Remember the story of the scorpion who needed to cross a deep river, but he didn’t know how to swim?  He asked a frog to carry him across the river.

“Do I look like a fool?” said the frog. “You’d sting me if I let you on my back!”

“Be logical,” said the scorpion. “If I stung you, I’d certainly drown myself.”

“That seems true,” the frog acknowledged. “Climb aboard, then!” All went well until they reached the middle of the river and the scorpion abruptly stung the frog. Almost immediately, they both began to thrash and drown.

“Why on earth did you do that?” the frog said angrily. “Now we’re both going to die.”

“I can’t help it,” said the scorpion. “It’s my nature.”

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It’s my nature.

Mike Johnson’s ascent to power in the House of Representatives was a result of the historic ouster of Kevin McCarthy, which triggered a three-week period of infighting within the Republican caucus to find a replacement. Johnson emerged as the consensus candidate because he was relatively unknown, avoiding the deep scrutiny that had doomed other potential speakers. He was unanimously elected Speaker of the House by his Republican colleagues on October 25, 2023, ending a period of political chaos and uncertainty.

“Magic” Mike Johnson’s unexpected rise to political power was no accident of history.

Since Johnson’s first election to Congress in 2017 from Louisiana’s 4th congressional district, Johnson and his team engaged in a quiet but deliberate series of moves aimed at positioning himself for greater power.

He aligned himself ideologically with the most conservative faction of the House GOP — while stopping just short of public theatrical extremes.

That restraint gave him the reputation among his conservative, Freedom Caucus and MAGA colleagues – without the public baggage – to position himself as the ‘best’ choice for his fellow Republicans to be elected Speaker.

Now, two years into his reign as Speaker of the House, Magic Mike Johnson has perfected a persona through which he combines the very best qualities of (i) a rural evangelical preacher; with (ii) a sincere and committed elementary science teacher; and (iii) the Sheriff of Mayberry.

It’s his special gift. Those black-rimmed eyeglasses. The impish smile. The calm, cool and sincere delivery from the podium. There isn’t a fairy tale invented yet that Magic Mike can’t spin into the gospel truth, convincing some of the people all of the time that he – and only he – is the singularly reliable source of truth in our nation’s capital.

He only wants to reopen the government now, then negotiate health care issues later. No poison pills. No tricks. No stingers.

After all, honesty and integrity are deeply ingrained in his nature.