Trump cheers, but should GOP worry about new House Speaker Mike Johnson?

[Daily Kos Evening Brief]( [Donald Trump celebrates House speaker pick, digs hole for GOP moderates]( Oh boy, have you seen this new House speaker? Just when you think Republicans can’t get worse, they dredge up something like Mike Johnson to be their public face. [He’s so, so bad](. It’s impossible for any summary to do him justice, so click on that link and read the story. In short, he literally doesn’t believe in democracy, saying, “You know, we don't live in a democracy [but a] Biblical" republic. He views LGBTQ+ people as “a deviant group.” As Mark Sumner [writes](, “Johnson believes that Christians have an exclusive right to rule the United States.” When it comes to same-sex marriage and other rights, he doesn’t want to drag us back decades: He wants to drag us back centuries. Johnson is a zealot and he falters where party leaders usually excel—[he doesn’t even know how to raise money](. Since 2016, ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy raised $77 million for House campaign committees, funding Republican efforts nationwide. Johnson? He’s only raised $4 million in that period, and it was all money for himself. In a tough cycle for Republican House incumbents, [18 of whom represent districts carried by President Joe Biden]( in 2020, the lack of McCarthy’s money spigot will become a real hindrance to their efforts to retain the majority. Meanwhile, [Donald Trump is taking all the credit for Johnson]( and celebrating the pick. This ensures more future pain for those Republican “moderates” in Biden districts, no matter how much they [hysterically pretend to be a stabilizing force]( in their caucus. Other top stories: - [Federal court strikes down Georgia GOP's gerrymanders for discriminating against Black voters]( Huge news. Also, a reminder that the Republican majority in the House is 100% the result of discriminatory, illegal districts. Not even a 6-3 conservative Supreme Court majority could pretend otherwise. - [US economic growth accelerated to strong 4.9% rate last quarter as consumers shrugged off Fed hikes]( Turns out Democratic stewardship is great for the economy. A lot of doomsayers (including all Republicans) who predicted a recession are looking pretty dim right now. - [Senate committee investigates Clarence Thomas for hidden $267,230 RV loan gift]( Sen. Ron Wyden, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, is shedding light on the quarter-million-dollar gift Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas never disclosed. - [If you can afford to make a monthly donation, please take a minute right now to give $3 to keep Daily Kos online and accessible for everyone.]( - [Scholastic reverses course, won't cave to bigots by segregating diverse books]( It’s deeply unfortunate that Scholastic didn’t get this from the beginning, and it’s good that authors and activists organizing and speaking out did get the policy changed. - [House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries delivers awesome speech challenging Republicans to govern]( The speech was broken up by numerous standing ovations from the left side of the aisle. - [Marjorie Taylor Greene says supporting voting rights is 'completely against what we stand for']( Republicans really are terrified of a fair fight at the ballot box. And they should be. - [Senate Democrats eye end run around Tuberville’s military promotion blockade]( Democrats finally have a plan to get around Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s one-man blockade. - You’ll find the best [daily Ukraine coverage]( at Daily Kos! - [Winter is coming, so get your Daily Kos beanie and stay warm through the cold. Click here to get yours now!]( Before you leave, can you do one more thing? 2023 has been a hard financial year for Daily Kos. Donations of just a few dollars from our readers and activists helps us pay the bills. Please support progressive news and activism by making a donation of $5 today. [Chip in $5]( If you wish to donate by mail instead, please send a check to Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612. Contributions to Daily Kos are not tax deductible. Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Daily Kos, please [click here](.