Mitt Romney reportedly likes working with Johnson because he's an extremist idiot who genuinely believes this sh**t, meaning that there is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get quality to him.
I don't think Johnson is an
idiot by any means, but he is a very ideological man in a way which is not common to American legislators (who are often careerist politicians or, if they are wealthy men, looking for honors rather than to promote some hyper-ideological agenda), and he is a very sincere man in a way which is not common to politicians anywhere. I think the secret of his popularity (both among enough Wisconsin swing voters and among Republican leaders with very different personalities and outlooks) is in the latter fact -- Ron Johnson always says what he actually believes, not whatever is geared towards manipulating you. There are neither 'quiet parts' he avoids saying out loud, nor are there non-senatorial political ambitions.
