It’s Friday night, so all the cool kids are right here at Wonkette to watch the first of three debates between the Dumbest Man in the Senate, Republican incumbent Ron Johnson (we can see the case for it being a multi-way tie, honestly) and his Democratic challenger, Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.
Johnson has been stinking up the Senate for entirely too long, and has become even more insufferable in the last couple years with his claims that Antifa did January 6, his outright science denial during the pandemic, and his baffling calls to require that Congress vote every single year on whether to fund Social Security and Medicare, which would mean that two of the most important programs Americans rely on could just go away in any particularly cranky year.
PREVIOUSLY:
Senate’s Dumbest Republican Reads ‘Antifa Did Capitol Riot’ Into Congressional Record
Senate’s Dumbest Republican Down For Some Hot Horse Deworming Action!
Ron Johnson: Must We Give People Medicare, Social Security Just Because They’re ‘Old’?
Barnes, by contrast, is a veteran legislator and the lieutenant governor to Gov. Larry Evers, with whom Barnes has been trying to wrench Wisconsin back in the direction of sanity. Also, he’s smart and doesn’t believe in demolishing democracy like Johnson seems to, so those are real pluses.
Expect Johnson to say “socialist” a lot, to the exclusion of all else, and expect Barnes to focus in on the many issues where Johnson is a dud, which is … all of them, Katie.
This is another of those races that could decide control of the Senate, and it’s expected to be very, very close because Wisconsin has pretty much a 50-50 partisan divide. It’s also likely to be the most expensive Senate contest this year, so if you watch Barnes tonight and like the cut of his jib, you might want to send him some money, we do not mind if you do.
Here’s your livestream; we won’t be liveblooging this one, but Yr Dok Zoom may or may not drop in to join you in the comments. The debate is set to start at 8 Eastern. Here, watch your WonkTV, it’s good for you!
Also too, Yr Editrix asked me to remind you that, when the debate is over, the Open Thread will still be the Friday Happy Hour post, as if you filthy fuckaducks ever listen.
I swear, it’s like herding cats who identify as children around here sometimes.
We love you, you pay our rent.