One action can be interpreted many different ways. Wisconsin's U.S. Senate election is no different. On the topic of the USA Patriot Act, what one campaign is harking as a candidate's brave defense of civil liberties is being counter-portrayed as a crucial failure in leadership.
From the beginning of his campaign, Republican Tim Michels has challenged U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., on his refusal to support the Patriot Act after Sept. 11. Yet Feingold, the only senator to vote against the act, has repeatedly defended his case.
\We all had our own initial reactions [to Sept. 11], and my first and most powerful emotion was a solemn resolve to stop these terrorists,"" Feingold said in a speech the day after voting against the act. However, Feingold argued the Patriot Act was passed with almost no revision or review, leaving the public open to Constitutional violations.
""We must examine every item that is proposed ... to be sure we are not rewarding these terrorists and weakening ourselves by giving up the cherished freedoms that they seek to destroy,"" Feingold said.
Michels' campaign sees things differently. According to Michels, the Patriot Act has been instrumental in deterring further terrorist attacks in America and has not encroached upon constitutional rights. His campaign views Feingold's refusal to support the Patriot Act as a refusal to fight terrorism.
""Sen. Feingold was wrong in his sole dissenting vote in the Patriot Act,"" said Michels during an interview with The Daily Cardinal.
While Michels agreed there were flaws in the Patriot Act, timing was critical after Sept. 11. ""If you wait too long for the perfect solution, or in this case the perfect legislation, you will wait too long,"" he said.
According to UW-Madison communication arts Professor Stephen Lucas, Michels is trying to find an issue where he can make progress with voters, a crucial strategy in an election where Michels is behind Feingold by double digits according to some polls. However, Lucus said he does not believe Michels' strategy will work.
""There is potential for his attack, but in this case Michels is not as credible, as respected or as well-known as Feingold,"" he said. Lucas added Wisconsin is unique in that it prides itself on its independence, which might actually lend popular support to Feingold's break from the popular majority.
