Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Feingold
It is funny. Anything that shuts up Chuck Schumer for a day has to get some of my respect.
The more salient point is that Milbank sticks his finger, and some salt, in a festering Democratic Party wound, which Feingold has just reopened. This is the divide between those Democrats who do understand the requirement to fight wars, and those who would never fight them; those who respect the broader electorate's desire for heightened security after 9/11, and those who prefer deemphasizing it in favor of a law enforcement only approach to domestic security; and so forth.
Feingold is playing for the VP slot I think. He will play the dove to Hillary's hawk, with the potential to deliver an important swing state in Wisconsin in 2008. It's pissing off a lot of Dems today, but it is probably not a bad political move for Feingold.
Politics is just so weird.
2 Comments:
By 
Charlottesvillain, at
Wed Mar 15, 01:38:00 PM:
Enjoyed the piece, and was stunned to see a 'no comment' out of Schumer. Mark your calender on that one. Does anyone really play for the VP slot? Not sure I buy it, although I'd be hard pressed to explain the motivation. National Review has a pretty good editorial that attempts to. An excerpt:
The Feingold proposal is a disaster on all levels for the Democrats, but it is a boon to the Wisconsin senator, thus capturing the current Democratic political dilemma in microcosm. The left-wing netroots are rallying to Feingold's proposal, and posting the phone numbers of Democratic senators, so Bush haters everywhere can call to urge them to vote for the Feingold's censure resolution. These bloggers and their readers are a key part of Feingold's constituency for a run for the 2008 presidential nomination from the left. Anything Feingold does to please them helps himself, even if it is irrational and harmful to his party's interests. It often will be, since the netroots can't distinguish between political strategy and pointless, self-gratifying stunts. This is why they pushed Democrats to compound the disaster of the Alito hearings with a doomed filibuster of the nomination, championed — not coincidentally — by another '08 hopeful, John Kerry.
By Cardinalpark, at
Wed Mar 15, 02:30:00 PM:
I actually think Romney is doing the same thing -- playing for the 2 slot. The country isn't ready for a Mormon of Jewish President. These guys are no dummies. Romney is a brilliant #2 for Allen (and he may run from Michigan, opening that up for the Republican ticket), as Feingold could be for Clinton. If he can deliver Wisconsin. He could also be a good 2 for Warner, if Warner tops Clinton -- which I am increasingly inclined to believe.
2008 will be a very centrist election with each ticket trying to be all things to all people.
As for the Nat'l Review piece, I agree. It's the same issue as Kerry's idiotic non filibuster, Murtha's foolish withdrawal resolution and the claptrap about a non-impeachment. Pandering to the looney base...
