Here's Ron Johnson's new ad claiming Russ Feingold isn't a maverick: Uh-huh. Except Johnson's campaign conveniently left out one of the biggest issues of this Congress: Feingold is only Democrat against financial reform bill -Milwaukee
October 29, 2010

Here's Ron Johnson's new ad claiming Russ Feingold isn't a maverick:

Uh-huh. Except Johnson's campaign conveniently left out one of the biggest issues of this Congress:

Feingold is only Democrat against financial reform bill
-Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Feingold Will Vote Against Financial Services Reform Bill
-The Nation

Feingold: Financial regulatory bill 'falls short'
-CNN

The last one I especially want to pull out:

If Feingold says financial reform bill ‘fails the test,’ it fails the test
-Madison Capital Times editorial

No member of the U.S. Senate, with the possible exception of North Dakota populist Byron Dorgan, has been steadier in opposition to the demands of the Wall Street speculators and the big banks than Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold.

A decade ago, he was one of eight senators who opposed the repeal of the Glass-Steagall law, which in the aftermath of the stock market crash of 1929 had been enacted to erect a firewall between Wall Street and Main Street. Feingold warned then that this ill-thought-out deregulation would create instability throughout the economy, and he was right.

Two years ago, Feinfold was one of just 15 senators who opposed the Wall Street bailout that steered U.S. tax dollars into the accounts of the speculators.

During the current debate over how to reform the financial sector following the collapse of 2008, Feingold has repeatedly sought to strengthen regulations in a manner that will ensure against future collapses.

[...]

The senator has been right enough times to earn credibility as an analyst of what Congress can and should do to reform how Wall Street does business.

If he says the legislation “fails the test,” then it fails the test — and Congress should go back to the drawing board and get serious about serving Main Street, not Wall Street.

I wasn't 100% thrilled with the way Feingold leveraged his opposition, but he does deserve recognition for his steadfast position, however rightly or wrongly you view it. If that's not "mavericky" at a significant moment, I don't know what is.

That, combined with Feingold being just 1 of 15 to oppose the bailout, 1 of 8 to oppose the repeal of Glass-Steagall that helped lead to this mess in the first place, the only Senator to oppose the 2006 USA PATRIOT Act extension, the only one to vote against that shameful piece of legislation in the first place in 2001, and being just 1 of 14 to oppose the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, sure is enough to earn his stripes with me as the #1 steadfast progressive voice in the Senate.

As I wrote here, Feingold is running what I think is the most effective ad in the entire race, going after Johnson for refusing to state his plans.

Courtesy of our Neil Young contest and your generosity, we remarkably jumped from 82 contributors on Monday night to 148 (as of this post) on our Blue America page for Russ. Last-minute buys, with some exceptions, tend to be made on the Friday before the election. That means your last-minute contribution can help make Russ' closing argument the narrative in the whole election. Independence is a virtue, and Russ has got it.

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