Rep. Johnson Rebukes Democrat Who Called Canada “Freest Country”: “America Is the Greatest Nation — Mr. Cohen Is Wrong”

On 7/18/2022, Rep. Mike Johnson delivered a passionate rebuttal after Democrat Steve Cohen called Canada “the freest country in the world” during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on post-Roe freedoms. Johnson declared “Mr. Cohen is wrong — America is the greatest nation in the world. We are the most free, most successful, most powerful nation.” He also challenged a witness who lamented “our dusty old founding documents” and called the hearing “absurd.” The exchange became a broader debate about American exceptionalism, the founders’ vision, and the sanctity of life.

”Mr. Cohen Is Wrong”

Johnson opened his rebuttal with force. “Mr. Cohen is wrong. Canada is not the most free country in the world, young people,” Johnson said. “America is the greatest nation in the world. We are the most free, most successful, most powerful nation because we’ve tried to live up to the ideals articulated in the Declaration of Independence.”

“And finally now, the Supreme Court, after nearly 50 years of an atrocity, has brought us back to that truth,” Johnson said of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

When Cohen attempted to interject, Johnson held firm. “It’s my time, I will not yield, Mr. Cohen, because your comments are absurd. This hearing is absurd,” Johnson said.

”Dusty Old Founding Documents”

Johnson confronted a witness who had criticized the Constitution. “You lamented our dusty old founding documents and you expressed your obvious disdain for the founders who drafted them,” Johnson said. “Would you agree that America is indeed the most successful, most powerful, most free nation in the history of the world?”

“I would agree that America is a critically important country, one that I love. But it has made mistakes and continues to make mistakes,” the witness said. “My critique is that the founders were not representative of the people of the United States.”

“They did acknowledge that we are in the process of making a more perfect union,” Johnson responded. “The idea that we’re not the most exceptional nation in the world is not backed up by objective evidence."

"Bounties” on Supreme Court Justices

Johnson cited threats against the Court. “Over the weekend, the left-wing activist group Shutdown DC offered $200 bounties for public sightings of Supreme Court justices they disagree with,” Johnson said. “The point is to get people to harass conservative justices when they’re out in public.”

He also called out Senator Elizabeth Warren. “She is completely unhinged now,” Johnson said.

The Declaration and the Right to Life

Johnson closed with a philosophical argument grounding conservative judicial philosophy. “We were founded on the bold declaration that all men are created equal and in the image of our creator. Because of that, we believe every single human life has inestimable dignity and value,” Johnson said.

“Your value is not related in any way to the color of your skin or what neighborhood you grew up in or where you went to school. Your value is inherent because, as the founders noted, it is given to you by God,” Johnson continued.

“We believe a just government protects innocent life, honors marriage and family as the primary institutions of a healthy society, and embraces the cultural influences of religion and morality,” Johnson said. “As it said in the very birth certificate of the nation 246 years ago, that begins with the recognition you have an unalienable right to be born.”

Defending Originalism

A legal witness defended Justice Thomas’s originalist approach. “Justice Thomas is a philosopher, a textualist. He is not seeking to strip away rights. He is simply seeking to more firmly ground them in our nation’s Constitution. And by doing that, they will be more secure than before,” the witness said.

She cited multiple cases — Obergefell, Loving, and others — as evidence that substantive due process was less secure than equal protection. “Substantive due process has a bit of a checkered past,” the witness noted.

”246th Birthday — Still an Experiment”

Johnson framed the stakes. “We just celebrated our 246th birthday. We’re still an experiment in self-governance on the world stage,” Johnson said. “We have the greatest Constitution ever written. It’s endured this long, but it won’t endure if we abandon its principles.”

“That’s what textualism and originalism is about. We want to defend this matchless Constitution — it’s the model for everybody else around the world,” Johnson said. “And there’s a reason we are the greatest nation yet.”

Key Takeaways

Johnson rebuked Democrat Cohen for calling Canada “the freest country,” declaring “America is the greatest nation — most free, most successful, most powerful.”
He challenged a witness who criticized the “dusty old founding documents,” asking if America was the most exceptional nation; she called it “critically important” but wouldn’t agree.
Johnson cited $200 bounties being offered for sightings of conservative Supreme Court justices.
He grounded his argument in the Declaration of Independence: “Every human life has inestimable dignity and value” and “you have an unalienable right to be born.”
A legal witness defended originalism, saying Thomas was “seeking to more firmly ground rights in the Constitution” rather than strip them away.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

Mr. Cohen is wrong. Canada is not the most free country in the world. America is the greatest nation. Most free, most successful, most powerful.
Your comments are absurd. This hearing is absurd. I will not yield.
Would you agree America is the most exceptional nation? America is critically important. But it has made mistakes.
Shutdown DC offered $200 bounties for public sightings of Supreme Court justices.
Your value is inherent because it is given to you by God. You have an unalienable right to be born.
We have the greatest Constitution ever written. It won’t endure if we abandon its principles.

Full transcript: 1110 words transcribed via Whisper AI.