“The End of Speaker Johnson’s Dream: Realities of A Short Lived Honeymoon

The honeymoon period between Speaker of the House Johnson and the US Congress is officially over, or it was never truly present in the first place. When Johnson was elected Speaker of the House in 2018, many believed that he would bring a fresh and reasoned approach to politics. His ‘can do’ attitude was refreshing in the midst of the chaos of the Trump era and his first few months in office reflected that. However, Speaker Johnson’s honeymoon period as Speaker of the House was short-lived. As Congress’ agenda grew more complicated, his ability to handle the challenges decreased. He was unable to broker agreements between divided sides, lacked the strong communication skills that a Speaker needs, and failed to bring his own party to consensus on many crucial issues. Speaker Johnson’s lack of engagement with both sides of the aisle has become increasingly problematic. As negotiations grow ever more complicated, he appears to be more and more detached from the proceedings. Furthermore, his ‘can do’ attitude has been replaced by one of stubbornness. He refuses to compromise, particularly with Republicans, and has had difficulty finding common ground with his own Democratic colleagues. Speaker Johnson’s committees are also struggling to make progress. His domineering and aggressive management style has resulted in an inability to reach consensus, leading to deadlock and gridlock amongst his members. With Congress already overwhelmed with legislation, this is proving to be damaging to the efficiency and effectiveness of the legislature. Overall, the honeymoon period between Speaker Johnson and Congress is over, or it was never there to begin with. The disconnect between the Speaker and the people he is supposed to be representing is growing more and more evident, and the lack of progress in committee work means that his time in office may be proving to be more damaging than beneficial. As the nation faces ever more challenging problems, it remains to be seen how Speaker Johnson will fare, and whether he will once again become a cornerstone of the American legislative system.