Hank Johnson the Even Handed Progressive
Unless you live in the 4th congressional district of Georgia, you probably haven’t heard of Congressman Hank Johnson. Representative Johnson isn’t the kind of person to rush to the spotlight and try to grab attention to himself.
Nonetheless, Hank Johnson deserves recognition. He has built up a solid progressive record in the House of Representatives. The Progressive Patriots legislative scorecard gives him a rating of 75 percent, along with a 0 percent on the right wing scale.
However, Johnson isn’t some kind of ideological firebrand who can’t get along with others. He has a record of forming coalitions to get his bills passed. Take as an example H.CON.RES.80, a resolution in support of a balanced approach to negotiations between the Ugandan government and the terrorist Lord’s Resistance Army.
Johnson’s resolution was even handed, encouraging a similar diplomatic approach. It recognized the atrocities committed by the LRA, but also acknowledged atrocities by the Ugandan government. The approach suggested by the resolution is not to create an alliance with either side for the sake of regional maneuvering, but to negotiate with both sides in the conflict in order to stop the horror for the people of northern Uganda.
Congressman Johnson was able to gather 31 cosponsors for his resolution:
Many of these representatives are progressive Democrats, but some of them are right wing Republicans. Hank Johnson included people from both sides of the political spectrum because he realized that the human tragedy of the fighting in northern Uganda merited a unified approach that transcended domestic politics.
