Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Wisconsin Newspaper Calls Sen. Ron Johnson 'The Worst' Since Joseph McCarthy In Brutal Editorial

Wisconsin Republican Senators Ron Johnson in 2022 and Joseph McCarthy in 1954
Drew Angerer/Getty Images; Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

McCarthyism became synonymous with persecution, paranoia and false accusations driven by bigotry under the false premise of rooting out communism.

Make us preferred on Google

A Wisconsin newspaper has drawn cheers from liberals and jeers from Republicans after calling incumbent Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson "the worst" since Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Editorial Board branded Johnson, who has held his seat since 2010, and "election deceiver, science fabulist," and "billionaire benefactor" before calling for Wisconsin citizens to vote him out of office in favor of Democrat Mandela Barnes.


But it was the comparison to McCarthy, who led the ruinous and fascistic McCarthy Hearings during the 1950s hysteria over communism he helped inflame, that has most stuck in the minds of people online.

The Journal Sentinel pulled no punches in calling Johnson out as one of the worst influences on the US Senate.

Before itemizing a list of his most egregious stances, the Editorial Board wrote:

"For years, Ron Johnson has demonstrated that he should be retired to his family's seaside Florida home—and not representing Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate. Voters should send him packing this November."

The paper went on to list how Johnson jumped on every MAGA Republican-led bandwagon he could over the years, from denying the 2020 election to propagating absurd conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and vaccines.

Johnson has also vigorously defended the rioters who participated in the January 6 coup attempt on the Capitol, absurdly calling them "people ... [who] would never do anything to break the law."

And the list goes on and on.

He was an instrumental part of former Republican President Donald Trump's schemes to overturn the election, is a vociferous climate change denier, and has shilled for the billionaire class at every opportunity.

And as the Journal Sentinel pointed out Johnson has run a campaign against Barnes—a Black man and the state's Lieutenant Governor—focused mostly on racist dog-whistles.

As the Editorial Board put it:

"You'll notice Johnson is not touting a long record of accomplishments in his ads for re-election. Instead, he and his supporters have attacked his opponent — a Black man — as 'different' and 'dangerous.'"

The Editorial Board summed it up by comparing him to McCarthy, a man who destroyed the lives of countless people he wrongfully accused of having political ideas he didn't like or being POC or Jewish.

They wrote:

"Ron Johnson is the worst Wisconsin political representative since the infamous Sen. Joseph McCarthy."
"Johnson in the past promised to serve no more than two terms. Voters should hold him to that pledge in November."

On Twitter, many applauded the Journal Sentinel's straight talk.









After trailing Barnes throughout most of the election season, Johnson now leads him by nearly three points.

Here's hoping the Journal Sentinel's editorial makes a difference.

More from People

Screenshots of Jessica Tarlov and Emily Compagno; Abdul El-Sayed
Fox News; Sarah Rice/Getty Images

Jessica Tarlov Has Perfect Clapback After Fox News Co-Host Criticizes Abdul El-Sayed For Not Being A 'Practicing Physician'

Fox News host Jessica Tarlov had the perfect response to her colleague Emily Compagno after Compagno complained that Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is not a "practicing physician."

El-Sayed, an epidemiologist who campaigned on expanding healthcare access, strengthening the economy, and ending unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel, became the first progressive to win a statewide primary in a state carried by President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. He is set to face former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers during next month's midterms.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth; Gavin Newsom
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Pete Hegseth Just Threw Out A Bunch Of Absurd Slurs While Talking About Transforming The Military—And Gavin Newsom Clapped Back Hard

California Governor Gavin Newsom mocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after Hegseth delivered a slur-filled speech about who he's trying to bar from U.S. military service.

Speaking at U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, Hegseth claimed that the Trump administration's cultural reimagining of the nation's armed forces has been a grand success. But, as evidenced by what he told those in attendance, this "success" was only possible because the Department of Defense has made no secret of excluding certain groups.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tom Holland; Florence Pugh
Jeff Spicer/ Getty Images for Sony Pictures; NBC

Florence Pugh Revealed That Tom Holland Is The Reason She Appears In 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day'—And We Love To See It

Florence Pugh has built a career on scene-stealing performances, but her latest Marvel appearance came with one particularly flattering endorsement: Spider-Man himself.

While promoting her latest historical drama, East of Eden, Pugh stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she was asked about her surprise appearance as Yelena Belova in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kelsgordon's TikTok video
@kelsgordon/TikTok

Woman Reveals The Fallout After She Caught Her Sister's Fiancé Cheating Just 2 Hours Before Their Wedding

Some people would rather live in a state of oblivion than know the truth.

TikToker @kelsgordon realized her sister was one of those people when she discovered, just two hours before her sister's wedding, that her sister's fiancé had a whole other romantic relationship in the works—and she intended to go ahead with the wedding anyway.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @maddieogle10's TikTok
@maddieogle10/TikTok

Woman Shares The Biggest 'Red Flags' That A Friendship Is Ending—And TikTokers Are Sounding Off

Most of us have experienced a friendship coming to an end, and while it sometimes comes as a surprise, we can usually look back and see some signs that the end was near.

TikToker @maddieogle10, for example, believes that it's obvious that a friendship is coming to an end when something starts to feel off or like the friend is losing interest.

Keep ReadingShow less