Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Russ Feingold 'Holds On Tight'


Link to September 1 New York Times article, "In Wisconsin, an Incumbent Holds on Tight".

Excerpt: “Frankly, I love being the underdog,” Mr. Feingold said. “Let me have it.”

As the senator talks to voters across Wisconsin, that description is perhaps an exaggeration for an incumbent with a national reputation, but it has become a central part of his pitch. He is not eager to concede that control of the Senate could hinge on his seat — though it very well could — but he hopes the warning cry will prompt his loyal Democratic followers to rally to his side in a challenging election year.

“Clearly if somehow I lost, it would be a sign that we’re getting close to the line,” Mr. Feingold said in an interview on a recent day of campaigning. “We won’t lose, but it is something that is legitimate for me to mention — this seat could determine things
.”


Link to August 31 New York Times 'The Caucus' blog, "10 Questions for Russ Feingold".

He handles the second one particularly well.

Q.You’re running for a fourth term in the Senate. Does that make you a career politician as your opponent says?

A.“Instead of taking a very high paying type of law job or something that I might be able to do, I have been a legislator. That’s what I do. I think it’s an honorable profession – if you’re honest and have integrity and work hard. If the question is, ‘Have I chosen a career as a legislator?’ the answer is yes. If somebody wants to put a label on it and call it a politician, that’s like saying, ‘Is a doctor a quack or something?’ You can use a negative term for it if you want, but to me, public service is an honorable thing if you do it honorably. I don’t rehire myself. The people hire me.”

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