Topic: Newsmax
Despite floating the idea of Donald Trump serving as House speaker, Newsmax quickly got on board when Mike Johnson was ultimately chosen as speaker with the usual fawning promotion:
- 'Little Baggage' Aided Rep. Mike Johnson's Speaker Selection
- Johnson Will Reach 'Magic 217' and Be Speaker
- Rep. Van Duyne to Newsmax: Johnson 'Tremendous Addition' as Speaker
- New Speaker Johnson: 'Honor of a Lifetime'
- Rep. Kustoff to Newsmax: Johnson Right Guy, Right Time
- Rep. Van Drew to Newsmax: Johnson 'Has Strong Conservative Values'
- Trump Congratulates Johnson: 'Will Be Great Speaker'
There was a little exasperation that the process took so long; an Oct. 25 column by Michael Dorstewitz suggested that House Republicans "may wanna just get together and chill out" before settling on a new speaker.
Newsmax was less than happy, of course, about criticism of Johnson. Jim Thomas complained in an Oct. 25 article that "President Joe Biden's reelection campaign issued a statement asserting that Johnson's ascent solidified the so-called MAGA takeover within the House Republican ranks." Charles Kim groused in another article that day:
Democrats and abortion rights organizations are pouncing on newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for his "extreme" pro-life comments and positions on the controversial issue.
"Mike Johnson, probably more so than almost any other member of the House Republican conference, wants to criminalize abortion care and impose a nationwide ban," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Wednesday morningduring an event hosted by the Center for American Progress, which preceded the House floor vote in which Johnson was elected. "Later on, today, [Democrats] will make clear that we will continue to forcefully push back against that extremism."
[...]
Democrat-led [sic] House Pro-Choice Caucus members also criticized Johnson for his views on the issue in a statement.
Still, Jeff Crouere used his Oct. 26 column to complain that Jim Jordan wasn't elected as speaker, even though "the party's base" suuposedly wanted him:
The overwhelming favorite of the party’s base was Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
Jordan is the co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus and has served admirably as the House Judiciary Committee Chairman.
His history as a stalwart conservative earned the trust of grassroots Republicans.
Unfortunately, a contingent of moderate Republicans were resolute in opposing Jordan.
Despite their office phone lines burning up with calls from Republicans throughout the country, these obstinate opponents of Jordan refused to budge.
[...]
Jordan would have been a different type of House Speaker, listening to the grassroots instead of the special interest groups.
He would have been hesitant to add to the $113 billion already sent by Congress to Ukraine.
Jordan would have also ended the practice of passing continuing resolutions which has been the standard operating procedure for 27 years.
He would have insisted on Congress passing twelve separate appropriations bills, which is what former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., did not do.
Crouere didn't mention that Republican House members were actually threatened with violence if they didn't support Jordan, which put off people who mighthave voted for him, or that he remains under a cloud of suspicion as former Ohio State wrestlers continue to accuse him of looking the other way amid accuations of a team doctor molesting athletes while he served as a coach there.
Crouere grudgingly acknowledged that Johnson won the vote for speaker, but he continued to whine that Republican leadership wasn't far-right enough even as he nosensically claimed that "All the top leaders in the Democratic Party are far-left progressives who espouse socialist policies."
