Can Russ Feingold win a general election?

[© tweed]

Simple question.  I like this guy by unfortunately, I don't think he can beat any plausible GOP nominee other than Bill Frist...and even that's trivial.

May the public vote.

[nini2287]

I say yes.  The reason that Democrats have lost many past elections was the lack of a clear, consistent and charismatic voice (Kerry being the perfect example).  Feingold has those qualities and although he has a generally very liberal voting record, I don't think that will alieniate him any more from the electorate any more than Dukakis, Gore or Kerry.

[TheresNoMoney]

He speaks his mind and has shown his independence from the Democratic party on many issues.  He also never backs down from his stances.

I'm really not sure about his chances in a general election but if I had to pick a nominee who exemplified what a Democrat should be about, it would be Russ.

[George W. Hobbes]

I was speaking to a guy from Wisconsin today who told me that Feingold is a rather conservative Democrat and environmentalist groups don't like him.  Is that true?

[Frodo]

I was speaking to a guy from Wisconsin today who told me that Feingold is a rather conservative Democrat and environmentalist groups don't like him.  Is that true?

I have no idea where he got that impression, given that Sen. Russ Feingold was rated 100% by Americans for Democratic Action, and 92% by People for the American Way, especially if you look at his Senate ratings from environmental groups. 

[TheresNoMoney]

I was speaking to a guy from Wisconsin today who told me that Feingold is a rather conservative Democrat and environmentalist groups don't like him.  Is that true?

No, just the opposite. He has great support from environmental groups.

[Speed of Sound]

He could, but it would take more than a pinch of magic

[Ben.]

Yes, it's possible but unlikely... but I would argue he would not be the disaster ‘down ticket’ that a candidate like Clinton would be.

[Moooooo]

Yes. 

His divorce and being jewish doesnt exactly help, but the people who are not going to vote for him solely because of those reasons wouldnt vote for him in the first place.

Unlike Kerry he rarely flip-flops.  He has opposed the War in Iraq, NAFTA, GATT, and numerous othe issues from the beginning.  He also has a voting record to prove it.

[skybridge]

Yes. Period.

[Ben.]

Some comparisons have been made between Dean and Feingold, but I think that that has been inaccurate.

Feingold is a far more consistent and discipline politician than Dean or even Kerry, he is also far more articulate and accessible that either the frosty Dean or the some times aloof Kerry.

While he would draw his support from the progressive left of the party, I don’t think he would be a hostage to it, nor do I think that he would incite the kind of bitterness and even hate of the opposition that Dean and his allies did… in so doing he would not seem out of the mainstream, or threatening, a trait he shares with fellow progressive Barack Obama.

But he remains to the left of many Americans, and that could play against him, but at the same time Feingold would be hard to paint as somehow alien to the values of most Americans, or extremist unlike liberals such as Dean or Pelosi (both IMO to the left of a character like Feingold).

In the end though I think Feingold would be far more competitive than many people would initially suppose, but at the same time he would probably face a challenger as great if not greater than a candidate like Clinton or Kerry, however I think he would be far better equipped to handle it.

[TheresNoMoney]

I challenge anyone who doesn't think he's presidential material to watch Russ Feingold's speech to the Rockingham County Democrats in NH on Road to the White House on C-Span on Sunday night. Brilliant and inspring speech.

I went to Senator Feingold's listening sesssion at Dartmouth College this morning! It went great. I already knew his positions and the way he approaches politics, so I wasn't surprised. But I think he impressed everyone there. I didn't actually meet him face to face since it would have been a hassle fighting some of the other people.

Interesting comment he made when asked about John Roberts. He believes that Roberts may end up being similar to NH's own David Souter. He reiterated his support for gun rights and says he strongly supports the 2nd Amendment. He touched on some of his core issues such as universal healthcare, strengthening trade agreements, raising the minimum wage, tax reform, balancing the budget and decreasing the deficit,  and foreign policy.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

I was speaking to a guy from Wisconsin today who told me that Feingold is a rather conservative Democrat and environmentalist groups don't like him.  Is that true?

If your main issue is Congressional pay raises, then sure.

[A18]

Feingold is a statist.

[Alcon]

Yes, he can, although it's rather unlikely.

[© tweed]

I've thought this over now and decided the only two realistic candidates he could defeat would be Jeb Bush and Bill Frist.  Against a George Allen or even a Huckabee (who won't be nominated) he'd lose; and of course, against McCain he'd lose.

The Democrattic 'best bet' for 2008 is very unclear.  Everyone has drawbacks.  Warner's a one-termer; Feingold's a liberal senator (last lib senator to win was John Kennedy); Kerry is horrible; Hillary is horrible; Bayh care more about political ramifications than issues; etc.

It's hard to see a Democratic victory in 2008, unless somebody emerges that I'm not finding right now.

[Moooooo]

What about Vilsack.  He has experience, a great personal story, moderate appeal, locks up Iowa, and would playout well in the midwest.

[The Dowager Mod]

No.
Divorced jew.

[Moooooo]

I've thought this over now and decided the only two realistic candidates he could defeat would be Jeb Bush and Bill Frist.  Against a George Allen or even a Huckabee (who won't be nominated) he'd lose; and of course, against McCain he'd lose.

The Democrattic 'best bet' for 2008 is very unclear.  Everyone has drawbacks.  Warner's a one-termer; Feingold's a liberal senator (last lib senator to win was John Kennedy); Kerry is horrible; Hillary is horrible; Bayh care more about political ramifications than issues; etc.

It's hard to see a Democratic victory in 2008, unless somebody emerges that I'm not finding right now.

What about Vilsack?  He has experience, a great personal story, moderate appeal, locks up Iowa, and would playout well in the midwest.

By the way, I dont buy the whole funny last name therefore he is not electable arguement.

[© tweed]

What about Vilsack.  He has experience, a great personal story, moderate appeal, locks up Iowa, and would playout well in the midwest.

Honestly, I don't know too much about him other than that he was on Kerry's VP short list in 2004.  I seem to remember some people here posting that he didn't have any kind of charm or charisma, but I can't verify that myself.

[TheresNoMoney]

The political landscape is changing. It is not going to be the same in 2008 as it was in 2004.

Russ Feingold has a chance to do extremely well. He is much more inspiring and charismatic than George Allen or Mike Huckabee. He really connects with people and oozes integrity when he speaks.

Forget the superficial issues, he's the real deal.

[TheresNoMoney]

No.
Divorced jew.

I don't think this will be as big an issue as people think.

[skybridge]

No.
Divorced jew.

I don't think this will be as big an issue as people think.

Yeah, really. The only people to be fooled by this weren't going to vote for him anyway. I'd like to see Newt Gingrich challenge him on having gotten a divorce! The fact that he's Jewish wont necessarily alienate the Christian right, since they believe Israel must survive for Jesus to return. Like Scoonie said, besides these superficial aspects Feingold is the real deal.

[ian]

I voted yes, but the man is an extreme liberal and Jewish--both of which really don't help him.  I personally love him; behind John Edwards, I would support him the most for president.

[TheresNoMoney]

No, he's not "extreme liberal".

He is one of the top budget hawks in the Senate, opposes pork barrel spending, and supports gun rights. He is definitely not an idealogue. Even Democrats call him a maverick.