Russ Feingold: “I believe that re-electing President Obama is an absolute imperative”

Last week a group of liberal activists and academics, led by consumer advocate Ralph Nader and scholar Cornel West, announced they were looking for six “recognizable, articulate” liberal candidates to launch primary challenges against President Barack Obama. The point of the six challengers would be to keep President Obama “honest” on issues like civil rights, consumer protections, labor and foreign policy.

In response to the call by Nader and West for primary challengers to President Obama, former United States Senator Russ Feingold made it clear he thinks a primary challenge to President Obama is a bad idea.

“I strongly disagree with Ralph Nader. As I’ve said many times before, I believe that re-electing President Obama is an absolute imperative for our economy, our judicial system, for progressives and for our country,”

Feingold went on to note the difficult circumstances our nation faced when President Obama took office, as well as the accomplishments of President Obama during his first term in office.

President Obama took office in a time of historic challenge for the country. He passed the Recovery Act to bring our economy back from the brink, implemented historic health insurance reform to make health care more affordable and accessible, repealed the discriminatory Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, and rejected the conventional wisdom in Washington to offer a life-saving loan to the auto industry, saving 1.4 million jobs.

Now, facing Republican candidates that are bought-and-sold by corporate money, and who want to give more tax breaks to the wealthiest and attack the rights of working Americans, the President is fighting to create jobs and provide economic security for middle class families. 2012 will be a close and competitive election, and in an environment after the lawless Citizens United decision, where corporate special interests will be out there fighting for Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, progressives must unite to ensure that the President is reelected.

It goes without saying (at least for most anyone who’s left of center) that despite his shortcomings as a leader, re-electing President Obama is far more palatable than seeing one of the current crop of extremist Republican presidential candidates elected in 2012.

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13 thoughts on “Russ Feingold: “I believe that re-electing President Obama is an absolute imperative”

  1. Absolutely. I’m open to hearing criticism of Obama, but anyone who wants to help torpedo his chances in 2012 is either a Republican or a whackjob. Obama is far, far bettert han the alternatives. There’s just no agrumant for anyone to make there.

  2. Actually, I’d be open to melting down Ralph, Russ, Cornel, and Obama, and forging them into a new progressive superhero president.

  3. Obviously you two boobs are under-employed, liberal, “progressives” ie: non-property owning, non-small buisness owning folk who rely on the goverment for help instead of be responcible for yourselves. Good riddens to Obama, nice guy terrible president. Lets get America back on track.

    1. Are you trying to say that anyone who doesn’t own property or a small business can’t be a conservative?

      Or are you trying to say that liberals/progressives don’t own property or small businesses?

      Please clarify your sweeping generalization, so I know best how to address it.

  4. Hey, Ken, if you want to slam folks for not being responsible, could you at least be responsible enough to write proper English? Thanks.

  5. Yeah 4 more years of Obummer,, you people like the stock market today, you want to continue to overtax corporations, go right ahead, tax the rich so there is no more money for you to steal from…. you want fair share, how about you paying yours.

    How about asking your buddy Feingold what he is living on??? a for life income from us taxpayers…. yeah he can say anything he wants, he is part of the elite that you love to hate.

    you stink with your arguments!

    1. Rick, you stink with your arguments.

      For every Russ Feingold you cite, I can name Paul Ryan, who’s the very definition of a career politician. While Paul Ryan doesn’t want his constituents to have government-run health care, he’s all too happy to accept government-run health care for himself and his family.

      Paul Ryan will also have a “for life” income (pension) from taxpayers….how does that make you feel?

      Oh, and again….you stink with your arguments.

  6. Interesting. However, it was for holding exactly the same opinions about Obama in general and the economy in particular that Mr Feingold was fired from his job as our Senator.

    As bright as he allegedly is, one would have thought he learned something.

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