Elections: Oshkosh Shrugged

By GAIL COLLINS
NYT

“I’m in Sheboygan!” said Senator Russ Feingold over the phone. “It’s the bratwurst capital of the world!”

Truly, I am learning something new every day in this long campaign season. People, did you know that the official state bird of Alaska is the willow ptarmigan? Or that Alexandria, Ind., is home to the world’s largest ball of paint? Well, you do now.

But about Russ Feingold. He is running for a fourth term, in a very tough race against Ron Johnson, a plastics manufacturer and one of those rich political virgins who have been popping up in races across the country, waving a checkbook and a copy of “Atlas Shrugged.”

It’s ironic that Feingold, who is possibly the most independent member of the Senate, a Mr. Clean who votes against his party regularly, is among the incumbents in the most danger from an anti-Washington voter rebellion. Especially since Johnson is not all that impressive. Unless you like Ayn Rand and are yearning to see the country run just like a plastics business.

(More here.)