"Our" Senator, Ron Johnson, aka RoJo the Clown, his published his manifesto, in the Wall Street Journal no less.
He calls it "America's Choice," and the choice is quite stark. It's both a mish-mash of right-wing policy goals and a strategy for Congressional Republicans to pursue to beat Obama. And it falls woefully short on both counts.
This one's right from the Koch Brothers playbook:
Will green energy power America's future? The administration has squandered billions of dollars on politically connected, green-energy boondoggle projects, while at the same time maintaining a de facto moratorium on off-shore drilling, and dragging its feet on granting permits for other energy utilization projects such as the Keystone XL Pipeline and restricting and limiting leases for offshore energy production. Republicans could propose a plan to utilize crucial domestic resources, including oil, natural gas and coal, to produce energy and create jobs.
Then there's repealing the Obama health care reform package and "replacing it with patient-centered, free-market reforms." That sounds good -- if you happen to be in the health care industry or insurance business. When he says "free market," hang on to your wallet.
He wants
Malpractice tort reform, health savings account expansion, insurance purchase across state lines, reduction of government mandates, and equalized tax treatment of insurance premiums
That offers a different vision, it's true, but it's not one that helps ordinary people who need affordable health care.
What else is on RoJo's to-do list? Declaring a moratorium on any more government regulations. The free market will protect consumers, just like it always has. Who needs all those rules to protect the environment or regulate the financial industry anyway?
And taxes? Rich people already pay too much, he says:
Yet 10% of Americans already pay 70% of all income taxes.
Yes, and the top 10% earn half of all of the income in the country -- as much as the other 90% combined. Those on the bottom of the ladder, living in poverty, pay little or nothing. And RoJo's point is ...?
Let's hope the GOP follows RoJo -- right off the cliff.
UPDATE: Ex-Badger Karl Rohlich, now in Austin, shares a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal:
To: wsj.ltrs@wsj.com
Sen. Ron Johnson's otherwise unremarkable piece on "A 2012 Republican Strategy for Congress" is striking because of his concession that legitimizes President Obama's appointment of Rick Cordray and the NLRB members.In the ninth paragraph Sen. Johnson says : "Once Congress returns from recess later this month..."
I think the Senator needs a more careful ghost writer.