AP: Democratic Party of Wisconsin criticizes Johnson, claiming he got job because of federal grant
By: CARRIE ANTLFINGER Associated Press Writer
First Posted: September 23, 2010 - 3:09 pm
MILWAUKEE — The Democratic Party of Wisconsin called Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ron Johnson a hypocrite on Thursday for criticizing the federal stimulus bill, claiming a federal grant may have helped him get his job.
Ron Johnson's campaign wouldn't respond to the accuracy of the criticism, saying it was up to the state Democratic Party to prove the accusations.
Johnson has made railing against the stimulus key to his campaign to unseat Democrat Sen. Russ Feingold, arguing it represents wasteful government spending at its worst. Johnson recently released a television ad critical of Feingold for voting for key parts of the stimulus.
On Johnson's campaign website it explains his opposition to the stimulus, saying, "Ron does not believe the federal government is capable of picking 'winners and losers' and should not remove capital from the private sector to create more government programs and jobs, which are unsustainable."
The state Democratic Party released the paperwork for a $75,000 federal grant that was approved in March 1979 that required the Wisconsin Industrial Shipping Supplies in Oshkosh to create 11 jobs in exchange for building a rail spur to the company.
Party chairman Mike Tate claims it had to have been used to hire Johnson, who started as an accountant and machine operator in August 1979 after the company changed its name to Pacur.
Posted by Patrick R. Stoffel at 12:27PM on September 25 2010:
Republican hypocrites!! – if these guys are as blind to the real issues as they are to their own hypocrisy – then a vote for a Republican is a vote for making every problem THEY created MUCH, MUCH WORSE!!!