Senator Feingold impressed me

[La_Serpiente]

I usually think of all the Senators in Washington as just pushovers that can't think for themselves. However, I was watching the hearing on Janice Brown yesterday and then it was Feingold's turn to speak. I have heard many great things about him, but I have never seen him in action.

I also admire him for sticking to his convictions like voting against the Patriot Act, voting against the Iraq war, and standing up for voters rights. He is also a good interrogator.

I appreciate him because he has great respect for the history of this nation instead of just blowing it off to the side.

I cannot imagine his district only barely votes him back into office. The last election, he got like 52 percent of the vote. That is pretty close.

He would be an awesome President or Vice President.


He is a great asset to this Democratic party.

[mark0rama]

1. The GOP hate machine has begun to unload on him here

I'll be working to help keep him in office, but it won't be easy. He doesn't like to fight dirty.

[La_Serpiente]

2. Are there a lot of Repukes in your district?

He is a really good senator and you should be proud of him.

Does his integrity piss off the Freepers? It must since they have a hard time telling the truth.

Are there any candidates up there that could take him out? I know Tommy Thompson is not going to run.

[eyesroll]

4. Right now, in WI, there are a bunch of rich people gunning for the seat

Including Russ Darrow. He's a car dealer. His name is a jingle. I will not be buying my next car from his dealerships.

We had a nice chat with Sen. Feingold on Sunday. He's a good guy. He once said that he and Paul Wellstone had a running contest, to see who could be the lone "no" vote on a bill the most often.

[MadAsHell]

5. And it already get play that ...

Russ Durrow was contributor to Senator Feingold's campaigns (to the tune of several thousand dollars) in the past. Kind of nice irony.

[mark0rama]

9. Hi, La_Serpiente...

> Are there a lot of Repukes in your district?

I live in Madison, thank God. Not the radical-left place the 'wingers paint it as, but it still feels like an oasis of sanity to me these days. Most of the attacks I hear on the Senator come from Repubs on Wis. Public Radio, and they're already fine-tuning the script they'll all be working from.

> He is a really good senator and you should be proud of him.

He is, and I most definitely am.

As for GOP candidates, see below about Darrow. There's also a state senator named Bob Welch, a highly vocal critic, likely to run, but may not be quite electable enough to get BushCo's blessing.

Fun fact about Welch: in '94 he ran for U.S. Senate against incumbent Herb Kohl. His platform included a welfare reform concept to which he gave the ill-advised name "Welchfare."

[MadAsHell]

3. Last time around ...

He run his campaign under the rules of McCain-Feingold. His opponent and his handlers out spent Russ by 2-to-1 and Russ won anyway. This time all of them have to live under M-F and the Repub with the best chance to win in the primary is a deep-pockets car dealer. I can't wait for the used-car salemen stories to hit the press. The Repub party is trying to paint Senator Feingold's vote against the so-called Patriot act as out of step with Wisconsin. I think that they have underestimated the distrust and dislike of the current Whitehouse gang.

[MadAsHell]

6. Here's the body of a e-mail I got recently ...

As you probably know, I’m likely to run for reelection in November 2004. White House political director Karl Rove has already targeted us. He’d like to “take out” Wisconsin “before Labor Day,” according to news reports.

One point of attack for the White House and Wisconsin Republicans has been my opposition to the USA PATRIOT Act. But I’m pleased to tell you that two years after I voted No, many of my colleagues – including several conservative Republicans – have recognized the growing concern over the loss of American individual liberties as a result of this bill.

I supported 90% of the provisions of the PATRIOT Act, but too many provisions were deeply troubling. Certain provisions may infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens, while doing little protect our country against terrorists. I was the only Senator to vote against the PATRIOT Act, because I believe that while we must give law enforcement the tools to protect us from future terrorist attacks, we can and should do so without jeopardizing our individual rights guaranteed by the Constitution - the very principles that make us Americans.

Now three conservative Republicans, Senators Larry Craig and Mike Crapo of Idaho and John Sununu of New Hampshire, have joined me and other Senators from both parties in introducing a bill to significantly modify the USA PATRIOT Act – to protect our country against terrorism and to protect the Constitution by modifying the very provisions of the PATRIOT Act that I originally opposed.

Meanwhile, both President Bush and Attorney General Ashcroft have recently visited Wisconsin and the smell of special-interest money is starting to mix with the brisk fall air. Two of the candidates seeking the Republican nomination are willing and able to spend millions of dollars of their own money, and I expect it’s going to be an expensive campaign.

I don’t have millions of dollars of personal wealth to draw upon. In fact, I'm probably the least wealthy member of the U.S. Senate. But with you by my side, I know I can win.

If you’d like to contribute to my campaign, or make an additional contribution, I would really appreciate it. Please give online right now at: http://www.russfeingold.org/contribute.php

Or you can mail your check to us at: Feingold Senate Committee, P.O. Box 620062, Middleton, WI 53562. Or call us at (608) 831-RUSS.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,



Russ Feingold
United States Senator

P.S. Last week, the Sheboygan-Press praised my stand on the USA PATRIOT Act, writing: “Sen. Russ Feingold took a lot of flak when he was the only senator among 97 to vote against the USA PATRIOT Act... Time appears to have vindicated him on that vote.” Read more: http://www.wisinfo.com/sheboyganpress/news/archive/opinion_12746918.shtml

Please ask your friends to join you in supporting my campaign. Just forward this email to them, or send them the following link: http://www.russfeingold.org/signup.php

Contribute: http://www.russfeingold.org/contribute.php
Volunteer: http://www.russfeingold.org/volunteer.php
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Please note: Individuals may contribute a maximum of $2,000 for the primary and $2,000 for the general elections. That's a total limit of $4,000 ($8,000 per couple) for the 2004 election cycle. Your contribution is not tax deductible. Corporate contributions are prohibited. You must be at least 18 years old to contribute.
Authorized and paid for by the Feingold Senate Committee Daniel D. Hannula, Superior, WI, Treasurer

PO Box 620062 Middleton, WI 53562 | phone: 608/831-RUSS | fax: [phone]
email: [e-mail]

©2003 Feingold Senate Committee - all rights reserved

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[pansypoo53219]

7. yes, he doesn't take PAC $

and he is not a millionaire like Herb Kohl.

[Whitacre D_WI]

8. Russ Feingold is a national treasure.

We are all lucky to have him in the Senate, and we Wisconsinites should be proud to call him our own.

I honestly think that he's pretty safe in 2004, but it will take money. I will definitely be contributing to his campaign (of course, I hope he will consider contributing to mine as well); and I encourage those of you who value our democracy to do the same.