A few thoughts:




  • The most memorable thing for me in this debate is how goulish Ron Johnson looked. He obviously wasn't wearing any make-up and his skin looked pasty and almost translucent. He looked like death warmed-over.

  • The side-view camera shot is Johnson's most unflattering camera shot and that is what he was stuck with all night. Meanwhile Feingold got the much more flattering straight-on camera shot.  For some reason, Johnson at that camera angle looks exactly like Billy Bob Thorton in Sling-Blade.

  • Once again, Johnson made all kinds of gaffes, the biggest of the night being for attacking Feingold for taking down a missile defense shield that Johnson suggested would have protected the U.S. from missile attacks from Iran and North Korea.  Feingold gently informed Johnson that the missile defense shield that Johnson was referring-to was to protect us from Russia, not Iran and North Korea.  Oops.

  • Another dandy was when Johnson was asked about dairy prices being to low.  Johnson then proceeded to give this crazy train answer that many "farmers" benefit from free trade and that we need to keep free trade to help farmers.  Except, of course, not all farmers are the same and if you have a dairy herd, all-in-all you're hurt by free-trade, especially if we sign a free-trade deal with New Zealand.

  • While we're talking about fair trade, as Ron Johnson blathered on again about "creative-destruction" I wish Russ would have asked him why the USA is dead last in the world in trade balance and China is #1. How great would have it been if Russ said, "You know, Ron, you're right:  there are winner and loser and creation and destruction in free trade-- but the fact is that since we started down the road of free trade we have record low trade deficits-- in fact, we have the worst trade deficit in the whole world. You know who is first? China. Under your policies, the US is the loser and China is the winner." (more)  

  • One of the problems Feingold has in debating Johnson is that Johnson says so many things that are not only false, but fundamentally false.  For example, as I wrote about in my earlier post, Johnson says that tax revenues actually go up with tax cuts.  I explained why this is a ridiculous thing to say, but it took me several paragraphs. Johnson has so many Fox news talking points that Feingold was often left looking exasperated.  I wish Mike Gousha would have stepped in and called BS on more of the things that Ron Johnson was saying.

  • My favorite part of the debate was when some old guy in Green Bay scolded Johnson and said that every economist in the world says that the Bush tax cut reduce revenue.