Speaker Johnson’s Honeymoon: Over Before it Started?

It has long been said that politicians, especially new ones, go through a rappelling period upon taking office. This “honeymoon phase” generally allows citizens to assess the new leadership and their policies without the risk of being judged too harshly. Unfortunately for newly appointed Speaker of the House Johnson, it doesn’t look like he’s been afforded the same grace. Just two months after his election victory, Johnson seems to be already well on his way to an unenviable spot at the controversial end of Congress, a place heavily populated by the failed. The recent string of policy blunders demonstrated by Johnson – from the failed impeachment attempt to the rushed voting reform bill – has been said to be a sign of haste and inexperience, an uncharacteristically poor start for a speaker who was elected on the grounds of his steady candidacy. Moreover, this trend of missteps and disorganized governing has led some to believe that Speaker Johnson’s honeymoon period may have never even begun – or if it ever did, it appears to have ended far sooner than anticipated. Though Johnson’s current electoral standing may be indicative of the fate of his speakership, his potential for redemption remains in the balance. Whether Johnson can pivot from his current path of disruption and reclaim public support is still uncertain. That being said, it is also likely that the future of Speaker Johnson’s tenure is heavily dependent on how the US Congress fares in the next couple of years. If Johnson can manage to hold public support and lead his party to victory in the 2022 midterms, it would be a strong sign of a successful honeymoon period, one which could potentially be remembered as the beginning of a more progressive and fruitful era of US politics. Time will tell whether Speaker Johnson’s early missteps and blunders can be reversed with a successful electoral victory or if they will ultimately be his undoing. For now, all we can do is wait and see if Johnson can restore public faith and remind the nation why they elected him in the first place.