Trending Politics aims to raise the hopes of their readers by claiming the new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, is committed to decentralizing power. As the headline of the article in question reads, WATCH: Speaker Mike Johnson Takes The Gavel — Commits To ‘Decentralizing The Power’. That is quite the claim! Every constitutionalist would be over the moon to read this; if only it was true.
While Johnson does appear to be slightly more conservative than many in Congress who claim that moniker, he is no more a constitutionalist than Bernie Sanders. Early in the article, we read the following quote from Johnson:
I want to say to the American people, on behalf of all of us here, we hear you. We know the challenges you are facing. We know that there is a lot going on in our country. Domestically and abroad. We are ready to get to work again to solve those problems. We will. Our mission here is to serve you well. To restore the people’s faith in this house. In this great and essential institution.
Ambiguities as these are little more than political pablum. There’s always “a lot going on in our country.” So what? “Domestically and abroad”? “In our country” is not “abroad.” A true Constitutional conservative serving in office is not concerned with what is happening abroad unless it has a direct impact on the safety of our country, our borders. The battle between Ukraine and Russia does not have a direct impact on the American people, except to the extent that our tax dollars have been going there to be laundered and returned to the pockets of the politicians who claim the situation to have existential implications (yeah - for their wallets!). The battle between Israel and Hamas does not have direct impact here (except for the Jews here who have been facing even more hatred and the increase in so-called “hate crimes” against American Jews).
Back to the nebulous niceties, notice there is no mention of what “problems” he believes “this house” should solve? Is he even aware of the House’s (or the federal government’s, for that matter) actual role in this country? James Madison wrote the following regarding the U.S. government:
The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation and foreign commerce. ... The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives and liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement and prosperity of the State.
There is not much business about which the federal government should be concerning itself. What Madison here describes is true decentralization of power. A weak federal government with “few and defined” responsibilities and powers - protecting our borders, regulating international trade (to ensure we are not taken advantage of by foreign powers), regulation of interstate trade (to ensure states do not take advantage of one another), raising armies from the state militias when necessary (with funding for no longer than two years) and protection of our rights (you may think otherwise - I urge you to read the Constitution). Some would throw in with these the maintenance of interstate/continental infrastructure. That is it. Not spending money abroad. Not sending soldiers overseas. Technically, not even maintaining a standing army (thanks George Washington). All other power is reserved to the people and the States (so says the Tenth Amendment).
Johnson sees things differently. The article’s quotations continue:
Turmoil and violence have rocked Middle East and Europe, we all know it and tensions continue to build in the Indo-Pacific. The country demands strong leadership of this body and we must not waver. Our nation’s greatest ally in the Middle East is under attack. The first bill that I’m going to bring to this floor in a little while will be in support of our dear friend Israel and we are overdue — overdue in getting that done.
What kind of support? Again, there is nothing in the Constitution that authorizes Congress giving money to foreign powers - the U.S. Government is not a charity. The U.S. Constitution does not authorize troops being sent to fight in foreign wars. I am not just saying this regarding the conflict in Israel - this tenet is incontrovertible regardless of the theater. The U.S. Constitution does not deem the U.S. Government the “world police” (nor does any other country, to my knowledge). So, what “support” will be included in this bill?
Johnson rattles on:
…the greatest threat to our national security is our nation’s debt and while we have been sitting in this room — that’s right — the debt has crossed almost $33.6 trillion and time to take me to deliver this speech, we will go up $20 million in debt. Unsustainable. We have to get the country back on track. This won’t be an easy task and tough decisions have to be made but the consequences if we don’t act now are unbearable.
What decisions? The government can not control the economy, nor should it try. The more the government interferes with economic activity, the greater the negative impact on we the people. This is why those governing in the early days of our country believed in a laissez faire approach to the economy, and most everything else. Which brings us back to the main point.
How does Johnson define decentralizing power?
I will conclude with this, the job of the Speaker of the House is to serve the whole body and I will. But I made a commitment to my colleagues here that this speaker’s office is known for decentralizing the power here. My office is going to be known for members being more involved and having more influence in our processes and in all the major decisions made here for regular order. We owe that to the people.
Ah, he’s not really decentralizing the power of the government. He’s just saying he’s going to give everyone in the House more opportunity to participate in the decision-making process. Well, gee. Isn’t that just swell of him?
I do expect that Johnson will serve the people better as Speaker than did McCarthy (or Pelosi, or several others who could be named). That said, I still expect business-as-usual from Congress, as our “best and brightest” all lack the constitutional understanding to govern rightly and the moral fortitude to restrain themselves. The people have been duped for decades into believing that there are only two parties, and that party platforms equate to constitutional commandments. The people would do well to learn what our founding documents actually say about the role of government in their lives and stop relying on our elites to tell us what we should expect from them. We would be far better off if power was truly decentralized as the founding fathers intended.
Johnson spews more empty, meaningless words. What is he actually going to do about reducing the debt? Send more money to a foreign nation?
If we think at a personal level, when you are seriously in debt and struggling to get by, you exercise great care in giving away money to others. Sure, there might be someone in even dire straits that needs your money more than you do, but you don't just dish it out like candy.
Just once I'd like to hear a politician say: "Our government has exceeded it's authority, we are a disaster causing more harm. Thus I will not pass any new legislation and I will work tirelessly to repeal unnecessary laws and de-fund unnecessary agencies."
The last best hope of the GOP was the TEA Party movement. The opportunity to do to the Republican Party what they did to the Whigs. There are less than a handful of conservatives in the GOP at any given time and that can change on any day ending in Y. Please don't call them RINO's, that IS the establishment Republican Party today.
We call our grandparents, The Greatest Generation. They beat back Nazis, Fascists, and the Empire of Japan and it was fervent hope that our modern Greatest Generation of which my sons spent a decade or more fighting conflicts they weren't allowed to win, would step up. Sixty of the 80 veterans in congress served in the GWOT. 47 of those had multiple combat deployments. I believed. I've talked with several of my son's compatriots and my hope had been that when these veterans got to DC, they'd cut through the crap, but the water in the swamp tends to corrupt all who spend time exposed to it. Those that could be the most effective in turning the ship of state are sidelined as those that go along to get along get the sweet assignments and the TV time.
In my honest opinion, Donald J Trump was the best thing to happen in American politics in decades. An honest to goodness outsider. He bucked the system and look what's happening to him now. Putting faith in the GOP is masochistic at best, damn foolish at worst.
Nothing changes till you change it and changing our political leadership will likely require the final box of four. Soap box. Ballot box. Jury box, Cartridge box.