(Crossposted at
RussForPresident.com
The media is buzzing with word of Ned Lamont's victory over in the Connecticut Democratic Primary. Sen. Feingold had been the first Senator to refuse a primary endorsement of Lieberman and insisted that he would support the Democratic nominee. Of course, he never hid his true sentiments in the race and repeated them wednesday.
"Ned Lamont's positions on the critical issues facing our country today are much closer to mine. We need more leaders like Ned Lamont in Washington."
Ned Lamont is a Feingold Democrat. He supports censure, equal marriage, the Feingold-Kerry Amendment for a withdrawal timetable, but there's something more important than individidual issues. Like Feingold, Lamont believes that Democrats do best when they stand up to the Bush, Cheney, Rove administration.
Would Ned Lamont
agree?
In fact, Lamont cites Feingold as an inspiration and says he would side with the senator on many matters, including a controversial move to censure President Bush for authorizing the controversial warrantless wiretapping program from which most Democratic senators have distanced themselves.
Feingold Democrats pose a sharp contrast to the centrist DLC:
"They are the ones that coalesced with the big corporations to pass unfair trade agreements that hurt America," Feingold said. "It was the DLC that came up with the health care plan with the Clintons that was so complicated nobody could understand it. It's the DLC that has cut off our ability to say things like, `Let's get out of Iraq because it's a bad idea.'"
Feingold said DLC consultants "instill fear in Democrats" by saying opposition to the war would be taken as not supporting the troops. "What I want is us to get the right answer whether it's liberal, conservative or middle of the road," Feingold said.
Democrats should not try to be just "a little different than the Republicans and hope that we win," Feingold said. "I think that's what (the DLC) brought us and it hasn't worked."
Now, correct me if I'm wrong but there are a few major 08 candidates who are members of or have ties with the DLC. Last time I checked that included, Clinton, Bayh, Vilsack, and Warner. There's an interesting implication in the CT race. Senator Feingold has repeatedly said that he won't make up his mind about 08 until after the races this year. He wants to see how well people react to his brand of Democrats - standing up and fighting for Democratic values. And what do you know:
Feingold, who says he won't make up his mind about whether to run for president until after the elections this fall, also playfully recounted a call he got from a former staff member Wednesday morning.
According to Feingold, the staffer said, "Hey, if you were looking for an excuse to not run for president, Russ, you didn't get it last night."
Connecticut Democrats made the decision to support Feingold Democrat Ned Lamont over DLC Democrat Joe Lieberman.
My question for all the 2008 candidates, are you a DLC Democrat or a Feingold Democrat ?