OPINION & EDITORIAL
Feingold for Senate
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Also by Badger Herald Editorial Board:
- A security fee-for-all (December 11, 2007)
- Farewell, Chancellor (December 10, 2007)
- $$FC (December 6, 2007)
- In a bind (December 5, 2007)
- Entitlement Town (December 4, 2007)
Related Stories:
- Russ Feingold in 2008? (September 1, 2005)
- Primary colors (September 13, 2004)
- Applause for Feingold (October 16, 2001)
- An open letter to Senator Feingold (December 2, 2004)
- Feingold right to forgo '08 candidacy (November 14, 2006)
by Badger Herald Editorial Board
Monday, November 1, 2004
For 12 years Sen. Russ Feingold has epitomized the Wisconsin Idea. With strong commitments to education, agriculture and unwavering moral principles, Feingold has served his Wisconsin constituency with great resolve. For students, the senator has held a clear allegiance to higher education throughout his political career. Unafraid to cross party lines and fearless in asking the truly difficult questions on issues of great importance, Feingold has become one of the most respected senators on the hill.
In his bid for re-election, the incumbent has met competition in Tim Michels. As a construction company owner from Oconomowoc with little political experience, Michels is armed with a variety of real-world experiences. During the Wisconsin Republican Primary, this board chose to endorse Michels for those exact reasons — his personal history was dotted with experiences that make him a most formidable and capable candidate. Similarly, Michels shows a willingness to deviate from the uniform Republican ideology, specifically on Canadian drug imports, displaying the makings of a politician beholden to his state first and party second — not the other way around.
Despite Michels’ potential, Feingold remains the right man for Wisconsin. The incumbent senator’s venerable record speaks for itself. When coupled with Michels’ failure to bring issues of higher education into his stump, there is little doubt that Feingold remains the right choice for students at the University of Wisconsin. We endorse Feingold for re-election to the U.S. Senate.
As a 1975 UW graduate, Feingold has always made a commitment to improving the resource and availability of higher education. Feingold sponsored an amendment in his last term calling for a $450 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award, a cornerstone of student aid packages in Wisconsin and across the country. This is the largest increase to the Pell Grant program in recent history, allowing more Americans the opportunity of a college education. Currently, Feingold is leading a bipartisan effort to raise Pell Grants from $4,000 to $4,500 and has introduced measures in Congress to increase need-based scholarship availability.
While Feingold has made a clear commitment to higher education in Wisconsin, the senator has also kept a keen eye on economic issues integral to the success of business and industry in the state. Feingold has been a staunch defender of small business and agricultural interests and has consistently voted against legislation that would take jobs away from Wisconsin.
And though it is hard to turn away from a man who wore the uniform like Michels, Feingold has provided a voice of moral principle that has never wavered when addressing issues concerning the War on Terror. His determination to protect civil liberties in the face of the threats to this nation has been steadfast. Feingold was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act and, has continually asked tough questions regarding the direction of the war, minding the commitment of troops and the allocation of billions of dollars only as a last resort.
As long as his principles and commitments remain the same, Feingold will be the right man to represent UW students.
Anonymous (October 31, 2004 @ 11:46pm):
Tim Michels is a tool. The national GOP wouldn't give him all the money they had pledged for his campaign because even they recognize what a colossal moron he is.
