Newspapers across the state continued to endorse Senator Russ Feingold for reelection yesterday. Feingold picked up the backing of the Chippewa Herald, Kenosha News and Milwaukee Courier. The Herald praised Feingold’s “independent character.” The News touted Feingold’s bipartisanship. And the Courier wrote that Feingold “cannot be bought by the highest bidders.”
Those papers join the endorsements of Feingold from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Green Bay Press-Gazette, La Crosse Tribune, Monroe Times, Sheboygan Press, Wausau Daily Herald, Stevens Point Journal, Capital Times, Abbotsford Tribune-Phonograph and the Daily Cardinal.
Multimillionaire candidate, Ron Johnson has refused to meet with many newspapers across the state, denying communities the opportunity to analyze the candidate’s positions. The papers Johnson has met with have routinely called him out for his lack of specific answers or bad answers, altogether.
“We would have liked to have sat down with Johnson, as we did with Feingold and other candidates, to discuss the issues in a give-and-take session, but in the many months he was a candidate that apparently wasn’t a priority for him.” – Chippewa Herald
“We’re not so sure what we’d be getting with Ron Johnson. His campaign did not return messages seeking a meeting with the Editorial Board, so it was tough to form any impression of the Republican challenger.” – Stevens Point Journal
“Attempts to schedule an interview with Ron Johnson were unsuccessful… We haven’t seen Johnson around these parts much.” – Monroe Times
“Ron Johnson might also be able to work with members of the other party, but there is no way to tell…” – Kenosha News
“His answer to questions in the limited interviews and appearances he has made have shown a propensity for vague and scripted talking points that strike emotional chords without substance or thought.” – Oshkosh Northwestern (In a column for the paper, Oshkosh Northwestern Managing Editor Jim Fitzhenry noted Johnson refused to meet with his hometown newspaper’s editorial board.)
Those who have heard what Ron Johnson had to say are not impressed.
“Aside from vapid talking points about TARP and the stimulus bill, Johnson has no answer. Johnson has no answer – or the wrong answer – on many topics.” – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10/24/10
“Johnson’s spending-control plan is little more than a repeat of the standard talking points of a challenger. There simply is no substance.” – Sheboygan Press
“In other words, Johnson seems to have no interest in working in a bipartisan fashion — something that Feingold stands for and that the people of Wisconsin expect.” – La Crosse Tribune
“…Johnson seemed unable to further articulate his plan for job creation — especially for the middle class…”- Green Bay Press-Gazette
“Johnson’s views, by contrast, at times have seemed strangely veiled. In an Editorial Board interview with the Wausau Daily Herald, he made the bizarre argument that literally any public discussion of foreign policy by a U.S. senator is inappropriate, and that the only way he would pursue changes in foreign policy as a senator would be behind closed doors.” – Wausau Daily Herald
Information used in this article was retrieved from a press release on Senator Russ Feingold’s official campaign website.
