Just before the 2010 election, I said this about then-candidate Ron Johnson:
Johnson may want you believe that he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but what he conveniently omits is that he married into a family that had a whole drawer full of them. I'm not sure that my definition of self-made success would include running a company where my father-in-law was my biggest customer.
On top of that, Ron Johnson seems unfortunately awkward when it comes to having any kind of real plans or details for what he'd like to do when he's in Washington. Maybe he'd like to sightsee, or try to check out some Ayn Rand from the Library of Congress. Johnson likes to brag about not being a politician, but unfortunately he doesn't seem all that interested in becoming one either, let alone an effective one. The video that has been made available online of some of his editorial board interviews is compelling only in how disturbing it is. Aside from suggesting that Washington spends too much, he doesn't seem to have much to offer.
And judging by yesterday's
scathing indictment of Johnson and his legislative operation in Roll Call, it sounds like I was right.
When I hearken back to my days in the state legislature, I am reminded of something that I learned very quickly - something they don't teach you in all those political science classes back in college.
One of the fastest ways to figure out how effective a legislator is to find out how frequently they turn their staff over, and why. There's good turnover - losing staff to higher-ranking members, lobbying, etc. And then there's losing staff because people can't stand working for you.
More often that not, there's a large contingent of staff that is institutional in nature. When their bosses leave, or lose, they find other offices in which to work. They understand how the body works, how to get things accomplished. And nothing is more obnoxious to those people than an incoming freshman who's never spent a day working in a legislative body telling everyone how to do their work. And no, serving in local government doesn't count as relevant experience, unless you had to supervise staff.
I worked for a guy in the state legislature just like Ron Johnson. Deep down, a nice enough guy with family money who meant well. But also, a guy who showed virtually no appreciation for his staff, routinely ran basic requests through staff because he lacked the personal skills to deal effectively with his colleagues, a guy who didn't seem to understand that you can't have 43 top legislative priorities and still be productive. A guy who would show up at the office the day before Thanksgiving and keep his staff there until 9 p.m. dicking around with pointless lists and reviewing progress on bills.
As I've said frequently to others, this particular legislator wasn't interested in being a legislator so much as "being a legislator." He enjoyed the play-acting. He liked that people called him "Representative" and that he got to sign his name on letters. That he could go to meetings and people had to let him talk. But when it came to rolling up the sleeves, meeting with members, working to get his bills passed, the guy was almost always AWOL. I think the real work scared him. But putting on a suit and going on the teevee? He was all about that.
No coincidence that this guy went through about 15 legislative assistants in 12 years in office. Most measured their stays in months, not years.
I see a lot of that in these stories about Johnson's operation. A rich guy who comes to a legislative body from the private sector, used to getting his way because he's the boss. He has no experience in a legislative environment (something some of you are foolish enough to think is an attribute). Then he finds out that the other 99 people get a vote worth just as much as his. On top of it, being rich doesn't afford you status in a legislative body. Johnson's a freshman at the bottom of the hill, just like all the other freshmen.
Johnson seems to be struggling to adjust to this reality; that thinking he was elected to effect great change doesn't mean anyone else believes him.
But of course, none of Johnson's ineffectiveness can be his fault, right? He's rich! He's been fabulously successful playing with his father-in-law's money! So the problem must be everyone around him.
Johnson says that he'd like to pivot his focus towards "political messaging," whatever that is. Everything that comes out of a politician's office is political messaging; press releases, interviews, legislation, constituent mail. All of it.
Another bad sign are these supposed whispers that some GOP activists Foster Friess want Mitt Romney to consider Johnson as a VP candidate or cabinet secretary. Spare me. You know what that is? That's the sound of a legislator thinking he's a bigger deal than he is. Delusions of grandeur are common in the legislature, and especially in the Senate, where as the joke goes, every member looks in the mirror and sees the next Governor/President.
What Johnson is really doing is pouting that he hasn't been as effective in doing what legislators are supposed to do: legislate. And until Johnson figures out that he and he alone is the biggest impediment to his effectiveness, he's going to continue to be another worthless rich senator drawing a fat taxpayer paycheck - like there weren't enough of those already.
Wisconsin deserves a real senator, and not just a guy who wants to play one on television.
