key industrial average dropping 49 points.
Gaetz might think MAGA is ascendant but only in the confines of a tightly controlled bubble like the Republicans within the House of Representatives when it wears its members into exhaustion so they'll vote for anyone just to shut up the extremists. Wait until they try to put that extremism into action. The elevation of Johnson to Speaker seals the fate of the Republican Party in 2024. Why? Because women will not continue to be denied and demeaned. The MAGAts just don't get it. There are more of us than them and we'll be sure that reproductive rights are at the top of the list in 2024. Every time they try to fight against it, they have lost since Dobbs. We'll make sure they lose again.
“MAGA is ascendant,” Gaetz told former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, “and if you don’t think that moving from Kevin McCarthy to MAGA Mike Johnson shows the ascendance of this movement, and where the power of the Republican Party truly lies, then you’re not paying attention.” Could there possibly be a more compelling reason to work to ensure a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives than what Gaetz has to say?
Thank you for this clear analysis of the Depression to Regan and beyond---and the formation of the present configuration of political forces on the Right. We do have the Real Thing for Speaker of the House---a rather unvarnished example of Southern Conservative Reactionary Religion joined to politics. Now perhaps more people will see (and more people will perhaps understand) the radical anti-democratic "thing" that the GOP has become. A sad day. But a day that should motivate us to do more and more and more..............
With Johnson being the new Speaker of the House I'm reminded of the old saying "Be careful what you wish for". Gaetz made it clear, the Republican party is definitely the MAGA party. Every Republican in the House voted for Johnson and made it clear that they don't care about the majority of Americans. I believe they've overplayed their hand, out of arrogance and hubris, and the majority of voters do not want what they're pushing. I tend to be somewhat cynical, but I believe the Republican party is the frog in the boiling water and that even though many voters are tired of politics, and may not be yelling and shouting, they don't want religious authoritarianism and the message of "hate everyone who isn't a straight, white, Christian male".
Wow HCR. Thank you for connecting the dots to shine light into this dystopian and frightening moment. You bring a perspective only a literary historian could provide. This horror show requires no costume
Not many Americans can remember 1929 or the Great Depression that followed. My mother-in-law, almost 101, can pretty vividly recall the early 1930s, when WWI veterans seeking their promised bonuses so they could survive economically, were attacked by firehouses. https://jimbuie.substack.com/p/recalling-1930s-traumas
“his 2018 campaign accepted money from a group of Russian nationals, and he has said he does not support additional funding for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.”
This saga keeps getting more ominous. We know what Mike Johnson and his demented band of religious zealots want to do to this country. Their sanctimonious brand of politics would turn this country into something out of a Margaret Atwood novel, filled with hate and the most vile kinds of repression.
Maybe, just maybe this will wake up old-style Republicans as well as libertarians to the fact that freedom is under assault like never before. I very much doubt Johnson will survive the media scrutiny of his life and radical "Christian" views.
As today’s letter points out, Brown v Board and its enforcement, such as it was, marked the division of the electorate into those committed to minority (that is, white) rule and those seeking fair treatment for all Americans. It took a while to kick into full force but has seen solid and consistent growth with only a few setbacks since 1980. At this point, roughly 60% of white voters are firmly committed to autocratic government, which they see as the only reliable way to ensure the preservation of systemic advantages for white Americans. A recent essay in WaPo by Jennifer Rubins cited a Public Religion Research Institute finding that 59% of white voters believe that the reelection of Biden would be a threat to democracy. Imagine! That is how delusional, not to mention fundamentally indecent, most white voters are. They imagine that electing an autocrat would save democracy when, in fact, it would probably destroy democracy. What it would save, though, are myriad (and probably expanded) systemic advantages for white Americans.
What are the people in Speaker Johnson's home town saying about him?
'SHREVEPORT, La. — In this small town masquerading as a city, a mention of newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson during the lunchtime rush at Strawn’s Eat Shop Too (“home of the ice box pie”) drew an interruption.' (WAPO, excerpts)
“Are you talking about Mike Johnson?” said a woman in a flowered blouse, gold-cross necklace and gray ponytail. “I’m his mom.”
'Jeanne “Jee Jee” Johnson, 69, had been sharing a “celebration lunch” Thursday with her cousin here in the central Broadmoor neighborhood, pausing to greet fellow diners as her cellphone exploded with well wishes.'
'Johnson saw her son’s selection in spiritual terms.' “God did this,” she said. “ … It’s so good for America.”
'In northwest Louisiana, people navigate their lives by family and faith. The politician raised here shares a heavy reliance on both.'
'Mike Johnson, 51, is a staunch conservative who championed religious causes before he was elected to the state legislature in 2015 and to Congress the following year. Although more low-profile than other Donald Trump supporters in Congress, he played a pivotal role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election and opposes abortion rights, gun control and same-sex marriage, views shared by many supporters at home.'
'In accepting the speakership last week, Johnson prayed on the House floor and said, “God is the one that raises up those in authority.” His wife, Kelly Lary Johnson, a pastoral counselor whose brother is a local Baptist minister, prayed for her husband for days leading up to his selection as speaker, both the new speaker and Jeanne Johnson said.'
“It’s a cultural conservatism, a view not only of politics but of religion and faith,” 'said Royal Alexander, 56, a conservative lawyer, referring to what guides much of the community and Johnson, who he got to know after college.' “People here are rugged individualists who want to make their own decisions.”
'The Ark-La-Tex region in northwest Louisiana that includes Johnson’s hometown is full of historic Black and White churches, more like neighboring Arkansas, Texas and the rest of the Bible Belt than the rest of the state. It’s often overshadowed by flashier cities to the south: New Orleans and the state capital, Baton Rouge. The idea that one of its sons is now second in line to the presidency has been met with joyous surprise in many quarters. But views are mixed about whether his ascension will benefit all residents, who remain divided, like much of the country, along ideological and racial lines.'
'Residents call the metro area of about 760,000 Shreveport-Bossier, encompassing Shreveport — population 180,000, where Johnson was raised on the west bank of the Red River — and growing suburbs to the east in Bossier Parish, where the speaker now lives.'
'But there are vast distinctions between the two sides, the residue of disinvestment and white flight by families like Johnson’s.'
'The city proper is about 57 percent Black, 37 percent White and 3 percent Latino, according to the most recent census. Bossier Parish, home to about 130,000 people, is about 70 percent White, 24 percent Black and 7 percent Latino. Overall, Johnson’s district has a median household income of about $48,600, below the national median of nearly $75,000. About 22 percent live below the poverty level.'
'Shreveport native Celeste Gauthier, 45, went away to Middlebury College in Vermont but returned to help her family run Strawn’s three restaurants, including its flagship in the city’s Highland Historic District and another in Bossier Parish. That’s become harder with pandemic lockdowns, rising costs and labor challenges, the mother of three said.'
“Politics here is personal. People really do look at the funding we’re sending to Israel and Ukraine and say, ‘I can’t afford to go to Kroger,’” Gauthier said as she sat amid the lunchtime crowd, some of whom she said had stopped buying beverages because of the cost.'
“A lot of these customers know Mike Johnson and think we often get overlooked and maybe we won’t anymore,” she said.
'Customer Beth Hayes, a retired registered nurse from Shreveport, said she was proud of Johnson and had high hopes for him as speaker.'
'A registered Democrat, Hayes, 83, said she has become more independent in recent years. She’s a Methodist who respects LGBTQ+ rights even though her church doesn’t allow same-sex marriage or ministers, feels conflicted about abortion and voted for Trump twice. She said she appreciated Johnson’s support for Trump’s fight to overturn the 2020 election, but believes Biden ultimately won. She called the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol “the worst thing I have ever seen in my life” and said she isn’t sure who she will vote for in 2024.'
“We need to stand up for our rights, but we can do it in a more civilized manner” than Trump does, Hayes said. She hopes Johnson will be able to do that, by working with Democrats.'
'Others here have their doubts, particularly in Shreveport’s mostly Black and low-income Mooretown neighborhood.'
“He was a part of that exodus from Shreveport; he didn’t stay and make the community better and as a congressman, he has done little to make the community better,” 'said the Rev. Theron Jackson, the Black pastor of 94-year-old Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church.'
'A former Shreveport city council member, Jackson, 54, was once a Democrat but said he now considers himself an independent. He’s working to counter homelessness and what he calls “trans-generational poverty” that dates to segregation.'
'While Black leaders scored victories in Shreveport during the Civil Rights era, hosting the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for seminars on nonviolent protest, he said,' “The fact that you have to fight for folks to be civil, that says something. If that’s our only accomplishment, we have to say ‘Is that all?’ Because that’s not all that life’s about. The best cities in the world give opportunities for people to thrive, not just survive.”
'Earlier this year, Jackson traveled to Baton Rouge to lobby for changes to Louisiana’s congressional districts — only one of six is a majority Black district despite a state population that is more than 30 percent Black. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to speed up redrawing the districts after a federal judge found the latest map still dilutes the strength of Black voters.'
“When you become speaker of the house, that’s supposed to mean a lot more for your district and your state. The question is, what is that going to mean for us?” Jackson said. “It may mean more for those who have already benefited from his presence, but certainly not all of us.” (WAPO) Below is
line to the article. Sorry that I do not have any gifted links left.
I hesitate to disagree with an august historian such as yourself, HRC, but the history books and other documentation I've read say that Eisenhower was completely flummoxed by Earl Warren's turn to liberalism, particularly desegregation in Brown v Board. Eisenhower has been quoted as saying putting Earl Warren in the Supreme Court was "the worst thing" that happened in his administration. If one looks at Warren's record before his appointment as Chief Justice, Eisenhower was right to be flummoxed. Warren was the chief advocate for Executive Order 9066, putting Japanese residents and native born citizens in concentration camps. He was also a leader in the 30s against the Poor People's campaign when Sinclair Lewis ran for governor of California. In all ways, he was an obvious conservative Republican.
Thank you Heather! He is so frightening! We have to all push voters to oust this man and elect people that care about all individuals ! Vote blue! At all levels of government!
If we become a bible based theocracy due to inattention and laziness rather than protect the existence of our ‘Republic’ …we will have deserved it. The very thing our Founders had come to America to prevent! It is our turn, our time and our fault if we lose our democracy!
Thank “God” we still have a Democratic Senate and President who will not cave to the MAGA crowd in the lowest of lower Houses. Time for real journalists to show up and put an end to this fiasco. True Believers are always hiding something. I bet his wife is miserable.
Something I’ve seen over the years with conservative, Bible-based leaders (be they televangelists or politicians) is that they often wind up having personal morality problems that expose the hypocrisy of their “this way is how a better world can work” claims.
I expect the new Speaker and his wife to be exposed as having bizarre behavioral histories which will undercut this movement. We’ve already learned he has an adopted Black son only 11 years younger than he is (except the adoption was never formalized), and that his wife ran (runs?) a program that treats homosexuality as being similar to bestiality. (SNL had fun with the Black “son” this past Saturday)
I don’t know what else will come out, as investigative reporters do their thing. But when a “holier than thou” person with a bizarre personal life gets in power, who they really are needs to become front page news! I hope the major networks do their jobs and inform the American people who this guy really is!
Gaetz might think MAGA is ascendant but only in the confines of a tightly controlled bubble like the Republicans within the House of Representatives when it wears its members into exhaustion so they'll vote for anyone just to shut up the extremists. Wait until they try to put that extremism into action. The elevation of Johnson to Speaker seals the fate of the Republican Party in 2024. Why? Because women will not continue to be denied and demeaned. The MAGAts just don't get it. There are more of us than them and we'll be sure that reproductive rights are at the top of the list in 2024. Every time they try to fight against it, they have lost since Dobbs. We'll make sure they lose again.
“MAGA is ascendant,” Gaetz told former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, “and if you don’t think that moving from Kevin McCarthy to MAGA Mike Johnson shows the ascendance of this movement, and where the power of the Republican Party truly lies, then you’re not paying attention.” Could there possibly be a more compelling reason to work to ensure a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives than what Gaetz has to say?
Thank you for this clear analysis of the Depression to Regan and beyond---and the formation of the present configuration of political forces on the Right. We do have the Real Thing for Speaker of the House---a rather unvarnished example of Southern Conservative Reactionary Religion joined to politics. Now perhaps more people will see (and more people will perhaps understand) the radical anti-democratic "thing" that the GOP has become. A sad day. But a day that should motivate us to do more and more and more..............
With Johnson being the new Speaker of the House I'm reminded of the old saying "Be careful what you wish for". Gaetz made it clear, the Republican party is definitely the MAGA party. Every Republican in the House voted for Johnson and made it clear that they don't care about the majority of Americans. I believe they've overplayed their hand, out of arrogance and hubris, and the majority of voters do not want what they're pushing. I tend to be somewhat cynical, but I believe the Republican party is the frog in the boiling water and that even though many voters are tired of politics, and may not be yelling and shouting, they don't want religious authoritarianism and the message of "hate everyone who isn't a straight, white, Christian male".
Wow HCR. Thank you for connecting the dots to shine light into this dystopian and frightening moment. You bring a perspective only a literary historian could provide. This horror show requires no costume
Not many Americans can remember 1929 or the Great Depression that followed. My mother-in-law, almost 101, can pretty vividly recall the early 1930s, when WWI veterans seeking their promised bonuses so they could survive economically, were attacked by firehouses. https://jimbuie.substack.com/p/recalling-1930s-traumas
“his 2018 campaign accepted money from a group of Russian nationals, and he has said he does not support additional funding for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.”
YIKES!
I have some hope that MAGA can be defeated in the 2024 elections, but will Ukraine survive?
This saga keeps getting more ominous. We know what Mike Johnson and his demented band of religious zealots want to do to this country. Their sanctimonious brand of politics would turn this country into something out of a Margaret Atwood novel, filled with hate and the most vile kinds of repression.
Maybe, just maybe this will wake up old-style Republicans as well as libertarians to the fact that freedom is under assault like never before. I very much doubt Johnson will survive the media scrutiny of his life and radical "Christian" views.
As today’s letter points out, Brown v Board and its enforcement, such as it was, marked the division of the electorate into those committed to minority (that is, white) rule and those seeking fair treatment for all Americans. It took a while to kick into full force but has seen solid and consistent growth with only a few setbacks since 1980. At this point, roughly 60% of white voters are firmly committed to autocratic government, which they see as the only reliable way to ensure the preservation of systemic advantages for white Americans. A recent essay in WaPo by Jennifer Rubins cited a Public Religion Research Institute finding that 59% of white voters believe that the reelection of Biden would be a threat to democracy. Imagine! That is how delusional, not to mention fundamentally indecent, most white voters are. They imagine that electing an autocrat would save democracy when, in fact, it would probably destroy democracy. What it would save, though, are myriad (and probably expanded) systemic advantages for white Americans.
What are the people in Speaker Johnson's home town saying about him?
'SHREVEPORT, La. — In this small town masquerading as a city, a mention of newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson during the lunchtime rush at Strawn’s Eat Shop Too (“home of the ice box pie”) drew an interruption.' (WAPO, excerpts)
“Are you talking about Mike Johnson?” said a woman in a flowered blouse, gold-cross necklace and gray ponytail. “I’m his mom.”
'Jeanne “Jee Jee” Johnson, 69, had been sharing a “celebration lunch” Thursday with her cousin here in the central Broadmoor neighborhood, pausing to greet fellow diners as her cellphone exploded with well wishes.'
'Johnson saw her son’s selection in spiritual terms.' “God did this,” she said. “ … It’s so good for America.”
'In northwest Louisiana, people navigate their lives by family and faith. The politician raised here shares a heavy reliance on both.'
'Mike Johnson, 51, is a staunch conservative who championed religious causes before he was elected to the state legislature in 2015 and to Congress the following year. Although more low-profile than other Donald Trump supporters in Congress, he played a pivotal role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election and opposes abortion rights, gun control and same-sex marriage, views shared by many supporters at home.'
'In accepting the speakership last week, Johnson prayed on the House floor and said, “God is the one that raises up those in authority.” His wife, Kelly Lary Johnson, a pastoral counselor whose brother is a local Baptist minister, prayed for her husband for days leading up to his selection as speaker, both the new speaker and Jeanne Johnson said.'
“It’s a cultural conservatism, a view not only of politics but of religion and faith,” 'said Royal Alexander, 56, a conservative lawyer, referring to what guides much of the community and Johnson, who he got to know after college.' “People here are rugged individualists who want to make their own decisions.”
'The Ark-La-Tex region in northwest Louisiana that includes Johnson’s hometown is full of historic Black and White churches, more like neighboring Arkansas, Texas and the rest of the Bible Belt than the rest of the state. It’s often overshadowed by flashier cities to the south: New Orleans and the state capital, Baton Rouge. The idea that one of its sons is now second in line to the presidency has been met with joyous surprise in many quarters. But views are mixed about whether his ascension will benefit all residents, who remain divided, like much of the country, along ideological and racial lines.'
'Residents call the metro area of about 760,000 Shreveport-Bossier, encompassing Shreveport — population 180,000, where Johnson was raised on the west bank of the Red River — and growing suburbs to the east in Bossier Parish, where the speaker now lives.'
'But there are vast distinctions between the two sides, the residue of disinvestment and white flight by families like Johnson’s.'
'The city proper is about 57 percent Black, 37 percent White and 3 percent Latino, according to the most recent census. Bossier Parish, home to about 130,000 people, is about 70 percent White, 24 percent Black and 7 percent Latino. Overall, Johnson’s district has a median household income of about $48,600, below the national median of nearly $75,000. About 22 percent live below the poverty level.'
'Shreveport native Celeste Gauthier, 45, went away to Middlebury College in Vermont but returned to help her family run Strawn’s three restaurants, including its flagship in the city’s Highland Historic District and another in Bossier Parish. That’s become harder with pandemic lockdowns, rising costs and labor challenges, the mother of three said.'
“Politics here is personal. People really do look at the funding we’re sending to Israel and Ukraine and say, ‘I can’t afford to go to Kroger,’” Gauthier said as she sat amid the lunchtime crowd, some of whom she said had stopped buying beverages because of the cost.'
“A lot of these customers know Mike Johnson and think we often get overlooked and maybe we won’t anymore,” she said.
'Customer Beth Hayes, a retired registered nurse from Shreveport, said she was proud of Johnson and had high hopes for him as speaker.'
'A registered Democrat, Hayes, 83, said she has become more independent in recent years. She’s a Methodist who respects LGBTQ+ rights even though her church doesn’t allow same-sex marriage or ministers, feels conflicted about abortion and voted for Trump twice. She said she appreciated Johnson’s support for Trump’s fight to overturn the 2020 election, but believes Biden ultimately won. She called the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol “the worst thing I have ever seen in my life” and said she isn’t sure who she will vote for in 2024.'
“We need to stand up for our rights, but we can do it in a more civilized manner” than Trump does, Hayes said. She hopes Johnson will be able to do that, by working with Democrats.'
'Others here have their doubts, particularly in Shreveport’s mostly Black and low-income Mooretown neighborhood.'
“He was a part of that exodus from Shreveport; he didn’t stay and make the community better and as a congressman, he has done little to make the community better,” 'said the Rev. Theron Jackson, the Black pastor of 94-year-old Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church.'
'A former Shreveport city council member, Jackson, 54, was once a Democrat but said he now considers himself an independent. He’s working to counter homelessness and what he calls “trans-generational poverty” that dates to segregation.'
'While Black leaders scored victories in Shreveport during the Civil Rights era, hosting the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for seminars on nonviolent protest, he said,' “The fact that you have to fight for folks to be civil, that says something. If that’s our only accomplishment, we have to say ‘Is that all?’ Because that’s not all that life’s about. The best cities in the world give opportunities for people to thrive, not just survive.”
'Earlier this year, Jackson traveled to Baton Rouge to lobby for changes to Louisiana’s congressional districts — only one of six is a majority Black district despite a state population that is more than 30 percent Black. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to speed up redrawing the districts after a federal judge found the latest map still dilutes the strength of Black voters.'
“When you become speaker of the house, that’s supposed to mean a lot more for your district and your state. The question is, what is that going to mean for us?” Jackson said. “It may mean more for those who have already benefited from his presence, but certainly not all of us.” (WAPO) Below is
line to the article. Sorry that I do not have any gifted links left.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/10/29/mike-johnson-louisiana-hometown-house-speaker/
I hesitate to disagree with an august historian such as yourself, HRC, but the history books and other documentation I've read say that Eisenhower was completely flummoxed by Earl Warren's turn to liberalism, particularly desegregation in Brown v Board. Eisenhower has been quoted as saying putting Earl Warren in the Supreme Court was "the worst thing" that happened in his administration. If one looks at Warren's record before his appointment as Chief Justice, Eisenhower was right to be flummoxed. Warren was the chief advocate for Executive Order 9066, putting Japanese residents and native born citizens in concentration camps. He was also a leader in the 30s against the Poor People's campaign when Sinclair Lewis ran for governor of California. In all ways, he was an obvious conservative Republican.
Thank you Heather! He is so frightening! We have to all push voters to oust this man and elect people that care about all individuals ! Vote blue! At all levels of government!
If we become a bible based theocracy due to inattention and laziness rather than protect the existence of our ‘Republic’ …we will have deserved it. The very thing our Founders had come to America to prevent! It is our turn, our time and our fault if we lose our democracy!
Thank “God” we still have a Democratic Senate and President who will not cave to the MAGA crowd in the lowest of lower Houses. Time for real journalists to show up and put an end to this fiasco. True Believers are always hiding something. I bet his wife is miserable.
Something I’ve seen over the years with conservative, Bible-based leaders (be they televangelists or politicians) is that they often wind up having personal morality problems that expose the hypocrisy of their “this way is how a better world can work” claims.
I expect the new Speaker and his wife to be exposed as having bizarre behavioral histories which will undercut this movement. We’ve already learned he has an adopted Black son only 11 years younger than he is (except the adoption was never formalized), and that his wife ran (runs?) a program that treats homosexuality as being similar to bestiality. (SNL had fun with the Black “son” this past Saturday)
I don’t know what else will come out, as investigative reporters do their thing. But when a “holier than thou” person with a bizarre personal life gets in power, who they really are needs to become front page news! I hope the major networks do their jobs and inform the American people who this guy really is!