Doctor, does your head hurt too?

Comparison:

He [Speaker Mike Johnson] is both a punching bag and a psychiatrist for House Republicans who face the choice of either backing the President‘s agenda or losing their job.

Eric Cortellessa and Nik Popli in a Time magazine cover story create an unusual combined metaphor. Does the punching bag joined with the psychiatrist work for you to capture Mike Johnson‘s situation? Would other combined component parts do even better? Do tell.

Sample Context:

“Trump couldn't tollorate the criticism or the insubodination; he couldn‘t take a punch without counterpunching. In contrast, Johnson is willing to absorb the opprobrium, mediate the meltdowns, and hold together a fractured conference. He is both a punching bag and a psychiatrist for House Republicans who face the choice of either backing the President‘s agenda or losing their job.“

Citation:

Cortellessa, Eric and Nik Popli. “How Mike Johnson Became Ttump's Speaker.“ Time, 18 Aug. 2025, p. 33.

(Image design by Lee Aigue; base image courtesy of Bing, August 2025.)