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

Alexander Skarsgård Gives Graham Norton A NSFW Gift From New Movie—And His Reaction Is Everything
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for BFI

Alexander Skarsgård Gives Graham Norton A NSFW Gift From New Movie—And His Reaction Is Everything

Alexander Skarsgård isn't one to show up empty-handed, but his latest gift to Graham Norton might be the most outrageous souvenir ever presented on a talk show.

The True Blood star joined Olivia Colman on The Graham Norton Show to promote their fantasy comedy Wicker, in which he plays a husband made entirely of woven wicker. And while his elaborate costume was a work of art, Skarsgård was particularly fond of two rather intimate details.

Keep ReadingShow less
Amanda Seyfried Hilariously Dodges Elizabeth Holmes Questions On Red Carpet—And Becomes Instant Meme
Amy Sussman/Getty Images; Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Amanda Seyfried Hilariously Dodges Elizabeth Holmes Questions On Red Carpet—And Becomes Instant Meme

Life is long, but apparently not long enough for Amanda Seyfried to entertain another Elizabeth Holmes question. The actress delivered a hilariously evasive response at the Academy Museum Gala on October 17, leaving reporters with more questions than answers.

Seyfried, 40, won an Emmy and Golden Globe for portraying the disgraced Theranos founder in Hulu's The Dropout. But when Variety reporter Marc Malkin approached her on the red carpet, she made her interview preferences abundantly clear.

Keep ReadingShow less
Couple in France having drinks during riots
@CNN/TikTok

Couple Appears Completely Unbothered By Burning Rubble And Riots Just Feet Away From Paris Café

Protests are continuing across Europe in response to rising costs of living and declining resources and public services, and it's a constant thought lingering on the minds of many Europeans, wondering if the unrest will come to their city next.

But that was as far from the truth as possible for one couple in Paris who decided they were going to have a cup of coffee, in peace or not.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kaia Gerber; Presley Gerber
Scott Kirkland/FX via Getty Images; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Kaia Gerber Opens Up About Brother Presley's Death At 27 With Heartbreaking Tribute: 'I Was Born Loving You'

Actor and model Kaia Gerber has opened up about the tragic death of her brother Presley Gerber last month.

Gerber, the daughter of model Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, penned a heartfelt post for Instagram in which she mourned her beloved "prez."

Keep ReadingShow less
woman's hands on a Bible; school children with lunch trays
Tetra Images/Getty Images; Westend61/Getty Images

MAGA Christians Rage After Being Asked Why They're Against Free School Lunches

With Christianity so closely tied to Republican President Donald Trump, the GOP, and Trump's MAGA movement, a person might assume a government controlled by MAGA Republicans would try to enact legislation based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Things like feeding the hungry, housing the unhoused, caring for the sick and the poor, welcoming the immigrant, and loving their neighbors. But MAGA is a manifestation of White supremacy and Christian nationalism, so MAGA Republicans at all levels of government have embraced the greed of the Evangelical Christian "prosperity gospel" that glorifies the rich and vilifies the poor.

Keep ReadingShow less