So much for Senate decorum.
Wisconsin State Senator LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee) dropped the f-bomb — and another bad word to boot — during Wednesday’s budget debate.
Republican lawmakers said the foul language on the floor is a bridge too far in an era marked by overheated political rhetoric.
“F – – – the suburbs, because they don’t know a goddamn thing about how life is in the city,” Johnson (pictured above) said, punctuating her point as she wrapped up her speech.
The profanity-laden comment followed a heated debate on crime spilling over from Milwaukee into the suburbs and smaller communities.
Wisconsin State Senator LaTonya Johnson says “fuck the suburbs” on the senate floor during a debate on crime spilling from cities to suburbs.
pic.twitter.com/YvlJy57uda— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 29, 2023
Republicans said it was a low point in decorum from a senator whose party has complained about a lack of collegiality in the Republican-controlled legislature.
“It definitely caught a lot of people’s attention,” said State Senator Andre Jacque (R-De Pere). “I was looking across the chamber to [Senator] Julian Bradley [R-Franklin]. We were both raising our eyebrows. I didn’t now if we had that on our Bingo card of things that would happen during the budget debate.”
Jacque said State Senator Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point), who serves as Senate President Pro Tempore, was in the President’s chair presiding over the debate at the time. Testin, like many others, was stunned by the foul language, Jacque said. So stunned he did not check it.
Everyone just kind of moved past the awkward moment.
Testin could not be reached for comment Thursday.
A spokesman for senate Republican leadership called the incident “unfortunate,” but said he had not heard any discussion about discipline for the violation of senate conduct.
Senate rules don’t get into offensive language, but they do cover decorum in general. In short, they demand members treat one another and the body with respect. A senator who repeatedly violates the rules of decorum while speaking can be found to be out of order. Such an offender would then lose the opportunity to continue to speak.
As far as discipline goes, censure exists, but it’s simply not used.
Senate officials say there’s rarely a need for such discipline.
So, there isn’t much in the way of a penalty for swearing like a sailor on the senate floor.
Some Democrats were all good with Johnson’s F-bomb rant. She was just being passionate, according to State Representative Francesca Hong, a far-left Madison Democrat. She blamed Republicans for “legislating racism.”
“Senator Johnson spoke passionately to defend the communities she represents. Republicans who continuously weopanize and villinize the people of Milwaukee without accountability need to answer for constantly legislating racism. These absurd times in state gov call for real talk,” Hong tweeted.
Senator Johnson spoke passionately to defend the communities she represents. Republicans who continuously weopanize and villinize the people of Milwaukee without accountability need to answer for constantly legislating racism. These absurd times in state gov call for real talk. https://t.co/5JKlC61sDn
— Francesca Hong 홍윤정 (@FrancescaHongWI) June 28, 2023
Jacque said he didn’t think Johnson’s F-bomb drop was a “casual slip.”
“It was something where there was a kind of an unsettling edge to the way it was delivered that just disappoints me in terms of the direction we might be heading in this chamber and as a Legislature,” the senator said.
Jacque added that he’d like to see Johnson apologize.
“Quite frankly, there needs to be an apology to the state, to her constituents, and to her colleagues in terms of the reflection of what using those words has on the Senate as an institution,” he said.
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M.D. Kittle is the National Political Editor for The Star News Network.
Photo “LaTonya Johnson” by LaTonya Johnson.
She apparently apologized to her fellow senators…but I have yet to read anything about her apologizing to the thousands of tax payers she insulted with her disgraceful words and actions. So yet again, she’s saying without words: “f*ck the suburbs”. Actions speak louder than words.
This arrogant narcistic woman needs to be censored. She clearly thinks of herself as larger than the institution. You can’t be respected if can’t respect. If sanctioned, which she should be, she will undoubtedly play the race card.