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Sen Russ Feingold Defeated

By Jeralyn, Section Elections
Posted on Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 09:56:33 PM EST
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America lost a great Senator tonight. Russ Feingold has been defeated in Wisconsin.

The other Republican wins tonight, modest in number, were expected. Losing Feingold is unexpected and disappointing.

We've got so few progressives in the Senate to begin with. Losing even one hurts, but this one especially. Feingold didn't always toe the Democrats' line. He supported gun rights. He was the lone vote against the Patriot Act. He opposed FISA. He was a maverick and he fought tirelessly for his positions.

Wisconsin has voted out one of the country's finest Senators. It not only shot itself in the foot, it hurt us all.

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    Sen Russ Feingold Defeated | 18 comments (18 topical)

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    Disappointing, and symbolically awful, (5.00 / 2) (#2)
    by andgarden on Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 10:05:27 PM EST
    but not surprising. The polls turned out to be right, as they usually are.

    Surprised to read (5.00 / 2) (#7)
    by oculus on Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 10:11:17 PM EST
    andgarden's comment the polls are usually right.

    I have the greatest repect for Sen. Feingold's holding out against FISA.

    Why surprising? (none / 0) (#10)
    by andgarden on Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 10:18:42 PM EST
    Polls usually are right.

    Parent
    Jeralyn (5.00 / 2) (#9)
    by glanton on Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 10:16:02 PM EST
    Well said.  That one hurts the most, more even than losing the House in some ways.  Party majorities come and go, the likes of Russ Feingold simply do not.

    Wisconsin was home to Joe McCarthy, too. (none / 0) (#1)
    by denise k on Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 10:02:21 PM EST
    People forget that Wisconsin is a schizophrenic state.  Yes, it has elected terrific progressives like Bob LaFollette, Gaylord Nelson and Russ Feingold, but it also gave us Joe McCarthy.  Madison and Milwaukee are very progressive, but the rest of the state is not.  

    It is disappointing, but not as surprising to me (having grown up there) as it might be.

    Many Milwaukee, Madison, (none / 0) (#4)
    by Cream City on Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 10:06:35 PM EST
    and Racine results not in yet, local teevee reports.  But with almost half of the vote in, and a wide gap -- yes, Wisconsin is going back to its roots, and long before Tailgunner Joe.  Almost a century and a half ago, it was the birthplace of the Republican Party. . . .

    Parent
    Though that was the Republican Party (none / 0) (#11)
    by denise k on Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 10:20:37 PM EST
    of Abraham Lincoln, not of DeMint.  ;(

    Parent
    You know that in nooks (none / 0) (#12)
    by Cream City on Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 10:29:23 PM EST
    and crannies and corners of Wisconsin, they don't know that time has passed. . . .

    Parent
    In Appleton (none / 0) (#18)
    by denise k on Wed Nov 03, 2010 at 04:29:34 PM EST
    some still put flowers on McCarthy's grave on his bday -- or so I am told.

    OT. I read somewhere that Greta VanSusteren has history of having Tailgunner Joe at her parents' house growing up.  That explains a lot, if true.

    Parent

    Feingold to concede in a few minutes (none / 0) (#5)
    by Cream City on Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 10:08:03 PM EST
    say some local teevees.  Others say no concession soon, with half a million votes still to come.

    Parent
    So sorry :( (none / 0) (#6)
    by nycstray on Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 10:11:04 PM EST
    not something i want to watch . . . .

    Parent
    Tightening with 1/3 of the votes (none / 0) (#14)
    by Cream City on Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 10:53:38 PM EST
    still to be reported.  Still a loss, but perhaps a closer loss, after all:

    Wisconsin - 2480 of 3609 Precincts Reporting - 66%

    Name     Party             Votes     Vote %
    Johnson , Ron     GOP     750,948 51%
    Feingold , Russ (i) Dem 696,257 48%

    Parent

    Interesting tweet traffic (none / 0) (#8)
    by Cream City on Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 10:13:15 PM EST
    saying that Feingold now will be free from Dem leadership to, instead, lead an antiwar movement.

    I don't think so.  Not up against Chicago.  But interesting to see the antiwar tweet talk.

    Parent

    What A Shame (none / 0) (#3)
    by squeaky on Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 10:05:48 PM EST
    The best Senator we had. Come to NY and take out Schumer... please!!!!

    There may be only one or two (none / 0) (#13)
    by Cream City on Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 10:38:19 PM EST
    Dem members of the House, too, after this widespread carnage in Wisconsin.  Kagen is out in Green Bay.  Duffy is in for Obey's seat.  Etc.

    Baldwin came through in Madison/Dane County -- but her nobody opponent got quite a turnout, even there.

    My God... (none / 0) (#15)
    by weltec2 on Wed Nov 03, 2010 at 05:49:42 AM EST
    Russ... my favorite of them all...

    Sad (none / 0) (#16)
    by blueaura on Wed Nov 03, 2010 at 09:05:20 AM EST
    Of all of last night's results, this one hurt the worst. I live in Illinois but was born and raised in Wisconsin. I wish I could have cast my vote for Feingold instead of Giannoulias. Russ is a rare true progressive and a fighter. I'm disappointed in my fellow Cheeseheads right now.

    While I question the depth of Feingold's (none / 0) (#17)
    by Socraticsilence on Wed Nov 03, 2010 at 11:45:27 AM EST
    convictions- at least he said the right thing (sorry, but I can't take him seriously, on the war or Gitmo after the farce that was his NIMBYism when the Admin attempted to close Gitmo).

    Sen Russ Feingold Defeated | 18 comments (18 topical)

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