2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumFlash from the past: Clinton, Feingold have shouting match over campaign finance reform
Hillary, the dedicated reformer. lol
2002
WASHINGTON -- Sens. Russ Feingold and Hillary Clinton got into in a heated argument over the impact of Feingold's campaign finance reform legislation on Senate Democrats, Feingold said Friday.
"'You're not living in the real world,"' Clinton screamed at him, according to Feingold, D-Wis., the party's leading backer of the McCain-Feingold law.
"I picked up my glass of water, and said, 'I do live in the real world and I'm doing just fine in it,"' Feingold responded, raising his voice at the closed-door meeting of Senate Democrats Thursday.
At issue was the law's ban on soft money -- large, unregulated donations to parties from corporations, unions and wealthy people. Feingold said Clinton was worried the ban would open Democrats to legal liability because of what she considered the vagueness of the law.
Feingold said a "core group" of five or six Democrats -- including Clinton, D-N.Y. -- was trying to find ways to get around the ban.
"It was a troubling display for a party that claims to be for trying to clean up the system," Feingold said.
Clinton spokeswoman Karen Dunn noted that Clinton and her GOP opponent, Rick Lazio, agreed to ban soft money from their campaign in 2000. The ban did not apply to direct mail or get-out-the-vote efforts.
"Senator Clinton participated in the only soft money ban in last year's election cycle," Dunn said. "She voted for the bill and she supports it. Senator Clinton has the greatest respect for Senator Feingold's leadership and advocacy on this issue."
She did not address Feingold's comments about Thursday's meeting.
The exchange took place at a forum organized by Sen. Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., pitting Fred Wertheimer, head of Democracy 21, which supports the ban, against Robert Bauer, the lawyer for the Senate and House Democratic fund-raising committees, who has argued that soft money should still be allowed for several non-campaign purposes.
Daschle was among those at the meeting. Daschle spokesman Jay Carson called Feingold's comment about the Democratic Party "perplexing."
"I think Senator Daschle's and the Senate Democrats' commitment to this can be seen in the painstaking work and blood, sweat and tears that went into getting this bill passed," he said.
Feingold called the exchange amazing.
"It's not surprising, but I don't know how they think they're going to get away with, in a closed room, trying to figure out every way they can to keep raising soft money, and then publicly, act like they're getting rid of it. It's going to sound phony," he said.
The New York Daily News, citing anonymous sources, first reported the exchange Friday. Feingold said he would not have discussed the meeting publicly were it not for the leak.
Feingold said Clinton apologized to him on the Senate floor later in the day.
"I said it was a good show, and she said we should have sold tickets," said Feingold, laughing.
But he said he will fight anyone who tries to keep the current system -- "even those who vote for it and then try to undercut it."
http://chippewa.com/clinton-feingold-have-shouting-match-over-campaign-finance-reform/article_94f8c743-93e1-5e6a-ac64-ce7206ae7b8b.html
senz
(11,945 posts)The truth is out there ...
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)GeorgiaPeanuts
(2,353 posts)Stuck in a bubble of privilege and corruption so big she didn't even think it was improper to give speeches for huge payouts prior to running for president.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)Yay corruption.
CorporatistNation
(2,546 posts)And politics overall!
kcjohn1
(751 posts)During her presidency, she saw no conflict of interest of her husband and daughter soliciting donations from parties with business with the federal government.
These people have no ethics or standards. They are super pretenders.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)think
(11,641 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)It cracks me up when her supporters blame Republicans for her low trustworthy ratings.
think
(11,641 posts)jwirr
(39,215 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)EndElectoral
(4,213 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)Should be an interesting April 2nd... Feingold and Sanders and Clinton arescheduled to be at the Dem Party of WI gala and dinner as well as strongly anti-Sanders people including Al Franken (not from WI), Tammy Baldwin and Gwen Moore.
haikugal
(6,476 posts)This has been coming for a long time....
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)so hopefully more people will pick Bernie.
bbgrunt
(5,281 posts)cui bono
(19,926 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)azurnoir
(45,850 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)JI7
(89,274 posts)he ended up endorsing Obama but he said both of them were great candidates.
he got a lot of attacks from edwards supporters at the time.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)I think we all know the value of endorsements..their exchange on campaign finance
is another window into Hilary's mindset.
brooklynite
(94,739 posts)Maybe things have changed in 13 years.
JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)brooklynite
(94,739 posts)...I've mentioned this previously.
JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)brooklynite
(94,739 posts)I find it ironic that people like to beat me up for being a 1%er who helps fund political campaigns, and then beat me up for lying about it.
FYI - I've had private time with Feingold, Strickland, Kander, Kirkpatrick, Duckworth, Hassan, Murphy, Grayson and Ross
Response to brooklynite (Reply #38)
brooklynite This message was self-deleted by its author.
JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)I said I won't take your word for what e said.
brooklynite
(94,739 posts)...I figured he was broadly supportive of Sanders even if wasn't going to openly endorse.
JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)and his ways to get there, but feel Clinton is the right candidate for the time because of how the party works (said another way: inevitable).
I doubt Clinton will get Russ anywhere with his concrete goals, but politically it would be advantageous for a candidate for Senate (not an incumbent) not to back an insurgent.
Still don't believe what you say though.
brooklynite
(94,739 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)revbones
(3,660 posts)It was in between the bunny rabbit boxing matches that we were watching from a row boat on a lake. The sky was purple for some reason, I can't remember why since I woke up right after noticing that.
brooklynite
(94,739 posts)Not a problem. There is space. We've actually decided to move to a restaurant in SoHo that is a favorite of our host. I should have the name and address shortly and will send it along this afternoon. But please plan on 7:30 PM and we'll look forward to seeing you and XXX on Thursday evening.
Thanks so much and look forward to seeing you.
XXXX
PS-Here's the link for the dinner: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/09.24.15derroughdinner
HumanityExperiment
(1,442 posts)gotta love that 1% access that us normal citizens don't have, maybe the comment "If Sanders wins, we're in trouble" relates to your your continued easier access to politicians?
Now that would be inline with Bernie's platform and what he's pushes in this primary, so there is that...
again, your comment "I find it ironic that people like to beat me up for being a 1%er who helps fund political campaigns, and then beat me up for lying about it.
FYI - I've had private time with Feingold, Strickland, Kander, Kirkpatrick, Duckworth, Hassan, Murphy, Grayson and Ross"
Maybe, just maybe Bernie is making the status quo very nervous and you just happen to have a 'front row' seat right now that's getting the feedback that Bernie's message is working
brooklynite
(94,739 posts)Who, then, are the House and Senate members who will be rallying to Bernie's agenda?
HumanityExperiment
(1,442 posts)as to whom the 'rallying' will be centered on, it's the power of the people, guess whom politicians are more fearful of when it really comes down to it... the voting public, when they get motivated and vocal guess what happens?
So, to answer your question...
voters will drive politicians to be more motivated towards Bernie's agenda or those politicians will be voted out
This is the true power that's behind all of this and that is exactly what has the establishment concerned, no, afraid and you know that...
revbones
(3,660 posts)Seriously? That's your evidence for backchannel conversations?
brooklynite
(94,739 posts)I've reported many times about events and meetings I've been to...and been criticized for them and my "access". You can choose to believe them or not.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)Didn't offer an endorsement, but said he was happy Bernie was running.
beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)We were enjoying brunch on the veranda, the caviar and Dom mimosas were to die for!
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)azurnoir
(45,850 posts)what I came up with was you making the same claim twice before with no link even when asked for one
JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)Autumn
(45,120 posts)"'You're not living in the real world,"' Clinton screamed at him.
JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)longship
(40,416 posts)Support Bernie Sanders, the candidate who will not be the president for Government Sachs!
I'll leave it at that.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)Nothing to see, keep moving on.
Skwmom
(12,685 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)It's only a Republican issue.... la la la la la
quantass
(5,505 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)Octafish
(55,745 posts)No wonder the guy got so little help in 2010 from Rahm and Debbie.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)next up to run for president.
His loss back at the time:
In Feingolds Loss, Independents Turn on One of Their Own
MIDDLETON, Wis. The irony was lost on no one. Senator Russ Feingold, a liberal with a fierce streak of independence who crusaded against the influence of money in politics, was toppled Tuesday in a campaign awash in the kind of unregulated cash he had struggled to keep out of the system.
And in a poignant twist, the loss came, in part, because independents flocked to his opponent, despite Mr. Feingolds record of one maverick vote after another.
He was the sole senator to oppose the USA Patriot Act after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. He also broke with President Obama on several occasions, opposing the expansion of the war in Afghanistan, the bailing out of financial institutions in 2008 and the regulation of Wall Street this year, saying the restrictions did not go far enough.
Most prominently, he battled his colleagues to overhaul the campaign finance system; the resulting law, passed in 2002, bore his name and that of Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican (who won re-election Tuesday).
After being eroded for years, the McCain-Feingold Act was gutted this year by the Supreme Court, helping to pave the way for millions of dollars to gush into campaigns from outside groups, most of whom do not have to reveal their donors including at least $4 million in Wisconsin this year, virtually all of it against Mr. Feingold, 57, or for his opponent, Ron Johnson, 55, a wealthy Republican businessman.
Mr. Feingold rejected such money, as he had his entire career, but analysts said that probably had little to do with his loss.
Independents deserted Democrats, period, said Ken Goldstein, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. This was not about Feingolds record or the money or the advertising. It was about the anger of independents at the status quo.
Still, others saw the flow of unregulated money as an added dimension to the narrative, in which Mr. Feingold was hoist on his own petard, said Mordecai Lee, who was first elected to the State Senate with Mr. Feingold in 1982 and is now a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.
Because his good-government streak and his push for changes in the campaign finance system had no political constituency, Mr. Lee said, they led to the lawsuit that opened up the floodgates.
As it happens, Mr. Feingold raised and spent more money than Mr. Johnson, at least as of mid-October. In fact, their arms race led to what appeared to be the most expensive Senate race in Wisconsin history, topping out at more than $35 million.
Mr. Feingold had raised $18.2 million and spent $16.2 million by the middle of last month, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Mr. Johnson raised $12.8 million, and spent $10.5 million, pumping in more than $8.2 million of his own money.
Mr. Feingold has served in the Senate for 18 years and was seeking his fourth term. Mr. Johnson, a plastics manufacturer who had never run for office, won with 52 percent of the vote, to Mr. Feingolds 47 percent.
Mr. Feingold was caught in an avalanche that crushed Democrats nationwide. Apart from capturing Mr. Feingolds seat, Republicans here made a clean sweep of state government, winning the governors office and control of both houses of the State Legislature. One poll found that Mr. Obamas approval rating here had declined at a faster rate than in any other state.
Despite his independence, Mr. Feingold allied himself strongly with certain Obama policies, including the health care bill, for which Mr. Johnson repeatedly bashed him.
Mike Wittenwyler, a Madison lawyer who had worked for Mr. Feingold in previous elections, said that the desire for change this year had overwhelmed everything else.
This is the kind of climate where you would vote your mother out of office, he said. If you had a D after your name, it was a liability.
Mr. Feingold has spent his life in government. After winning a Rhodes Scholarship and graduating from Harvard Law School, he worked for a few years in private practice, then ran for the Wisconsin State Senate and has served in public office for nearly three decades.
It is not clear what he will do next. In a brief speech Tuesday night, he told the 300 supporters gathered in a hotel here in his hometown, Its on to the next fight, its on to the next battle, its on to 2012 and it is on to our next adventure. Forward.
He then raised his fist in the air and left the stage.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/us/politics/05feingold.html?_r=0
Scuba
(53,475 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)and Feingold wins his seat back, he will be well positioned to run for president
next time around. I would love it.
quantumjunkie
(244 posts)felix_numinous
(5,198 posts)Anyone holding onto their scruples in this day and age, with all that money flying around, deserves the highest respect.