Mike Johnson as Clark Kent

Cal Thomas, Tribune Content Agency on Oct 30, 2024

If Clark Kent had a twin brother he might resemble Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. That includes Johnson’s mild-mannered nature.

Underneath that bland exterior of Johnson’s may not be a Superman, but Johnson on the first anniversary of his speakership is confident that while Republicans may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, they will be better able after the election to pursue “truth, justice and the American way.”

In a telephone interview, Johnson tells me why he is optimistic: “I believe we’re going to have a record number of Hispanic and Latino voters, Black and African American voters, Jewish voters. These are people who have not traditionally been with us in large numbers. … The last couple of election cycles House Republicans have outperformed the top of the ticket. I think we can do it again. I think Trump is going to win and I think we will retake the Senate and have a unified government so the road ahead will be a little smoother.”

We’ve heard that before. Remember the “red wave” that didn’t materialize in 2022?

“I’m not basing this optimism on polls,” Johnson said,“I don’t think we can trust polls anymore. The reason for my optimism is my own observations … I’ve done campaign events in more than 230 cities in 40 states. I’ve spent a lot of time in Blue states, swing districts and toss-up districts where Republicans are not expected to do well, because we historically have not. What I have seen is a sizable movement. I don’t think the polling is reflecting this. I believe we are going to have a demographic shift in this election.”

I asked, “If there is unified government what would be some of your legislative priorities? We have a $35 trillion debt. Just last year, $150 billion was spent on migrants. Trump has said he will bring in outside auditors to audit the federal government and get rid of unnecessary employees. Does any of that ring your bells?

“All of it,” Johnson said.“I served on the Judiciary Committee, but also Armed Services. I’ve always been struck when we bring in leaders from the Pentagon and ask them under oath what they believe are the top threats to America. They don’t say China, Russia, North Korea or Iran. They say the national debt. We’ve got to get back to fiscal sanity. That’s one of the foundational principles of our party … we need a leaner … federal workforce. So many of these agencies have been weaponized against people. Trump wants to take a blowtorch to the regulatory state and I can’t wait to hold it. That’s what will usher in the pro-growth economy again. I think we’ll have the votes.

“What about Social Security and Medicare, the main drivers of debt?” I asked.

“Everything has to be addressed and we’re running out of time to do it,” he said. “There are some sensible measures that can be taken that I think would be bipartisan. Everybody recognizes what must be done as Social Security and Medicare now have a nine-year period before they become insolvent. To save the programs we have to adjust them, not to reduce benefits in any way. We are going to fiercely fight to protect everybody’s benefits. I’m not forecasting what those adjustments are … we have colleagues who have scores of ideas already drafted. I think you will have to have a bicameral, bipartisan approach to address it. I’m optimistic we can do that.”

I ask him about Trump’s caustic language.

Johnson said,“He’s an authentic guy. He speaks what’s on his mind. That’s not typical for politicians. He ruffles feathers, but his style is what it is. He was a real estate developer who came up in a cutthroat industry and that’s how people act.”

There’s more, including Ukraine aid, more on Trump’s language and how Johnson’s Christian faith has shaped his worldview. Read the entire interview here.

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Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I've Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America" (HumanixBooks).