Ron Johnson's Very Bad Week

Ron Johnson is having a very bad week.

First, he lost his party leadership bid.

Then he made an unfortunate statement regarding workers on minimum wage that probably runs contrary to many employees experience (especially mine and, apparently, even Johnson's own).

In same meeting he declared his opposition to unemployment benefits.

Lastly, Johnson voted against a bill that would restrict insider trading among congressmen then vowed to filibuster.

On the bright side, Johnson did get to kick back with a few colleagues at a lobbyist-infested fundraiser at a swanky DC hotel.

Usually these kinds of setbacks take place over the course of a few weeks if not months. When they happen in the course of just a few days they reinforce a narrative of someone who is working to protect the status quo for both politicians in Washington and money-interests everywhere.

This was a pretty shitty day in general for state Republicans. Other highlights include:

• Walker's policies are killing jobs in a variety of ways: one report from a liberal think tank outlines how Walker has cost the state 18,000 jobs this year. Another describes how Walker's anti-wind energy policies have cost 1,000 jobs. Yet another plant closed, this time in Two Rivers, costing the state another 190 jobs.

• Wisconsin lost 14,600 jobs in November, the fifth month in a row that job numbers have been down on Walker's watch.

• Yet another Walker supporter was arrested for voter intimidation.

• The first arrest was made in the interminable John Doe investigation into the Walker administration.

• It became clear that Walker's rejection of rail funds is now costing tax-payers more than what the state would have needed to contribute had Walker accepted them.

• The sketchy GOP mining bill was meet with large and vociferous opposition during a hearing in Milwaukee.

• Walker's education cuts are reeking havoc on the state's school districts and his claims to the contrary are proving too hard to believe for most fact-checkers.

• Thanks to revised federal labor figures, it turns out Wisconsin only lost 2,400 jobs in October. Better than initially thought but still moving in the wrong direction.

• Dems announced that have collected over 500,000 signatures in their drive to recall Scott Walker.

• Jeff Fitzgerald decided to kick off his campaign for U.S. Senate by trying to revamp the GAB, a move that's impossible to see as anything other than petty and changing the rules in the middle of the game.

• Paul Ryan significantly revised his Medicare reform plan and crafted a plan that looks more like Obamacare (at least to Ezra Klein) than it does Ayn Rand.

• A prominent Madison Dem pollster shows Paul Ryan's popularity slipping in his district and a path to victory for his opponent.

• Noted Wisco GOP mouthpiece Christian Schneider when he compared unreported rapes to juiced up major league baseball players during the pre-steroids testing era ... for some reason.

• The ACLU filed a suit that may have some legs over the draconian voter ID passed that's already losing in the court of public opinion.

So, yeah, it's been a busy week.