Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold is moving to define his top Republican opponent as an outside-the-mainstream ideologue, linking plastics manufacturer Ron Johnson to GOP Senate candidates in other states whose hard-line positions have drawn harsh national scrutiny.
“It’s becoming clear that he’s the third part of that Rand Paul, Sharron Angle tripartition,” Feingold told POLITICO, referring to the Republican candidates in Kentucky and Nevada. “He is on that team, even though he’s hiding and not taking questions.”
Calling Johnson a conservative well to the right of his state — which has voted for Democrats in the last six presidential elections and hasn’t elected a Republican senator since 1986 — Feingold challenged his views on Social Security and the Civil Rights Act, two areas where Angle's and Paul’s beliefs have made them vulnerable.
“He’s refused to say whether he favors the continuation of Social Security and Medicare. He hasn’t even said he supports the Civil Right Act,” Feingold charged.
“Of the three,” Feingold added, “Johnson emerges as the most extreme for special interests.”
The three-term Democratic senator pointed to Johnson’s statements supporting a complete repeal of health care reform and endorsing unrestricted oil drilling even after the Gulf oil disaster.
“He said it’s not time to be beating up on the oil industry,” Feingold said, “to which I would say, really? What would be a better time?” Read more:
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