A recent opinion column argued that Senator Russ Feingold is wrong for Wisconsin by attempting to paint Feingold as an out-of-touch politician and straight party-line voter. While this is undoubtedly a characterization that the radical Republican candidate for Senate, Ron Johnson, and his supporters would like people to believe, voters know the truth. Russ Feingold is an independent voice in Washington and a ceaseless advocate for the people of Wisconsin.
The economy continues to be the biggest issue for voters ahead of this fall's election, and Senator Feingold and the Democrats have shown that they are willing to take action. Last month's numbers from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimate that the stimulus package passed by Democrats in Congress saved between 1.4 and 3.3 million jobs during the second quarter of this year alone.
The author vehemently argued that small businesses are a good source of job growth. He would actually find that Senator Feingold is in agreement there. Unfortunately, Republicans killed a Senate bill this summer that would have cut taxes and increased lending to small businesses. While busy touting Ron Johnson's private sector experience, the author failed to mention that Johnson took $4 million in federal loans to help build his own business. That omission isn't surprising, considering the Johnson campaign itself has tried to hide that information from the public. Despite Johnson's extreme rhetoric against the role of the government in job creation, his actions show that even he realizes that the government can play a beneficial role in strengthening businesses.
But where the author's argument lost all credibility was where he attempted to paint Feingold as an out-of-touch, partisan ""yes man."" Every year, Russ visits all 72 of the state's counties to hold town hall listening sessions, over 1,200 total since he was first elected, and he has returned every pay raise that Congress has approved during his 18 years in the Senate.
On the other end of the spectrum, Feingold's Republican opponent has stated that he could flood this year's race with over $10 million of his own money. Attempting to purchase a ticket to Congress hardly seems to exemplify someone who grasps what is most important to the majority of Wisconsinites.
In addition, Senator Feingold has spent his career standing up for the people of Wisconsin in the face of partisanship and special interests. Feingold was the only Senator to vote against the original Patriot Act, parts of which were later struck down as unconstitutional in federal court. This term, he continues to disregard partisan divides, not only breaking from other Democrats on the bank bailouts and recent banking reform bill, but also teaming up with Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) to block wasteful earmarks from making it into final legislation.
The truth is that Senator Feingold only acts with one specific interest in mind: whatever is best for the people of Wisconsin, regardless of what the party or special interests might have to say. This is the reason that voters of all political backgrounds consistently put their trust in him, including in his last campaign, in which he won 27 of the 45 Wisconsin counties that voted to re-elect President Bush. Russ Feingold makes it clear to Wisconsinites of all political loyalties that he cares deeply about our issues and works tirelessly to bring about the change we need. His consistent record of service will continue to tell the true story, no matter how many baseless claims and malicious attacks are made against him.
Travis Serebin is the communications director for the College Democrats of Madison. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com
