The Wit and Wisdom of Owen Robinson
Read this page-turner courtesy of righty writer Owen B. Robinson and the West Bend Daily News. In fact, to grasp fully the breadth and depth of analysis and research stacked eye-deep in this advancement of opinion journalism, I suggest reading it aloud.
In his continuing effort to seize the Alsop-Reston mantle, Owen diagrams the current and potential opponents to Democratic U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold.
‘In a little over six months the November election will be upon us,’ he begins. Grabbing my phone calendar, I confirmed this to be true. Owen 1. OWN 0.
And now, a litany of spoiler alerts, mainly Owen’s impression of each GOP (and potential GOP) candidate’s strengths and weaknesses, delivered in his weekly-column-worthy prose:
Dave Westlake: ‘is a West Point graduate who served our nation in the Army.’
Terrence Wall: ‘is a commercial developer in Dane County with a proven track record of success.’
Dick Leinenkugel: ‘announced he is running for the seat, too.’
Tommy! Thompson: ‘announced that he will not run for the seat’
Ron Johnson: ‘is also wealthy and one of the founders of a Tea Party group.’
With that well-credentialed slate it’s no wonder Fox News and conservative scholars like Owen can opine without contradiction that Americans are soundly rejecting the socialism of Barack Obama.
It’s a testament to the diversity of our liberal media that voices like Owen’s are provided the rare opportunity to unfurl before us like a blooming flower ‘ whether it’s this venue, or, Charlie Sykes and Paddy McIlheran’s Sunday smartyfest.
And to the editors who allowed Owen’s art to flourish without constraints, the collective hats of a grateful nation are off to you.
Owen closes his piece with a cautionary tale, belying critics who might accuse him of writing with ‘doctrinaire regurgitation,’ ‘prickly and puddle-depth pap,’ or ‘the obviousness of a sixth-grade report copied from Encyclopedia Britainnica for Kids’:
‘The Republican candidate will need to be honed to a fine edge on the whetstone of the primary and have substantial resources available when the general election campaign begins.’
If that whetstone can hone sharp as the insight of this modern conservative, the GOP’s Senate nominee will not only cut to the chase, but in the words of Ron Burgundy, ‘also to core of me, Baxter.’