Will Sen. Ron Johnson Put His Own Pocketbook Before Principle?

MADISON, Wis. — When it came to filling a vacancy on the United States Supreme Court, Sen. Ron Johnson joined the Republican cabal who denied a hearing and vote on the nomination of Merrick Garland, with nearly a full year left in President Obama’s term. Now, with a Democratic victory in the race to fill the Alabama U.S. Senate seat, Johnson needs to answer whether he will support the GOP rush to pass a tax giveaway scheme before seating the victorious Doug Jones.

“We saw Ron Johnson put partisan politics over the provisions of the Constitution when he supported the Republican plot to steal a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court,” commented One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross. “Now the question is: will Johnson put his own pocketbook before principle in rushing to pass a tax giveaway that includes his ‘Badger Bribe’ before seating U.S. Senate election winner Doug Jones?”

In a special election to fill a U.S. Senate seat Democrat Doug Jones defeated pedophile Republican Roy Moore. When Jones is seated, the Republican majority in the Senate will shrink to 51-49. With such a narrow margin, passage of legislation like the massive tax giveaway to the wealthy and corporations being negotiated between the U.S. House and Senate could be imperilled.

Sen. Johnson withheld his vote in the Senate on the GOP’s tax giveaway plan until he was able to include a “Badger Bribe” provision further reducing taxes on “pass through” entities like Pacur, the company he co-founded and in which he maintains a personal financial interest.

In refusing to do his job and allow consideration of President Obama’s nominee to the nation’s high court prior to the 2016 election, Johnson self-righteously declared in a media interview that:

“Instead of a lame duck president and Senate nominating and confirming, a new president and Senate — elected by the people only a few months from now — should make that important decision,” Johnson said. “I can’t think of a fairer or more democratic process.”

But now, with a benefit to his own financial bottom line on the table, Johnson isn’t commenting on waiting to seat Senator-elect Jones before voting on the GOP tax scheme.

Ross concluded, “Ron Johnson has shown us his concept of fair doesn’t extend beyond his partisan politics or his pocketbook. And for that, the rest of us are all the poorer.”

One Wisconsin Now is a statewide communications network specializing in effective earned media and online organizing to advance progressive leadership and values.

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.