Feingold To Repair Relations In Alabama

[JI7]

good move on Feingold's part. we will never win Alabama in a Presidential race in the near future but hopefully this helps the Democrats who run in local and state offices.


< U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold is returning to Alabama to mend fences.

The Wisconsin Democrat drew fire from the red state after visiting in November.

He wrote a column published on salon.com saying he didn't understand why cities like Greenville, Alabama, continue to support the Republican Party when they're so economically depressed.

Feingold said many people there don't seem to have basic health care coverage or promising job opportunities.

This time, he'll get a tour on March 28 of the city from Mayor Dexter McLendon.>

http://www.nbc13.com/news/4303741/detail.html

[sandnsea]

1. Goin' South

I don't get the uproar, it was a fair piece in my mind.

http://archive.salon.com/opinion/feature/2004/12/21/alabama/

[Syrinx]

2. I lilked it too n/t

[Rageneau]

3. More useless obsequiousness from our clueless pols.

>>>He'll also hold a listening session with residents as part of a plan to win over Republicans in southern states.<<<

Well, isn't that special?

So Feingold does something right for a change and tells the unvarnished truth, but he backs down immediately when the republican rednecks get restless. Now, he's going to go down there, hobnob with the local GOP, eat their rubber chicken, and make nice-nice with the locals in hopes of undoing the damage he did by trying to tell them the truth.

He'll probably do his best to attempt to convince Alabamans that he really isn't all THAT much of a liberal democrat, and none of the other liberal democrats are, either. Actually, they're all semi-republicans who feel pretty much the same way on the issues as the GOP does.

When he leaves town, the local GOP will probably see him off at the airport, then they'll appear on television, telling the people of Greeneville that that once Feingold came down and took a personal look around, he saw that he was all wrong about what he said about how they were being exploited.

What Feingold (and every other Democrat) ought to do is what Rove and Cheney do when they are challenged. Instead of backing down, capitulating, trying to make nice-nice, they ought to stand behind their words, repeat them, shout them over and over. IOW, they ought to FIGHT for people, not try to ingratiate themselves to them.

[w4rma]

4. You're getting angry at him for TALKING to Alabamans? and you call

him clueless for talking to them? *And* you write a bunch of hypotheticals that haven't happened and likely won't happen?

:wtf:

[leyton]

5. If you want the locals to let you fight for them,

you have to make nice with them. I don't know what you're mad at, other than that maybe a progressive Democrat who got Bush voters in Wisconsin to vote for a Democratic Senator is now attempting to do the same in Alabama. Gosh, how dare he?

[Leilani]

6. I've never seen Feingold pander

perhaps you're confusing him with someone else.

Ive only seen a very honest politician with firm beliefs who does not pander.

[QC]

12. You're right--there's no need for this sort of thing.

It's not like we need votes or anything like that.

And if you're wondering why rural voters don't care for us much, perhaps the fact that so many "liberals" and "progressives" blithlely write them off as "rednecks" has something to do with it.

[LuminousX]

20. THIS is what needs to be done

it isn't backing down, it is engaging the people.

[retread]

7. I wonder if his tour will include ALL areas of Greenville or just the

country club?

[Wilms]

8. kick n/t

[solinvictus]

9. Feingold..

From what I've read of him, I'd support him for pres in a heartbeat. He's right to visit the South. Kerry never even bothered during the election and, because of that, he was considered a snobby Massachusetts "liberal elitist".

[politicasista]

10. No that was yours and the media's portrayal

Kerry had a lot of support down here. I still feel the campaign made a huge mistake of writing off the South. We wouldn't have bit him. (LOL!)

[solinvictus]

11. That's what I meant...

Swing voters who may have otherwise voted for him were convinced to do otherwise because Kerry never came here.

[FreedomAngel82]

13. Yep

I don't think why people vote republican when there's a democrat on the ballot. Just look at the past.

[Wilms]

14. kick n/t

[NoodleBoy]

15. Alabama confuses me

the Democratic party has a 63 to 42 majority in its state House and a 25 to 10 majority in its state Senate, but none of our candidates seem to ever win statewide. Anyone care to explain?

[fujiyama]

16. These are largely Dixiecrats

and are much more conservative than Dems in general but decided not to leave the party. This is the case with several southern states. Some of them did switch though, especially in the '50s and '60s over civil rights - Strom Thurmond is a good example.

Southern Dems in general are more conservative than those on the coasts and even the mid west, especially on issues like abortion and gun control.

[AlinPA]

17. God, God, God, Guns, Guns, Guns, Gays, Gays, Gays. They think that

Dems at the national level will do away with Gawd, take away their Guns and treat Gays with respect. Can't have that.

[quaoar]

21. Not completely true

Our lieutenant governor, Lucy Baxley, is a Democrat and is likely to run for governor in 2006 -- probably against Roy Moore. Our current governor, Bob Riley, won in a very close election over Democrat Don Siegelman, who was caught up in a number of scandals.

[meow2u3]

18. Time to turn the rednecks blue

sung to the tune of Crystal Gayle's "Don't it Make My Brown Eyes Blue"

<just kidding>

[QC]

19. Calling people "rednecks" is an excellent way to get their support!

Sheer genius! Have you ever considered being a campaign consultant?

[quaoar]

22. It's a three-day tour of Alabama

Feingold is also going to Montgomery and Birmingham:

So far there are sessions scheduled with community activists, local Democrats, business groups, religious leaders, elected officials and even a session at UAB dedicated to health care. There will be a news conference, a trolley tour of historic Montgomery, and a meeting with leaders at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The format will be similar to "listening sessions" Feingold has in each of Wisconsin's 72 counties every year, and there will be no fund-raising, Aldrich said.

U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, D-Birmingham, is helping organize one of the roundtable discussions.


http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/111122766243741.xml

I'm going to have to find out where these listening sessions are and go to one.

Wouldn't it be great if Howard Dean came down here with him?