I, along with many others on the left, reject the notion that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is the presumptive Democratic candidate for president in 2008. From her wildly supportive position on the Iraq war, to her support of a red state flag burning amendment, and her refusal to support gay marriage — Hillary Clinton is NOT the best face of our party.
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) is much closer to what I see as a true progressive in the Democratic party. The bloggers who run RussForPresident lay out items in a series that show compelling reasons for what makes Feingold so much more attractive than Clinton.
1. Because he’s fighting for us!
2. Voted against the Patriot Act to protect our civil liberties
3. Returns his pay raise to the Treasury every year
4. Votes against unfair trade agreements (NAFTA, GATT, etc…)
5. Demands the citizens of the US have the same quality healthcare as he does
6. Has held open listening sessions in every county in Wisconsin for 12 years
7. He has a broad appeal and has received many votes from both parties
8. He has one of the best environmental records in the Senate
9. A strong commitment to our Veterans with a record to prove it
10. Works to cut wasteful spending and has received endorsements to show it
11. He supports a woman’s right to choose
12. He demands fairness in campaigning and fights to block ‘corporate bribes’
13. He has consistently worked to end the death penalty
14. Works to helps Police Departments, and was honored by the Nation Association of Police
15. Organizations as the Senator of the year.
16. He opposed No Child Left Behind
17. Worked with students to increase Pell Grants
18. Voted against the Iraq War Resolution and in favor of funding to support our troops.
Number 18 gives Sen. Feingold a level of moral authority Democratic senators like Clinton, Biden, Lieberman and Kerry don’t have — each of whom voted in favor of the Iraq war. With American casualties in Iraq at 2,236 and the price tag for the war nearing a half trillion dollars, Feingold was correct to oppose this neocon-driven, military folly.
There have been comments made that Feingold may be unelectable because he is:
1. divorced and,
2. jewish
Let’s take the divorced issue. In response I have two words; Ronald Reagan. Reagan was the darling of Republicans and he was not only divorced, but he was elected governor of California twice and president twice. Many presidential historians place Reagan (I strongly disagree with their assessment) in the top 10 greatest presidents of all time.
As far as Feingold being jewish, I ask, so what? According to a poll by the ADL (Anti-Defamation League), negative stereotypes attributed to jews had steadily declined from 1964 to 1992 and positive images of jews had increased. When Vice President Al Gore selected Sen. Joseph Lieberman to be his running mate in 2000, there was very little attention paid to the fact Lieberman is jewish.
In Feingold’s home state of Wisconsin, one poll shows a stunning 49% of voters would support his run for president.
From the Left 