Feingold voting YES on Roberts?

[ewagner]

Just heard on Madison 92.1 news....a clip of him saying he'll vote yes...

:wtf:


I don't understand this in any context except that Russ is thinking of running for President and wants to curry favor with Repubs/moderates.

I'm angry about this.....

[htuttle]

1. Just heard that myself

:wtf:

[Mass]

2. This is not a surprise coming from Feingold

He has an history of always voting for the nominee except in extreme cases (YES to Rice and Ashcroft, NO to Bolton and Gonzales).

So it should not be a surprise that he votes YES.

[LTR]

6. That sums it up

Feingold's position is that a president should nominate the people he wants to, within reason.

Like any politician, Feingold may make decisions that are controversial. But he is very articulate and puts a lot of thought into his decisions. He is one of the last fair and honest politicians out there. I'm not surprised at his decision and I don't think any worse of him.

[goddess40]

12. this is an extreme case!

The supreme court is a lifetime appointment and to put Roberts in is to kiss women's rights good-by.
What point is it to please those that voted for bush - they wouldn't vote for Russ any way.

[safi0]

14. No not really.

Worst case scenario with Roberts is that he's another Rehnquist which is who he's replacing. If he was replacing O'Connor this would be a whole different story. I'll gurantee this if Bush nominates Priscilla Owen to replace O'Connor, Russ will oppose her

[hfojvt]

17. BS - the worst case scenario is that he is another John Roberts

Mark these frigging words. Rehnquist may have been bad, yes, but was he a Scalia or a Thomas or a Bork? Because that's what Roberts is. Not only that but I swear he must be the least qualified person based on experience to ever be on the Supreme Court, much less to be Chief Justice. His nomination to that post is not within reason, it is absurd. Somebody please post Feingold and Kohl's phone number and email addresses. They are both going to hear from me, and so is everyone I can contact who lives in Wisconsin.

[safi0]

19. No court has

Voted to overturn precedent more than the Rehnquist court. Rehnquist was only one of two to rule against Roe. Honestly I think he'll be more like Anthony Kennedy than Scalia or Thomas. As for Rehnquist he ruled against Planned Parenthood also. I'll be completely honest If I was a US Senator I think I would've voted for Roberts, it would'v given me more credibility when Bush nominates Priscilla Owen. Honestly I think Roberts willll be more like Anthony Kennedy than Scalia or Thomas.

[flamingpie2500]

22. Don't forget his vote to impeach Clinton--NEVER liked this guy

[eyesroll]

23. Feingold did not vote to impeach Clinton.

Impeachment is the House of Representatives' job. Feingold is -- and was -- a Senator.

He did vote to allow some questioning during an impeachment trial that was not in his power for him to initiate, which is not the same thing (and people are free to agree or disagree whether that was the right move). He voted against conviction.

[ClassWarrior]

3. I'm angry too. I just called the Capitol, and "his line's busy"...

:grr:

NGU.

[sasha031]

4. I am shocked

I thought he was a maverick, someone for the federalist society!

Well Feingold fell off the pedestal.

[safi0]

5. I agree with what

Mass said. I also think this gives him increased credibility for the second nomination which looking much more controversial

[ginnyinWI]

7. I'm angry too

Surprised and disappointed in Feingold. I don't know what he's up to, but this is not good.

Also disappointed in Kohl's yes vote, but not surprised. He rates only 15% on the scale of progressive votes overall.

[Rowdyboy]

8. Russ Feingold is who he is....Take him or leave him, he's a man of

conscience. I respect his opinion and trust that he knows what he's doing.

I've never agreed with a politician 100% of the time and don't expect to now.

[ClassWarrior]

10. Very true. I'm not surprised. Just very disappointed.

NGU.

[goddess40]

13. Looks like I'll be leaving him

too disgusted for words.

[eyesroll]

25. Just out of curiosity...who haven't you "left?"

Has anyone voted your way 100% of the time on big issues?

Maybe that's why Wes Clark is so attractive to many people here (not saying he is or was your choice -- I don't know your choice)... he has no voting record and no veto record and thus hasn't had the chance to disappoint people through a vote.

Yeah, I don't like this vote, just as I didn't like the Ashcroft vote -- but the only way I'm going to get someone I agree with 100% of the time is if I run myself.

[goddess40]

26. Obey for starters

Clinton - even though I hated the NAFTA crap he supported and passed. Russ Decker - I disagree with his concealed carry stance. Greg Huber, now Donna Seidel. Gore, I think he should run again. I don't agree very often with Gov. Doyle but I'll support him for his re-election. Is that enough?

Russ thinks that if he supports these assholes if he gets the chance the republican will let him appoint without objection - we all know that's a load of crap.

[AllyCat]

21. Roberts has NO judicial experience! How can anyone vote for him?

Let alone a man who has to know what this guy will do! Roberts has not answered any questions and has hidden information about his relevant career, so I am at a loss for how Russ can say this guy has "impeccable credentials". We have seen no credentials!

Sorry. I just can't see where this is going. Russ believes a President can have anyone in the cabinet he wants. But this is a man who will sit on the bench for the next 30 or more years, making (yes, making) policy that will affect all Americans.

Russ is wrong. I expected as much from Kohl, but this is really, really bad.

[Magrittes Pipe]

9. Feingold voting to confirm the appointment of...

...a conservative to replace another conservative? It's a wash. As Mass said earlier in the thread, Russ only votes against presidential nominees in extreme cases (like Bolton and Gonzales).

His position on this vote is consistent with his voting record. Shouldn't be a surprise.

[sybylla]

11. True, but it's not any easier to swallow

I would think after Hurricane Katrina the members of the senate who are charged with vetting nominees would realize that they are as responsible for putting incompetents in high office as the chimp is. They are, I would argue, nearly as high on the responsibility scale for the deaths caused by the FEMA incompents as the incompetents themselves.

Legislators have a duty to the people to act on the people's behalf. Principles or no, imho anyone who votes yes for a nominee who won't answer fair questions regarding his background and judicial opinions is acting irresponsibily. Allowing the idiot in chief to put people in positions for which there is no clear evidence they are qualified is abdicating their constitutional obligations to the people of this country. The standard shouldn't be if there is a reason to vote no. The standard should be whether or not there are sufficient reasons to vote yes.

It seems as this term passes, I must swallow more and more Tums just to cope with all the BS I'm supposed to choke down. I'm really getting sick of the bad taste in my mouth left by my own "Progressive" Democrats.

[Dying Eagle]

15. link

http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/statement/05/09/2005922608.html


I am pissed!

[ewagner]

16. Russ, Russ, Russ....sigh

"...have persuaded me that he will not bring an ideological agenda to the position of Chief Justice of the United States and that he should be confirmed."

[Jackpine Radical]

32. Every once in a while Russ says something like that,

leaving me scratching my head and wondering if the boy has just gone stupid.

[hfojvt]

18. more links

to contact him or his offices


http://feingold.senate.gov/contact.html

Middleton
1600 Aspen Commons
Middleton, WI 53562-4716
[phone]
TDD [phone]
Fax [phone]


Milwaukee
517 East Wisconsin Ave., Room 408
Milwaukee, WI 53202-4504
[phone]
Fax [phone]

La Crosse
425 State St., Room 225
La Crosse, WI 54601-3341
[phone] Wausau

Firstar Plaza
401 5th St., Room 410
Wausau, WI 54403
[phone]

Green Bay
1640 Main Street
Green Bay, WI 54302-2639
[phone] Washington, DC

506 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-4904
[phone]
TDD [phone]
Fax [phone]

[AndreaCG]

20. Boy did I ream him a new one

Told him I'd send money to a Democratic opponent.

[eyesroll]

24. He votes because he votes weirdly sometimes...

I don't see this as currying favor with the Republican/moderate electorate, because I honestly don't think they're as worked up as we are about it. They know the confirmation will occur, and they're paying less attention to who votes what way.

I think he voted for Roberts because, honestly, this is probably the best we're going to get from the Bush administration. Maybe he's saving his battle for the next time around (i.e. when fighting might actually have an effect).

I don't agree with the vote, but it's not a surprise, and I don't think it's politicking.

[Hippo_Tron]

27. Maybe I'm naive, but I can't be mad at Russ for this vote

Do I disagree with him, yes. Roberts dodged the questions and that is reason enough to not vote for him.

I belive that whenver Russ reaches a decission, he does so by literally sitting down and thinking about what is best for his constituency and more importantly his country. About 95% of the time I agree with his decission. On occasion, I don't, but those are the times that I respect him even more because I believe that he made the decission to vote that way because he generally believes that it is the right thing to do, not because he was pressured into it by special interests.

Maybe I'm dead wrong... Maybe Russ is a huge phony. But if he is, he certainly has me convinced.

Votes like these are what convince me that Russ could be elected President. Not because his voting record makes him "more electable" but because I believe that people will love the fact that he is not so attached to an ideology that he actually can sometimes see the other side and agree with it.

Again, maybe I'm naive, but that's just me.

[Kerri_S]

28. I'm rethinking my support for Senator Feingold

This is *highly* disappointing and I'm not sure that he is to be trusted anymore.

[safi0]

29. I have to admit

This made my support for him even stronger. Voting "No" would have been the easy thing to do. For those senators who are going to vote "NO" I hope they are doing it because they don't think Roberts as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court would be in the best interest of there constituencies or there voting there conscience. I really hope though there not doing it to succumb to the special interests. I know Russ voted what he thought was in the best interest of the people of WI and he voted his conscience. As a member of his constituency I'm really not that opposed to Roberts. He's not going to change the makeup of the court very much, if at all, but here's the main question: how much better could we have gotten out of Dubya.

[Kerri_S]

30. I totally respect your opinion

but it just seems that Senator Feingold could/should have taken a much stronger stand against this nominee who has very little federal bench experience and refuses to release information about about himself.

I just happen to think Judge Roberts *does* have ideological agenda and that it will influence the court.

[safi0]

31. The question

Again arises would we have gotten anything better out of Bush, and the answer is no. The fact that the guy whom many people on this board were hoping got nominated was a guy who think the Geneva Conventions are quaint tells us what type of people Bush was looking at

I also think the dynamics of this would've been completely different if Roberts was replacing O'Connor. He's replacing Rehnquist a conservative so the makeup of the court doesn't change very much.

Haing said all of this when O'Connor's replacement comes up if anyone other than Gonzalez, Edith Brown Clement, or McConell is nominated I expect Russ to be at the forefront of the fight against that nominee

[undeterred]

33. I'm going to write him a letter tomorrow

This really makes me angry. He can't play to the Repubs and still expect progressives to work for him. Big mistake, Russ.

[Demrock6]

34. Why Russ bash?

It seems like this one vote is destroying everything good he has done not only for Wisconsin, but for the whole country. Russ has a great record, is a good guy, and is fighting the good fight.

I agree with his "I will vote for who the president wants as long as they are within reason". It is what happens with the elections. Bush wins, puts in his guys, they screw things up, people see that it is time to elect Democrats.

We don't have any ammo on Roberts. He could end up being something totally opposite of what Bush expects. I tell you what, Sandra Day O'Connor was not supposed to be a moderate. It is not what Regan had in mind.

It will take a while to know if Roberts is a good or bad judge. But one thing I can say for sure: Russ Feingold is one of the best members of the Unites States Senate.

Feingold fan in Minnesota-

[sybylla]

35. Tell that to the people on the gulf coast

Congress has the power to vet appointees precisely to prevent cronyism and incompetence. This time, incompetent appointees may have cost thousands of lives and billions of dollars. There is a time when it is critical to ensure appointees are competent. I just happen to think a lifetime appointment to the SCOTUS is one of those.

I just went through a an interview process for two jobs. Who the fuck would give me a job if my answer to nearly every question was "I can't tell you"? As far as I'm concerned, a SCOTUS appointee has to prove they're qualified. We shouldn't assume they are, especially when they have no judicial experience.

I granted Russ his "the president should surround himself with all the idiots he wants" point of view and for the most part, that is fine with me, even for AG. But Katrina and Rita have proven that congress is just as responsible for the "general welfare" of "we the people" as the chimp and it's about time they start taking that responsibility seriously.

And I think it's rather silly to vote against the Patriot Act, claiming you're supporting the rights of the citizen as granted in the bill of rights only to then give a pass to the chimps appointees who are suspiciously wishy-washy at best on the bill of rights, including this lifetime appointment to the SCOTUS.

I agree, Russ is one of the best members of the Senate. I've worked on his campaigns and I will as long as he wants to run. But that doesn't mean he never screws up. That doesn't mean he doesn't deserve a rebuke once in a while.

And, for the record, there is a difference between bashing and criticizing. I will admit there may be both on this thread, but imho a blanket statement appears inappropriate.

[safi0]

36. Syblla I have

No problem with your opinion. I've stated why I think Russ did what he did and why I thought it was right. You obviously have a differing POV and that's fine, what I have a problem with is the pitchfork mentality that was very evident in the threads in GDP and a little in this. People calling Feingold a Bush loyalist and much harsher things is what I really have a problem with.

[sybylla]

37. safi0, I join you in abhoring the pitchfork mentality

I, too, tire of seeing it everytime one of our representatives does something a little off. It would be nice if we could find a way to channel that to better use than issue blanket condemnations of all criticism. I'm not saying that you did. But the "bashing" bashers are sometimes as common as the bashers themselves and I think both are unconstructive and detrimental to putting the issue in its proper context.

You can't live under this administration and not understand the need to vent once in a while. I just wish it were better focused.

[Demrock6]

38. Is director of FEMA a position that the senate confirms?

My guess is no. It should be though. Bush should not be allowed to put whatever prick he wants into such positions, as in Emergency Response.

If Mike Brown was confirmed, and Feingold voted yes then you have an argument.

But once again I am biased. Feingold is one of my favorite senators.