Everybody’s mad at Thomas Massie. Again. The beef this time is the Kentucky congressman’s stubborn refusal to back Mike Johnson as House Speaker, but there have been plenty enough over the years to make the most libertarian-minded member of the House a household name, for better or worse depending on one’s political perspective.
Massie, a former businessman and an MIT graduate, has served in Congress since 2013, but he didn’t really make his mark until President Donald Trump assumed office four years later. It’s one thing to be a ‘contrarian’ when Democrats are running the show and nearly everyone in your party is voting ‘no’ right along with you. It’s quite another to repeatedly defy the popular leader of your own party. And defy Trump he did, time after time. (But in a good way, from the right, not from the left like Liz Cheney or Adam Kinzinger.)
During the 2019 government shutdown, Massie consistently voted against bills that would have reopened the federal government. He was then one of only seven to vote against granting back pay to federal workers after the shutdown. That same year, he even helped temporarily block a $19 billion disaster aid bill. And while Massie did vote for the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act, he isn't for extending the provisions now without massive spending cuts.
There were/are always rational reasons for Massie’s defiance of the status quo, but you have to think beyond the surface to understand them. Those 2019 shutdown bills didn’t include spending cuts, so Massie wasn’t going to sign on. He has also consistently supported bills that lowered taxes and cut spending and opposed bills that did the opposite.
OK, maybe that makes sense, you say, but why in the world would anyone vote against a disaster bill, or refuse to pay those diligent federal workers their hard-earned back pay? Isn’t that just cruel? Well, when you look back at his reasoning, those positions are also more logical than you might think. While disaster aid bills may be needed, passing them, or anything, without a recorded vote is bad precedent if you want to be able to hold legislators accountable. And as for those poor federal workers, wouldn’t just restoring everything to the way things were after every shutdown just make future shutdowns more likely to occur?
Turns out, those run-ins were just pre-season compared to what was about to come. It wasn’t until the government’s years-long disastrous response to the Covid virus that Massie really found his groove. Trying to simply force a roll call vote on the $2 trillion CARES Act, seemingly a reasonable request, earned him the description of “third-rate grandstander” from none other than Donald J. Trump. The Kentucky libertarian went on to become one of the most frequent and vocal critics of not just Trump, but President Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and every other Branch Covidian hellbent on using panic to spread fear and assault personal liberties. And in the end, he was right about everything. He was right about trillion dollar bailouts and the inflation that would quickly follow. He was right about Covid origins, lockdowns, forced masking, rushed ‘vaccines,’ vaccine mandates, and every other aspect of the most devastating period in America since the Great Depression.
But that’s the thing about Thomas Massie. If he feels like he’s right and has the evidence to back it up, he’s willing to stand for it, even if he has to stand alone. And last summer’s tragic passing of his beloved wife of over 30 years, Rhonda Massie, has only made him more resolute. When asked by the Wall Street Journal about pressure to conform to his party, Massie said: “I don’t know how to say this without cussing. If they thought I had no F's to give before, I definitely have no F's to give now.”
Given that House Speaker Johnson was ultimately elected Friday with Massie as the lone vote against, the level of ire this news cycle probably won’t last long. That is, until the next time he goes against the grain.
But wait, you say, aren’t mavericks revered? Wasn’t John McCain considered a ‘maverick’? The difference, of course, is that the establishment is more than happy to allow and even celebrate ‘mavericks’ who help achieve their ultimate goals, especially by aligning with the left. But when you’re right, especially the kind of right that Massie has consistently been, you’ll not just be alone, you’ll be hated.
From the issues listed above all the way to foreign policy and niche issues like food freedom, Massie’s oft-controversial positions are worth considering and even adopting, especially if you’re the free-thinking sort. Clearly, the Kentucky congressman is far more interested in being right than being popular. Yet, he has consistently won re-election in his district by overwhelming margins against both primary and general election competition. Thankfully, voters there are more than capable of looking beyond the screaming headlines to the reasoning behind the positions.
Will Massie be proven right about the House speakership? He claims Johnson is a weak leader who will cost Republicans the majority in 2026. Trump and other pragmatic Republicans (the rest of them) claim that, despite his faults, only Johnson could have won the gavel and we must have a Speaker in place to certify the election and begin to carry out Trump’s agenda. Neither argument is crazy, honestly, but time will tell who is the most correct. And no, I wouldn’t bet the house against Massie. Ever.
Every would-be politician runs on the promise of shaking up the status quo, making a difference, bringing the ‘heat’ to Washington. Every one of them - well, almost every one - gets to Washington and breaks those promises. Thomas Massie, the guy with the running national debt counter literally pinned on his suit jacket as a reminder of the impending doom to come if something isn’t done, is one of the few who, even if you don’t always agree, is always worthy of your respect.
Beware the libertarian who doesn’t give a f*ck. That person just might change your mind, and eventually the world.
This column has been updated to correct an error about Massie's support for the 2017 tax cuts.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member