He said that the same parents had relationships with Adams County’s white power brokers: a banker who helped his dad get a loan for his business and a realty agent who helped him buy land on the Mississippi River that white residents were reluctant to allow an African American to purchase. Johnson stated that Johnson’s mother developed relationships with white school administrators which helped her advance in her career. Johnson, the Democratic leader of the Mississippi House of Representatives applies these values at the Capitol where Republicans can pass any bill with no Democratic vote. Mississippi Democrats have little political influence outside of the Capitol and struggle to organize and fight against an ever-growing Republican landscape. Johnson stated that he often tries to find the right balance between his party’s platform and positions on issues, while also being pragmatic about where the power lies. Johnson stated Monday that he knows there are possibilities for the state to accomplish things that we haven’t done. Johnson spoke at a lunch meeting of Mississippi State University Stennis Institute of Government/Capitol Press Corps. Johnson stated, “I will continue to work in that manner.” Johnson said, “I don’t do it because i’m a Democrat. It’s not something I do because I am Black. Johnson is a Mississippian and I do it because Mississippi is where I want it to be. He has also earned criticism from fellow Democrats for his willingness to work with Philip Gunn, the House Speaker, and other Republican House leaders. Johnson said that even though Gunn disagrees on many issues, he still considers Gunn a friend. READ MORE: Robert Johnson, the last Democratic speaker, became a key ally after voting against him. He pointed out Gunn’s tax restructuring plan as an example where he tried to work with Gunn. In January, he and the majority of House Democrats voted for Gunn’s proposal that the income tax be phased out and the sales tax increased while decreasing the tax on food and cars tags. It doesn’t make sense to get rid of income tax for the long-term. Johnson stated that short-term, however, it allows me to meet Philip Gunn and spend $1.8 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds. We also have $1 billion in surplus funds. This gives us the opportunity to figure out what we can do to help people across the state. Johnson said, “As this state moves forward, we must try to find places that we can agree.” Johnson asked Johnson whether the Republican majority could agree on a plan for eliminating the income tax due to disagreements over how to accomplish such a large undertaking. Johnson said that “I’m betting they’ll butt heads and pass nothing.” He added that Gunn’s plan reduces the state’s grocery taxes and lowers the cost of car tags by at least 50% — both proposals that Johnson believes would be beneficial to working and poor people. Johnson admitted that he is frustrated by the lack of progress in Mississippi. Johnson believes that state leaders are overlooking opportunities to help Mississippi, such as not expanding Medicaid so that health insurance is available to the working poor. He stated that eliminating the income tax will not encourage young, successful people from moving to the state. He suggested that addressing crime problems in Jackson and fixing the state’s infrastructure would be more effective ways of growing the state’s population. Johnson stated that Jackson, Mississippi’s capital, is the main entrance to the state. Johnson said that expanding Medicaid and fixing infrastructure can be done using existing funds, which include $1.8 billion in federal funds. This would go a long ways towards addressing the state’s problems. He tries to work with everyone in the room to make things happen, but frustrations mount. He stated that he asks himself every week, during the legislative session, “What’s the f— are we doing here in Mississippi?” PODCAST – Representative Robert Johnson discusses key issues before the 2022 legislative session