What a bad move to make a surprise endorsement like the one delegates made for Ron Johnson. It’s been getting worse by the week in terms of credibility and overall respect of the public towards a candidate running for office. Just this morning, Zach had a post linking to a Republican blog criticizing Johnson’s position on the Church. Now, mere hours later, Johnson’s former “foe”, Terrence Wall, made allegations that expand on the claims that Johnson wanted to “buy” his US Senate seat from Feingold. Wall made some interesting remarks to WTDY, which the Democratic Party of Wisconsin automatically jumped on.
Former Republican Senate Candidate Terrence Wall told WTDY News Director Zach Stein that Ron Johnson engineered his surprise endorsement vote, less than a week after Johnson entered the race, by using “corruption, bribery (and) coercion.”
According to the interview, Wall said one person admitted after the convention that, “His hotel was paid for by Johnson’s people if he stayed overnight and voted for Johnson.” WisPolitics reported at the convention that the endorsement vote in the Senate race, originally scheduled for Saturday, was delayed during the middle of the convention until Sunday.
Among the other allegations, Wall also revealed that he was told ballots were stolen from him and that a Republican at the convention was “putting them in his pocket,” so the endorsement votes would not be counted.
It sounds very icky, and these allegations deserve an investigation. If these are true, it likely makes the Johnson endorsement one of the worst in the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s history.
Investigation by whom? It’s not against the law to rig a straw poll. It’d be nice if the RPW cared enough to put an end to these practices in their ranks but there’s little or no desire. Remember that these are the goofballs who make fun of good government types.
And, isn’t it hilarious to see T Wall admit that Johnson was better at buying the endorsement than he was? It’s getting to the point where the first millionaire elitist Republican panderer doesn’t stand a chance.
Yeah, there’s certainly nothing illegal that happened here, if these allegations are in fact true, but it does speak volumes about the kind of guy Ron Johnson is that he would buy votes to win the RPW’s endorsement.
Eugene Kane’s story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about Ron Johnson’s connection to the Bell Curve author Charles Murray (See: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/97031374.html for the story and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bell_Curve for more on Charles Murray’s the Bell Curve).
This connection should also give voters some pause when they consider Ron Johnson’s aptitude and values as a potential Senator.
I have spoken with numerous delegates who were at the Convention one or both days and NOT ONE person has told me they were approached by Johnson’s campaign with any sort of kick back, hotel room or other item of value in exchange for an endorsement vote. This is a false charge by Terry Wall and his Sour grapes cadre’.
Did you speak with each and every delegate who attended the convention?
If not, then how can you know with absolute certainty that it’s not true?
I did not to speak to every delegate. Nor has Mr. Wall been forthcoming with any individuals despite his insistence.
First Comment Made by Mr. Wall indicated he was a “REGISTERED” Member of the TEA Party. I would like to challenge his credentials.. since having been an active member of the TEA PARTY almost since it inception…I am unclear as to where exactly I go to “Register”. Mr. Wall sounds whiny and it was why I was hesitant about supporting him from my first meeting with him.
I will check the “Registry” though as soon as I can figure out where we keep it. It might be behind the “Cloak of invisibility”. probably the same cloak that was hiding all of the Wall votes that weren’t counted!
Mr Wall LOST that final Convention 61% Johnson to about 15-18% for Wall. The Hotel rooms paid for by Mr. Johnson totaled 6 rooms. All accounted for by his campaign staff. Now Is it Mr. Wall’s contention that hundreds of people were sharing that ONE hotel room? With one of his staffers? C’mon Terrance, eat your Sour grapes with a side of Crow, and quit whining!! Try running against Tammy Baldwin instead. The fact that Sly would run with this is about as credible as an Ed Schultz show!
Seriously…could you pick a screen name and stick with it?
Are you Downtown Brown, Urban Pioneer, or Log Cabin Boi, or is this just some weird multiple personality thing going on?
So why are Democrats getting nuts over this? I haven’t seen Republicans weigh in on the story at all.
Why would Republicans weigh in on this? If it’s true, it makes their whole process look shady and it damages Ron Johnson, so I’m sure they’re hoping it will just go away.
Zach, I am going to agree with your statement. Terrance Wall just gave Feingold a campaign ad.
First, I was there as a delegate and as a teller during the vote that Mr. Wall is so whiny about. A teller is someone who distributes and collects the ballots and takes them to be counted. I observed no one from any candidate offering any hotel rooms. If anything, Mr. Wall’s campaign gave free coffee and donuts and lots of other trinkets to the delegates. He looked like he was really trying to impress. Heck, I have two of his mugs from the convention in my kitchen. Mr. Johnson’s staff, in contrast, barely had a presence at the convention, and he really did not show up until Sunday morning. I’m sorry if you all don’t like our little endorsement vote, but heck its a lot of fun. Mr. Wall decided to drop out of the race. He could have stayed in the race, but, like you are all fond of reporting, Mr. Wall doesn’t pay taxes like the rest. I personally found Mr. Wall to be a nice guy, but with this unsubstantiated gossip, I think he is a loser and a spoilsport. Who would want that in a public official?
Terry is … well, to put it nicely, lying.
I understand that he is a bit PO’d for blowing a million dollars. That’s understandable.
But the rest of this is a fabrication and if you listen to his statements he is (from a legal perspective) connivingly posing them all as third-party accounts.
He is cunningly fabricating a story and then conveniently posing this information as something presented to him by third parties – parties that he will never have to produce in a court if called out on his lies.
I was there. I know this is a fabrication.
I am glad he is out of the race but I am shocked that he is this vile. I thought he was merely a crappy candidate, but now we know he is a crappy human being too.