Yesterday, as he embarked on his statewide kickoff tour, businessman Ron Johnson was joined by hundreds of supporters and employees of the manufacturing company he helped start.
Meanwhile, as he embarked on his eighth political campaign last year, Senator Russ Feingold literally rushed back from California on a red-eye so that he could be physically present in the state he wants to again serve in the United States Senate.
Following yesterday’s announcement, Wisconsinites have also seen Johnson and Senator Feingold all over the airwaves – for very different reasons. Senator Feingold has been slammed with a barrage of critical press for his Tomah VA inaction.
__Check out what they are saying about businessman Ron Johnson’s campaign kickoff and career politician Russ Feingold’s Tomah VA whistleblower scandal:___
WTAS: Businessman Ron Johnson Launches Statewide Kickoff Tour
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson cast himself as a Washington outsider fighting for the success of working Americans and business owners…"There’s kind of a big difference between myself — a citizen legislator, somebody who actually comes from a manufacturing background, somebody who actually knows how hard business is and how the federal government makes it that much more difficult — versus Sen. Feingold, who was (in office) for 18 years," Johnson said…
Johnson sought to portray himself as a citizen-legislator "who helped to build a business," up against Feingold, "who most recently was a California professor, a career politician." "My opponent, Senator Feingold, has no clue about the private sector," Johnson said. "He knows how to grow government." Johnson said Feingold worked in Washington for 18 years and asked, "What did he ever accomplish?" "Can anybody answer, think of a thing other than campaign finance reform, which was a miserable failure," Johnson said.
Less than two minutes into his speech, he pointed out the differences between him and Feingold. “A pretty clear choice, a guy like myself who understand business and how hard it is and understands what we need to do to get our economy in our country growing again,” said Johnson, who emphasized his more than 30 years working in the manufacturing industry.
- WATCH: WBAY: Ron Johnson Launches Re-Election Campaign, Quickly Contrasts Himself With Russ Feingold
[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ixflyBOeNo"]
As part of the tour, Johnson made remarks about how he plans to make economic growth his number one priority., and how different he felt he was versus his opponent, Democrat Russ Feingold.
- WATCH: WGBA: Ron Johnson Begins Statewide Campaign Tour, Emphasizes Economic Growth As His Top Priority
[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKRS4AsKj30"]
At a campaign stop in Green Bay, Monday, Johnson said it’s "crucial" that Congress stay in Republican control. "This election is not only about the direction of the country, it’s about the direction of the (U.S.) Supreme Court," Johnson said. "Another liberal justice is going to flip the court, probably be hostile to your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms."
The Republican said 30 years of business experience gives him an edge over his opponent, former Democratic Senator Russ Feingold.
About 200 Johnson supporters attended the event at Pacur, the plastic fabrication business he co-founded. It teed up a campaign tour that will take Johnson across the state in coming days…“Why would I do this again? Why don’t I just come home to Oshkosh and just say: ‘It’s such a mess; it’s so frustrating; I’m angry too; I’m just going to give up?’ Because I can’t quit on America,” Johnson told supporters.
Wisconsin needs a voice in Washington, D.C., who understands how business works, Sen. Ron Johnson says…By contrast, Johnson said Feingold, a Democrat, is a professor who likes "big government solutions." Wisconsin’s junior senator said he plans to meet with voters in 14 counties throughout the next five days.
[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy21FoauovA"]
WITI:
"Senator Feingold, let’s face it, he’s a career politician. Literally, what did he do in 18 years? I’ve accomplished a fair amount in five-and-a-half, and I think another term — with a serious president willing to tackle these problems, is going to need somebody like me to work with," Johnson said.
[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM7fpqDjjIE"]
"That is actually how this country’s become the country it is: is individuals that have an idea for a product or service," Johnson told the crowd. "People who aspire to build something, to create something"…"How is my background in business affected my running for the United State Senate? There’s a couple things when you’re in a manufacturing company that just becomes part of your DNA: solving problems, root-cause analysis, continuous improvement," Johnson said Monday.
[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCY42bna_x0"]
WTAS: Career Politician Russ Feingold’s Tomah VA Whistleblower Scandal
The man who blew the whistle pointing to trouble at the VA clinic in Tomah is now calling out Russ Feingold for failing to act on problems at the facility when he was senator.
[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7K1lf32ojQ"]
…Honl says Feingold “ignored veterans’ concerns while veterans were dying at the facility.” He cites a memo warning of problems at Tomah, which was marked as having been hand-delivered to Feingold’s U.S. Senate office in 2009.
WKOW:
The man who blew the whistle on the rampant over-prescription of opiates at the Tomah VA Medical Center in 2014 is now calling out former U.S. Senator and current Senate candidate Russ Feingold (D) for not doing anything about the problem when he was in office, even though a memo sent out by a local government employees union suggests he was made aware of the issues in 2009…"I found out that Russ Feingold got a memo in 2009 that outlined veteran harm and nothing was done. Russ Feingold ignored veteran’s concerns while veterans we’re dying at the facility," says Honl…
[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzgdoywtndM"]