Ron Johnson

Senator John McCain’s Parting Tribute To Senator Russ Feingold!

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Senator John McCain showed his better side today in the Senate chamber when he rose to praise in an effusive way his colleague, Democratic Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who was defeated in November by a Republican and Tea Party favorite Ron Johnson!

Without a doubt, the defeat of Senator Feingold was the worst loss for progressives of anyone in either house of Congress! McCain paid tribute to his partner in the McCain Feingold legislation, which unfortunately, has now been destroyed by the Supreme Court in its Citizens United Case! 🙁

But McCain also paid tribute to the principles and convictions of Senator Feingold, calling him courageous and dedicated, inspiring, a great role model and irreplaceable!

The country is the loser in the forced retirement of Senator Russ Feingold, and hopefully, somehow, we will see Russ Feingold in some other capacity in the future, as his wisdom and brilliance is sorely needed in the American future!

Personal Fortunes And Election Success: Only In Wisconsin And Florida! :(

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This election year saw many businessmen and businesswomen who decided that they were going to utilize their personal fortunes to seek office as Governor or Senator, and happily, it can now be reported that they failed to accomplish their goal, except in two tragic cases: Wisconsin and Florida!

All of the personal fortune candidates were Republicans except for Jeff Greene in Florida, who ran for the Senate in the Democratic primary against Congressman Kendrick Meek, and was soundly defeated, by a margin of about 25 points!

Meanwhile, Meg Whitman set an all time record of using a personal fortune to seek the California Governorship, spending approximately $150 million, but losing to Jerry Brown!

Carly Fiorina sought the Senate seat in California, but lost to Senator Barbara Boxer.

Linda McMahon spent a good part of her fortune for the Senate seat in Connecticut, but lost to Richard Blumenthal.

John Raese sought the Senate seat in West Virginia, using a good part of his personal fortune, but lost to Governor Joe Manchin.

Carl Paladino ran for Governor in New York, but despite the use of a good part of his personal fortune, lost to Andrew Cuomo.

However, sadly, Ron Johnson, without any background in running for office, spent a lot of his personal fortune, and defeated Senator Russ Feingold, a major loss to progressive reform, probably the greatest single setback of the 2010 midterm election! 🙁

And even more tragically, Rick Scott, who had been involved in massive Medicare fraud in the 1990s, and forced to pay a major fine but able to avoid prison, had the gall to run for Governor of Florida, defeat state Attorney General Bill McCollum for the nomination, and defeat Chief Financial Office Alex Sink by the small margin statewide of 50,000 votes, and therefore will succeed Governor Charlie Crist, who lost his Independent run for the US Senate to Republican Marco Rubio! 🙁

The idea that a wealthy man, with a background of business fraud, and with not one newspaper in the state of Florida endorsing him, and with police chiefs and many Republican politicos refusing to back him, could end up winning the Governorship of the fourth largest state, is a sad commentary on politics in the state of Florida! The voters of the state should feel ashamed at what they have wrought! 🙁

The Major Treasure Of The US Senate: Russ Feingold Of Wisconsin In Danger! :(

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If one had to select one member of the US Senate who is the epitome of the ideal Senator, the author would choose Democratic Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin!

If there was ever a person who had strong principles and has used good judgment, and has always been independent enough to challenge his party leadership at times, it is Russ Feingold!

Feingold sponsored with John McCain the McCain-Feingold legislation that attempted to regulate “soft” money and its deleterious effect on political campaign spending!

This is a man who had the guts and courage to oppose the hysterical rush toward the Patriot Act in 2001 after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, sensing that civil liberties would be restricted too harshly in the wake of the emotions felt by Americans over that horrible series of events!

Feingold has been one of a very few Senators to support same sex marriage, and was an early opponent of the Iraq War! He has acted in many ways as a true Independent!

He is one of a very small sample of past and present Senators that the author has felt a passion about, that he has been and would be an historic Senator!

But right now, at least according to polls, the Republican nominee for his seat, after Feingold has served so well and honorably for 18 years, is seen as having a real chance to defeat Feingold!

Ron Johnson, a millionaire manufacturer, backed by the Tea Party Movement, South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, and Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, is ahead in many polls, and this has set off an alarm bell among progressive and liberal supporters, who had assumed Feingold’s seat was safe, considering Feingold’s exceptional record!

It is hoped that Feingold will retain his seat, as his leaving the Senate would be a tremendous loss to that body and to progressives and liberals nationwide!