National

Ron Johnson's impatient to be a leader; Does he have a clue what that means?

September 29, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Sen. Ron Johnson, the guy who married the third basewoman and thought he hit a triple, says he is an "impatient" lawmaker who wants to have an impact. So he's running for a Republican leadership position in the Senate, in what Roll Call describes as a Tea Party vs. Establishment contest. Johnson, of course, is the Tea Party candidate.

We'll let Roll Call tell the story:

Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.) has quickly secured the support of conservatives in his bid for GOP Conference vice chairman, but Sen. Roy Blunt (Mo.) could still prove to be a tough opponent in any head-to-head matchup if leadership members and other establishment Republicans side with him.

Blunt said Monday that he is still considering whether to join Johnson in the race for the fifth-ranking Republican leadership position. The election is in early January.

“That’d be fine. Certainly I appreciate serving with Sen. Blunt,” Johnson said. “I would bring a slightly different perspective” to the position. [That's for sure.-- Xoff]

Is Paul Ryan's 'class war' lighting the fuse for social explosion?

September 29, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Roger Bybee, longtime editor of Racine Labor newspaper, now a freelancer, has been covering labor issues in Paul Ryan's district for decades. Writing for In These Times, uncorks a devastating  analysis of what Paul Ryan sees as class warfare.  Highlights:

In his severely distorted view of the “class war” currently splitting America apart, House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who represents southeastern Wisconsin’s crumbling factory towns, reflects a juvenile embrace of the view of his heroine Ayn Rand (required reading for his entire staff).
Like Rand, Ryan interprets any move toward easing America’s crushing inequality as showing ingratitude toward those he worships as the “job creators.” 

Ron Johnson clearly in lunatic fringe; one of 12 voting to shut down the government

September 27, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

How nice to be able to vote on some loopy "principle," knowing enough others will do the sensible thing and save you from yourself.

Case in point, Sen. Ron Johnson, one of only 12 Senators, way out there on the fringe, to vote against a bipartisan compromise spending bill to keep from shutting down the federal government.

Actually, that's probably giving RoJo more credit than he deserves. He probably actually wanted to shut down the government, because it spends money. And that's what he's against, on principle. Here's the roll call.