Ron Johnson Is the Same as He Ever Was

His recent rise to prominence has more to do with the evolution of the Republican Party.

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In August 2010, Wisconsin U.S. Senate candidate Ron Johnson sat in front of a microphone, ready to record a response to an attack ad by his opponent, incumbent Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold.

Earlier that week, Feingold had seized on a comment Johnson had made in which he said he was open to the “licensing” of guns “like we license cars and stuff.” Of course, gun owners are steadfastly against gun “licenses,” so Johnson quickly tried to defend himself, saying he supported “permits” to carry concealed weapons, not licenses.

“In my first days as a candidate, I used the wrong terms when discussing my strong support for concealed carry rights for gun owners here in Wisconsin,” Johnson said into the microphone. “ I’m not a slick politician, and I made a mistake.”  

“It wasn’t the first time, and it probably won’t be the last.”

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  1. Avatar photo
    Frank Vergden

    "And Johnson, despite his difficulties with basic traditional campaign issues, became the only Republican in 2010 to beat an incumbent Democrat" is not accurate. John Boozman also beat an incumbent in Arkansas.

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    Bill Nelson

    My query is this: is this an indication of the weakening of the political parties (as Mr Goldberg theorizes), or is the party getting stronger and this is it?

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    Sad Trombone

    Doesn't the Republican Party have a good bench for the Senate in Wisconsin? Sean Duffy, the congressman from Green Bay frequently on Hugh Hewitt's radio show? Why does Johnson feel the need to run again?

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    Sad Trombone

    This piece seems like it should have been submitted to Mother Jones instead of The Dispatch - so Ron Johnson had the lese majeste to hold a hearing to decide if Hunter Biden was a crook - the gullibility of that man! doesn't he know it's Russian propaganda?? I disagree with his support of Trump, of course, I doubt I'd subscribe to The Dispatch otherwise, but if we act like a bunch of Pecksniff's and ignore the real problems Trump exposed we will continue to be glowering from the sidelines. Look at another Tea Party product in the Senate class of 2010 - Marco Rubio. When he ran against the McConnell/Establishment candidate in the primary - Charley Crist - he said things on immigration, taxes and TARP bail-outs that would have won him the primary against Trump. Go back and read the transcripts of their debates and weep. Unfortunately six years marinating in the Senate, getting rolled by the Gang of Eight and other missteps, made him the establishment butt of jokes that he is today with the Republican base.

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    Brian Andrews

    This piece is a mess. Carbon is not a pollutant but a basic necessity for all life on earth. Sun does play a leading role in the earth's temperatures. Also carbon dioxide is plant food more than a pollutant.

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    C C Writer

    All of this makes me seriously ask myself: What was the earlier good opinion I had of Ron Johnson based on? Just how careful do we have to be about being manipulated by handlers and press agents? What are the signs we should look for that this is happening? Or--is some stuff about an earlier version of Johnson being left out of this article?

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    Bill Dyer (aka Beldar)

    The term "rise to prominence" isn't exactly apt here, for two reasons:

    (a) When the Senate is split 50/50, every flake and crank, on both sides, becomes relatively more powerful within his or her own caucus.

    (b) Flakes and cranks also are easier, more appealing targets for the other side's outrage machine & fundraising.

    That he's a relatively important (within his own caucus) and useful (for members of the Dem caucus and their partisans) flake and crank at the moment does not mean that anyone serious in either party takes him very seriously. It doesn't mean, most importantly, that he's a leader.

    He's just a conspicuously loose cannon on deck during a storm. There are always loose cannons in both parties' caucuses, half of the memberships of which are, by definition, below-average in both wisdom and political acumen.

    With due respect to Mr. Schneider, then, I really don't think Sen. Johnson's actually "prominent," nor that his "rise" to that position says anything meaningful about the evolution of the Republican Party.

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    Robert Knudson

    The tone here is dismissive; I am confident that the Democrats are fully capable of running a candidate less electable than Johnson will be in 2022 if he chooses to run, and while Johnson may be willfully ignorant he is clever and has so far proved authoritative on what works politically in his state. The piece asks some good questions but I would posit that it is wholly plausible that Johnson's decisions say more about Johnson and what kind of opposition he may face than it does about Johnson's party.

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      Pat Riot

      Going full-Trumptard in a state Biden won is... pretty bold. Maybe he's playing seven-dimensional chess, but we'll see.

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        Robert Knudson

        It keeps low propensity Trump voters engaged, which makes a difference in a non Prez cycle election. Given the electorate in WI (sizable rural population and solid number of whites without a college degree) that could be a difference maker, especially if he draws the right opponent...

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    Jacob

    I hope Johnson doesn't run again. Mike Gallagher seems like a much better candidate and Johnson has gone rabid.

    The problem with this piece is that it seems to ignore that the folks doing the advising are missing something that Johnson either observes or stumbled upon (I'm unsure which). Why is it that he appeals so well in the state that elected Russ Feingold times - especially when he was written off as a sure-loser twice? This piece doesn't really answer that.

    Also, the Creative Destruction bit is just some basic Schumpeterian Free Market economics. It's odd to bring that up as an example of the rotting direction of the current GOP when if anything the GOP in the Trump era is rejecting that sort of thinking.

    Walmart is getting into the health clinic business now too - setting up doctor-run primary care clinics which offer services like X-rays, annual checkups, and dental exams. Why is it a bad thing that in a country where many don't have access to these services, a store that a lot of poor folks go to is providing them at affordable rates? The poor and working class trust Walmart more than the educated do, and probably trust Walmart more than they trust hospitals. What institutions/businesses/organizations/messages Johnson's voters trust is probably a big part of the disconnect in explaining why he managed to win elections despite contrary expectations.

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    Pat Riot

    Like so many I was alarmed at the rise of Donald Trump in 2015 and predicted all sorts of bad outcomes, most of which came true.

    One thing I did *not* predict, and where I was *completely* wrong was the capitulation of the Republican party, its politicians and its media complex.

    Trump showed us what the Republican party *really* is, and Ron Johnson is just one of many that shows us that they are almost *all* Donald Trump only better at hiding their true characters.

    Trump didn't *change* the Republican party, he *exposed* it.


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      rlritt

      I agree. The fact that so many good and intelligent people not only fell for Trump the con's lies but still pay homage to evil Baby Huey.

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      John A Johnson

      I really do not like that conclusion, tough it is very understandable. Libertarians who want to see elections won are stuck with the GOP, and they/we abhor the racist streak to which Johnson allies himself

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      Devin H

      I think it's more accurate to say we've learned that political parties and individual politicians will simply go where they are being led by the loudest of their voters, especially when they cede so much power to the primary process. There is very little incentive to lead and much more to follow. Maybe things were always this way, but in the past we've had at least shining examples of true leaders. Where's an Eisenhower or a Truman or a Lincoln nowadays? Very hard to see one.

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        Pat Riot

        As in, if Trump won the Democratic nomination instead of the Republican one then the Democrats would be exposed in the same way? I really don't think so.

        Since Nixon the Republican party has been showing a deep, deep intellectual (and criminal) corruption. The Reagan era (including the Bushes) may of have been a temporary blip.

        I am talking here specifically about the *individuals* who decide, for whatever reason, to go into politics.

        And here's an interesting indicator of where we are: there is a small but significant and thriving never-Trump faction in the non-Republican world. There are former Republicans all over the place criticizing Trump and today's Republicans, repudiating their own party, quitting their party. A previous cycle Republican candidate for president and GOP governor of Ohio went to the *Democrats* convention to endorse their candidate. There are many key Republican players from the past e.g. Bill Kristol and George Will who have left their party.

        Is there anything even *remotely* like this on the flip side?

        Perhaps Nixon started the corruption ball rolling in the GOP and made it *institutional* (as opposed to anomalous as it would be for any party).

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          Devin H

          Obviously, Trump would never have gotten or would ever get the Democratic nom. But Bernie Sanders sure almost did. Neither of them members of the parties they ran to represent.

          As far as individuals, we can look at the Mack Daddy of Machine in Chicago, Mike Madigan who *finally* resigned after decades of being House Speaker in Illinois. There are shady characters abound. Former Missouri Governor Greitens was a once upon a time Democrat who changed parties.

          Plenty of Democrats decried the "Defund the Police" mantra after the election. There's nothing on the level of needing to separate oneself from aggravating an insurrection, but there are like backlashes on the left. Sorry, I know I'm rambling and not really making a general point here.

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            rlritt

            Bernie ( I'm not a fan) didn't almost win the nomination, but at least he has legislative experience which makes him better that Trump. I lived in Chicago most of my life and state and local politics is gang warfare. Better to ignore it and stay out of the way. A few people said defund the police. Biden said he was absolutely opposed to defunding the police many times, and in fact said he wanted to give Police more money.

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            Pat Riot

            Bernie Sanders may be wrong about a lot of things, but he's not a criminal. In fact I would say that he's probably more *honest* than most politicians--to his own detriment.

            And sure, decades ago the Democrats were once the party of corruption in the USA. And the GOP used to be the *Conservative* party opposing them. Now the roles are reversed.

            "Defund the Police" is a--stupid--policy pronouncement. And one that is *repudiated* by the Democratic party's leadership. But it's still just a policy pronouncement. There is nothing *criminal* about espousing this and clearly its proponents believe they are *helping* the cause of law and order.

            Compare that with the Republican's all-out attack on the FBI, DOJ, IC, Federal Courts, juries of peers, laws they don't like, and so on. Nothing remotely like this has *ever* been seen in America (although Nixon was clearly a warm-up for it).

            When your hero in the story is a criminal, your enemy is the cops. That's what Trump did to the GOP, but here's the thing: they all gladly followed him. That's what surprised me.

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