Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes (Photo courtesy of Mandela Barnes)
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – When he says his prayers at the end of the day, Senator Ron Johnson has much to give thanks for. If he could ask the Almighty for one more, it might be this. “Please, God, let me run against Mandela Barnes.”
Our current Lieutenant Governor is the most flawed candidate running for statewide office, and that says something when considering the obvious residency problems of a certain GOP candidate for governor.
Barnes is a tax scofflaw. He filed no income tax in 2018, claiming that he didn’t have a regular job because he was running for office full-time. Fair enough. Yet he still had enough money to purchase two condos that year, one in Milwaukee and one in Madison. Barnes had the scratch to make two real estate purchases… while on medicaid. He claims the money came from a family estate sale.
For good measure, Barned didn’t pay his property tax on his Milwaukee condo a year later. Barnes claimed he was too busy campaigning.
Barnes was also fined for unpaid parking tickets, which also slipped his mind.
And Barnes lied about a college degree that he hadn’t earned. As early as 2008 he claimed to hold a degree from Alabama A&M University. But his story changed in 2019, when he revealed that he’d left school, had incomplete coursework, and was not a degree-holder. At the time he called it “a small, technical thing.” In 2020 Barnes completed his schoolwork and was awarded his degree.
Consider the special rules in the world of Mandela Barnes. Taxes aren’t for him. Neither are citations. How did he get current on his financial obligations? Did he pay up out of his own pocket, or did someone clean up his delinquencies to make him acceptable for public office? If so, who was his benefactor?
As for the college degree: putting on the cap and gown is one of the crowning achievements of a person’s life. Even if you didn’t attend commencement, the moment your diploma arrives in the mail is unforgettable. It’s impossible that Barnes was confused or forgot about a college degree he didn’t receive. He lied about it.
Ron Johnson likely faces a tough reelection campaign. But sometimes we are blessed by our competitors. Mandela Barnes would be such a blessing.
Chris Conley
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