Sunday, November 12, 2006

Russ Feingold won't run in '08

As some of you know, a number of bloggers, including yours truly, met with Russ Feingold last summer. Everyone present knew that the guy had visions of the presidency dancing in his head. I came away thinking that he'd make a fine Chief Executive.

Well, it won't happen. Feingold has sent a letter to supporters making clear that he will not seek the Democratic nomination:
Like many Americans, I am excited by the results of the November 7th election. My fourteen years in the Senate have been the greatest privilege of my life and I am extremely pleased with what we have accomplished. During so much of that time, however, we Democrats have not only been in the minority but have often been so deeply mired there that my role has often been to block bad ideas or to simply dissent. That is a very important role but I relish the thought that in this new Congress we can start, not only to undo much of the damage that one-party rule has done to America, we can actually advance progressive solutions to such major issues as guaranteed healthcare, dependence on oil, and our unbalanced trade policies. The Senate of the 110th Congress could also well be a place of greater bi-partisan opportunities for change; something I am very proud to have been effective at in both Republican and Democratic Senates.
I'd have been proud to vote for the man. And yet I remain an obstinate Kerry supporter, as well as a long-term Gore admirer. Beyond that, a large part of me suspects that Wes Clark may emerge as the strongest candidate.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

...egh? Well, if you need a lift here, Joe, a part of me wants to call bullshit. I was quite certain that '08 was going to come down to a three-way staring contest between Kerry, Feingold and Edwards, going by the theory that to seek the nomination next time, you're going to have to want it in a way that only those three don't-give-a-fuck-how-hard-it-is candidates can want it (and I still don't see Hillary wanting to run while the media and the right are still this anti-Clinton or Clark wanting to run at all again).

No Feingold? I really didn't want to wind up voting for him, but I'll give him this: the man has guts. I simply can't believe he's not going to go out for it. We'll see where we are in ten months.

Anonymous said...

Surely this has been discussed here before Joseph, but I must point out to you again that Kerry, as Dub's co-bonesman, was slipped into the Dem candidate slot in '04 to play a loser's role. This was very obvious to one who watched his behavior, and then of course there was the early and eager offer to concede in spite of blatant vote fraud etc.

Please cheer for someone more trustworthy, if such a candidate exists.

Joseph Cannon said...

I don't believe that nonsense at all. I read Anthony Sutton's book on S&B ages ago, and I'm even old enough to have seen "Brotherhood of the Bell" when first broadcast.

Crap. Conspiracy crap of the worst sort. I know my way around the parapolitical universe of claim and counter-claim, and I have yet to see anything to convince me that Skull and Bones has anything like the power assigned to it by some fringe dwellers.

I'll state it again -- I have always like John Kerry, ever since I saw him on the Cavitt show as a kid.

Anonymous said...

My fondest wish for a while now has been Gore-Feingold in '08. A win could set us up for at least 16 years.

I supported Kerry as the democratic nominee in '04 but think he wimped out on the vote fraud issue, even after Gore had set the precedent for recounts in 2000. He had a historic opportunity to count ALL the votes before conceding, as he had promsed to do, but walked away from it. Like it or not, that's the way many democrats will remember John Kerry's presidential run. He should stay in the Senate and continue supporting progressive causes from there.

Kim in PA

Anonymous said...

Forget any support I would have given Wesley Clark. He said he supported Robert Gates last week.
How bad are things that we'd support an Iran contra criminal?

Anonymous said...

Okay, listen up, children: as our beloved General Clark has already tried to tell us--in the future, you're going to have to stop being afraid of the rightists. Their day is done. Are we going to spend the rest of our lives cleaning up the ruin they made of our civilization? Yes. Do you need to tremble in your boots every time one of them gets stuck in a government office some place, especially as he is clearly there as a puppet being positioned to ease us away from nuclear war with Iran? No. Clam down. And learn to read between the lines. I'm also sad that Clark can't be as candid as we'd all like, but that's just not an option for him with the media the way it is.

Anonymous said...

Joe - Just want you to know you are not alone. I still support Kerry strongly, and very much want him to win the Presidency. Yes, he's not a natural at campaigning, but he is a damn good man, who loves this country and will do right by America. He's my man.

Sadly, I thinkg it's Edwards who will win. He's at the bottom of my list. Hillary, Obama and even Biden rank higher.