Russ Feingold
Press Release

Senator Johnson Follows Trump’s Lead Down the Gutter

Down in the polls, and short on time, Senator Johnson turns to desperate personal attacks

By - Oct 24th, 2016 11:00 am
Ron Johnson and Donald Trump.

Ron Johnson and Donald Trump.

MIDDLETON — After months of supporting Donald Trump, Senator Johnson is now ripping a page from Trump’s campaign playbook. In a desperate attempt to stay in Washington, Senator Johnson is resorting to name calling and personal attacks. On Friday he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he did not respect Russ, and then he doubled down over the weekend calling Russ a “complete phony.” The personal attacks come as three new polls just last week showed Johnson trailing by six or more points.

It’s no surprise that down in the polls Senator Johnson is resorting to personal attacks. After all, for nearly six years in Washington he’s made a career of pointing fingers. On issues like how to keep America safe or make college affordable, Senator Johnson always finds someone else to blame. Now, short on time, short on ideas, and desperate to stay in Washington, Senator Johnson is just doing what he knows best. It may work in Washington but it won’t in Wisconsin.

While Sen. Johnson’s campaign has become all about Russ, Russ remains focused on the issues that matter to Wisconsinites. He spent the weekend talking about his plans for an economy that works for middle class and working families. Rather then get down in the mud with Sen. Johnson, Russ reiterated his respect for Johnson. Russ plans to focus on the issues, even if Johnson is focused on Russ.

Russ for Wisconsin

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

Mentioned in This Press Release

Recent Press Releases by Russ Feingold

Senator Johnson Follows Trump’s Lead Down the Gutter

Down in the polls, and short on time, Senator Johnson turns to desperate personal attacks

RFW Statement on Sen Johnson’s Comments to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Sen. Johnson would benefit from more time spent listening to Wisconsinites and less time engaging in hysterical partisan rants."

A simple question for Sen. Johnson

"Donald Trump's comments are indefensible."

3 thoughts on “Senator Johnson Follows Trump’s Lead Down the Gutter”

  1. myfivecents says:

    It is very true that when a candidate is losing they only focus on their opponent rather than the issues. But, then, Johnson is wrong on most of the issues anyway. Climate change is real. It is not a hoax. We need jobs in Wisconsin, not more tax breaks for the wealthy. Seniors need an increase in Social Security to keep up with rising costs, not a cut. No one can live on $900 a month. Trickle down has not worked since the 80’s and isn’t going to work in the future. Then to top it all off you get these bogus Super PAC ads that give snippets of information but never the full story. What they end up saying amounts to nothing more than a lie.

  2. PMD says:

    Don’t forget the most important issue of all: The Lego Movie is not Communist propaganda.

  3. Thomas says:

    It is increasingly clear that Johnson is following the Trump low road as he has sunk to adolescent personal attacks such as calling Feingold a “phony.” That word was most frequently and famously used as an insult by Holden Caulfield, the adolescent narrator of Salinger’s CATCHER IN THE RYE. An irony here is that Feingold was a genuine Senator when he represented our state in that from 1992 – 2010: a representative of our people, with high regard for law in general and the U.S. Constitution in particular; whereas Johnson has postured as a citizen senator while distinguishing himself by filing frivolous lawsuits, voting repeatedly to make symbolic gestures to repeal the AFFORDABLE CARE ACT – without offering a coherent alternative – refusing to allow judicious appointments of judges … Johnson has not been a senator. He has been a tool of the ill informed and misguided Tea Party.

    The dark money ads that try to discredit Russ are intentionally misleading. One from “Club for Growth,” for example, claims that Feingold voted to “take money out of social security to spend it on big government.” That ad is false and stupid. Feingold is a staunch protector of social security. Johnson has called it a “Ponzi scheme.” The ad is stupid in that social security is a great example of a successful act of big government. Many millions of our elderly citizens live dignified lives with the help of social security.

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