Senator Feingold and Electability.

[More Than A Feeling]

There is widespread admiration on DU and elsewhere for Senator Feingold's willingness to fight the PATRIOT Act to the last, as well as his vote against the Iraq War. Most of us approve of his move to censure President Bush, although there is criticism of his handling of the measure. Best of all, he engages the netroots, posting diaries on Daily Kos. He cares about what people like us think.

Many of us won't support him for president, for a variety of reasons. Some of us don't agree with specific policy stances he has taken. Perhaps because he did allow the impeachment of President Clinton to go forward. He did vote to confirm John Ashcroft and Condoleeza Rice. I don't agree that those should be barriers to supporting him, but I understand and respect persons who choose someone else to support because of them.

I agree that we have never had a twice-divorced, Jewish liberal as president before. We've never had one run before. It creates questions about his "electability". After all, we all want to win.

I, myself, took electability very seriously in 2004, and though my primary was too late to make a difference, after Iowa and New Hampshire, I would have voted for Kerry anyway, with electability one of the main reasons. In retrospect, I would have rather voted in the primary for the person who best represented me.

This is our country, too. We have every right to vote for whom we personally want. If anti-semites and fundamentalists do not approve of whom we vote for, well, we don't approve of whom they vote for. Will we will cede our primary votes to them? Republicans will attack any candidate we put up, and the media chooses whom to push for their own reasons, and we can't control what those are. we won't cede our primary votes to those groups, either.

In the end, our candidate will win representing us, because our ideals do right by the American people. Those of the anti-semites and fundamentalists do not.

How do you feel about Senator Feingold in '08?

edits: minor grammar changes.

[Dawgs]

1. As I just read on freerepublic (regarding Rudy)...

Reagan's divorces didn't hurt him. I think the fact that he isn't married will hurt him more than anything.

[mtnsnake]

2. Reagan's divorces didn't hurt him because Democrats weren't the nasty

bastards that Republicans are when it comes to tearing a person apart for all the wrong reasons.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

4. Good point.

If they can make a war veteran that lost three limbs look like he's a terrorist (and succeed), they can do more than enough damage to Feingold.

[karynnj]

7. In fairness, this is true for everyone

That they succeeded with Clealand shows to what length they would go. I recently watched the internet video of Clealand speaking at the Kennedy Center on PTSD - he was awesome.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

8. Oh absolutely.

Feingold just gives them more fodder than a lot of other people, that's all I meant to say by that.

Hell, look at what they did to Kerry!

[MADem]

5. Reagan only had one former wife, Jane Wyman

And she was the one who dumped him. Her career was going gangbusters, his was flagging, and he was getting too political and wonky to suit her. To her credit, any time anyone asked about RWR, her stock answer was NO COMMENT. Eventually, they stopped asking.

[stray cat]

11. might help with the single vote

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

3. Unmarried AND Jewish isn't going to play too well.

Sorry, but I don't see him surviving even the primaries.

[stray cat]

10. It plays fine in rural WI - is the midwest more progressive

then the rest of America?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

12. President and Senator are two entirely different things.

[blm]

6. Focus on 06 AND expose GOPcontrol of broadcast media and voting machines

and ANY of the Democratic candidates can win the WH.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

9. Doubly agreed.

We need to win back a part of Congress if we hope to score the White House in 2008.

[Reader Rabbit]

13. I'll make the sacrifice!

If being married is what is needed for Russ to be electable, I'll take one for the team! I'd even be willing to raise our children Jewish, if that's what he wants.

Someone contact the man's office and let him know!

:P

[Tom Rinaldo]

14. My answer isn't in your poll

I voted number two but that is not really what I believe. I think it will be more difficult to elect Feingold than it will be some other Democrats, and I would prefer Feingold to be President than most other Democrats. But I think Feingold has about as good a chance of getting elected in 2008 as any current Democratic Senator who is thinking of running.

Being Jewish will hurt Feingold some. People in Wisconsin have had more time to get to know Russ than most of the nation will in 2008. It will only hurt on the margins but a small percentage loss can still hurt badly. It would not hurt Feingold as a VP nominee, and once a Jew has become Vice President, the issue will fade almost completely away from American politics. Being divorced will not help but won't hurt much unless one of his ex wives is bitter. Being single however is more of a liability. Many Americans enjoy having a first family more than continuing speculation about a White House dating game.

Being a sitting Senator is a problem for Feingold much as it is to all of the recent Senators who have run for President. There are many votes that Feingold has cast that will be spun as showing him to be weak on National Security. Can Feingold fight back? Sure, and I think the man has the character it takes to fight back better than most. Feingold in not wishy washy and we will never be an apologist for what he believes in, which will win him some critical respect, but that won't totally neutralize the "weak on national security" attacks that he will still come under. But I'll bet on Feingold over a Clinton or Biden to break through to the American people on principles.

The other reason why I couldn't honestly answer your poll is because I support Wes Clark over Russ Feingold for some reasons that go beyond electability. Feingold is probably my second choice now, but I feel more confident of victory with Clark.

[Sugarcoated]

15. They'll smear anyone we have as the candidate

If we over think it we'll end up with an establishment "safe", "most electable" candidate. It's time to stop that and go witb the right person. I say let's take a crazy chance and go with our gut.