Johnson Loses All Cred on Family Values: Waives Away Hegseth Past

It is really easy to observe with a neutral eye that A) Speaker Mike Johnson held and still holds vicious anti-LGBTQ views and positions on women’s rights that directly hurt people by altering the course of their lives, and B) He based those views on a faith that at least he seemed to sincerely possess, as wrong as someone else might find it. He may still think he has family values but with respect to having to back every single Trump decision, even if one is on fire at the time (Gaetz), Johnson has lost all ability to claim sincerely held family values firmly stay in place such that he could oppose certain nominees over principles.  Speaker Johnson now excuses Hegseth’s violent and hedonistic past – so goes the self-perceived Christian values. (I don’t see them as Christian, indeed I see them as the opposite. We are called to “Love one another” above all else, not just people like you)

Johnson is willing to give Hegseth a pass as someone who made mistakes and moved on, despite the fact that there is no evidence that Hegseth had reformed himself prior to being tapped. The willingness to back Hegseth tosses out any right Johnson may have once had to say that his family values perspective was sincere and personal. Per Johnson’s own statement:

“I’m optimistic about it. I’ve talked to a number of senators personally on the Hill just over the last couple of days and it seems like the momentum’s moving the right way. Look, I like how he’s approached it. We’ve all made mistakes in our lives, but we believe in redemption.

“What Pete brings to the table is a love for the military, a great education background, a great experience set, I think he’s well-suited for the job. And he will shake up the status quo, which is why this pick is so important.

“That’s why President Trump — that’s the common denominator, people who shake it up.”

I am going to take the bolded portions in a row and address how each reflects Johnson’s unprincipled, purely political, and compliant approach to Trump (Over and above God).

Let’s objectively and easily dispense with the “We have all made mistakes” and “I believe in redemption.” Yes, we’ve all made mistakes but damned few of us has ever, or should ever be close, to a rape accusation. That alone is something jaw-dropping and never to be included as somehow “just another mistake, chuckle chuckle, mmm, young guys, chuckle”) – that is not an acceptable, normal, mistake that is easily forgiven. Johnson would toss it out as “We’ve all made… ” Furthermore, as to the drinking problem, it is a massive issue with someone who handles delicate information, and – far worse, there’s no indication that Hegseth addressed or got into recovery before being tapped for the job!

And yes, I believe in redemption likely more than Johnson. But redemption is personal and with one’s God, or not, and involves the ability to look people in the eye as someone with pride and dignity. It certainly doesn’t include the “right” to be seen as qualified for the job of Secretary of Defense. That job requires someone who is special amidst a special class of people. Redemption? Absolutely, but limited to a good job, good future, good family, good faith (If desired) – not encompassing the top of the top positions, not if unaddressed before. Johnson is skipping right over the whole point of redemption, looking back and correcting one’s ways.

The love for the military and willingness to shake up the status quo? Neither is unique to Hegseth. Many military alum retain a loyalty and love, and the willingness to shake up the status quo is neither inherently good, and in this context is almost exclusive to shaking up one and only one element of the status quo, the move to diversify opportunity for top positions, including those in combat. Notice we say opportunity. Because I know of no positions that allow for lesser physical or performance standards. Either you can land a fighter jet on a carrier or you can’t – only the opportunity becomes diversified to include everyone (As it should, obviously) but the positions go to those who can do it. Same for special forces, same for intelligence positions. And yet some are adamantly opposed to opening up these positions to women, LGBTQ Americans, and new immigrants. This is the “shake-up” they often see as needed, when it is only personal to beliefs, not demonstrably weakening the end product.

The common denominator is loyalty to Trump, not a willingness to shake things up – though often they go hand in hand. Loyalty, which Trump himself admits. The fact that it appears to allow lesser qualified people to be nominated is why Republicans should rely on the powerful leaders like Johnson to say, “No.” Johnson has the ability to individually stop Trump’s agenda in the House. He could, in theory, grind it all to a halt and demand concessions. He won’t. But Johnson will shape legislation. That ability is a big check on refusing to give blanket support to any one nominee, especially where it offends those family values that would otherwise be there.

Or, what were – seemingly, sincerely held family values I suspect those family values extend only to hammering marginalized groups like LGBTQ Americans and not very very morally flawed people who still fit within the straight, self-perceived “alpha male,” and conservative outlook.

God Bless: I can be reached at [email protected] and @JasonMiciak, now on Bluesky

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