Predictably, but still depressingly, the Wisconsin Senate race has been called for Ron Johnson. I can't beat Jon Cohn's tribute to Russ Feingold:
As a general rule, I think, the media and the public put too high a premium on political independence. Politicians who loudly defy their parties win adulation, even when they are grandstanding, while officials that work within the system, earnestly trying to make the country a better place, get ignored.
But independence isn't a pose for Feingold. And it has led him to take a series of genuinely brave positions over the years. He was the lone dissenter against the Patriot Act and a loud, early critic of the Iraq War--warning, presciently, that it would distract the government from much more serious threats elsewhere. (Of particular relevance today: As early as 2002, he wanted to know why American counter-terrorism officials weren't focusing more on the danger from Yemen.) Feingold's dedication to the idea of clean elections led him to co-sponsor the McCain-Feingold Act, arguably the most important piece of campaign finance legislation since the late 1970s -- at least until the Supreme Court unraveled it.
[...]
I think that sums up Feingold pretty well. He can be a real pain in the ass. And if he's gone from the Senate, we'll be worse off for it.
Given the current disposition of Senate Republicans, Feingold's principle about procedural norms could amount to unilateral disarmament. But on balance, he was a huge asset to the institution, and he'll be missed.
--Scott Lemieux
