Republican Senator says America isn’t racist and cites MLK speech as proof
Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) doesn’t believe that America is a racist country.
Senator Johnson expressed this particularly perplexing sentiment during a luncheon sponsored by the Milwaukee Press Club today, and Jessie Opoien of the Madison Capital Times relayed his remarks on a wide-ranging array of topics on her Twitter feed.
Johnson began by denying any motives beyond wanting to convey “information and truths that I believe are important” and by dodging questions about whether he would violate his pledge to eschew a third term in office.
.@SenRonJohnson on his promise in 2016 that he wouldn't run for a third term: "When I made that pledge, I meant that pledge." But he says he didn't realize at the time that Democrats would take majorities in Congress.
— Jessie Opoien (@jessieopie) June 3, 2021
As one of the Republican Senators who most vociferously questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election and endorsed Donald Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud, Johnson was quick to try to erase the memory of his earlier comments about Trump’s lies while still staying in the GOP leader’s good graces.
.@SenRonJohnson: "I don't think we should scornfully dismiss the legitimate concerns of tens of millions of Americans…I thought that was an important debate to have on Jan 6, which is why I was not happy w/ the breach of the Capitol that cut short that very important discussion"
— Jessie Opoien (@jessieopie) June 3, 2021
Johnson also took the opportunity to explain his refusal to support a bipartisan inquiry into the January 6th insurrection.
.@SenRonJohnson: "One of the reasons I opposed the Jan. 6 commission … is I don't trust (Nancy Pelosi) to select commissioners to investigate her own involvement in this thing, or her own culpability or any congressional leaders."
— Jessie Opoien (@jessieopie) June 3, 2021
Perhaps a more honest answer came when he addressed the question of whether the former president actually bore any responsibility at all for the violent invasion of the Capitol.
.@SenRonJohnson on Jan. 6: "I think the American public generally has a view of what President Trump's role was, and they can judge for themselves … I have my own judgment, obviously I didn't think … his actions were impeachable."
— Jessie Opoien (@jessieopie) June 3, 2021
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It was Senator Johnson’s willfully blind comments on the topic of American racism, however, that took the cake for the most pandering remarks aimed at the GOP’s deplorable base of white nationalists.
.@SenRonJohnson: "I realize we still have racism present in this nation but we have come a long, long way, we have, and we should do everything we can to heal this nation." Says Biden is dividing nation w/ his Tulsa address. (2/2 of quote)
— Jessie Opoien (@jessieopie) June 3, 2021
Perhaps Senator Johnson might not be the best authority to consult about Martin Luther King Jr.’s thoughts on America’s race relations given his limited memory of what Dr.King actually had to say on the subject, as one Twitter user demonstrated.
https://t.co/HjPDliGm1O pic.twitter.com/xpzKz0DYMa
— b-boy bouiebaisse (@jbouie) June 3, 2021
Then again, you can reliably discount the truth of anything that the person quoted in the next two tweets.
.@SenRonJohnson: "The folks I talked to (at Trump rallies) are God-fearing, country-loving, law enforcement supporting individuals."
— Jessie Opoien (@jessieopie) June 3, 2021
Hopefully, once Senator Johnson does feel pressured to make a decision about running for another term, he will decide to allow Wisconsinites to choose someone who is a better judge of character.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Jessie Opoien at The Capital Tmes.
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