That last label has been debated but the debate may be over. He recently declared that he would not use the risk shutting down the government if the border crisis wasn’t addressed. That’s not what a fighter would do, and while some would say it’s all some sort of 4D chess or something, I’m not seeing it. The most important power the House has is over the purse and if a Speaker is unwilling to use that power to solve the most pressing crisis this nation currently faces, then his chess moves are futile.

Here’s the clip in question:

As some in the House GOP threaten to halt government funding until President Biden signs their border security proposals into law, @SpeakerJohnson tells @margbrennan the government won't shut down – but his members "understand this is a critical issue." Tune in Sunday for more. pic.twitter.com/94Rf8Pu6nS

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 5, 2024

Johnson’s response was not impressive. He had an opportunity to play off Representative Chip Roy’s threat and instead he diffused it for the “Face the Nation” audience.

Bonchie over at Red State took a more nuanced approach to Johnson’s strategy:

Reactions to this will likely vary. On the one hand, how effective would a government shutdown over the border even be? It is clear that Democrats do not fear any political backlash associated with the issue. Instead, they would likely just use it as messaging fodder in an election year, and perhaps with some success.

On the other hand, some would question what the point of electing Republicans to office is if they aren’t going to use all the leverage they’ve got. Part of politics is being willing to stand up for what’s right even if there is a risk it might not work. Would a shutdown do more harm than good to Republicans? I honestly don’t know, and I don’t think anybody truly does. Is that an excuse to not make a stand, though?

I suppose it’s debatable, and while it may seem like I’m making a definitive judgment, I’m not. I can see both sides of the argument. Much in life boils down to risk and reward. Can Democrats even be swayed in this environment by applying pressure? Or is it better to have a strategy solely focused on winning more power in 2024 to neutralize Democrat input? Again, it’s a fair question that fair people can come to different conclusions on.

Still, this latest move from Johnson does bring us back to the elephant in the room, which is what exactly was gained by the fight to oust Kevin McCarthy as Speaker? Has there been a distinct shift in governance? I would say, not really. We still ended up with a continuing resolution, and now we are getting the same strategy regarding avoiding a shutdown at all costs. Those were the two major issues that got McCarthy booted.

To reiterate, this article is not a criticism of Johnson. I like him as a person (far more than McCarthy), and I think he’s doing what he can with what he’s got to work with, which is an extremely slim majority. I don’t know if I agree with all his decisions, but I’m not suggesting it was a mistake to make him Speaker.

While Bonchie seems to be giving Johnson the benefit of the doubt, I will not. Call me naive but I see this as a no-brainer. The American people understand that there’s a crisis and they want it solved. As bad as the GOP is at optics, surely they can position a move to fix the border as a positive reason to play hardball with a government shutdown.

Is Johnson better than McCarthy? Yes. But being better and ACTING better are two different things. Thus far I’ve seen nothing done by Johnson that wouldn’t have been done by McCarthy.

Like Bonchie, I’m not going to pass judgment from a clip. But if the GOP caves to fund the government without major action taken to secure the border, than I’ll be far more critical of Johnson’s short tenure with the gavel.

It means he’s “intent on destroying our military by dividing us further,” according to a member of Congress who discussed the leftist ideology with The Washington Stand.

It is Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., who said the Democrats’ social agenda for soldiers and sailors is “doing nothing but divide us in the military, dividing our nation.”

It was in an interview with “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins” that he condemned Biden’s demands that the armed forces indoctrinate soldiers in Biden’s chosen leftist belief system.

Already, the Department of Defense under Biden has called for $114.7 million to teach “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” to the nation’s fighting forces.

And the DoD wants to push those values and objectives until they are embedded in the ranks.

“The budget request in the pending National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) shows the budget dedicated to teaching the race-based ideology in the U.S. military increasing from $68 million in 2022 to $86.5 million in the last fiscal year,” the report said.

The Washington Stand noted that Democrats already had been accused of turning the military into a social engineering experiment and now claim it’s all to make the ranks a “safe space.”

Their Fiscal Year 2024 demand states, “The Department is committed to building a safe environment to serve. This includes fully embracing a diversity of backgrounds, experience, and thought to build unity within the DoD.”

The Biden goals, reflected by the administration’s own statements, include making the military a channel for inclusion and diversity.

Those ideologies, the DoD claims, are the foundation of “warfighting and national security,” the Biden administration claims.

“This administration and the Obama administration before them are intent on destroying our military by dividing us further,” Alford explained in his interview with Perkins.

The scheme is for Congress to keep the leftist agenda alive for the military even though Republicans have offered “amendment after amendment” to dispense with the social engineering.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, also has complained about Biden’s social agenda for soldiers and airmen, telling Perkins House Republicans have a plan that removes those components from U.S. military priorities.

The report said, “Both congressmen emphasized the fact that divisive left-wing ideology that reduces all transactions to ‘power’ based on race, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity corrodes military unit cohesion and retards readiness.”

“The Biden admin’s focus on progressivism over warfighting continues to exacerbate the military recruiting crisis and calls into question our level of military preparedness,” explained Republicans on the House Oversight Committee.

“Does Joe Biden want the military to be a lethal fighting force or a clown show?” asked Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R_Ga.

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Here’s a breakdown by Congressman Chip Roy with some of the main points of idiocy:

Turns out this chart is basically accurate. Will fill it in tomorrow more fully… but to best of our current understanding with NO text… 1) Debt ceiling set til 1/1/2025 – which means unknown debt increase – but $4 Trillion is a good estimate…

2) Debt Ceiling “Deal” totally scraps the $131BB in cuts to return bureaucracy to pre-COVID levels in favor of what appears to be effectively flat spending (down or up a little) – at the bloated 2023 Omnibus spending level, jammed through in a rush in December…

…2) Debt Ceiling “Deal” totally scraps the $131BB in cuts to return bureaucracy to pre-COVID levels in favor of what appears to be effectively flat spending (down or up a little) – at the bloated 2023 Omnibus spending level, jammed through in a rush in December… (2/10)

— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) May 28, 2023

3) Debt Ceiling “Deal” abandons work requirements for Medicaid

4) Deal abandons our repeal of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act tax-credit crony giveaways – which Goldman Sachs says costs $1.2 Trillion.

4) Deal abandons our repeal of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act tax-credit crony giveaways – which Goldman Sachs says costs $1.2 Trillion. (4/10)

— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) May 28, 2023

…The deal abandons inclusion of the very powerful anti-regulatory REINS Act (which we just passed through House Judiciary as well) in favor of a form of administrative pay-go which is relatively toothless and/or able to be waived…

…The deal abandons full repeal of Biden’s unlawful student loan bailouts – forcing only a re-start to a small number while leaving in place $400 billion+ in loan forgiveness and punting our constitutional duty to the Court…

…The deal abandons full repeal of Biden’s unlawful student loan bailouts – forcing only a re-start to a small number while leaving in place $400 billion+ in loan forgiveness and punting our constitutional duty to the Court… (6/10)

— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) May 28, 2023

…The deal keeps full $80BB expansion of the IRS and the 87,000 employees it funds to target poor/minority 3-5x more – except for $1.9BB for this year…

…The deal does claw back $29BB remaining of the COVID unobligated funding which is used as part of the budget games…

…The deal does claw back $29BB remaining of the COVID unobligated funding which is used as part of the budget games… (8/10)

— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) May 28, 2023

…Does nothing for the border. Does nothing regarding pistol braces. Does nothing regarding Presidential overreach. And in many ways kills our leverage to get them through the appropriations process…

…Finally, again… this deal raises our debt ceiling an unlimited amount that is likely close to or over $4 Trillion.

…Finally, again… this deal raises our debt ceiling an unlimited amount that is likely close to or over $4 Trillion. #DebtCeiling (10/10)

— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) May 28, 2023

The Republican Party has only a handful of actual patriots left on Capitol Hill. The vast majority have thrown in with Democrats, globalists, the Deep State, and China.