Barackface: Russ Feingold And 2008

The guys is leading by leaps and bounds. I don't know a whole lot about him except that he co-sponsored the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform initiative. And that he is a progressive, and that he has backbone, and he is a darling of the netroots democrats.

Wow, the guy has been twice divorced. No big deal, just caught my attention.

He is Jewish, as opposed to WASP. That also is news. When someone like him goes up, he breaks some glass. And that is good.

He has been a Rhodes Scholar. He went to Harvard Law, like Obama.

I am all for censuring Bush. But my question for 2008 is, what is Feingold's overall platform? And how much organized support does he have?

And a year is a long time in politics. We will know for sure who is running and who is not in 2007.

Besides this is a Daily Kos poll, and so heavily tilted. The kinds of people who visit Daily Kos are a certain kind.

I am suspicious of his free trade stance.

Some people naughtily suggest 2008 will be a McCain-Feingold election. They mean them running against each other. What I think is McCain might be plotting to put either Feingold or Obama on his ticket to gurantee himself a victory. But they disagree too much on the Iraq war, for one. The ideological rift is too wide.

Overall I have a good to great feeling about Feingold.

On The Web

:: Russ Feingold :: United States Senator
Russ Feingold for United States Senate - Home
Think Progress » BREAKING: Feingold Accuses Senate Democrats of ...
The Democratic Party
MyDD :: Russ Feingold
ABC News: Feingold Calls for Bush's Censure
Russ Feingold :: Progressive Democrat for President 2008 :: New ...
AlterNet: War on Iraq: "America Is So Much Better Than This"
Russ Feingold For President - Home

Russ Feingold - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia best known for his maverick voting and co-sponsorship of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act ("McCain-Feingold Bill"), a major piece of campaign finance reform legislation. He is a recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. His name has been mentioned as a possible candidate in the 2008 presidential election........ In 1987, he joined the "Bowtie Brigade," a coalition of grassroots activists and local-level politicians who backed the presidential candidacy of Senator Paul Simon of Illinois ...... On April 11, 2005, Russ and Mary Feingold jointly announced that they would be seeking a divorce. ...... In the 2004 Senate election, Feingold defeated the Republican candidate, construction magnate Tim Michels, by 12% (56%-44%), earning a third term. During the campaign, Feingold refrained from imposing spending caps on himself as he had in the past, and raised and spent almost $11 million. Although Republicans attempted to use that fact to paint him as a hypocrite, Feingold's records showed that more than 90% of the money came from individuals, that the average contribution was only $60, and that, once again, a majority of it was raised from Wisconsin residents .......... victory was seen by many pundits as a vindication of the many controversial stances that he had taken during his second term, as it was by far his largest electoral victory thus far. Feingold even won many counties which also supported the re-election of Republican President George W. Bush....... Feingold has pledged that the new role would not sway his maverick stance within the party or the chamber........ There is talk of Feingold seeking the Democratic Party's Presidential or Vice-Presidential nomination in 2008...... His recent announcement of divorce is believed by some, such as political scientist Larry Sabato, to mark the end of his Presidential ambitions, as being twice-divorced is a perceived liability among socially conservative voters. [7] Others, such as blogger Markos Moulitsas Zúniga (better known as "Kos"), have disagreed, pointing to successful Republican political figures with multiple divorces........ On August 17, 2005, Feingold became the first U.S. senator of either party to suggest a firm date for American withdrawal from the Iraq war, saying that he favored a complete withdrawal by no later than December 31, 2006 ...... The announcement was widely seen by both Feingold's supporters and detractors as a de facto announcement of his intention to run for president, although Feingold himself continues to remain silent on his alleged plans....... Although Feingold usually receives support in the single digits in opinion polls featuring various potential Democratic presidential candidates, he remains highly popular among Democratic grassroots activists. ...... In 2001 Feingold voted for the confirmation of Attorney General John Ashcroft. This decision was not popular with his party, but Feingold claims that he voted based on respect for the right for a President to choose his Cabinet ....... Feingold has also been an opponent of NAFTA and other free trade agreements, a popular position among many Democrats ...... his golfing trip to Greenville, Alabama. After noting how friendly the people were, and that Wisconsin had many similar places, he expressed his sorrow that such a poverty-stricken area was "the reddest spot on the whole map", in spite of Republican policies that Feingold considered incredibly destructive to the lives of the poor and middle class. ....... "check-cashing stores and abject trailer parks, and some of the hardest-used cars for sale on a very rundown lot." ........ the McCain-Feingold bill, which took the two almost seven years to pass. ...... On July 14, 2005, Feingold introduced a bill to the Senate that would ban lobbyists from giving gifts to senators and impose a $50,000 fine for violating the ban; force lawmakers to sign statements saying that lobbyists did not pay their travel expenses; forbid lawmakers from traveling on corporate jets; bar congressmen, staffers, and executive branch officials from serving as lobbyists for two years after leaving office; and require that lobbying reports be disclosed on a quarterly, rather than semi-annual, basis. The bill is the Senate version of a bill by Congressmen Marty Meehan (D-MA), who co-wrote the House version of McCain-Feingold, and Rahm Emanuel (D-IL). ......... a well-known advocate for reductions in pork barrel spending and corporate welfare ..... notoriously frugal in his office's spending and sends back the money that he does not use......... Feingold was the only senator to vote against the USA PATRIOT Act when first voted on in 2001. At the time, Feingold stated that provisions in the act infringed upon citizens' civil liberties. Many at the time predicted his political career was over........... I support the right to bear arms for lawful purposes — for hunting and sport and for self-protection. ........ with zero being totally conservative and 100 being completely progressive, gave Senator Feingold a lifetime average rating of 96. ....... tied with California's Senator Barbara Boxer for the title of the "most progressive person" in the Senate ...... Feingold is also one of the top budget hawks in Congress ......... On March 13, 2006, Senator Feingold introduced a resolution in the U.S. Senate for a censure of President George W. Bush. .... Graduated in the same Harvard Law class as Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts

In The News

RNC: Dem Leadership Follows Russ Feingold's Lead noticias.info, Spain
How dare Feingold propose censure UW Badger Herald
Leaders split with activists Indianapolis Star
Morton Kondracke: Democrats should declare censure move ' ... Sacramento Bee
Will Russ Feingold Stand Alone Again? CBS News
Trey Ellis: Russ Feingold Is Right and He's Wrong Yahoo! News
RNC: Meet Grandstanding Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) noticias.info, Spain
CNN’s Soledad O’Brien Takes on Russ Feingold Over Censure of ... NewsBusters
RUSS FEINGOLD / AN AUTHENTIC HERO OF THE REPUBLIC OpEdNews
Russ Feingold Too Trigger Happy National Ledger, AZ
Senator Russ Feingold's censure resolution isn't getting much ... Wizbang, DC
Russ Feingold vs. Bill Frist Over Bush Censure National Ledger, AZ
Russ Feingold's folly Robertson County Times, TN

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21 March