The new Speaker of the House is a Christian Right extremist.
A sage Dem texts, basically: Repubs are gonna elevate a speaker who tried to overthrow the election and backs an abortion ban – the two issues we won on in 2022
“What are they thinking ?”
— Jonathan Martin (@jmart) October 25, 2023
Throw in entitlements and it’s basically every gross rating point Dems have bought in last few elections
— Jonathan Martin (@jmart) October 25, 2023
He was a lawyer for the Alliance Defense Fund for 20 years:
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), formerly the Alliance Defense Fund, is an American conservative Christian legal advocacy group that works to expand Christian practices within public schools and in government, outlaw abortion, and curtail the rights of LGBTQ people. ADF is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, with branch offices in Washington, D.C., and New York, among other locations. Its international subsidiary, Alliance Defending Freedom International, which is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, operates in over 100 countries.
ADF is one of the most organized and influential Christian legal interest groups in the United States based on its budget, caseload, network of allied attorneys, and connections to significant members of the political right. Individuals associated with ADF have included U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, former vice president Mike Pence, former attorneys general William Barr and Jeff Sessions, and Senator Josh Hawley.
ADF attorneys have argued a number of cases before the Supreme Court, taking positions such as support for religious activity in public school and Christian prayer at town meetings; narrowing coverage of contraceptives under the ACA; prohibiting same-sex marriage, and supporting businesses in the wedding industry who refuse to service gay marriages. ADF lawyers also wrote the model for Mississippi’s anti-abortion legislation involved in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the decision that overruled the 49 year-old precedent case Roe v. Wade establishing the right to abortion.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) designates ADF as an anti-LGBT hate group, saying in 2017 that, since the election of President Donald Trump, ADF had become “one of the most influential groups informing the [Trump] administration‘s attack on LGBTQ rights.”The ADF has taken many anti-LGBT positions: it opposes same-sex marriage, decriminalization of same-sex sexual activity, and anti-discrimination laws, as well as taking an active role in writing model anti-transgender bills for state legislators.
“Johnson said the event is meant to be “peaceful and respectful,” but made clear it is motivated by belief that homosexuality is wrong. “You can call it sinful or destructive — ultimately it’s both,” he said.https://t.co/v17Wn5IWtc via @nbcnews
— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) October 26, 2023
Matt Gaetz to Steve Bannon: “If you don’t think that moving from Kevin McCarthy to MAGA Mike Johnson shows the ascendance of this movement and where the power in the Republican Party truly lies, then you’re not paying attention.” pic.twitter.com/Fl5l3iO4i9
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 25, 2023
When he’s right, he’s right.