Russ Feingold For President in 2012?
After his loss to Tea Party Republican Ron Johnson, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold made a very interesting conclusion to his concession speech. He said, “I hope and I intend to work with all of you in the future… So, it’s on to the next fight! It’s on to the next battle! It’s on to 2012, and it is on to our next adventure, forward!”
Our next adventure in 2012? What could Russ Feingold have meant by that?
There is a U.S. Senate race coming up in Wisconsin in 2012, but that’s for the seat held by Feingold’s ally, Herb Kohl. It seems unlikely that Feingold would challenge Kohl.
… but what about a challenge against another Democrat?
In our legislative scorecard for the U.S. Senate for the last two years, Senator Feingold is tied with Senator Jeff Merkley as the most liberal U.S. Senator. That puts Feingold in a unique position to challenge the Democratic Party’s currently leader from within.
Liberal Americans have grown increasingly disappointed with President Barack Obama over the last two years. Obama’s lofty campaign promises on issues such as peace, the environment, restoration of constitutional rights, and equality between heterosexuals and homosexuals have been replaced with inaction or contrary action to defend the legacy of George W. Bush. Obama seems to have lost his way, while Feingold has stayed on track for almost an entire generation in Washington D.C.
Russ Feingold for President in 2012 campaign buttons are already up for sale on the Internet. A genuine grassroots movement to Draft Feingold appears to be forming.
Amid this fresh energy for Feingold, the U.S. Senator is planning a trip to New Hampshire, a traditional sign of interest in forming a presidential campaign.
CW, do you have the details on the time, date and place of that trip to New Hampshire?
I agree we need to have someone like Russ leading this country, but he will never win. He could have won this Senate Race but did not fight the repug machine. It counted on the voters being able to understand the difference between fact and fiction. People vote on emotion, if he runs he will have to change his handlers and FIGHT!
Its a Republican Scam to break the backs of the Democrats and split the vote.
No black man will vote for a liberal jew
I wish that Russ Feingold could win as president, but this country has so many conservatives that probably hate someone as liberal and honest as Russ Feingold. Plus, a lot of people are still prejudiced against Jewish people.
I do want to see Russ Feingold in some capacity, because he is so honest and caring about the people of this country. But look what happened to Howard Dean when he spoke the truth.
I hope Russ Feingold does not give up on this country. We need him in some capacity.
Karl, shut the fuck up. You don’t speak for African Americans.
I think we need to stick with Obama in 2012. I think he’s doing a better job than most give him credit for.
That said, I don’t mind the idea of a threat of a liberal challenger – hopefully it will keep him on his toes and keep him from moving too far right.
[...] that could siphon votes away from the Democrats? Then I ran across this article that highlighted Russ Feingold’s cryptic remarks at the end of his concession speech last week. Could a big name liberal like Feingold who has a [...]
Obama – whom I believed in, is captured by the Wall street moguls – we need a truely progressive Independent voice to challenge the democrats on the left – NOT beholden to corporate cash.
Feingold should challenge Obama in the Dem primaries, then, if not successful run as an Independent under a new Progressive Party – what have we got to lose? Obama will be leaning to the right even more now, after the regressive victories.
Congress Watcher– Do you know the details on the New Hampshire visit?
You people are delusional. Feingold was at 46% for more than a year and stayed there. (very VERY bad numbers for an incumbent.) He was at 46% before any outside money came into the race, before anyone had ever heard of Ron Johnson and even before there was any mention of Tommy Thompson. He turned off Wisconsin with a second divorce (most people didn’t even know there had been a first one.) He tacked Left to feed his presidential ambitions where before that, Wisconsinites knew he was left-leaning, but it seemed relatively harmless. He was showboating when he introduced legislation to censure President Bush and was humiliated when he didn’t get Senate support and made a fool of himself. He then got his son-in-law (who works for Congressman Hinchey) to get Hinchey to introduce censure legislation in the House, just so he (Feingold) could save face. No support there, either. And as for those garage door promises way back when? The one where he promises his kids will go to school in Wisconsin was purposely misleading voters even back then — You see, Feingold had dumped and divorced his first wife years before — he left when his daughters were age 3 and 6 — So if his kids were going to school in Wisconsin instead of Washington DC, it wasn’t because Russ was a stand-up guy. It was because his (first) ex-wife had primary custody and if Russ had tried to take them to DC to go to school without her permission, he’d probably have been arrested.
He may have managed to skate by in Wisconsin races for awhile, but he would be torn to shreds if he tried to run for President. He shouldn’t try — It would be a vanity campaign simply because he (or people close to him) can’t or won’t accept that he has been defeated. Right now his reputation is in tact, even with the loss. That will change very quickly should he run for President.
For those who are interested in the growing grassroots movement to Draft Russ Feingold for President might want to sign the following petition:
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/draftfeingold2012/
I would certainly support Russ Feingold if he ran for President, but I cannot envision any set of circumstances under which he could win the Democratic Party nomination. Feingold is, however, one of the few national figures who could mount an effective Independent/Green campaign for the Presidency. If the Republicans split into Country Club and Tea Party factions, then there is a faint possibility that a 3rd party on the left could win – very faint.
Frankly I think we’re grasping at straws here. The political system is broken. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the corporate/banking interests and is no longer responsive to the people. The system is not going to allow a true progressive to capture the nomination of a major party, and even if both parties split, the media will do their best to ignore or sideline progressive candidates. If we continue to waste our time trying to get the Democratic Party to move back to the left, we will get exactly nowhere.
not everything in politics is directly about winning office, vor. i would support a feingold candidacy in a heartbeat because of his consistent record and as a way of letting Barack Obama know he can’t keep acting like a republican.
What do you suggest should be done, Charles D?
“If we continue to waste our time trying to get the Democratic Party to move back to the left, we will get exactly nowhere.”
Hey, that’s encouraging. Oh well. lets give up and just watch the GOP drive it off the cliff.
We just elected a black guy who pretended to be progressive, why couldn’t we elect an American jew who really is progressive?
Especially after 12 years of Bush and two with a hell-no Congress?
FEINGOLD/HOLT 2012/2014
you are all deluded and insane for not seeing the truth. an inconvientant truth.
you got beat on so many levels i think the shock has not worn off yet for you. it is human nature to weather the storm and forget the worst that just happened to you. get back on the horse you say.
i say you will continue with this communist agenda and you will get pounded in the next election even more.
and don’t worry about osambama moving to the center. he never impressed me as being particulary smart. just another liberal attorney that has no idea what real god fearing americans stand for.
have a nice day
WE got beat in a low Democrat turn out election. All of our groups in our party were not motivated. the blacks, the hispanics, the Arabics, the college kids. They didn’t show up because Obama didn’t give them a reason to beleive. He let us down on the Public Option, taxing the Hedge Funds, Disclosure Act, the Trade Act, we couldn’t even get a vote on EFCA. He caved on some nominations.He keeps reaching over to make a deal with the Republicans who give him the finger. He wants their approval. They will never vote for him. Instead his VP tells us to” buck up”. His chief of staff tells us to “Fall in Line.” His press secretary blames us and calls us unrealistic. He has let us down on these and more things. He should never have had Rham,or Summers, or Geitner in. He should have put in Gov Dean. Read Herding Donkeys, or the Obama Revolution. Or Chris Hedges new book.Or Thom Hartmanns.
We need to Draft Sen Feingold and get him to bring Emily’s Lists president Stehanie Schriock, Joe Trippi, and hire Deans campaign agency.
Remember we lost nearly all of our Blue Dogs and only 2 of our great Progressives in Congress 2010. The moral a real democrat is better than a half one. Lets repeal Citizen United!
It all depends on whether or not Mr. Obama hangs tight, I wish that I would have been more supportive when Russ pondered running in 2010. Our president might turn into a real Benedict Arnold. We just have to wait and see if he caves. And if Russ should decide to take a whack, this wishy washy, soft ball strategy won’t fly. He has to get out there and tell people what he would strive to accomplish if elected.
2percent of the US POPULATION is Jewish . We now have 3 Jews on the supreme court and a Congress and Senate chock full of DUALCitizen Israelis working very hard to ENSLAVE us all in A POLICE STATE RUN BY AND FOR JEWS…Hell why not just get it over with and destroy America for good. As if the Federal Fake Reserve wasnt bottoming out America fast enough …How many of you even know The Federal Reserve is NOT PART OF OUR GOVERNMENT?? NO its not !! The name was picked to FOOL AMERICANS into thinking its a part of OUR GOVERNMENT—IT IS NOT!! It is a group of seven JEWISH BANKS that print our money then charge USA a fee for every dollar those presses make!!Yep in 1913 Woodrow Wilson conspired during Christmas recess with a few SELECT traitors and passed it into law….Kennedy was killed by the Jews for printing the Silverback Dollars . He released them in the spring of the year they executed him in public..After his murder by The Federal Reserve Jews they quietly sucked up all the Silverback dollars wich would have cost USA nothing and made America strong .. The Fed didnt want their cash scam stopped sooooo tthey murdered Kennedy -gathered up the Silverbacks and Jhonson wet his pants and said FINE AND DANDY JEW BOYS YOUR BACK IN BUSINESS…So go ahead WHATS ONE MORE JEW GOING TO HURT????OH JUST WAIT AND SEE SHEEPLE JUST WAIT AND SEE!!!!
LCB – Your rabid, foaming opposition to Russ Feingold is so outrageous and hateful that it’s practically an endorsement for his candidacy – either to the U.S. Senate or to the presidency.
I see that TRUTH OFFENDS YOU!!!!!Well cry cry cry LIBERAL CRYBABY…..It is ALL TRUE…..SOOOOO CRY CRY CRY
I would be proud to have such a person as Russ Finegold as our president!
I would urge and support a Russ Feingold campaign for president and hope his main issue would be the end of our wars and return of our troops.
I’m black and I would vote for Russ Feingold. In fact I feel all wise black christians would vote for him.
No one thought a black man would be elected this soon, but it happened. Who cares what Feingold’s ethnic, religious or any other issues that clutter your agenda are. The man is progressive; that should be the upfront definition of his creditials. By the time the unemployment checks run out next January, no one will care if the man is green or worships a lightbulb; they’ll want someone to keep our country from continuing to fall into the few greedy hands of the oligarchy corporations before it’s too late to pull us out!