The news that New Jersey resident Dr. Mehmet Oz is going to run for the Senate in Pennsylvania is the latest sign that the GOP is captive to a weird sort of celebrity culture. Oz rose to prominence as a mediagenic star who was able to crossover from being a successful heart surgeon to a quack whisperer selling bogus health treatments. (It is worth noting that Oprah has unleashed this fool AND Dr. Phil upon us.)
Aside from name recognition, what possible qualifications does Dr. Oz for sitting in the Senate? I suppose he has a more credible claim than Donald Trump or Tommy Tuberville, but at this point, the Republican Party's full-scale retreat from policy can be wrapped up in their embrace of reality show celebrities.
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