Feingold's presidential Intentions - perfect answer!

[Sugarcoated]

On ABC's 'This Week':

"I'm so busy trying to deal with this administration's not getting things right. I haven't had the time to figure that out. I'm going to deal with that after the elections in 2006. If there was a way I could get this president to say he violated the law, to reverse course on this Iraq mess and stop promoting the policy on the patriot act, I'd be happy not to run for president. I want to protect the American people and protect our rights - that's what matters to me most"

It was a smart response in so many ways. God I hope he runs!

[Mythsaje]

1. I like what I'm hearing...n/t

[wtmusic]

2. Junior admitting he violated the law?

I guess Feingold's running for president.

[Hippo_Tron]

8. LMAO, exactly what I was thinking

Sorry Russ, you're gonna have to take one for the team here.

[pauldp]

3. kick n/t

[Sugarcoated]

4. Another great response worth repeating

Giving his opinion of the port fiasco (not verbatim, but close):

"The president complaining about alienating the Islamic countries, it's ironic that it was his conduct, how he took us into Iraq was the most damaging to our reputation"

[northofdenali]

5. Question for those who know Feingold better than me -

Feingold = Wellstone?

I admire both, but know less about Feingold. Instruct me, s'il vous plait!

[Hippo_Tron]

9. Feingold is about the closest there is to Wellstone

There are differences. Paul Wellstone, as I'm sure you know, was the loudest hardest working champion for working people in the US Senate. No cause was beneath Paul Wellstone. He stood up for everybody who had nobody to stand up for them.

Feingold was elected to the US Senate two years after Wellstone and followed Wellstone's grassroots small contributions model to get himself elected. Like Wellstone, he was a nobody who unseated an incumbent Republican senator. Part of Feingold's election was his pledge with Wisconsin that he wrote on his garage door. It said, amongst other things, that he would not accept automatic pay raises during his term (if they re-elected him, he would accept the pay raise), he would spend most of his time in Wisconsin, send his kids to school in Wisconsin, take most of his campaign money from Wisconsin, hold listening sessions every year in all of Wisconsin's counties.

Feingold differs from Wellstone in that he limits his visibility in championing specific pet issues. Wellstone was a force for good in any arena that he saw. Feingold definately fights the good fight that Wellstone did on all of these issues, but he plays a lesser role on many of them. In Wellstone's book "The Conscience of a Liberal", Feingold is mentioned as one of the 6 or 7 senators joining Wellstone in a key fight (can't remember exactly what it was).

Feingold's two most visible issues are by far Campaign Finance Reform and Civil Liberties. Wellstone also supported these causes, but Feingold dedicates a lot more of his work to these issues in particular. Feingold is also a lawyer and Wellstone was not, which definately shows when you listen to the two speak (not that this is a good or a bad thing, but it's just different).

Overall, the differences are largely in style. They are both two of the best people to ever serve in the US Senate and both have been championing the same values for over a decade. The difference is that they are two different people who accomplish/accomplished their goals in different ways. Wellstone's visibility made him a hero of the left, which Feingold has not become (not yet anyway). All the same, Feingold's style might make him a better national candidate and I'm sure that if Wellstone were alive today, he would campaign tirelessly to see Russ Feingold become President of the United States.

[northofdenali]

10. Feinstein is gaining more and more visibility up here -

there are a lot of expatriate Wisconsonites here (they can handle the winters) that remained with their liberal roots and, of course, are complete cheeseheads..........

So I've heard more and more about Feinstein. He sounds like someone I could definitely get behind! Thanks for your insight! :-)

[Hippo_Tron]

11. Err it's Feingold not Feinstein

The two are easy to mix up because of name but VERY different. Feinstein is the Dem senator from California and if you do a search for her on DU, you will see that her progressive credentials aren't exactly superb.

[northofdenali]

12. Sorry, it's been a long day - I know what I meant,

but it ain't what I wrote! :blush:

Had an argument with a friend of the SO's earlier today about Feinstein. Guess that was what garbled my already-tangled brain!

[Hippo_Tron]

13. NP, I figured it was a typo

But since you said you knew little about Feingold I just wanted to make sure that you weren't actually confusing him with Feinstein.

[NanceGreggs]

6. He'd better run - 'cause I'm voting for him!

I first saw Russ interviewed on a political talk show (cannot now remember which one) about a year ago, and 'bedazzled' was the word that came to mind, now and at the time.

Straightforward, down-to-earth, intelligent without being high-brow, reasonable without comprising his positions, able to articulate his stand on extremely complex domestic and international issues in a way that even the non-politically educated can grasp with ease.

THIS is the man that not only Democrats have been wishing for -- he is the man that the COUNTRY has been praying for.

Feingold in 2008!

[Old and In the Way]

7. Well spoken guy......he's hitting all the right notes with me.

He'll be the keynote speaker at the Maine Democratic convention this year....looking forward to hearing him speak.

[I_Make_Mistakes]

14. He was on This Week. I have admired his positions when I had the

opportunity to see him.

If you want a better understanding of his ability to communicate intelligently and cohesively go to abcnews.com
and click on This Week, there is an 11 minute video of his interview today.

Edit : Oh, yeah, he also has recommended a censure of Bush, that happened live today on the show!

[bklyncowgirl]

15. If Feingold runs I will support him in the primaries

He has his electability issues--who doesn't. The fact that he's Jewish, divorced and a Senator gives one pause but on the plus side, he outpolled Kerry in Wisconsin, comes off as smart and likeable on TV and there is no question about where he stands on the issues.

The only thing that could change that would be if Gore got in but since that doesn't seem likely, I'm rooting for Feingold.