Feingold Criticizes Reid, Declines to Endorse Him as Leader

[robcon]

Source: Roll Call

Sen. Russ Feingold (Wis.) became the first Democrat to openly criticize Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) use of racially insensitive language and declined to endorse Reid’s continued tenure as Majority Leader.

In an interview with ABC affiliate WISN, Feingold criticized Reid’s characterization of President Barack Obama as “light-skinned” without “Negro dialect.” Feingold called those comments “unfortunate and racially insensitive.”

When asked whether he would call on Reid to step down, Feingold said he was still considering that option. “I’m thinking about that and we’re going to be getting together as a caucus next week and the topic will come up. I have not decided whether these comments merit that or not.

“They’re very unfortunate. They should have never been said. So, I need to think about it,” Feingold said.

Feingold is the only Democrat to criticize Reid, and his comments could severely undercut claims by Reid’s office and other top Democrats that the Majority Leader enjoys the full support of his Conference.

Read more: http://www.rollcall.com/news/42170-1.html?type=printer_friendly

[hedgehog]

1. Who might be a replacement for Harry Reid? This could turn out to be

a very good thing for the party in the long run.

[jaysunb]

2. How about, Mitch McConell ?

:evilfrown:

[bvar22]

46. Naw.

Mitch is too liberal for this batch of Blue Dogs.

[StarfarerBill]

3. Agreed.

[WyLoochka]

4. If they had to decide today, or over the next few days

the choice the Senators would think they are limited to, by some useless, moldy, anti democratic Senate "custom," would be Durbin or Schumer.

[hedgehog]

5. I haven't been paying close enough attention to know the players -

is there any chance that one of these guys might, for example, dump Lieberman from his committee chairs?

[defendandprotect]

8. Brian Dorgan . . . --

[L. Coyote]

41. Byron

Good pick. Had he been from another state, he could have been VP.

[defendandprotect]

43. My apologies . . . and thank you -- "BYRON" . . .

Unfortunately, too few like him still around these days -- !!

:)

[Better Believe It]

11. Someone with a spine who is actually a liberal/progressive and not a political whore for Wall Street

[depakid]

23. How about Durbin- who at least admits who "owns the place" -and doesn't like it

[wordpix]

50. My vote: Fine-gold to replace Reid!!!!! Yeah, Feingold for Senate leader!!!!

[Barbara2423]

6. Reid was correct in his statement.

So, don't get mad he was only telling the truth. Besides there alot of people especially African Americans of a certain age who still use the term "Negro" do describe black or African American people. I don't find it offensive at all. Reid supported Obama so, let his actions speak for themselves. We should however turn on stupid and dumb Michael Steele who wrote and is promoting a book on how to destroy President Barack. Don't let Steele turn this thing around. Let's support Reid. (I know that is a stretch for Democrats to support another Democrat).

[No Elephants]

26. I disagree it is true that an African American has to seem as white as possible before he

can be elected. That insults all voters, as well as implying to darker skinned Americans that they should not aspire or bother run for the office of POTUS. Further, it's silly. I very much doubt that a racist would vote for Obama, no matter what.


However, I do think Ried should stay in his seat until voted out of it in the next Nevada Senatorial primary.

[rwheeler31]

7. That was stupid Feingold is smarter that.

What did he actually say, the Quotes are all off?

[No Elephants]

30. Please see Reply 27 for what he said. The headline is misleading.

[wordpix]

51. Maybe Feingold would like to be leader and I say, Ramen, to that

Ergo, Feingold's not in lockstep with Reid's office and the acquiescing Dems, he sees an opening, and he's LEADING. :woohoo: Feingold for Senate Majority Leader!!!

[jkshaw]

9. "Feingold is smarter than that."

I agree, and I was surprised at his remarks. I didn't think he'd be attracted to blood in the water. Has loyalty and collegiality become a thing of the past? At least among Democratic party members?

[rwheeler31]

15. Was he quoted accurately?

[No Elephants]

32. Please see Reply 27. The headline is the problem, not the quote.

[debbierlus]

21. No loyalty amongst thieves

[No Elephants]

33. Please see Reply 27. The headline is misleading.

[No Elephants]

31. Please see Reply 27. We have to at least read past misleading headlines before we

start fixing to throw someone like Feingold under a bus.

[defendandprotect]

10. IMO, there are a couple of levels to this ....

What Reid said was merely insensitive -- probably very easily could be

described as "racist" but seemingly these comments point to ways of speaking

about African Americans which he should have changed a long, long, long time ago!!

Sadly, he didn't and he was left with inappropriate language -- and there was

someone listening. Since Reid supported Obama, there's no where to go with this.


The Trent Lott situation was very different -- he was a racist, he belonged to a

racist party -- and he wanted to see Strom Thurmond -- a racist -- in the presidency!

In Lott's telling us that we had made a mistake in not putting a racist in the White

House, he made clear his continuing racism. Evidently, GOP wanted someone else in the

leadership, as well.


Coming back to Reid -- liberals and progressives have questioned over and again his

"leadership" which seems to be in direct betrayal of the Democratic Party Platform --

which I believe calls for universal health care. Certainly we don't think he is inept --

IMO, he's simply not working for liberals/progressives -- and is more clearly working

for a corporate agenda.

I've always wanted to see Reid step down -- Byron Dorgan would have made an excellent

Majority Leader -- so would quite a few others. How about Byron Dorgan in '12 --

Eleanor Holmes Norton as VP?

Sadly, we won't see anything like that because the Democratic Party is being controlled

by corporate interests.

Which many still seem not to have noticed!!

[midnight]

40. Good points, but the one I feel is the most important is the lack of progressive

thinking Reid lacks, and clearly Feingold must of seen this as the last straw.... Enough is Enough....

[defendandprotect]

42. Agree . ..

and I would have liked to have seen Reid gone long, long ago--

and, in fact, it now worries me even more that Reid was one of the "first" to push

Obama for president!

[GreenTea]

12. Hey Russ, jump on Harry for being a weal-kneed leader, But don't use this weak "negro" bullshit.

Seems Feingold wants Reid's job as senate majority leader.

Fuck, I'd much rather have a strong Dem like Feingold as leadeer.

But shit, Feingold don't use bullshit republican type tactics.....

And the fuking republicans better be careful, they just might get what they are asking for, Reid stepping down ---- and a much stronger Democrat like Feingold or Boxer becoming majority leader.

Wouldn't that be nice, YES!

[pjt7]

13. Feingold should be the head of the Senate

we voted for positive change, not the same thing with a different cover sheet.

[GreenTea]

17. I agree - But he doesn't need to use republican type tactics - Feingold is more than

qualified to be majority leader on his own merit, no need to help republicans bullshit....Reid has always been a weak leader and has bothered me since he first became the Dems senate leader....

Dems would certainly benefit with a majority leader like Feingold....

But Reid won't step down....he needs to be pushed ---- and it should be done through the democrats in-house voting process.

[No Elephants]

28. Before you equate Feingold with a Republican, please at least read past the misleading headline.

The story says he has not decided yet.

[No Elephants]

25. We are not eligible to vote for Senate Majority Leader, though.

The most we can do is try to primary dead wood incumbents, send dynamic progressives to the Senate in their place and hope they choose well when voting for Senate Majority Leader.

[countmyvote4real]

18. Well said. n/t

[No Elephants]

34. Please see Reply # 27.

[LaPera]

19. Good post.

[No Elephants]

35. Please see Reply # 27.

[No Elephants]

29. Please see Reply 27.

[midnight]

39. Feingold or Boxer would be a wonderful choice. But I don't understand

how Reid's crazy opinion being called out by Feingold is a Republican tactic.....

[wisteria]

14. He is entitled to his opinion, but I fail to see why he felt he needed to come out with this now.

He certainly could have waited to do so.

[No Elephants]

36. He didn't come out with it now. Please see Reply 27.

[wordpix]

52. He said he's thinking about it---he didn't go one way or another

Why jump on Feingold b/c he's considering it?

[Vidar]

16. Feingold is right. Reid is anything but a leader.

[debbierlus]

20. Reid needs to step down because he SUCKS as majority leader

[bbgrunt]

22. Feingold is off here. Every once in a while

he can be maddenly off--like when he insisted on voting to allow Ashcroft as attorney general, or offering up some legislation when he doesn't have sufficient backing. Most of the time I love Russ's positions on things like the pat act, but he really can be a maverick at strange times.

[No Elephants]

37. Pleae read Reply 27. Nothing mavericky is going on.

[DFW]

24. If Feingold wants to challenge Reid for Majority Leader

of even endorse someone else, the time to do that is Jan. 2, 2011.

Reid is still better than Ensign-clone (or worse!) that the Republicans will offer against him. If
Obama is cool with Reid in the Senate, then it's fine with me, and Obama is 100% right in saying
that the whole thing is being blown up by the Republicans to obstruct and delay, to obscure the fact
that they STILL have nothing to offer other than "NO!"

[No Elephants]

38. Maybe. Or maybe the time to do it is when Feingold's caucus agrees to do it.

Please see Reply 27.

[No Elephants]

27. The headline is MSLEADING. Maddening! Look at the body of the OP.

"When asked whether he would call on Reid to step down, Feingold said he was still considering that option. “I’m thinking about that and we’re going to be getting together as a caucus next week and the topic will come up. I have not decided whether these comments merit that or not.

“They’re very unfortunate. They should have never been said. So, I need to think about it,” Feingold said."


All Feingold said was what every Democrat said on national TV, from Obama, to Kaine, head of the DNC, to anyone who got asked. Unfortunate choice of words.

As to whether he would endorse him, Feingold said his caucus was going to take that up. He had not decided yet. Seems to me he wants to know what his caucus decides before saying anything, one way or the other.


I am not really familiar with the kind of source Roll Call is, but that headline was intended as a hatchet job on Feingold or Reid, or both. Worse than AP's mmisleading headlines.

We really need to read past these misleading RW headlines before we're even a little tempted to throw a fellow Democrat under the bus, especially one of Feingold's caliber.

[robcon]

45. The headline is acccurate. Response #27 is not.

n/t

[No Elephants]

54. To quote Wilson, "You lie." Something can be both technically accurate AND misleading.

Ask any professional con man.

Almost everyone on this thread thought Feingold has already taken the position that Reid should step down, whether the poster agreed with dumping Reid or not. That is no coincidence. It is the predictable result of a misleading OP.

And I said "misleading." I said nothing about accuracy or inaccuracy. Yet, you did not claim the headline was not misleading or that my post was misleading. Rather, you moved the goal post to "accurate," just as a professional con man might.

But, since the headline, while very technically accurate, is nonetheless misleading, my post is quite accurate and not at all misleading, either.

I repeat: The headline does a hatchet job against two Democrats by being misleading.

So, why are you trying to re-inforce the misleading effect of your source's hatchet job headline?

[Blue Owl]

44. I'm with Russ

Harry Reid sucked and still sucks as the so-called "majority leader" -- he's a spineless tool who hinders any progressive cause by caving into his GOP crony buddies.

[goclark]

47. Keith just announced that Feingold pulled back on his comments ~

[DeadEyeDyck]

49. Harry made a bad call

[cadmium]

48. Sanctimony is Feingolds weakness. He is right on most

things but sometimes he gets on a high horse for some ego-related reason. It is clear that Reid was commenting on the reality of race and politics.

[No Elephants]

55. Please see Reply 27. I don't see that Feingold said anything diffferent from any Democrat.

All said Reid's choice of words was poor.

As for not making up his mind about endorsing Reid until his caucus meets, I would imagine every member of the Caucus would say the same thing.

[Blasphemer]

53. I'm grateful that someone in the conference was critical of the statement

Ultimately, he apologized and Obama and accepted his apology but I think it was CERTAINLY worth of criticism from Democrats (NOT from the GOP who have no room to talk especially after the shameful display of the Palin/McCain campaign and the blatant racism of their defacto leader Limbaugh). I don't think he should step down because of his comments but for other reasons.