Last November, the great state of Wisconsin overwhelmingly voted to re-elect Russ Feingold, who crushed a Bush-style conservative by over 330,000 votes.
In a a recent article in Salon magazine, Senator Feingold describes a vacation that took him and his family through Alabama, and a turkey dinner at a cafe in the town of Greenville:
After our meal that evening, we drove around Greenville to see what there was to see. And what we saw -- check-cashing stores and abject trailer parks, and some of the hardest-used cars for sale on a very rundown lot -- told us the people there were hurting economically and deserved more than they were getting...
The people of Alabama appear to be among the most generous and most unsung philanthropists in this country. What they give is unimaginable to many others and they give it time and again: They regularly give their turn at the American dream to someone else. And they give it simply because they're asked. So many people in Greenville don't seem to have basic healthcare coverage or promising job opportunities. Meanwhile, their children volunteer to risk their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. I can only be humbled by their sacrifice...
Now, some may think that Alabama and Wisconsin are the polar opposites of American politics. But in both states I've found that -- along with sharing a sincere appreciation of a good turkey dinner -- too many hardworking people are losing their battles for decent paying jobs and adequate healthcare. I'm tired of seeing the power-hungry persuade the hardworking people of this country that the only way to preserve important values is to vote against their own families' basic interests. I believe that the working people of both states have sacrificed for other people's agendas for too long. And I believe that any political party or political movement or political candidate who would consistently say this would be heard throughout America.
In his
1944 State of the Union address, Franklin Roosevelt called for a 2nd Bill of Rights, to guarantee economic security and health for all Americans. Harry Truman's Fair Deal built on the successes of the New Deal. LBJ fought for civil rights, and dreamed of a Great Society.
But George Bush and the Republicans have replaced that progressive tradition with a vicious nastiness that systematically undermines our common welfare, while they reward and enrich themselves like aristocrats in the court of Louis XIV.
We need to go to the Greenvilles of every state, red and blue, and say, "Thank you. You've sacrificed long enough. Now it's your turn at the American dream."
They're the party of the powerful. We're the party of the people. Russ Feingold is our much-beloved Senator, and with any luck, he'll be the next President of the United States.