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Ron Johnson's revisionist history of Greenland
Inside The New York Times’ recent deep dive into Wisconsin's GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, one anecdote stuck out:
"Mr. Johnson is an all-access purveyor of misinformation on serious issues such as the pandemic and the legitimacy of American democracy, as well as invoking the etymology of Greenland as a way to downplay the effects of climate change."
Greenland?
The Times then detailed Johnson’s downplaying of the climate crisis during his first run for the Senate in 2010:
"On several occasions, he declared that climate change was not man-made but instead caused by 'sun spots' and said excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere 'helps the trees grow.' He also offered a false history of Greenland to dismiss the effects of global warming.
"'You know, there’s a reason Greenland was called Greenland,' Mr. Johnson told WKOW-TV in Madison. 'It was actually green at one point in time. And it’s been, you know, since, it’s a whole lot whiter now so we’ve experienced climate change throughout geologic time.'"
Which, as the Times points out, isn’t true!
Greenland’s name came from a sort of bait-and-switch effort by explorer Erik the Red, who called the massive island Greenland "in hopes that the name would attract settlers," according to the government of Greenland.
And of course, climate change is real. But Johnson’s mistaken Greenland backstory conveniently fits into his overall narrative about the climate crisis.
When the Times gave Johnson a chance to correct the record on Greenland last week, he said this:
"'I could be wrong there, but that’s always been my assumption that, at some point in time, those early explorers saw green,' Mr. Johnson said. 'I have no idea.'"
A similar pattern has emerged with Johnson’s ongoing incorrect statements about the January 6 insurrection, like his claims that “there was no violence on the Senate side, in terms of the chamber,” as he said over the weekend.
That’s not fully true either. Insurrectionists broke windows on the Senate side of the Capitol and Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman confronted rioters just outside of the Senate chamber. But Johnson's own narrative is all part of his efforts to downplay the attack’s severity.
The Point: From the history of Greenland to the Capitol insurrection, just because the story is told a certain way doesn’t change the facts.
-- Lauren
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Can you imagine the reaction if I had said that?"
-- Former presidential candidate Marianne Williamson's reply to inventor Elon Musk's tweet that said he is "accumulating resources to help make life multiplanetary & extend the light of consciousness to the stars."
THAT'S A FIRST
Louisiana voters elected the state's first-ever Republican woman member of Congress.
Republican Julia Letlow won the special election in Louisiana's 5th Congressional District Saturday night.
Letlow will take the seat that her late husband Luke, who won last year's election but died in December after being diagnosed with Covid-19, was never able to hold.
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HEADLINE
Question: Which US state capitol building's dome is the only one to be made of wood?
a. Iowa
b. Oregon
c. Maryland
d. Maine
Send your answers to [email protected] and [email protected]!
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LAUREN'S GOOD READS
Biden's first presidential fundraiser
The Trump shadow primary
This is an Abby Phillip stan account
Absolute madness
Oh, to be 70
Chinatown's stylish seniors
HGTV's own renovation
Remembering iconic jewelry designer Elsa Peretti
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MUSICAL INTERLUDE
We love this Scott Ruth cover of Gwen Stefani’s “Cool.”
Today's episode: Trump seeks revenge in Georgia.
A STEP TOWARD STATEHOOD?
The push for DC statehood is back, with a new bill and its first House hearing on Monday. Last summer, a similar bill passed in the House but then died in the Senate, then controlled by Republicans, who oppose adding two more (likely Democrat) senators – an addition that would dramatically alter American politics.
The bill is still a long shot (and serves more as a rallying cry for the left), but proponents of statehood are hoping this time will be different due to a trifecta of factors that may not align again for years:
1. Democrats have control. The party now controls both chambers of Congress, with Vice President Kamala Harris as the tiebreaker in the Senate.
2. Support for ending or reforming the filibuster keeps growing. As long as the filibuster rule exists – requiring a super-majority of 60 Senate votes to cut off debate, rather than 51 – Democrats will need more support across the aisle.
3. It’s not just a local issue anymore. When former President Barack Obama endorsed statehood for DC and Puerto Rico in his eulogy for the late John Lewis last summer, it was clear the issue had a spot on the Democratic agenda. Now, the new DC statehood bill has gotten celebrity attention, and President Joe Biden supports the effort. White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Biden's stance last week: “He believes they deserve representation, that’s why he supports D.C. statehood,” she said.
This latest statehood bill is likely to pass again in the House, but the Senate bill, which so far only has 41 cosponsors, faces another uphill battle.
-- Sonnet
ONE BIG CAMPAIGN
589
The number of digital ads the US State Department put on Facebook and Instagram to try to deter would-be migrants at the border. The ads have reached over 26 million people, with over 73 million impressions, according to the White House.
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