Former senior White House correspondent for Playboy, Brian Karem, has criticized the House of Representatives under Speaker Mike Johnson, comparing it to what he views as an extreme version of the vision held by certain religious groups. Karem, known for his confrontations with White House press secretaries during the Trump era, has expressed concerns about the influence of prominent Republicans. He recently authored an article for Salon titled, “MAGA and Christian nationalism: A More Significant Concern for America Than Hamas.”
It’s worth noting that this article was published shortly after a series of attacks by Hamas terrorists in Israel, resulting in significant casualties and kidnappings.
He condemned “Johnson and the MAGA wing of the Republican Party” for “embracing the darkest verses of the Bible” and “pushing for apocalypse.” He went on to claim that “The House of Representatives, now run by Johnson, offers a discount version of the apocalyptic orgasm the holy rollers have dreamed of for years” and are “determined to convert the U.S. into a theocracy.”
“Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a constitutional scholar, says there was a solid reason for this much-debated and carefully written clause,” he wrote, quoting the congressman as saying, “The framers taught us that the biggest threat to religious freedom comes from theocrats who try to establish their own sect over everyone else. That’s why we have two religion clauses in the First Amendment.”
Karem followed by claiming Republicans “despise free thought and independence, and are happy to play games with a government shutdown — the modern equivalent of fiddling while it all burns.”
He expressed his concern that Joe Biden’s approval ratings are declining rapidly, likening the situation to the potential of him becoming a one-term president in the mold of Jimmy Carter, someone who may be more appreciated after leaving office than during his tenure. Karem attributed some of this decline to Biden’s actions and also to individuals like Mike Johnson, who assert that the United States is not a democracy and that a divine presence oversees the government.
Karem depicted a somber perspective on the world, asserting that many people currently live in a climate of fear.
“So whether it is a possible world war, stochastic terrorism, Christian theocracy, climate change, Donald Trump, our own government or something else unforeseen, for most people it is a time of trepidation and terror,” he wrote.
