Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has emerged as one of the most prominent purveyors of far-right conspiracy theories in Congress.
In addition to repeatedly (and falsely) suggesting anti-Trump activists were behind the deadly failed insurrection against the United States Capitol, he's also called the riots "nonviolent." What's more, he characterized the effort to vaccinate everyone against the virus that's killed over 600 thousand Americans "suspicious."
This past Monday, Johnson held a press conference to spotlight those who've had "adverse reactions" to the vaccine, promoting even more skepticism of the treatment that's not only safe, but the only means of freeing the public from the shadow of the world-shaking pandemic.
Now, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel—in the Senator's home state of Wisconsin—is pushing back against his lies in a blistering editorial.
The paper's editorial board accused Johnson of setting his state back in terms of vaccination with his dangerous rhetoric against vaccines.
They wrote:
"[I]nstead of encouraging more people to get vaccinated so we can be rid of this plague once and for all, Johnson has chosen to use his taxpayer-financed megaphone to draw attention to a vanishingly small number of people who believe they suffered a serious side effect. And he has continued to cast doubts about science, research, masks and other public health measures while promoting 'cures' with no evidence behind them."
They went on to compare him to another Wisconsin Senator whose legacy lives in infamy:
"He is the most irresponsible representative of Wisconsin citizens since the infamous Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy in the 1950s."
Senator McCarthy famously led the charge to purge Washington of any government employees or public figures even suspected of being Communists. the "Red Scare" led to thousands of job losses and blacklisted some of the nation's most promising figures.
People agreed with the board's comparison.
This checks out.https://twitter.com/maddow/status/1410319394023092236\u00a0\u2026— Dr. Matthew Boxer (@Dr. Matthew Boxer) 1625082114
I say it all the time, but here in Wisconsin, we only churn out the best cheese and the worst chuds.https://twitter.com/maddow/status/1410319394023092236\u00a0\u2026— Molly now available in Pfizer (@Molly now available in Pfizer) 1625081469
True.https://twitter.com/maddow/status/1410319394023092236\u00a0\u2026— Jonathan Cattey (@Jonathan Cattey) 1625083396
The Sentinel is not wrong.https://twitter.com/maddow/status/1410319394023092236\u00a0\u2026— Andi Rebel Alliance (@Andi Rebel Alliance) 1625081602
That is about right!https://twitter.com/maddow/status/1410319394023092236\u00a0\u2026— Mark Incha (@Mark Incha) 1625081367
There is no doubt he\u2019s the worsthttps://twitter.com/maddow/status/1410319394023092236\u00a0\u2026— @Chrisser1951 (@@Chrisser1951) 1625082936
The Journal-Sentinel editorial board aren't the only ones calling Johnson out.
Ron Johnson wants to make COVID great again.https://twitter.com/nielslesniewski/status/1408415710959779841\u00a0\u2026— Jesse Ferguson (@Jesse Ferguson) 1624751580
This is playing with fire.https://twitter.com/nielslesniewski/status/1408415710959779841\u00a0\u2026— Daniel Strauss (@Daniel Strauss) 1624732107
\u201cIt turned me into a newt!\u201dhttps://twitter.com/nielslesniewski/status/1408415710959779841\u00a0\u2026— David S. Bernstein (@David S. Bernstein) 1624731045
Johnson is up for reelection in 2022.
