Not having a job in politics for the first time in his adult life has apparently made former Senator Russ Feingold desperate. How else to explain Feingold being named a co-chair of President Obama's re-election campaign in Wisconsin?
That means the only member of the Senate to vote against the Patriot Act will be out stumping for a President who has continued the warrantless wiretaps on US citizens which Feingold decried endlessly as "assaults on personal liberties". And that lone dissenter will defend a President who ordered the murder of a US citizen in a drone attack in a foreign country.
It also means the man who called the enemy combatant detention facility at Guantanamo Bay the "greatest threat to our national security"--and who campaigned for its immediate closure--will now promote a President who continues to keep Gitmo open.
This means the Senator who grilled Bush Administration Justice Department officials about the indefinite detention of terrorism suspects will ask us to vote for a President who continues to hold those same suspects without trials.
In addition, the lawmaker who droned on and on about "corporate welfare" will tout the accomplishments of a President who provided billions of dollars in bailouts to the auto industry--and who lost billions more on failed renewable energy firms.
This also means the Democrat who insisted that a single-payer, Government-run system was the "only viable option" for health care reform will trumpet a President who dumped the public option from his own bill--even though Democrats HAD THE MAJORITY IN BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS!
And the crusader who put his own name on the most sweeping regulation of campaign finance laws--crying that "money has polluted politics"--will now help to raise money for a President who has made it his stated goal to spend ONE-BILLION DOLLARS on his re-election campaign.
Even if you didn't agree with Russ Feingold's politics, you had to respect the way that he stood by his principles--no matter who he had to criticize or oppose to do it. Now it looks like "getting back in the game" has become more imporant than political principle.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You sure spend a lot of time telling us everything bad about the democrats. I would enjoy reading your comments about the four republican candidates still in the mix for their party's nomination. Please share with us which of the four meet your conservative approach to government. Who will have the best foreign policy? Who's approach to taxation, size of government, education, energy policy, etc fits best into your method of conservatism?
ReplyDeleteI look forward to your ideas!
Chuck Hable
Aw, come on Jonathan...Obama has a D after his name, that's all that counts.
ReplyDeletei disagree. from what i know Feingold has and is for campaign reform....he was one of if not the first to bring it out in the open how big money is influencing law....seems fitting he would bring that integrity to the campaign of Obama, who even Feingold has spoke out against. So yes, they both have disappointed in some ways, what are you going to do, vote for Romney? Worse yet, vote for some unknown and help the Republicans win? There's never ever going to be the perfect candidate, no one can please everyone.
ReplyDeleteWho's side are you really on? You have me wondering.
ReplyDelete