Speaker Johnson Would “Take the Country Back More Than a Half-Century”: CNN Legal Analyst’s Concerns About Far-Right Christian Nationalism

Michelle HollandNov 27, 2023

Minute Read

CNN’s analysis of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s political views has suggested that the Louisiana Representative wants the United States to reverse its recent progress on social issues and “take the country back more than a half-century.”

The CNN Analysis

After examining over 100 of Johnson’s speeches, interviews, and public commentary dating back to over a decade ago, legal analyst Norm Eisen has determined: “Speaker Johnson embraces a view that is not only outside of the mainstream but is so radical in terms of his endorsement of the Thomas position, that even the extremely conservative Supreme Court majority isn’t willing to go there.”

Johnson’s Far-Right Views

Editorial credit: lev radin/Shutterstock.

Johnson is considered a far-right Christian nationalist who supports a total abortion ban and punishing pro-choicers with jail time. He desires the elimination of hate crime legislation and the criminalization of homosexuality — a position considered extreme even by the most anti-LGBTQ+ lawmakers.

Imposing “Biblical Morality”

CNN concluded that Johnson would ideally inflict “biblical morality” on American society that would “take the country back more than a half-century.” His election to the House speaker role illustrates the rightward shift in the GOP that has occurred in recent years.

The House Speaker Election

Editorial credit: Consolidated News Photos/Shutterstock.

Johnson was elected to the role of House Speaker after Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted for collaborating with Democrats. Many experts, however, have speculated that political reasons were behind the expulsion and that far-right members of the House wished to install a more conservative speaker.

Johnson’s Legal History

As part of his work as an attorney for the Alliance Defense Fund, Johnson fought many legal battles to promote Christian doctrine in public policy and to restore traditional values he says were eradicated by the 1960s counterculture movement. He has described American culture as “dark and depraved.”

“Man Is Inherently Evil”

He also suggested that “one of the primary purposes of the law in civil government is to restrain evil,” and that “we have to acknowledge collectively that man is inherently evil and needs to be restrained.” Johnson has also claimed that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation when in reality the Founding Fathers advocated the separation of church and state.

Johnson’s Homosexuality Obsession

Johnson has dubbed homosexuality “inherently unnatural” and that acting on it constitutes a “dangerous lifestyle.” He has asserted that the law should not recognize and respect homosexual “behavior”.

Immutable Characteristics

He has stated: “There are laws on the books that prohibit discrimination against people for their immutable characteristics, their race and creed and that kind of thing. There’s a difference — and the law has recognized a difference — between that and homosexual behavior. As something that you do, not an immutable characteristic of what you are.”

Protective LGBTQ+ Laws

Johnson supports discriminating against LGBTQ+ people, such as regarding a New Mexico anti-discrimination case about the rights of a wedding photography company. He has promoted the retention of sodomy laws and criticized the U.S. Supreme ruling in Lawrence v. Texas which decriminalized same-sex relations in the state. He also supported an Arkansas ruling preventing same-sex couples from adopting children.

More Concerning Views

People online have discussed Johnson’s ideology at length, with one forum commenter pointing out a myriad of Johnson’s controversial stances. They noted that “Johnson is a young earth creationist” who “does not believe in anthropogenic climate change” and was also “one of 147 members of Congress to overturn the results of the 2020 United States presidential election in the state of Pennsylvania.”

Johnson’s Election Denialism

Many people have expressed particular concern about the speaker of the House being an election denier who “was part of the conspiracy to overturn” the results, according to one poser.

The New Republican Norm

While Johnson has been slated for having radical views, many commenters believe his stances to be typical of the modern-day Republican Party. One user said: “So far what I’ve learned about him is that he’s a normal Republican. Not trying to be funny but that’s par the course. Maybe there’s a few that aren’t Young Earth guys but probably not.”

Redefining the Party

Someone else concurred, “So just your average, run-of-the-mill 2023 Republican then, huh? People like him are no longer outside of the GOP mainstream. Extreme beliefs now define the party.” Many members agreed that the election of Donald Trump had helped push the party toward fascism.

Impact of the 2016 Election

On the shifting political landscape, one user wrote: “We’ll be spending most of our adult lives dealing with the consequences of the 2016 election. We’re probably looking at 50 years before our culture and laws are as secular again as they were in 2015.”

Too Extreme for Reagan

Editorial credit: Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock.

Despite most of the contributors being Democrats, many were still nostalgic for previous iterations of the Republican Party who had been significantly less extreme in their agenda. “There are no normal Republicans anymore,” one critic declared, whereas another claimed that “even Ronald Reagan wouldn’t be elected today.”

Anti-Abortion Republicans

One individual proposed, “I think I know the reason most Republicans are against abortion. Deep down, they know that if their mothers knew would kind of people they became, they would have been aborted.” Another explained, “It really is an extremist party, there’s no normal human beings in the Republican Party.”

Johnson’s Inconsistent Logic

Editorial credit: Allen J.M. Smith / Shutterstock.

Someone else called out Johnson as hypocritical for believing that homosexuality is a choice, asking: “By this logic, why is political or religious affiliation protected since they are mutable characteristics?” Others emphasized that Johnson only advocated for the rights and privileges of evangelical Christians, not all religious people.

Just As Bad As Each Other

Several people shared that House Republicans voting for Johnson makes them just as bad as him, and is complicit in the platforming of his extreme views. Someone concluded, “They all voted for him, they are all election deniers and fundamentalists. They are the same.”