In a fiery speech before a gathering of right-wing Republicans at the Faith and Freedom Coalition on Friday, House Speaker Mike Johnson painted a nightmare scenario more revealing of his own — and his party’s — twisted mentality than of any sort of reality.

But who needs truth when one’s purpose is to stir up anger, fear and hatred in order to influence the outcome of the upcoming midterm elections?

What he said was this:

“If we were to lose the midterms, heaven forbid, these Democrats, impeachment is not even the big concern. They will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body and they’ll go after the president’s family, the cabinet, his donors and friends. Half of you in this room will be targeted. I run the protection program. I’ll take care of you.” [Facebook post by Occupy Democrats, June 26, 2026.]

What he did, in five short sentences, was 1) attempt to ascribe to Democrats the very attributes of corruption, vengeance, and disregard for the law that are the hallmarks of the Trump administration; and 2) offer his own Republican party carte blanche to break whatever laws they may choose, under cover of his (and, by extension, Trump’s) personal protection.

In so doing, he not only broke a few more laws himself; he also gave away the Republican playbook for the elections.

But he was not entirely wrong; when the Democrats regain control of the House, and possibly also the Senate, there will indeed be a slew of investigations. I would hope that they will be conducted properly and not vengefully, to ensure full accountability within the letter and the spirit of the laws and the Constitution of the United States.

Unfortunately, the writer of the Occupy Democrats article took a wrong turn and ended on a sour note. While first properly encouraging Americans to “get out there and vote out every single Trump-enabling Republican and put an end to his rampant crime spree,” they blew it by veering into a diatribe that was not far from the rabid spirit of Johnson’s speech, suggesting that:

“Congress absolutely needs to turn every committee into a subpoena factory the second we retake the gavels. . . . America needs to know the truth, and we need JUSTICE. Go after Trump. Go after his family, his cabinet, his donors, his friends, and everyone who has ever lifted a finger to protect him. We’re done going high. Now they’re going DOWN.” [Id.] [Bold emphasis is mine.]

No! No! No!

This country is better than its current administration. Yes, we absolutely need to see that justice is done. But nothing would be gained by stooping to the Republicans’ level and fomenting an eye-for-an-eye bloodbath, whereas we have everything to gain by reclaiming and reinstating the moral and legal standards that made us the world’s greatest nation in the first place.

Mike Johnson and the other Trump sycophants can rabble-rouse ‘til the cows come home. We Americans — the vast majority of Democrats and non-MAGA Republicans and independents who truly love this country and what it has always stood for — are not buying what they’re selling. We need to show that, even while taking the lawbreakers to task, we are still the occupiers and defenders of the high ground.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/29/26