Why did Feingold state this morning on Stephanopoulos that McCain would

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

defeat him in a general election?

I asked this in another thread, but with no answers, so I will just ask again. I heard it with my own ears and he seemed perfectly serious when he said it. Why would he ever say something like that? To what end? Up til now, he has been one of my big favorites.I sent him a contribution because he seemed like the national Dem closest to my own views and the most eloquent, confident, and unruffled of the bunch.

I am sure that a McCain vs Feingold race would be tight and tough, but I would expect Russ to win because he is right on a larger number of issues, many of them domestic as well as defense policies.

[napi21]

1. I heard him say that too, and I have no idea why!

I realize both guys are friends and that's nice and all, but it sure sounded to me like he was sticking a stake in his own heart!

I guess the only way you'll possible get an answer is to contact Finegold's office and ask. However...remember I said POSSIBLY!

[pstans]

2. I think he was downplaying his candidacy

Most people think McCain is going to run. Russ hasn't announced yet and didn't want to lead on too much. He was also being friendly towards McCain. Right now McCain has more name recognition than Feingold too.

[Bombtrack]

3. because Feingold lives in frigging reality

McCain, if he ever got past the GOP primary, would be unbeatable by any democratic candidate.

[Clark2008]

8. Well, almost any.

I think the guy in our avatar's would give him the best run for his money: war hero v. war hero. Southerner v. mid-Westerner. Foreign policy specialist who warned against Iraq v. Foreign policy specialist who thinks Iraq is really part of the war on terror.

It would be an interesting election, that.

[guidod]

10. Good point...kick!

[guidod]

9. Why do you say that?

Just wondering why you would think McCain would be that strong, he has a lot working against him.

[Larkspur]

17. McCain is not invincible

He's prostituted himself to the "agents of intolerance" over the last 8 years and supports Bush's failed policies.

If the Dem nominee doesn't attack McCain for his hypocrisy and heartlessness when he at cake with Bush while New Orleans drowned, then McCain will win in a cake walk.

[rep the dems]

22. Fuck that. I'm tired of hearing about how McCain would easily

win in 2008 against any democrat. How bout we have some faith in our party? We all know McCain is a piece of shit, and if our nominee knows it too then I think we have a good shot. Sooner or later people are going to realize that McCain isn't the lovable moderate conservative that a number of misguided voters think he is. He's just a Bush hugging flip flopping jerk.

[MoonRiver]

4. I wasn't able to watch any of the Sunday talk shows today,

but oddly enough I was thinking just now about Feingold winning the Dem election! I also thought about how odd it would be if McCain won the Puke primary and the two coauthors of the McCain/Feingold campaign finance reform bill faced off against each other in '08. However, although I believe Russ has an excellent chance of winning the Dem primary, I don't think McCain will win his primary (too many wackos still control that party).

Hopefully I was correct on both counts and Feingold won't have to deal with that contingency.

Still, he shouldn't expose any weaknesses, perceived or real, to the fascist whore media. They will exploit it for all it's worth.

[w13rd0]

5. Because the media and the pundits...

...over and over try to portray McCain as a "moderate". They've been working hard the past couple weeks to set up McCain and Lieberman as the "moderate" alternatives to the "extremists" in both parties...when the truth is McCain is VERY conservative, and Lieberman is a self-serving opportunist.

[blm]

24. That's pretty much it. Also, Feingold doesn't know how to hit McCain's

vulnerabilities because he is not as familiar with them. He's only been a part of McCain's strengths and played second fiddle to him for a few years, and hasn't witnessed his breakdowns where he showed his greatest weaknesses.

[John Q. Citizen]

6. Reminds me off the old Bill Walsh ploy

when he was head coach of the 49ers.

He used to talk up how their next opponent had this or that advantage and how the 49ers were lacking in this or that respect.

Walsh coached the '9ers to a few Super Bowl wins as I recall.

[MannyGoldstein]

7. Because Feingold Couldn't Get The Senate to Censure

Russ couldn't get more than a handful of Senators to favor what was obviously their duty: to censure the President for totally abrogating the Constitution; nor could he capitalize on the attempt.

That's not a reflection on Russ so much as it is a reflection of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeitgeist ">Zeitgeist. The zeitgeist isn't ready for a Feingold presidency.

But Zeitgeists change - FDR and Churchill were all considered utterly out of touch kooks for years - and suddenly the Zeitgeist flipped towards them, and the rest is history..

[longship]

11. Somebody needs to inform Stephananopolis.

That the Presidential election isn't until 2008. Maybe he doesn't know.

[CrushTheDLC]

12. Because a lot of people still believe the pre-2000 Mc Cain exists?

McCain used to be a resonable Republican, or at least was able to project that image successfully. I voted for him in the 2000 primary myself, just because any vote against a Bush is a good vote.

But something has happenned to the man since Chimpy got installed in the White House. Physically, there's something wrong with him, which is very noticeable in his face (steroid based medication, I'm guessing) Trying to tie that to the Bush Crime Family would be deep tinfoil territory, of course.

But beyond that, something's mentally wrong there too. And I don't mean "crazy old POW who went nuts in a tiger cage back in 'Nam" because I never bought that shit.

What I mean, is a (formerly) reasonable centrist Republican who has been reduced to THIS.....

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

16. Am I seeing this in paper mache on the back of a pick-up in the future?

The Hug?

[Nikki Stone 1]

18. More than a hug--McKean is in a childish posture

Need a different name, but yes on the papier mache.

[Auntie Bush]

23. McCain looks so adoring and bush looks like he doesn't give a shit.

In fact he looks like he's creeped out by the hug.

Idea! Maybe bush* made McCain give him a big emotional humiliating hug in public and then in return he'd give the GOP his approval for a McCain nomination...which he has done over and over again after that hug.

[BenDavid]

13. I will say it now and for the record,

McCain will not run in 08!

[saltpoint]

14. No votes for John McCain at my house.

I'm still mad at 'im for pussyfooting with Dubya during the 04 campaign.

[Disturbed]

15. McLame wants to be Pres so bad that he will

do and say anything. The rumor is that he would select Jeb as VP if the Repug Party will endorse McLame.

[saltpoint]

19. A disturbing rumor, to be sure. Downright sickening, in fact.

If the man hadn't whored himself out to Dubya, I'd go easier on him.

But there he was, stumping for a moron and trashing Democrats.

I'll support any Democrat we've got over McCain.

[ursula law]

25. i almost vomitted when i read that

cant stand any more bushes in the white house. i would die

[PaDem]

20. He's right.........

I like Feingold a lot, but he's not a candidate for President.

[Stinky The Clown]

21. McCain ain't all dat ...... not no more

There was a time when I had a reasonably high opinion of him. That extended through the 2000 primary season.

When he stopped living up to the popular reputation of his, he lost me.

I don't know that I would ever have actually voted for him, but I admit to considering it at one time.

[SaveElmer]

26. Unfortunately being right on the issues is not enough...

If that were the case there wouldn't have been another Republican President after Herbert Hoover!