Ron Johnson spends half of his time expounding on issues he is clueless about, and the other half denying he ever said what he did. This time it's a twofer, with Johnson backing off his claims that sunspots are responsible for global warming, and his willingness to horse trade on tax deductions for home mortgages. WXOW-TV reports:
Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Ron Johnson distanced himself on Saturday from his earlier claims that sunspots were a likely cause of global warming.
In "Fact Check" press release posted on his Web site, Johnson's campaign suggested that his remarks had been taken out of context and did not reflect the "true intent" of his answer.
In a 27 News interview at his Oshkosh plastics factory, Johnson said the rise in Earth's temperature was more likely caused by solar activity than man-made carbon dioxide emissions, and that shifting climate patterns were part of an ongoing natural cycle.
"There's a reason Greenland was called Greenland," he said. "It was actually green at one point in time. And it's been, since, it's a whole lot whiter now."
And now, as Paul Harvey used to say, the rest of the story, again from WKOW:
Also on Saturday, Johnson's campaign said he supports the home mortgage interest deduction and suggested he would not be willing to "horse trade" the popular program for a lower tax rate and simplified tax code.
Earlier, during his Oshkosh interview, Johnson blasted all forms of tax credits and deductions, saying they amounted to government-picked winners and losers. Asked if he supported the elimination or reduction of the mortgage interest deduction, Johnson said he was willing to "horse trade" deductions if necessary to achieve his goals of tax simplification and lower rates. Johnson also stated he would look at "all of the options."
Is WKOW-TV going to be the only media outlet in the state that calls him out on these about-faces and deception about what he said, what he heard, and what he meant to say?
The latest reversals come after a string of others on Great Lakes oil drilling, gun licensing, and more.