What they’re saying about it in the press.

MADISON, Wis. – Ron Johnson is continuing to spread disinformation about COVID and the vaccine to distract from his many failures as a Senator. Johnson’s disinformation hinders medical professionals and prolongs business owners’ ability to recover from the pandemic. Check out coverage about Johnson’s most recent COVID comments:

The Washington Post: “Johnson is saying that the way to not get sick is to ... get sick. Makes sense. Put another way, Johnson’s argument is the equivalent of saying that you don’t need to wear a bulletproof vest if you instead simply let your torso be perforated by a cannonball. No one’s going to shoot you in the stomach if your stomach has already been shot away! Checkmate, libs.”

HuffPo: “During a familiar rant Monday on a conservative radio show about the merits of relying on the body’s ‘natural immunity’ to COVID-19 after being infected with the virus, the senator asked, ‘Why do we assume that the body’s natural immune system isn’t the marvel that it is?’…Twitter was flooded with notes on his flimsy logic. For one, vaccines have been proved safe and reliable to prevent COVID-19 infection. Getting sick with COVID-19 has not been, and it could result in severe illness or death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people who have already had COVID-19 should still get a coronavirus vaccine because the shots are much more reliable and effective than natural immunity.”

MSNBC: “First, when Johnson talks about ‘natural immunity,’ he's describing an approach to a public health crisis in which people get infected with a dangerous contagion and then develop immunity to the virus as a result of the infection. Part of the problem with this is that many people who get infected with the coronavirus die. That should be a strong incentive to avoid such a health care strategy. Another part of the problem is that there's a safer solution: There are safe, effective, and free vaccines readily available. Instead of protecting yourself from Covid-19 by getting infected with Covid-19 — in the process, running the risk of serious illness or death — you can get vaccinated. Again, this really isn't that complicated.”

MSNBC: “Johnson's question seems rooted in the idea that if a form of protection [vaccine] doesn't offer a 100 percent guarantee of success, then it's worthless. That's not how reality works. Birth control isn't 100 percent effective, but it's still a responsible thing to take advantage of to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Similarly, seat belts aren't 100 percent effective in saving lives in serious car accidents, but that doesn't mean they're useless. Your odds of surviving a crash are vastly improved if you buckle up…Johnson has also spent months desperately trying to undermine public confidence in the vaccines people need to get in order to properly deal with the Covid threat.”

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “It didn't take long for the medical establishment to take note that Johnson failed to mention the fact that vaccinations greatly reduce the risk of hospitalization or death. ‘I’d say that he’s so misguided that it makes me wonder whether this is all just an act,’ responded Jonathan Reiner, the medical analyst for CNN. ‘And if this is not an act, then he is just the most ignorant man in the United States Senate. And that says a lot.’”

Raw Story: "Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) this week doubled down on his campaign to promote the so-called 'natural immunity' that occurs after one has been infected by Covid-19…Public health experts recommended vaccinations for most people regardless of previous Covid-19 infections."

Kleefisch: “Are we ready? Knives out?”

MADISON, Wis. – Today is the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, but Rebecca Kleefisch isn’t slowing down her divisive campaign rhetoric. Kleefisch has called for building an “army” of “paid fighters” and “mercenaries,” as well as asking supporters if they were “ready to throw some hands” and had their “knives out.”

This kind of inflammatory speech is a hallmark of Radical Rebecca’s brand of politics. When she’s not calling for people to throw hands, she’s agreeing that survivors of sexual assault should turn “lemons to lemonade” or endorsing divisive policies like limiting voting rights and allowing the state legislature to overturn elections. It’s clear: Rebecca Kleefisch is too radical for Wisconsin.

Watch the video here.

“Radical Rebecca Kleefisch’s violent rhetoric has no place in Wisconsin,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Iris Riis. “Kleefisch will say or do anything to rile up the radical right and get elected, even if it means embracing the type of destructive politics that resulted in an attack on our Capitol last year. Wisconsinites want a governor that embraces unity and respect for one another — words that aren’t in Kleefisch’s vocabulary — and they will soundly reject her radical agenda in 2022.”

We must recommit ourselves to maintaining an electoral system where every citizen can cast their ballot easily and securely, says Wisconsin U.S. Senate candidate. Here's how.

Milwaukee - Today, Wisconsin U.S. Senate candidate, Alex Lasry, released his plan for strengthening American Democracy. The plan calls for multiple reforms including ending the filibuster, enacting automatic voter registration, banning political gerrymandering, and reforming the Electoral Count Act, among other policy proposals.

“One year ago, our country witnessed something that has never been seen in the United States - a sitting President and his followers attempted to disrupt and even stop the peaceful transfer of power,” said Lasry.  While their tyrannical attempt to overthrow our government failed, the continued assault on the very fundamental tenets of American democracy has not ended.

“We must recommit ourselves to maintaining an electoral system where every citizen can cast their ballot easily and securely. And every citizen must have confidence that every one of those votes will be counted.”

Lasry plan focuses on protecting and enhancing voting and preserving American democracy by:

• Ending the Filibuster;

• Expanding Voting rights by passing the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act;

• Making it easier to vote thru Automatic Voter Registration and guaranteeing everyone their right to vote;

• Banning political gerrymandering;

• Reforming the Electoral Count Act;

• Curtailing the influence of special Interests by increasing transparency;

• Strengthening election security and ending foreign interference;

• Promoting democracy abroad;

• Supporting DC statehood and letting Puerto Rico self determine; and most importantly

• Voting Ron Johnson out of office

Lasry’s full plan can be found online here: www.alexlasry.com/democracy.

The Democratic Primary Election for the United States Senate will be held Tuesday, August 9th, 2022. For more information about Alex Lasry’s campaign, visit www.alexlasry.com.

MADISON, Wis. –  On Saturday, a new law that puts an end to surprise medical billing went into effect, despite Senator Johnson’s efforts to stop the bipartisan effort. If Johnson had his way, instead of seeing lower costs, Wisconsinites who had medical emergencies would still be subject to predatory tactics.

“When it comes to supporting legislation that enriched himself and his biggest donors Senator Ron Johnson led the charge, but on legislation to lower health care costs for Wisconsinites and end surprise medical billing Johnson stood in opposition. Wisconsinites are tired of being sold out by Senator Johnson and are going to remember his opposition to lowering their health care costs in November,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Senate Communications Advisor Philip Shulman.

Senator Johnson, who believes access to health care is a “privilege” reserved for those who can “afford” it, has a long record of working to raise health care costs for Wisconsinites and take away access to quality care. Johnson has spent his time in the Senate trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, putting Medicare funding in his cross hairs, and voting against COVID-19 vaccine and test funding.

MADISON, Wis. – Throughout 2021 Ron Johnson’s top priority was spreading controversial and often flat out false statements in an effort to avoid having to explain his record of failure to Wisconsities. See below for a roundup from The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel of Johnson’s most out of touch and controversial statements:

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bice: U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson's 10 most controversial statements of 2021

It was the year of U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, unleashed.

[...]

Johnson began airing his opinions on a wide range of issues  — questioning everything from COVID-19 vaccines to the Jan. 6 insurrection and the reality of climate change. And he kept doing it. Before long, his words became a regular feature on influential conservative news sites and late-night TV shows.

[...]

1. Questioning COVID-19 vaccinations.

"We all hoped and prayed the vaccines would be 100% effective, 100% safe,” Johnson said just this week on Fox News Primetime. “But they’re not. We now know that fully vaccinated individuals can catch Covid, they can transmit Covid. So what’s the point?”

It didn't take long for the medical establishment to take note that Johnson failed to mention the fact that vaccinations greatly reduce the risk of hospitalization or death.

"I’d say that he’s so misguided that it makes me wonder whether this is all just an act,” responded Jonathan Reiner, the medical analyst for CNN. "And if this is not an act, then he is just the most ignorant man in the United States Senate. And that says a lot."

2. Downplaying the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

"This didn’t seem like an armed insurrection to me," the Oshkosh Republican said in a February radio interview.

"I mean 'armed,' when you hear 'armed,' don’t you think of firearms? Here’s the questions I would have liked to ask. How many firearms were confiscated? How many shots were fired? I’m only aware of one and I’ll defend that law enforcement officer for taking that shot. It was a tragedy, OK? But I think there was only one."

In truth, police recovered a dozen guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition from seven people who were arrested over their involvement in the Jan. 6 riot that left at least five people dead, according to NBC News.

3. Denying climate change.

"I don't know about you guys, but I think climate change is — as Lord Monckton said — bullshit," Johnson said in June, mouthing the expletive while referring to British climate change skeptic Lord Christopher Monckton. "By the way, it is."

[...]

4. Calling Social Security a 'Ponzi scheme.'

"These things are Ponzi schemes; the money isn’t there," Johnson told a Milwaukee radio show in November. "You invest it — whether it’s Social Security or whatever — and the federal government spends it, and they just put in place another government bond. There isn’t money. There aren’t assets backing up these trust funds.”

[...]

5. Questioning 'the big push' to get everyone vaccinated for coronavirus.

In an April interview with a conservative talk radio host, Johnson said he saw “no reason to be pushing vaccines on people,” arguing that their distribution should be “limited” to those most vulnerable to coronavirus.

“If you have a vaccine, quite honestly, what do you care if your neighbor has one or not?” he asked.

But Johnson had a different message six months earlier when he accused then-Sen. Kamala Harris of casting doubts on vaccines. Harris had said in a vice-presidential debate that she would not trust the safety and effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine solely on the word of then-President Donald Trump.

"That'd be a terrible thing if we have an effective vaccine and a safe one, and that's the only one we'll release," Johnson said in November 2020. "But if you are out there undermining that possibility, that will cause people's deaths."

6. Defending his work to secure tax breaks for his billionaire campaign backers.

“As someone who spent 31 years building a successful manufacturing company in Wisconsin, I have long said that our tax system needs to be simplified and rationalized,” Johnson said in August.

[...]

According to Pro Publica, Johnson lobbied then-President Donald Trump to sweeten the tax break for companies known as pass-throughs in Trump's 2017 tax cut bill.

The change resulted in $79 million in tax savings in 2018 for two of Johnson's biggest donors — Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, owners of packaging giant Uline in Pleasant Prairie, and Diane Hendricks, head of ABC Supply in Beloit.

7. Accusing Anthony Fauci of 'overhyping' COVID-19 and AIDS.

"Fauci did the exact same thing with AIDS," Johnson said of the president's chief medical adviser's statements on COVID's omicron variant in early December. "He overhyped it. He created all kinds of fear, saying it could affect the entire population when it couldn't. He's using the exact same playbook with COVID, ignoring therapy, pushing a vaccine."

[...]

8. Claiming the top 1% are paying their 'fair share.'

"The top 1% owns about 20% of the nation's assets," the multimillionaire businessman told a truck driver during an October town hall. "But they pay 40% of the nation's income tax. I mean, at some point in time, we got to go, 'Well, it's probably pretty close to a fair share.' So I'm not into punitive taxation, I'm into fair."

In June, Pro Publica reported that a review of Internal Revenue Service records showed the richest 25 people in the country paid a true tax rate of just 3.4%. The online publication also said many billionaires were paying at a lower rate than the average person making $45,000.

9. Peddling Listerine as treatment for COVID-19.

"Standard gargle, mouthwash, has been proven to kill the coronavirus," Johnson said at a town hall earlier this month. "If you get it, you may reduce viral replication. Why not try all these things?”

[...]

In the past, he has touted the use of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin, questioned the use of ventilators for COVID patients, suggested vaccinated Americans could be perpetuating the coronavirus pandemic and claimed distributing vaccines during a pandemic "could be dangerous."

10. Asserting that he never felt threatened by rioters on Jan. 6.

"Even though those thousands of people that were marching to the Capitol were trying to pressure people like me to vote the way they wanted me to vote, I knew those were people that love this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break the law, and so I wasn't concerned,” Johnson told conservative talk show host Joe Pags in March.

But Johnson said he might have felt differently if the march had been led by Black Lives Matter.

"Now, had the tables been turned — Joe, this could get me in trouble — had the tables been turned, and President Trump won the election and those were tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and Antifa protesters, I might have been a little concerned," Johnson concluded.

A week later, the Wisconsin senator said there was "no violence" on the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol during the insurrection.

[...]

Former leader confident they will be successful in fighting for policies that truly serve Wisconsin’s working families.

MADISON - Rep. Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) released the following statement congratulating Assembly Democratic Leader-Elect Greta Neubauer and Assistant Leader-Elect Kalan Haywood:

“I want to congratulate Assembly Democratic Leader-Elect Greta Neubauer and Assistant Leader-Elect Kalan Haywood. I look forward to working with both of them to push for Democratic values and priorities in the State Assembly.

“As our next Leader, Rep. Neubauer will bring fresh energy, policy experience, unmatched organizing skill, and a clear vision for the Assembly Democratic Caucus. With Rep. Neubauer as leader, I am confident Assembly Democrats will remain strong and continue to be united in pushing back against increasing Republican extremism and attacks on our democracy while also offering a positive Democratic vision for Wisconsin.

“Rep. Haywood will help build our caucus into the future as our next Assistant Leader. His fresh perspective and commitment to uplifting individual caucus voices is more important now than ever. The stakes are incredibly high in Wisconsin, and we know Assembly Democrats are strongest when we work together.

“With Rep. Neubauer and Rep. Haywood at the helm, I am confident that Assembly Democrats will be successful in fighting for policies that truly serve Wisconsin’s working families.”

MADISON – Wisconsin State Representative Greta Neubauer (D-Racine) released the following statement following her election as Assembly Democratic Leader:

“First and foremost, I would like to thank Rep. Hintz and Rep. Hesselbein again for their service to our caucus and to the people of Wisconsin. Their leadership over the past four years has been invaluable, and I look forward to continuing the hard work of making Wisconsin a place where we all can thrive.

“As Assembly Democratic Leader, I will work to build the relationships, the strategy, and the infrastructure to move our shared values and priorities forward. I will make tough decisions and push back when necessary. And I will do everything in my power to provide more opportunities for every member to lead on the issues they are most passionate about.

“I am extremely grateful for the support I have received from my colleagues today and for their vote of confidence. I look forward to continuing our work to build a more equitable and resilient Wisconsin.”

Madison - Representative Lisa Subeck, today announced her endorsement of Alex Lasry to be Wisconsin’s next U.S. Senator.

“Alex Lasry is the right choice to represent Wisconsinites in the U.S. Senate,” said Rep. Subeck. “The people of Wisconsin are tired of all the political fighting in Washington and are ready for a Senator that will go to Congress and get things done to improve their lives. Through his work with the Bucks, Alex has a proven record of doing just that.”

“Alex is building the strong statewide campaign that it will take to beat Ron Johnson next fall,'' continued Rep. Subeck. “I’m proud to be a part of the team that is going to help protect the Democratic Majority in the Senate, and I can’t wait to get to work.”

“During her time in the State Assembly on the Madison City Council, Rep. Subeck has been a tireless advocate for the people of Madison and Wisconsin,” said Alex Lasry. “I’m honored to have her support, and I look forward to working with her to win this seat and to deliver for people across our state.”

Rep. Subeck joins a growing list of endorsements for Lasry, including fellow Madison-area State Representative Shelia Stubbs and several Wisconsin unions including Teamsters Joint Council 39, IBEW Local 494, Operating Engineers Local 139, IATSE Local 18, and the Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association.

The Democratic Primary Election for the United States Senate will be held Tuesday, August 9th, 2022. For more information about Alex Lasry’s campaign, visit www.alexlasry.com.

We won’t stop until every single Wisconsin voter knows how the Democratic Party is delivering for them, say Democrats in Cap Times Op-ed.

Oshkosh lawmaker to relinquish leadership role after four years, wants to continue to serve in Assembly.