eggs-sellent!

.

Glad to hear that he plans to attend. I sure hope that he gets an earfull and has someone to take notes.

“If you’re following what’s going on in Wisconsin, then you’re seeing what I’m seeing: the ever-increasing, corruptive power of corporations that continue to invade our system of government”

This has been going on for a long time. You are just now going to talk it up?

Is it possible that a term or two as governor could lead Feingold to run for POTUS at some point?

he has never attended the annual gathering of progressives from across the nation.

He still isn’t.

Netroots is a Dem Party co-option agent which keeps PINOs (Progressives In Name Only) in the party fold.

That would certainly be a plus for me. I wish he’d challenge Obama.

How about now – I would vote for him over Obama; for “themalcontent”, appreciate your information, but ANY Democratic politician who wants to stay in politics in some form or another is probably going to have to be somehow involved in the Democratic Party. At least he seems to be on the correct side of issues.

The important thing is whether Feingold opposes the Democratic Party. If he doesn’t, he is worthless. Understand, I don’t mean that he has to oppose every democrat. But he must oppose the party.

He must oppose the Vichycrats. There is a difference, though the number of true Democrats, as opposed to the establishment Dems that I’m calling Vichycrats, is vanishingly small these days.

IMO, he needs to oppose the party sellouts. Yeah, most of them are. However, if someone would back them the few that are still trying to represent the people would stand more firm. I’m really surprised at the lack of support for Bernie Sanders. He has two bills going at this time and I have yet to see ONE Dem stand up.

Right! The Vichy ones.

The best of a bad lot.

Russ Feingold 2016 – Could be worse. Could be raining.

Former Senator Russ Feingold, now the head of Progressives United, a new organization dedicated to fighting the corporate takeover of government

russ might be the only person who has the integrity, the intelligence and the allegiance to this country to fix this country

I wonder if we can convince him to mount a primary challenge against the republican in office, I know he said we shouldn’t do that when he was in office but now that he is out I think his mind might be persuaded

I would support Feingold for president over Obama with both my feet and my wallet.

Boxturtle (But then I probably do the same for any Dem who wanted to challenge Obama)

I can’t really think of anyone I would rather have run kris, while it could be worse I doubt it could be better

Former Senator Russ Feingold, now the head of Progressives United, a new organization dedicated to fighting the corporate takeover of government

I’m sorry, but I can’t take a guy who voted to nationalize Romneycare complete with all its huge corporate giveaways with 20% of our economy to be that much of a fighter when the chips are down. If was a fighter against the corporate takeover of government, he wouldn’t have been a co-conspirator in the corporate takcover of government. If he voted for Romnyecare out of party loyalty, that’s no excuse.

“I will work to improve the bill, including restoring the public option, when the final version is drafted.” Har har har

I am going to support just about anyone, including a republican for office

there will be less damage done to this country with a republican in office then obama can and will do, a republican wearing a blue suit is far more damaging then a republican wearing his read suit

I agree. I just think that Russ is still along the same vein, the lesser of two evils. Or multiple evils.

He’s still an establishment politician.

AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…

Citizen David Dayen:

I certainly hope I’m wrong, but in my 4 trips to Madison and in daily recall work in my district here in the westaern part of the state and from my experience with tryin to get information from Progressives United on organizin’ and political action, I find a lot of skepticism about Citizen Feingold among workin’ folks and some political organizers with experience in this state. The single biggest difference I see between Russ Feingold and Barak Obama is that Russ is a whole lot smarter while bein’ equally personally ambitious. Lotsa folks look on Brother Feingold as an empty suit but a smart and ambitious one.

Like I say, I hope I’m wrong…I WAS wrong once last year.

KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, LEADERSHIP COMES FROM WITHIN’!!

Well I’m not going to vote for a Republican. Why not just vote for Obama then? They are the same. There are alternatives to the two major parties though and as long as people stick with the false dichotomy of either Republican or Democrat and no other choices, the less likely that’s ever going to change. IMO voting Republican is just as bad as supporting Obama.

When he was in the Senate he voted to censure Bush (can’t remember for what, there were so many) after which the Democratic Senators treated him like a pariah, sent him to the cloakroom, refused to speak to him…so it’s likely he’ll pretty much ignore most of his fellow Democrats.

I don’t want to hear anything from Feingold until he announces his candidacy for the Presidency 2012. Otherwise, he can slither away with the rest of the “Democrats”.

Red and black. Great apparel for real progressives to wear to NN this year. Just to see the Kossacks et al have the vapors if nothing else.

I wish he’d challenge Obama

I’ll have what you’re having.

Vichycrats

Excellent word.

I think I’ll go just so I can boo and taunt the chicken-shit gutless little folding chair.

Feingold? Eh… um… not so enthusiastic, shall I say? To me it’s just more of the same old same old: meet the new boss… yadda yadda.

After the LIES that Obama told us, I feel I’m in the position of: a) once bitten, twice shy, and/or b)fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

Not feeling the “love” for Feingold. But good luck, I guess.

the difference is that the democrats and progressives can’t run a defense against obama, they can against the president who advertises his true allegience

heh…

Feingold and the Netroots. Just a bunch of fucking Democrats. If they decide to devote their energies and resources to the Labor movement, more power to them. Otherwise they are spinning their wheels.

Without a PLEDGE to continue opposing Obama in the General after he loses the Primary (and believe me, friends, the fix is already in…) a Feingold run would be pointless.

The New Progressive Alliance is proposing just that – a PLEDGE by any Primary opponent not to “throw their support” to the incumbent at the convention, which, history has repeatedly shown, only consolidates the power of the PTB, and co-opts the effort to build a lasting Progressive voice.

Feingold actually polled second in voting by FDL readers last fall, on potential primary challengers. But when push comes to shove, I don’t think he’d sacrifice his “standing” (“stooping” is more like it) in The Party and opt instead to make a real difference in how we do politics. Would love for him to prove me wrong, but his collapse on the Public Option tells me it’s not very likely.

Populist movement, or veal pen bowel movement?

{ LOL }

I am still not forgetting the

ample evidence from the past to suggest that what Turley has to say about campaign finance reform is accurate.

Many Americans are familiar with the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform, which enacted a ban on “soft money,” money that flows from businesses directly into political campaign coffers in 2002 just after the major corporate scandal with Enron. Despite the limits on “soft money,” the reform legislation doubled the amount of “hard money” that could be given by one person directly to members of Congress or presidential candidates from $2,000 to $4,000.

(excerpt from “…And Crown Thy Good With Corporate Personhood” By: Kevin Gosztola Monday January 25, 2010 12:23 pm)

Just as the efforts of the FDL community resulted in even the NYT and LA Times decrying Manning’s pre-trial treatment, the point is to displace the Trojan Horse Vichycrats from the Democractic Party. They must be forced out so if they stand anywhere, they can stand where they really belong– in the “Money Party” (video ; hat tip BillionairesForWealthCare.Com)

Otherwise, it’s just bidness as usual.

“Disaster” (video) by Mark Fiore

So there are many here who aren’t “feeling the love” for Feingold? Wow. OK, he’s not Bernie Sanders (an Independent, BTW, not a Democrat), who I love. And yes, we need fire and brimstone and serious action from Progressives (if not traditional Dems).

But Russ was pretty damn good for the 18 years he was my senator. Perfect? Hell no, he would occasionally do something “by the letter of the constitution/law” that ignored practical politics. Some Supreme Court nominations come to mind. He did try to go after campaign financing with McCain-Feingold, He was the 97th poorest Senator. Christ sakes, he was the only Senator to vote against Patriot Act.

Sure, I’m biased. I’ve met Russ, did volunteer work with him back in the 90s. He was the reason I did GOTV last November, even though it was all uphill as I lived in a Republican part of Wisconsin (WI-CD-1, Paul Ryan). If I want to be disappointed in a Dem politician, I’ve got Obama filling that cup.

Been seriously & bitterly disappointed far too often to see Feingold as not much more than a member of the Veal Pen. However, I’m willing to stand corrected. But I’m gonna need *a whole lot more* than “promises” from Feingold (just saying). We got a shitload of promises from Obama, and then….

Not buying what Feingold 2011 is selling. Sorry.

Not buying what Bernie’s selling either.

I hear you onitgoes. I never thought BHO was that progressive coming in to the election (Feingold would have been much more progressive, IMO). But the level of disappointment (hell outright depression) these last two years? I have friends that are in the banking industry. The level of caving-in that Obama has done to Wall Street, while acting like a house-negro and going along with Repub memes about cutting the safety net – I can’t finish that thought or I’ll go off on a diary-length rant. I’ve been to the Madison protests a few times. There is a sliver of hope, we have to keep fighting. And yet…

I’m in my 50s and I have never been this down on my country as I am now. These next few years are going to be rough.

If you don’t like Feingold as a standard-bearer, that’s fine. But please suggest someone better as an alternative.

any evidence that “the public option,” as included in any legislation ever actually under consideration was more than a policy designed to fail?

i have NO problem with legislators who didn’t support that fig leaf. i have MAJOR problems with those who didn’t call it what it was — a bait and switch, a con job aimed at well meaning progressives who, unfortunately, didn’t know better.

james k. galbraith?

Only the evidence Feingold gave, in the form of a letter telling the president that he and 29 of his colleagues sent the president, a letter stating that the Public Option, at minimum, was needed.

Of course it was a bait and switch, selise. But Feingold’s failure to stand up even for that weakest of steps toward socialised medicine is strongly indicative of his (lack of) Progressive cred. Nobody forced him to send that letter, but he did – proving, in the end, that his word isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.

The problem isn’t the standard bearer but the standard they are vying to bear. The Democratic Party at the national level is a sold-out bastion of old-white-guy, “Bill-Clinton-was-the-best-president-evar” neo-liberalism which has completely forsaken its Progressive roots and responsibilities. It pays lip service to our rights at election time and barters them away in the name of “compromise” during the 44 months between presidential contests.

Democrats are to be trusted exactly as much as Republicans: not at all.

The lesser of two evils = still evil.

fair enough. i’d have preferred if he’d have never bothered to sign the letter — and said publicly why it was a worthless gesture. as it is, i don’t know if he was snooker too or if he was just being a cynical pol. so sad.

I’d vote for him.

edit

Is it possible to be elected to Federal public office in the USA, particularly, President, without being corrupt, or at some point acting against the interests of the people that elected you?

no.

yeah, he was one of the better ones (or least worse, depending on one’s perspective) and he did a lot of things i admire.

anyway, i don’t think people, even senators, do all good or all bad. got to try to evaluate both the pros and cons.

with the level of corruption that has been revealed by the D party leadership in the last few years, it is hard not to let cynicism rule.