For Sen. Ron Johnson on Supreme Court Vacancy, “doing nothing is also an action”

MADISON – Senator Ron Johnson continues to refuse to do his job on the Supreme Court vacancy. Instead of listening to the people of Wisconsin who want a full and functional court, Johnson continues to take his cues from people like Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Mitch McConnell.

Instead of doing his job, Johnson justified his opposition to President Obama even nominating a justice by saying in classic Washington speak that “doing nothing is also an action.”

Unfortunately for Sen. Johnson, that’s not going over too well here in Wisconsin or in his beltway environs.

Check out some of the brutal coverage highlighting Johnson’s obstructionism and the fallout below:

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: No surprise ‒ Feingold, Johnson split on Scalia vacancy
  “Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson wants to wait until after the 2016 presidential election before a successor is nominated to fill the position left by the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.”
• AP: Wisconsin Sen. Johnson wants next president to replace Scalia
  “Johnson’s comments are in line with other Senate Republicans who do not want President Obama to make the pick.”
• The Hill: Vulnerable Senate Republicans back push to delay nominee
  “A handful of politically vulnerable Senate Republicans are supporting a push to delay moving forward with a new Supreme Court nominee until after the presidential election. “Sens. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Ron Johnson (Wis.), Rob Portman (Ohio) and Pat Toomey (Pa.)— all from Democratic-leaning states —each suggested separately over the weekend that President Obama’s successor should fill the seat left vacant by Justice Antonin Scalia’s death.”
• The Guardian: Swing state Republicans oppose Obama choosing next supreme court justice
  “Republicans in battleground states have backed majority leader Mitch McConnell in his opposition to confirming any supreme court justice nominated by Barack Obama, brushing off concerns that they might be punished for their intransigence at the ballot box.”
• The Cap Times Editorial: Ron Johnson and GOP candidates assault the Constitution “The authors of the U.S. Constitution did not outline a two-party system. Nor did they imagine that a plan for reasonable checks and balances would become a tool to empower petty obstructionists like Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson.”
• National Journal: National Journal: A Supreme Down-Ballot Reality Check
  “Most of the art­icles we read con­cluded Sen­ate Ma­jor­ity Lead­er Mitch Mc­Con­nell and Sen­ate Ju­di­ciary Chair­man Chuck Grass­ley stone­walling Pres­id­ent Obama on even re­ceiv­ing a hear­ing for his nom­in­ee would in­stantly put in­cum­bents like Kelly Ayotte, Ron John­son, Mark Kirk, Pat Toomey, and Rob Port­man on the hot seat. It also gives Sen­ate Demo­crats a new line of at­tack as they seek mo­tiv­a­tion to turn out their base and win over mod­er­ate Demo­crats and in­de­pend­ents.”
• PBS Newshour: Senate GOP to Obama: Don’t bother nominating to Court
  “Control of the Senate is at stake this election and Democrats looking to unseat Portman and Toomey — along with New Hampshire’s Kelly Ayotte and Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson — have seized on their call to wait until next year.”
• Germantown Now: (Opinion) Why Won’t Ron Johnson Do His Job?
  “US Senators, including Ron Johnson, need to do the job we pay them to do. With all of the important upcoming cases, the American people deserve a fully-staffed Supreme Court. We elected the President for a full four year term. We expect him to fill Court vacancies. We expect the Senate to consider nominees. It is ironic that Ron Johnson refuses to do his job as Wisconsin Senator, yet is asking us for another six-year term.”
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial: President Barack Obama, Senate should do their duty
  “McConnell is right on one point: Americans should have a say. And they will — through a president they twice elected and through their senators. Republicans, including Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who faces a difficult re-election battle this fall against former Sen. Russ Feingold, have quickly closed ranks around McConnell. Johnson’s statement Sunday echoed McConnell.”
• The Wall Street Journal: Risks for Senators in Backing McConnell’s Call to Delay Supreme Court Appointment “If these vulnerable senators stand firmly with the Senate Republican leadership to prevent a vote on an Obama appointment, it is likely to become the biggest issue in their reelection campaigns. Already, Ron Johnson and Kelly Ayotte have come out in support of Mr. McConnell’s position.”
• The Hill: (Opinion) The GOP’s SCOTUS mega-mistake
  “The biggest losers of the GOP Supreme Court scheme will be Republican senators and candidates running in New Hampshire, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania and other states in which close elections could well be tipped to Democrats by a roused Democratic base and outraged moderate and independent voters, who will conclude that the Republican Senate itself represents everything they detest about the partisanship and dysfunction of Washington.”
• From Washington Post Editorial: Senators, do your job and vote on the next Supreme Court nominee
  “This one shouldn’t be complicated.”
• Talking Points Memo: How GOP Senators Are Finessing McConnell’s Hard Line On SCOTUS Nom
  Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) initially gave a full-throated endorsement of McConnell’s comment, saying, “I strongly agree that the American people should decide the future direction of the Supreme Court by their votes for president and the majority party in the U.S. Senate,” according to a statement.
• Tweet from Paul Kane, Washington Post reporter:
  “GOP messaging struggles: Listen to all 6 mins of this Ron Johnson radio interview. He’s all over the map with SCOTUS. http://www.wlsam.com/2016/02/p-p16/wisconsin-senator-ron-johnson/”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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