Here’s a few thoughts I had regarding last night’s debate between Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate candidates – challenger Ron Johnson and incumbent Sen. Russ Feingold:
- What was with the moderators referring to Sen. Feingold as “Mr. Feingold?” Hasn’t Russ Feingold earned the right to be called Senator Feingold?
- One of the highlights of the debate for me came when the candidates discussed agriculture. Sen. Feingold talked about his support for Wisconsin dairy farmers, then he turned his remarks to so-called “free trade” agreements, noting that a proposed “free trade” agreement with New Zealand – which Feingold asserted Johnson would support “in a New York minute” – would certainly result in the creative destruction of Wisconsin’s dairy industry.
- The two candidates presented themselves very differently in my opinion. While Sen. Feingold seemed well-prepared and confident, Johnson seemed to struggle at time, especially when it came to clearly articulating his points. As a friend told me, it sounded like Ron Johnson had marbles in his mouth during the debate.
- Obviously I’m biased, but I think Sen. Feingold was the clear winner in last night’s debate, and I’m not alone. Several of my conservative friends have told me they believe Sen. Feingold beat Ron Johnson in last night’s debate, with one noting that not only was Johnson a complainer, but it seemed like Johnson was guessing and “our country doesn’t need a guesser.”
Obviously, you’re biased. ;^)
”The sun is a pretty important part of our climate.” -Ron Johnson
It’s a fairly important part. Don’t count out wind, though. Wind is also a major player in the climate game.
And clouds. Once we master the clouds we’ll have the key
Sounds kinda like that “Last Airbender” movie…
The un-named college student who sent the nice photo of Senator Feingold when he was at UWEC had these observations on the debate- (I can’t recall her exact phrasing but this will be her meaning, probably phrased lamely by me O_o)I did not see the debate yet myself !!! can U believe it!!! so I had asked for her impressions when I saw her today.
(she said) It seemed like Johnson was very polished in the sense of someone who had practiced a LOT and was confident of their rehearsed answers. Very good with generalities and often-heard talking points. Johnson responded to requests for specifics with generalities several times. He was smooth, but he lacked knowledge of any real sort.
Feingold on the other hand showed a vast personal “database” at every opportunity and to excellent effect. As if the debate while taxing to Johnson’s intellect, was just a mild sprint for Feingold.
She said that Johnson continued on stubbornly with his premise that knowledge and experience are bad things in themselves. Projecting a derisive air and elevating inexperience as something to be valued, almost as a sign of higher morals. That an inexperienced person is more like “everyone else” so will serve better. Tapping anti-intellectual elite feelings in his base.
She felt that for those who are excited by the Johnson rhetoric as it has been dished out this far, they were given more of the same, from a man who had been seriously coached.
She thought it was obvious that Feingold has the serious brainpower, and knows how to use it. Thought college people would feel Johnson not-that-smart in overall demeanor. Now that I think about it she pretty much framed the whole thing like a debate between a Rhodes scholar and a Cliffs Notes slacker who bought his term paper online.
(BTW Word is going around here that people are expecting serious voter caging of our Eau Claire students. Because you know, it’s best if you can win unfairly if at all possible. Maybe Jeb Bush can come up and help. What a dunbass tactic anyways, who wants to repsond to stupid junk mail for god’s sake, they send stuff that is really only Snail Mail spam, who gives a shit. OMG I better send this bullshit back right away.
Do they realize how many scams make it thru UW mail systems? Students are bombarded with crap, phony Who’s Who schemes, bank and college loan frauds etc etc. NOT answering unsolicited mail is proof of exactly what these days? Grrrr moron Republican spammers)
Personally I don’t think too many people watch these debates. They find out from the news organization they watch. It is spun into what they want to hear!
Poor Russ had a Babs Boxer moment…..well at least one supporter dis. Dems think politicians deserve a special pedestal, when in reality they are more special than you and me. As for your comment that Russ ‘seemed well-prepared and confident’ of course he is a career politician, he has become entranced in the ways of DC and has no connection to the people back home. Mr. Johnson showed he is one of us, Midwest values, Midwest connections, not polished but able to talk to the people, unlike Russ.
Nota, how exactly does Sen. Feingold not have a connection to the people back home?
So you think the average Wisconsinite is a millionaire who isn’t very bright.
Nota, care to share some examples of how ROJO is one of us?
Ron Johnson’s one of us….after all, didn’t we all marry into a wealthy family that set us up in our business?
And for what it’s worth, I don’t hate Ron Johnson for marrying into a wealthy family; I just think it shows that he has less in common with “average” folks here in Wisconsin who aren’t wealthy.
I liked Sen. Feingold’s comment about living in Wisconsin all his life. Aside from weekends when GB and the Vikes or UW and the Gophers play each other, does anyone in Wisconsin have bad things to say about Minnesotans in general?
Remember that the business Ron ran wasn’t really competing in the market, either. He was just supplying goods to his relatives.
Good point about Ron Johnson’s business.
It’s also worth noting that when RoJo talks about exporting plastic products to China, what he really means is that he exports plastic products to a company in China owned by his brother-in-law, who outsourced those jobs to China. So in a sense, RoJo is helping to support companies that outsource jobs.
Is unions were not so intent on bankrupting companies maybe more jobs would stay in America
Yeah, clearly unions want to bankrupt companies so that those companies will then ship jobs overseas. Makes perfect sense!
Zach, what’s the saying if you marry for money you will earn every penny?
That’s one I hadn’t heard before…
My Republican friends just commented to me while we were watching this “We had how many years to take out Russ Feingold and we got this?”
They’re not planning to vote. They officially see Ron Johnson as incompetent.
I guess you don’t believe in a citizen legislature, instead preferring polished pros?
I prefer my legislators to have no experience, just like I prefer my doctor to have no experience.
Oh I see we need so-called government EXPERTS. Wonder why you didn’t believe in that when ya’all elected a nobody named Barack Obama.
I assume you will never again vote for a new candidate then with no “experience.” What experience are you referring to? I’d like someone with some common-sense business experience.
We’re doing so well now with all these guys who have “experience” (i.e. living in DC for a really long time), aren’t we?
This seriously might be one of the dumbest and elitist things you’ve ever said. And I would really like you to expound on what you consider to be qualifying experience to run for office.
A doctor needs to go to medical school and intern for something like 8 years. Are you really suggesting all potential legislators and public officials should go to school for political science and then law school to be somehow qualified to represent the rest of us?
A statement like that really shows the difference between the parties and philosophies of government. And again, John McCain was far more experienced in many ways (Senate, military, life) than Obama, so I can only assume you must have voted for McCain. Oh, unless all that talk about hope and change and a bunch of fresh air to Washington only applied in 2008 and is now somehow a bunch of hooey.
I actually had a lot of respect for John McCain since he was a responsible man and went across party lines, sensible but however he tried to lean too far right for my liking and chose to bring aboard to the world Sarah Palin. I think he could have had potential but ultimately too many things he stood for changed. I though for a moment, he would change the Republican Party, but instead he changed for the Republican Party.
Ultimately, I ended up me weighing in for Obama for President.
Though, to be honest when the Democratic Primary came around in Wisconsin – I voted for Mike Gravel. 🙂
thought*
even.
This isn’t about my personal choices. This is about how my Republican friends wanted to vote, how they had hopes for Johnson only to be disappointed – this is a big thing that he is from the Fox Cities since we rarely get represented. ( Walker? Not so much. They wanted Neumann and in it’s own way it would have been a harder fight because he appealed to Northern Wisconsin. )
However to be honest, I wouldn’t mind this so much if he was taking his seat from Herb Kohl since he seems to be the type of person to sign anything as long as you take him to an expensive dinner. But Feingold is a person we have to keep since he’s one of the most principled, dedicated, and cleanest politicians I’ve taken note of.
Russ Feingold is up there Bernie Sanders, Al Franken, Sherrod Brown, and ( oh dear, I’m going to get it for this from liberals, got to brace myself. ) Ron Paul in how principled they are.
I love the fact that he never hides behind half statements, or changes his stated opinions on issues depending on the crowd he’s addressing. If you ask him a direct question, you get a direct answer. He has never given a damn which way the popular wind blows or what the “party line” might be. ( As for Ron Paul, a lot can be applied to him as well. I don’t agree with him on every issue, so I won’t get into that since this would be going off topic. But I respect the hell out of him. )
There are a lot of people we should get rid of in my opinion, but Feingold isn’t one of those people.
is up there with Bernie Sanders
Good lord. I’m terrible with typos before I rush off to work.
No worries….and I will agree with you regarding Ron Paul. Though I don’t agree with much of his ideology, I respect the fact that he’s principled and consistent.
I would rather have someone who stumbles over a word or two, but believes in the things I do, than someone who came off as slick, trying to trip up his opponent at every turn. If you ask me, Feingold is the one who came off as whiny — like an attitude of frustration at the many Wisconsinites who no longer see him the same way or don’t care about all the supposed “good” things he is doing for us. The assertion that Johnson would vote against dairy farmers is absurd, and Feingold’s expression after making that statement proves it.
As for your point about the moderators referring to him as “Mr. Feingold” — not sure, do they do that as a way of leveling the playing field between incumbent and challenger? Not sure how they do it for presidential candidates. I know Feingold addressed his opponent as “Ron” several times during the debate. I can’t remember if Johnson addressed Feingold by name at all, in any form.
But a bigger issue is how Feingold refused to agree not to use debate footage for campaign ads, just like Tom Barrett refused! Is this a new platform of Democrats? I wouldn’t expect you to raise that issue here because Republicans aren’t the ones doing it, instead focusing on some obscure issue about titles. But RUSS FEINGOLD, of ALL PEOPLE, Mr. (er, Sen.) campaign finance and clean elections and all that, refuses!!!! What a joke!
Oh, and to Proud Progressive, I will have to use your “slimy” label for Feingold’s performance in this debate. Note how he name-dropped Paul Ryan too, a far more popular politician that Russ is these days!
Paul ryan is more popular than Feingold….in what universe exactly?
I actually have no problem with them not agreeing to not use the footage. Its a DEBATE, if someone says something stupid they need to use that footage. EVerything they do should be out there for the whole world to see. In my opinion, its a stupid thing to ask of the campaigns.
As for not making it political, come on they could not of found a worse group of moderators. Some of those questions….wow! My favorite was the one about the tea party what a joke that was, what tea party was he referring too? Certainly none that were in WI.
Wonder why EVERYONE agreed to it in years past (including presumably Barrett and Feingold), but those two didn’t agree this year. Wish someone would ask them so they could explain. I think that agreement is designed by the broadcast association so candidates feel comfortable attending without their comments taken out of context or used against them. Don’t tell me the liberals and this blog would be all over this issue if it was reversed and Walker and Johnson were the ones not agreeing to that. You would be calling them slimy, no?
Paul Ryan is more popular in the universe that he will be re-elected and Feingold won’t. That’s usually how that works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70eP7fuq1Y
Lets break down the question….
“”The “tea party” movement may have a big impact on alot of races across the country this year.””
(yes a couple hundred people doing the Koch brothers bidding may have an impact but so might 10,000 people at Bobfest)
“”its a conservative group that claims not to be about party labels””
(they are a group of independents who just happen to support republicans 100% of the time).
“”they hate deficits, they hate higher taxes, strongly pro-gun 2nd amendment rights, they say they support average citizen access to public office””
(except they had Paul Ryan and Tommy Thompson as their main speakers who consistently voted against everything they “believe” in. They also love Ronnie reagan who not only had record deficits, he also had the biggest ax increase in history)
“”they are also against government intrusion in our lives””
( as long as you marry who they say, sleep with who they say, are white, and completely forgive the Patriot act and warrantless wiretapping of Americans)
this schmuck should of been relieved of his duties on the spot….who the hell comes up with these questions? he would of been better off asking a question about lindsay lohan.
If you really believe the Tea Party movement only consists of a couple hundred people, you are sadly mistaken my friend. Your failure to understand what’s going on and the level of frustration and anger out there will leave you very surprised and bewildered on Election Night. But then, it will give you something to discuss with those 10,000 people at the next Bobfest.