Regrets, newtonuser, but you are only arguing the non-issue here — what percentage progressive Edwards is or is not.

Well, no. I just don’t care.

You’re caught up in what Feingold said about your guy (who is also my guy), and I care about other things. You’re caught up in the lack of equity, and I don’t care about that. I never meant to engage what you consider the main issue of your post. I don’t care about someone saying “He’s picking on John!” I was very clear – I simply opined on the Progressive credentials of the players, and the reason, as I see it, for your fury.

Did Senator Feingold distort Edwards voting record in any way? And had Edwards been a stronger contender in this election, would you have faulted his opponents for pointing these things out?

What I do care about is that John Edwards has had very few cards he could play in this whole campaign, and when he was dealt a full house, he folded. I feel terrible that we now seem to be left with another Democratic slate from which to choose the candidate we detest least. But John Edwards needs to help himself where he can.

Perhaps Edwards got paddled by Feingold in part for not taking advantage of a natural opportunity. He could have had it all, indeed a very rare opportunity in Presidential politics – he could have been on the right side of the FISA issue, he could have shown something to Progressives in the US without alienating his more conservative supporters, and he could have pointed at the two front-runners and exposed them for the craven pols they are.

And part of the reason that Clinton and Obama scurried to weigh in on FISA is because Hillary got her ass kicked and needed to lead on something. Obama had to follow her back. I would have been proud if Edwards had lashed both of them mercilessly, possibly driving them back to DC and being way out front.

Edwards voting record, while not admirable from a Progressive standpoint, is a heck of a lot better than Clinton’s and Obama’s in my opinion. I’ll bet Feingold expected more from him, as did I.

This is Major League ball, and Edwards knows how to play. I just wish he had.

I scrolled thru all the comments here but saw NO real answers from Russ Interviewer Jane or anyone else on the above questions about “just how progressive Mr. Wonderful Feingold really is.”

Check out Progressive Punch, which rates Feingold as 22nd with a progressive score of 89.47%. However, check the scoring basis. To see how all of the senators rank, look here. By this reckoning, Feingold is more progressive than Clinton or Obama, and you may be surprised by Obama’s score. But again, take a look at how they construct their score, and take a look at the issues on which they are graded.

Bob in HI

Haven’t been lonely yet. Went swimming after tutoring today and came home exhausted. Tomorrow I teach until 6:15. Then Texteen is back for a few days.

TexBetsy,
I was wondering if you were feeling almost like an empty-nester. Enjoy the calm when you can! Still, I can understand that empty feeling…

Bob in HI

Twice now you have widely sidestepped what I said was THE issue and what I stated was the source of my piss off with Feingold.

Namely …
From my post 252:

Russ’ Brain Fart that caused him to piss on John Edwards …. giving all the
other scam dancing presidential wannabes who parse, shuck and jive their
lobbyist payola and principles to death a great big hypocritical Feingold
free pass.

From my post 254:

Whether or not Edwards meets your or my or Russ’ litmus test for “progressive” is not the source of my piss off. It’s Russ Brain Farting on one candidate’s lack of Feingold Progressive Purity … while giving ALL the other clowns who are far less progressive a pass.

So you can come back with more evidence of why Edwards sat when he should have stood … has not earned progressive stripes like Feingold et cetera et cetera.

Which would make Ignoring the Core Issue (reprinted above, twice) a hat trick.

irrationally

Edwards sat when he should have stood up.
If pointing this out makes Russ irrational, so be it.

I am puzzled about the timing, but I won’t castigate Feingold for it.
Feingold has earned his Progressive stripes. Edwards, not so much.
And standing on principle shouldn’t be such a foreign concept to us. We should demand it every day.

newtonusr at 253
In response to MeDaVinci @ 252
MeDaVinci -
John Edwards, like him or hate him (and I like him, and he’s my current choice for President), is no Progressive. He may be as close as we can get, but he is miles away from Progressive.

What you’re pissed about is Russ speaking his mind.

No, newtonusr, I’m pissed about public figures who speak their minds irrationally, with the potential of being listened to only because they are “public figures.” Whether or not Edwards meets your or my or Russ’ litmus test for “progressive” is not the source of my piss off. It’s Russ Brain Farting on one candidate’s lack of Feingold Progressive Purity … while giving ALL the other clowns who are far less progressive a pass.

If that constitutes “Russ speaking his mind” then Mr. Feingold sits on his.

What you’re pissed about is Russ speaking his mind.

Then, Russ opened his yap and pissed on John Edwards. (Still, even before that, I’ve never wanted to “date” Russ. ?? I didn’t see the Senator from Wisconsin as e-Harmony or Match.com material. But that’s just weird me.)

Others on this wide-ranging and largely off-topic thread mentioned it, too.

Mauimom at 12
Terrific, Jane.
Did you get any clue as to why he’s so anti-Edwards? Really puzzled me.
- – -
Fractal at 31
OMG, this is unbelievably cool. It’s like we have our own Fire Dog Network. I have not even watched the video yet, but I know I’m gonna love it. SNIP(Agree with Mauimom @12 that he had a weird anti-John-Edwards bug up his ass last week.)
- – -
sikovit at 165
Why does everyone, including Feingold side-step the REAL issue here? As it stood in 2006, the FISA court allowed up to 72 hours SNIP

Feingold, for all of his puffery, is not being honest here.
- – -

I scrolled thru all the comments here but saw NO real answers from Russ Interviewer Jane or anyone else on the above questions about “just how progressive Mr. Wonderful Feingold really is.”

I have told Feingold’s money and petition-signature email harvesters they get no more activism, time or money from me … till they explain Russ’ Brain Fart that caused him to piss on John Edwards …. giving all the other scam dancing presidential wannabes who parse, shuck and jive their lobbyist payola and principles to death a great big hypocritical Feingold free pass.

‘Course the Feingold emailers have not replied to either gimme email (on Progressive Patriots Fund and on his belated FISA petitioning).

“Feingold, for all of his puffery, is not being honest here.”

Agreed. And I never wanted to date him!!