{"id":19793,"date":"2023-12-08T15:11:54","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T20:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=19793"},"modified":"2023-12-08T15:11:54","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T20:11:54","slug":"james-carville-draws-fire-for-calling-speaker-mike-johnson-a-christian-nationalist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2023\/12\/james-carville-draws-fire-for-calling-speaker-mike-johnson-a-christian-nationalist","title":{"rendered":"James Carville Draws Fire For Calling Speaker Mike Johnson a Christian Nationalist"},"content":{"rendered":"
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lev radin \/ Shutterstock.com | Inset: Al Teich \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Speaker Mike Johnson had some strong words for political consultant James Carville, who called him a Christian nationalist and said he was worse than al-Qaeda. Carville appeared on Bill Maher\u2019s HBO show and was asked by Maher what he thought of him as a Louisiana native himself. \u201cMike Johnson and what he believes is one of the greatest threats we have today to the United States. I promise you, I know these people,\u201d he said. After affirming to Maher that he was talking about \u201cChristian nationalists,\u201d he said, \u201cThis is a bigger threat than al-Qaeda to this country.\u201d He stated that the influence of Christian nationalist was rampant through the US. \u201cAnd let me tell you something: The Speaker of the House, they got probably at least two Supreme Court justices, maybe more, don’t kid yourself.\u201d He called Christian nationalism \u201ca fundamental threat to the United States.\u201d \u201c[Christian nationalists] don’t believe in the Constitution. They’ll tell you that. Mike Johnson himself says what is democracy but two wolves and a lamb having lunch? That’s what they really, really, really believe.\u201d He stated Christian nationalists have \u201cbeen doing it forever.\u201d \u201cThey’re funded. They’re funded. They’re relentless and, you know, they probably won’t win for a while but they might. And if they do, the whole country blows a gasket.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson took to X<\/a> to respond to the criticism. \u201cIt’s twisted and shameful that a leading Democrat strategist says millions of Christians in America are a greater threat than foreign terrorists who murdered more than 3,000 Americans,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThe Democratic Party should condemn this. But they won\u2019t.\u201d Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council called<\/a> the statements \u201cabsurd and irresponsible.\u201d \u201cTo call Bible-believing Christians an enemy of the state is not only reckless but shows a profound misunderstanding of our nation\u2019s founding faith,\u201d he concluded. The Babylon Bee<\/a>, a Christian satire site, posted the exchange and mocked Carville\u2019s comments on its news site, Not the Bee. \u201cHE LIKES TO PRAY TO JESUS AND HE LIKES SAVING BABIES! GASP!\u201d Not the Bee wrote. \u201cYeah, Mike Johnson, who thinks abortion is a holocaust, the Bible is the Word of God, and knows Jefferson’s meaning of Church and State is a \u2018threat\u2019 to America and the values it was founded on!\u201d<\/p>\n

This is not the first time Johnson has had such an extreme accusation leveled against him on Maher\u2019s show. Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger compared Johnson and Christian nationalism to the Taliban, saying<\/a>, \u201cThere is no difference between Christian nationalism \u2014 which is what [Johnson\u2019s] representing \u2014 than the Taliban.\u201d Maher has also been highly critical against Johnson, comparing him to the Maine mass shooter, who killed 18 people and injured 13. \u201cWhen you’re this much of a religious fanatic, there is no room for real democracy. That’s not what you believe in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Speaker Mike Johnson had some strong words for political consultant James Carville, who called him a Christian nationalist and said he was worse than al-Qaeda. Carville appeared on Bill Maher\u2019s HBO show and was asked by Maher what he thought of him as a Louisiana native himself. \u201cMike Johnson and what he believes is one…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":664,"featured_media":19814,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nJames Carville Draws Fire For Calling Speaker Mike Johnson a Christian Nationalist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Speaker Mike Johnson had some strong words for political consultant James Carville, who called him a Christian nationalist and said he was worse than al-Qaeda.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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