Once again, Senator Ron Johnson won’t do his job
Now he's demanding that the president and the entire United States Senate not do their jobs as well.
MADISON – When the news of Justice Scalia‘s passing broke, what was the first thing that Senator Ron Johnson thought to do?
After strangely tweeting out a picture of an actor playing Justice Scalia on Broadway, the first thing Senator Johnson did, less than 24 hours after learning of Scalia’s passing, was joining Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell and the most extreme elements of the right-wing in demanding that President Obama not appoint a replacement.
After five years of missed committee hearings and threats to shut down the government over Planned Parenthood or Obamacare, Sen. Johnson still wasn’t content to be the only one abandoning his responsibilities. Now he’s demanding that the president and the entire United States Senate not do their jobs as well.
A few key points Senator Johnson might have wanted to consider before taking such an extreme position that would leave the United States Supreme Court unable to decide certain cases for over a year…
- The President has a constitutional responsibility to nominate a Supreme Court Justice, and the Senate has an obligation to vote on that nominee. The Senate must do its job.
- History shows that the Senate has not previously shirked its responsibility to confirm Supreme Court Justices in an election year. Since 1900, 6 Supreme Court Justices have been confirmed in a presidential election year.
- Since the Civil War, no Supreme Court vacancy has been left open for a year. Failing to confirm a new Justice would weaken the Supreme Court and compromise a fundamental part of our democracy.
- Leader McConnell has repeated promised to abide by “regular order” to make the Senate work. Senator Johnson has praised that idea. Obviously, “regular order” isn’t a real priority for Senator Johnson.
“Over the last five years, Senator Ron Johnson has repeatedly taken actions to ensure that Congress just doesn’t work,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Executive Director Kory Kozloski said on Tuesday. “Sen. Johnson is not doing his job. He’s made it clear that he thinks the president shouldn’t do his job. And if he gets his way, the Supreme Court won’t be able to do its job either.”
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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