WI-Sen: Tommy Thompson might challenge Feingold

[babylonsister]

http://www.openleft.com/diary/17630/wisen-thompson-might-challenge-feingold

WI-Sen: Thompson might challenge Feingold
by: Chris Bowers
Mon Mar 01, 2010 at 22:30


In contrast to the solid news out of New York comes a worrying sign out of Wisconsin. Tommy Thompson is now exploring a Senate run against Russ Feingold:

Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, who served four terms as Wisconsin governor, is securing financial pledges and ramping up his outreach to longtime political aides in preparation for a possible campaign against Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold.

Thompson has alerted his Washington-based law firm of his moves and is contacting key clients about the prospect of challenging Feingold, the most tangible signals yet that he's seriously exploring a 2010 campaign.

"The governor has taken additional steps in the past week and will continue to do so over the next several weeks. If the meetings go well, you can expect to see an exploratory committee set up near the end of March," former state commerce secretary and Thompson campaign manager Bill McCoshen told POLITICO.

Thompson leads Feingold in three of the four polls on a hypothetical matchup, and holds a 1% lead across those polls on the simple mean.

The thought of losing Feingold is just... scary. In addition to his well known fight against the Patriot Act, and being the first Senator to introduce legislation to withdraw troops from Iraq, Feingold was one of only two members of the Senate to vote against the 1999 financial services deregulation, the Iraq war authorization, and the 2008 bailout (Bernie Sanders was the other, and he voted against the de-regulation act while in the House). Even beyond his votes, he is a public leader for his causes, and manages organize other Senators behind them.

Russ Feingold is worth about five Senators, or more. It might be time to organize some sort of huge, $3 million + money bomb for him to ward off Thompson's entry into the campaign.

[ThomWV]

1. I consider it a Duty to help protect Senator Feingold's Seat

And K&R too

[Stuart G]

2. K and R

[a kennedy]

3. here's some more info from the Wisconsin site here on DU......

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=186x29989

[SlingBlade]

4. Rahm's been a busy busy little sociopath, Has'nt he.....

"Mr. Emanuel showed up at a weekly strategy session featuring liberal groups and White House aides. Some attendees said they were planning to air ads attacking conservative Democrats who were balking at Mr. Obama’s health-care overhaul.

“F—ing retarded,” Mr. Emanuel scolded the group, according to several participants. He warned them not to alienate lawmakers whose votes would be needed on health care and other top legislative items."

[babylonsister]

5. One track mind? What does Rahm have to do with this? Nothing,

as far as I can tell.

[SlingBlade]

8. Must have something to do with the One track polices I'm seeing

[WillParkinson]

6. Tommy was a great governor and he's got my vote!

:sarcasm: and :puke:

[babylonsister]

7. Hey, WillBowden, what do you think the odds are of Thompson

actually beating Feingold? Slim to nil, I'm hoping, but the prospect is scary.

[WillParkinson]

9. Completely agree...

I had hoped that Wisconsin had heard the last of the Tommynator. Proverbial bad penny.

[TheMightyFavog]

10. I wouldn't get too worried.

All you have to do is touch on the miserable failure that was his tenure as HHS Secretary, particularly during the Anthrax scare. And for good measure, show the video of his shitfaced Super Bowl Victory speech at Lambeau Field in 1998.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TmtP82EjE8