Peak 2025: Congressman Hank Johnson’s Guitar Fantasy
Picture this: a 70-year-old congressman with a government pension, sitting in his taxpayer-funded office, strumming an out-of-tune guitar while singing about “fighting the power.” That’s exactly what happened this week when Rep. Hank Johnson decided to channel his inner Jimi Hendrix with an anti-Trump protest song.
It’s peak 2025, folks. The counterculture generation that once sang about running from The Man now IS The Man, still cosplaying rebellion from their committee chairs. Nothing says “fight the power” quite like a septuagenarian congressman performing anti-establishment anthems while drawing a government salary.
When the Rebels Became the Empire
Johnson’s cringeworthy performance of “Hey Trump” (his version of Hendrix’s “Hey Joe”) perfectly captures what happened to the 1960s protest movement. These are the same people who once marched against government authority, burned draft cards, and sang about revolution.
Now they ARE the government authority, complete with federal benefits and security details.
70-year-old Congressman performing ‘Hey Joe’ is peak 2025:
The counterculture generation that sang about running from The Man now IS The Man.
Still cosplaying rebellion from their committee chairs.
Kept the soundtrack and pension.
The revolution will be institutionalized. ⚖️ https://t.co/NukkppVgYU— BrutalBrittany (@BrutalBrittany2) June 20, 2025
The irony is thick enough to cut with a knife. Here’s Johnson, warning viewers “I hate to hurt your ears,” before launching into lyrics about Trump wanting to “shoot democracy” and become “king.” But who’s been in power for the last four years? Who controlled the White House, Senate, and House for two of those years?
The real establishment isn’t some shadowy conspiracy. It’s guys like Johnson who’ve been warming congressional seats since 2007, collecting paychecks while the country burns around them.
The “No Kings” Crowd’s Selective Memory
This performance came right after we saw “No Kings” protests across the country last week. The same crowd that’s terrified of Trump becoming a “king” seems perfectly fine with career politicians like Johnson ruling from Washington for decades.
Johnson has been in Congress for 18 years. That’s longer than most kings ruled in actual monarchies. But somehow Trump, who was voted in by the people and is constitutionally term-limited to four years, is the threat to democracy?
The protesters and Johnson share the same delusion. They think they’re still the scrappy underdogs fighting against oppression. They can’t see that they’ve become exactly what they once opposed: a privileged political class completely disconnected from regular Americans.
From Woodstock to Capitol Hill
This is what happens when the Woodstock generation grows up but never grows out of their teenage rebellion phase. They went from protesting outside government buildings to working inside them. But they kept the same mindset, the same songs, and the same self-righteous attitude.
Johnson referenced Black Music Month as inspiration for his performance. But Hendrix’s “Hey Joe” was about personal freedom and escaping authority. Johnson’s version is about using government power to stop his political opponents. He’s taken a song about running from The Man and turned it into a anthem FOR The Man.
The 60s rebels didn’t tear down the system like they promised. They became it, then kept the soundtrack. Now they’re using their government positions to silence dissent while pretending they’re still the resistance.
Why This Matters to Limited Government Conservatives
For those of us who actually believe in limited government, Johnson’s performance shows everything wrong with today’s political establishment. These career politicians have convinced themselves they’re fighting for “democracy” while accumulating power and maintaining their positions for decades.
The real threat to American democracy isn’t Trump or any single politician. It’s a permanent political class that thinks it knows better than voters. It’s people like Johnson who’ve been in Washington so long they think they own the place.
The Establishment’s Greatest Trick
The brilliant move by the political establishment was convincing people that THEY were still the outsiders. Johnson and his crowd have been running things for decades, but they’ve managed to portray themselves as scrappy underdogs fighting against “authoritarianism.”
Look at the facts. Johnson has been in Congress since Bush was president. He’s outlasted three different administrations. He’s part of a political machine that’s been in power more often than not for the last 30 years. But somehow he’s still the rebel?
Critics on social media saw right through it. Conservative influencer Paul Szypula called it exactly what it was:
“This horribly sounding performance is yet another waste of our tax dollars and proof of the uselessness of the Democrat Party.”
Another user pointed out the pattern:
“Hank Johnson – Thinks Guam can capsize… Also Hank Johnson – Thinks he can play guitar.”
This is the same guy who famously worried that too many Marines might make Guam tip over.
The Real Revolution We Need
If Johnson and his generation really wanted to fight institutional power, they could start by term-limiting themselves. They could stop collecting government paychecks and pensions. They could go back to the private sector and live under the rules they make for everyone else.
But they won’t do that. Because despite all their protest songs and revolutionary rhetoric, they love being in power. They love the perks, the prestige, and the platform. They’ve become everything they once claimed to oppose.
The counterculture is now the culture. The rebels are now the rulers. And they’re still pretending otherwise while cashing government checks and making terrible music videos.
Maybe it’s time for Johnson to retire that guitar and his congressional seat. Both have seen better days.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
