Feingold Heartens Activists In Iowa

[Robbien]

(AP) JOHNSTON, IA Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold energized Democratic activists in Iowa Saturday, touting his "moderate, responsible" effort to censure President Bush and arguing that his brand of hard-hitting activism has been ratified at the polls.

"My message and the way I've conducted myself in Washington was tested in Wisconsin in 2004," Feingold said, in an interview with The Associated Press. "I had three Republicans spend $11 million attacking me for having voted against the USA Patriot Act, voting against the Iraq war."

In that campaign, Feingold said he met charges head-on without seeking middle ground on the sensitive issue of combatting the war on terror. "I carried 27 counties that George Bush carried and was elected by 300,000 votes," Feingold said. "The message has resonated and I am not somebody who is just one party."

"People want the Democrats to stand up," Feingold said. "They are tired of us playing it too careful, or we don't stand up for what we believe." Feingold brought a few hundred activists to their feet repeatedly as he reiterated his opposition to the war in Iraq and recalled his votes against free trade agreements that he said amounted to little more than shipping American jobs abroad.

and the Iowa Democrat's reponse:

Attorney General Tom Miller, who saw Feingold speak, said he thought his message might work with some very liberal Democrats, though Miller said he did not count himself in that group.

Miller said many Democratic activists are willing to listen to Feingold's message even though he's lesser known than other potential candidates, Miller said.

http://wfrv.com/topstories/local_story_119191430.html

[Kagemusha]

1. In other words, "those people" may listen, but we serious Democrats won't

Nice smackdown.

[rodeodance]

2. and how can Feingold be lesser know? geech.

....Miller said many Democratic activists are willing to listen to Feingold's message even though he's lesser known than other potential candidates, Miller said.

[badgervan]

3. Lesser Known? ( McCain/Feingold, Mr. Miller? )

Something tells me that Mr. Miller just might be a Vilsack man. Either that or he's a Lieberman "dem". Feingold has something that most of these establishment dems don't: authentic integrity.

[Hardrada]

6. Miller is a perennial right wing democrat tool and a buddy

of Vilsack. Also there is a factor in Iowa of Dems being electable only if they are Catholic and not really pro-choice either.

[wordpix]

4. I will work for Feingold in my state & think he can win in '08

[saltpoint]

5. It's never a good idea to count a candidate out. Iowa and New Hampshire

are impressively and delightfully strewn with trapdoors.

Those who are first shall later be last
The old road is rapidly fadin'
Please git out of the new on if you can't lend a hand
For the times they are a changin'

--is one possible take on primary and caucus politics. Nobody knows what's going to happen, and counting one or another candidate out often proves foolhardy, and the more dismissive the counting out, the harder the boomerang bonks you in the head on the flipside.

Relative strengths of course should be considered, but Feingold (in this case) simply cannot be said to be failing to do his job. He is a public servant, a true one, a steady one, a conscionable one, a smart one, and I believe he will have serious support in Iowa and New Hampshire.

[jwirr]

7. Born and raised in Iowa I can tell you that Miller is most likely

speaking for the majority of Iowa Democrats. You need to understand something about Iowa. It is a repug state and has been throughout much of history. My family lived in an almost totally repug section of Iowa and we had to register as repugs if we wanted to have any effect on local elections because most local posts were determined in the primaries not the general election (they have a law that only allows you to vote for the party you are registered for in the primaries). The winner of the repug primary would have no opponent or could be expected to easily win against any opposition. I think things may be different this year because farmers and small businesses are hurting but still to win the state in the general election you had better not be too far to the left.