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The heroism of Russ Feingold

Posted by Don Hazen at 8:26 PM on March 13, 2006.


...and how the Democratic Party isn't stepping up.
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Russ Feingold is an American hero. But other members of the Democratic Party leadership aren't stepping up to the plate... Matt Stoller has all the details, and I'm just going to re-post his blog here.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Today, Russ Feingold Is the Leader of the Democratic Party

Russ Feingold made me proud today. Standing up for the integrity of the American system is what leadership means, and that's what we as Democrats are. At least for today, Russ Feingold is the leader of the Democratic Party. And just for today, want to see who isn't a leader of the party? A hint, the name rhymes with Bella Lugosi.

In contrast to Feingold's bold and powerful statement, Nancy Pelosi's caution last week cost us. Long story short, Rep. Louise Slaughter released a report on the cost of Republican corruption. Leader Pelosi helped her with press and stuck it up on the leader's web page. She then got spooked by Republicans whining about ethics charges and had it taken down. Pelosi, by selling out Louise Slaughter, has created a perverse incentive system that penalizes Democrats who speak out. And then there's also this kind of bullshit that the sad, weak, pathetic little cowards called the GOP put out and institutional media habitually swallows. From Roll Call:

A House Rules Committee report charging GOP Members with corruption has been removed from Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) leadership Web site, leading Republicans last week to label the move as an admission by Democrats that the report was used improperly to raise campaign cash.

The report, prepared by Democratic Rules Committee staffers for ranking member Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), was compiled, say Republicans, to raise money and score political points on the campaign trail -- both for the Congresswoman and candidates supported by Democratic campaign committees.

The office of Rules Chairman David Dreier (R-Calif.) declined to comment. But Republicans familiar with the matter -- beyond disputing the report's findings and its legitimacy as an official government inquiry -- said Slaughter's actions violated federal law and leave her open to a House ethics investigation.

"Everyone on Capitol Hill except Louise Slaughter seems to realize that you can't run campaigns out of your federal office," one House Republican aide said. "The report is bogus. U.S. taxpayers paid for this campaign fundraising stunt for Democrats, and it appears they know it, because they took it down."

Rep. Slaughter is defending herself on the blogs. But that's not enough, because this type of stubbornly bad leadership matters when it's in insidery publications like Roll Call. It scares staffers and members. It empowers middle manager Office Space-like toads within the party. It helps empower the middle-management sneering staffers who work for Jay Rockefeller, who then empower the Bush administration's illegal wiretapping. Today, Nancy Pelosi is not any kind of Democrat I recognize. Democrats are strong and fight to defend the constitution. We fight for privacy, against corruption, and to help those who can't help themselves. We don't sell out those trying to do the right thing so that Republican weenies won't be mean to us. When the Republicans come out with the racist and cowardly FancyFord.com, the Democratic Party hits back with VeryFancyFrist.com. Now that's the Democratic Party.

So today, Feingold is the leader of the Democratic Party. Today, Reddhedd is a great Democrat. And I don't know what party Nancy Pelosi is in, but for today at least it's not mine.

Digg!

Don Hazen is the executive editor of AlterNet.


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YAY Feingold!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: timebomb734 on Mar 13, 2006 8:49 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Once again, Sen. Feingold makes Wisconsinites proud; he ALMOST makes up for our shame that was Joe McCarthy. But I digress. Sen. Feingold is the kind of leadership that the Democratic Party needs, and having been raised middle class only to make his own way through the ranks, he's the kind of candidate (presidential, perhaps?) that voters can relate to and like. We need more progressives like him.

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JamieB
[Report this comment]
Posted by: JaimeB on Mar 14, 2006 3:53 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I just started reading the NYT article

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/14/politics/14censure.html

and couldn't finish it. What the Republicans do is criminal but this utter cowardice on the part of the Democrats seems far more shameful. It is rarely as clear as this, the sight of people covering their own rich, well-fed asses. God forbid they go out and take a risk for stuff as unimportant as the constitution and a free society. They clearly have no idea of what is at stake here. Absolute shame on those 'Democrats'.

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» RE: JamieB Posted by: The Heretic
$&#$&
[Report this comment]
Posted by: decembrist on Mar 14, 2006 4:11 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
There is a clear majority of Americans who are against Bush's warrantless, domestic wiretapping program. They don't believe Bush has the authority to authorize it, they believe Bush broke the law, and they think there should be a thorough investigation.

Who are the Democrats? Why do they allow courageous members like Feingold to stand alone... on an issue that the American people just aren't behind Bush on!! They're cowards. Every Democrat who distances him/herself from Feingold's censure is a coward. Clinton's impeachment had the support of something like 30-40% of the American people. Please! Only 35% APPROVE of Bush.

The lack of support from Dems has also allowed the media to portray Feingold's move as a joke, exposing him politically.

Everybody who wants to support Feingold should call their Senators tomorrow. Tell them you support his move and their reluctance is BS.

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Two sides to the same coin!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: brad on Mar 14, 2006 5:03 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Feingolds cesure tactic will fail, and close down any meaningful attempts to impeach the crooks. The dems have historically only moved left to save the two party, corporate system when absolutely necessary. This should be seen as the same, an attempt to hold up some of the dems as liberal which will allow the majority that are not to stay in power.

I spent years falling for the democrats trap, they are the same as the republicans on 90% of the issues that matter and different only in the 10% that don't. I have tired of their "good cop, bad cop" game. Anyone who thinks that corporate politicians will bring about change is living in la la land. Don't be fooled again, the dems are dead.

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» RE: Two sides to the same coin! Posted by: Asses of Evil
» Be careful Posted by: gramps
exposure...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: starvinmarvy on Mar 14, 2006 5:09 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The lack of support for Sen Feingolds censure resolution
shows all of us that the character/honor/commitment of
95% of our Congress is about as good as a "yellow bellied
sap sucker" They are afraid of losing their power.They`re afraid
of DEMANDING justice.They`re afraid of losing that wonderful stature as a legislator and all of its high society
perks.They`ll sell "we the people" down the river as long as
they continue their lavish lifestyles.
But...when a Russ Feingold steps up to battle for justice in
a room full of sharks...there is character/honor/commitment!
Lets remember who all the walfling/spineless legislators are
....identify them...keep them under the "scope"...and come next elections we`ll remove them from the "frat on the hill"!

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» RE: exposure... Posted by: aonghus36
Up to us, now.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: redfrog on Mar 14, 2006 6:43 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
If someone like Russ Feingold can't change the course of the ship, start looking for the lifeboats. The Democrats don't care what you or I think about this, they believe you will vote for their candidates and send them money because we liberals are primarily anti-Republicans. Do whatever you are going to do now: call, write, yell, protest in the streets. Just know that the only way you or I will be taken seriously is by abandoning the Democratic Party, making campaign contributions to others, working for others, voting for others. Since whatever I do throws my vote away, I am throwing it away on Independents and Greens who have little chance of winning in the national elections. Russ, Barbara, Al: there is a new liner at the dock waiting for you to staff and sail it. The absolute hell with the Democrats.

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Feingold
[Report this comment]
Posted by: lawyerbdy on Mar 14, 2006 8:19 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I was so angry when Scott McClellan said that Russ Feingold was motivated more by the 2008 presidential elections than by actual concern over the issue. Feingold obviously does not need to do anything else to gain support of liberals, so what would this resolution do for his campaign? I think McClellan should pull his head out of his ass, realize what a douche he is, and find another job because I am sick of listening to his bullshit!

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Impeachment?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: AlanSmithee on Mar 14, 2006 8:27 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Forget it. The dem's could have a 2-1 majority in both houses and you'd never get censure passed, much less impeachment.

Supporting career politicians and empty suits is pointless. Any meaningful change is going come from outside the two party system. Just like always.

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» RE: Impeachment? Posted by: brad
Russ Feingold on Censorship of George W. Bush
[Report this comment]
Posted by: tpezzent on Mar 14, 2006 8:33 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Russ Feingold is the only Democrat worthy of my vote! I would vote for him today! He is the only Demo with any courage; as was said in a recent "TruthOut" article: "The Republicans LIE, and the Democrats LIE DOWN!"

Thank you, Mr. Feingold, for having spine enough to stand up for what we are all feeling!

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Tell your senators to support Feingold
[Report this comment]
Posted by: badkitty53 on Mar 14, 2006 9:06 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Ever since I heard about Feingold's resolution to censure Bush I have been emailing senators--I started with my own, then told Feingold I supported him, then hit Frist, and now I'm working my way through the entire list---one an hour (I've got to do some work). Go to the Senate website and use the senators' webforms. Put it in writing, then you can tell them forever that you were right all along (I'm still telling Feinstein that I told her to vote no on the Iraq war back in 2002). Look, it probably won't work, but they can't say they didn't know people support censure/impeachment. I guess I'm a hopeless optimist, thinking that this government might still work for us.

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A new hero every week!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: sln70 on Mar 14, 2006 9:20 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Gore, Kerry, Feingold, Kennedy, Pelosi, I can't keep track

who will be next? This is seemingly the point - everyone takes a turn in the spotlight and therefore the risk is spread around and no one gets to be perceived as 'leader.'

It's a broadway show, I'm telling you. If they don't pick a party mouthpiece soon, there's no way the Dems can win. It's got to be pretty clear by now that each of them has also taken their turn in NOT standing up for whoever the leader du jour is, no matter what the issue - Alito, censure, ports, etc.

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1968 Redux
[Report this comment]
Posted by: NoPCZone on Mar 14, 2006 10:51 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
A Senator from Minnesota (right next to Wisconsin, BTW) decided to challenge a President running a ruinous war that was being spun to the American people as winnable. His name was Eugene McCarthy. Needless to say, he didn't win.

His defeat was at the hands of the 'leadership' of the Democratic Party, via their control of the state and local party chiefs who controlled the delegate selection process. Robert Kennedy's opportunistic late entry also didn't help things. 1968 was a watershed year and the whole developed world was in flux, ripe for change and a great opportunity was lost. Instead the wheels almost came off.

The Democrats turned to LBJ's VP Hubert Humphrey (back to the establishment) who went down to defeat at the hands of Richard Nixon-- The 'New' Nixon with a secret plan for getting us out of Vietnam with honor. We didn't get a new Nixon-- what we got was Tricky Dick who intensified the war and gave us Watergate and a whole litany of other scandals.

We are again at a time of flux and the great question is 'Will the Democratic Party fail history and the people again?' Will Sen Feingold be left to flap in the wind by the establishment or will they get out of the way and let him lead? The price of failure is to deliver our country into the hands of whoever the NeoCons offer up on election day--Nixon Redux.

The crazy/strange thing about times of 'flux' is that when opportunities open they present a variety of options that seldom become open. It's as easy to take the wrong road as the right one. 1865 (Civil War-Reconstruction), 1918 (WW I-Aftermath), 1932 (Great Depression), 1945 (WW II-Cold War), 1968 (Vietnam-Tet-MLK-RFK), 1989-1990 (End of the Cold War & opening of Eastern Europe) were such times. 2006-8 looks to be one of those times. Can we afford to miss this opportunity?

The American people are not happy with their President, their Congress and the path our country is on. This time, all of the fingers point to Republican leadership or the lack thereof. To the leadership of the Democratic Party, from the local to Howard Dean I have but one thing to say about Senator Feingold.

LEAD, FOLLOW, or GET THE HELL OUT OF HIS WAY .

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Russ for President!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: aonghus36 on Mar 14, 2006 11:37 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I found a web site with the same name as this post's title. Here is the link; http://www.russforpresident.com/ If everyone here is serious about Russ Feingold, maybe this site is a vehicle that will help.

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like a broken clock he is correct...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: ChrisBieber on Mar 15, 2006 7:04 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
usually an advocate for more govt Sen Feingold is courageously standing on principle on THIS issue(of the impending police state being legally installed). If only he and most of the readers of this site would realize all the WELFARE STATE Centralized Big Mommy Govt that they have forced on Americans since 1912 is ONE side of the Coin that ALLOWS the police state. The other side of the statist coin is Corporate Socialist WARFARE STATE by the "conservative" law n order types..)..the ONLY one in Congress that is CONSISTANT on freedom and the CONSTITUTIONAL role of Govt is Congressman Ron Paul from Texas...

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Progressive Power Points
[Report this comment]
Posted by: windoe on Mar 15, 2006 7:31 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The Progressives need some unified power points:
Represent Us, Not the Corporations, or---Your're Fired!!!
Boycott Mainstream Propaganda, Stay Informed and Free
Next Election Demand a Paper Trail
If we do not use language that demands attention and focus, once again we will watch as the Silent Majority remains asleep, hypnotized and sensory overloaded by the daily onslaught of useless information.
If our representatives do not make an effort to listen to their constituents then they are bought, and need to be fired by us, it is our patriotic duty.

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Russ Feingold is Amazing...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: JessB on Mar 15, 2006 11:16 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
...he has consistently voted against the Patriot Act, he doesn't take any soft money, he voted against NAFTA, he's anti-death penalty, and generally the best damn politician in Washington. I met him when he was first running for office when he was at a State Fair in Wisconsin just shaking hands as people were walking in the door. As soon as I found out about his calling for the censure of Bush I began drafting an e-mail to him praising him for all he's done, and encouraging him to take it a step further and call for impeachment. I'm hoping to send it out today :)

Russ Feingold would be the best thing that ever happened to this country if he ran for President and was elected.

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Feingold just embarasses
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Asses of Evil on Mar 15, 2006 11:48 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
his fellow Senators. Another reason for the exclusion of money from politics. Too many of them drink at the corporate trough and are afraid of upsetting someone. I just don't understand the logic (funny using that in the same sentence with Democrats) of the Democratic party in refusing to attack MOnkey Boy when he is down, the country agrees with them....yeesh. You know if the shoe is on the other foot (as in the case of that national-security endangering blow job) the Repubs would beat them like drums. HOnestly, what are they waiting for? Every day I think to myself of the parallels between Germany in 1932 and the US in 2006.

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Feingold is distracting us from impeachment
[Report this comment]
Posted by: janten on Mar 16, 2006 12:01 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Is Senator Feingold a political hero? Seems to me that he is distracting us from the real work at hand: impeachment, trial and punishment, perhaps even followed by civil charges and trials. Maybe Senator Feingold is only trying to take advantage of the situation by doing some political grandstanding. We have a constitutionally mandated legal process for dealing with the president and that's what we should be focusing on.

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You Democrats are so ignorant!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: redstategal on Mar 16, 2006 8:47 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Firstly, your party is a joke. The Republican party was started by ant-slavery activists. We GOPers fought against you donkeys. We fought to free slaves, you found to expand slavery. Yada Yada Yada. You complain,hate, and constantly undermine everything the Bush administration does. Maybe you don't want the Pres. to have the authority to listen to Al Queda phone calls to and from Amercia but I don't give a poop. Georgie can listen to my phone calls all day long if that will make this country safer. Your just sad because your party keeps losing. Your a mean white guy. 4 more years!

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Oh boy.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: doinaheckuvajob on Mar 16, 2006 10:51 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Where to start?
Ok, first off the Democratic party before and after slavery represented and still does the common man or woman versus big business and the state. Jefferson was the founder, Jackson the consolidator of the Party. Slavery was a southern institution. The Republican Party did a great and brave job with abolishing slavery and deserves all the credit, but from 1920 on has a horrible history in terms of the rights of blacks, women, Jews, Catholics, the Irish and any minority group if you ever studied American history you have to cop to that. Sure, the Dems have to apologize and account for support of southern slavery and the stinking southern Dems of the mid 20th Century, but it was also southern Dems like Martin Luther King and LBJ that delivered courageously for civil rights.
As for undermining Bush, we don't have to, he does it himself. Are we Dems responsible for his miserable performance in Katrina, in Iraq, and everywhere else? We don't have a majority in Congress and can't block anything he does. So we whine and complain and you can't distinguish between that and undermining?
As for the FISA phone calls, Gonzales stated that it goes far further than Al Qaida. We're all for spying on Bin Laden and any terrorist. What's wrong is using the govt. to spy on your political opponents, which Bush appears to be doing. If it was a Dem doing it, you'd call for impeachment. We should all be Americans first and uphold the Constitution and put party and politics second. That's why your fellow Republicans all over the country are abandoning this failing President.
4 more years. Sorry you can't count. There's 2 left, and Goddess willing, he won't serve it all out.

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Republican Big Govt. Intrusion must be stopped
[Report this comment]
Posted by: doinaheckuvajob on Mar 17, 2006 11:05 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
And "George can listen to my calls all day if he wants to". I love that assumption, coming from a Republican no less. For years Rebublicans cried out how they don't want big government watching their every move. Now it's ok? The whole point is you have a legal right to privacy. The 'I have nothing to hide' notion is absurd, everyone is vulnerable to harassment if they give up their freedom to have their rights respected. Do you want your phone conversations cut, spliced & distorted & then broadcast to ruin your reputation? Your info. sold to companies? Your family harrassed? This is a huge slippery slope, my friend, plus it's illegal behavior by your leader. This cannot stand.

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