"As Congress heads into a weeklong recess..."

Senator Feingold held a press conference yesterday. Watch the video- here.

Compare this press conference (the calmness of it, the confident way in the Senator clearly lays out his case in response to each question asked) with the hysterical rhetoric that flew around during the Clinton impeachment debate. That was 'Jerry Springer' politics. That was a real-life SNL parody. This press conference, on the other hand, is how you should do it. This is grownup politics. Someone take notes.

(A transcript is available on his website)

He also released a statement on his website:

As Congress heads into a weeklong recess, I hope members of the Senate have a chance to listen to their constituents back home. All Americans want to fight terrorism and protect our country from those who wish to do us harm, but they don’t want to sacrifice the rights and principles our country was founded upon. One of those fundamental American principles is that the President doesn’t get to pick and choose which laws he follows.

There has been a lot of talk in recent weeks, and especially this week, about Congress changing the law to authorize the President’s otherwise illegal domestic surveillance program. Of course, anyone who makes that argument concedes that the program is illegal. In addition, the President has yet to explain convincingly why he can’t follow the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, which allows wiretapping of terrorists while protecting law-abiding Americans.

The President has broken the law, and the censure resolution I introduced on Monday is intended to hold him accountable. While there have been plenty of personal attacks directed at me this week, few have argued the merits. The facts for censure are clear. FISA makes it a crime to wiretap American citizens on American soil without the requisite court orders – which is exactly what the President has admitted doing. Before the program was revealed, he misled the American people by assuring them that he was getting warrants for wiretaps. Since it was revealed, he has misled the American people about the legal basis for his actions.

I look forward to a full hearing, debate and vote in committee on this important matter. If the Committee fails to consider the resolution in a reasonable time period, I will ask that there be a vote in the full Senate. I know Americans will have a lot to say when they see their elected officials during the break. I hope my colleagues listen.

He hit on every important point. The facts are pretty easy to understand when someone explains them.

Not surprisingly, a new poll shows that Sen. Feingold's approval rating among his Democratic base has grown significantly. The same poll, however, notes mixed feelings on censure. It seems to indicate a significant hesitation toward the move, but not necessarily resistance either. Scott Shields at MyDD.com explores how the wording of the new poll (versus the earlier American Research Group one, which mentioned the crux of the scandal- the lack of court approval for wiretapping) may have skewed the results. Still, some more numbers to look at.

And as the Democratic party runs scared from the issue, the Washington Post's E. J. Dionne insists they shouldn't and says not to underestimate the power of the base-

Consider the disparity between the response to Feingold's initiative among Democratic senators and the reaction among Democratic activists...

...Some Democrats want the party to forget the issue of warrantless wiretapping, because engaging it would let Bush claim that he's tougher on terrorists than his partisan enemies. Others share Feingold's frustration with the administration's stonewalling on the program, but they think they need to know more before they can effectively challenge Bush on the issue. Both groups were furious that Feingold grabbed headlines away from those delicious stories about Republican divisions and defections...

...Here's the problem: Feingold and the activists are right that Democrats can't just take a pass on the wiretapping issue, because Bush's legal claims are so suspect -- even to many in his own party. The opposition's job is to raise alarms over potential abuses of presidential power...

...For two decades, Republicans have used their idealists, their ideologues and their loudmouths to push the boundaries of discussion to the right. In the best of all worlds, Feingold's strong stand would redefine what's "moderate" and make clear that those challenging the legality of the wiretapping are neither extreme nor soft on terrorism.

A huge AMEN on that last point!

I think the best way to sum it up is this... The Republicans communicate with their base and rally them. They know who their voters are. The Republicans have been winning elections. The Democrats don't communicate with their base and/or try to pander to the Republican's base. They don't seem to know who their voters are. The Democrats haven't been winning too many elections (perhaps the Supreme Court jinxed them in 2000).

Russ Feingold is not of this mold. He's reaching out. And he has tapped into the legitimate concerns of not just Democrats, but independents (like moi) and even some more moderate conservatives too. More of this, please. I am not saying he is the great cure for all our political ills, but he understands what this issue is really about and he's communicating that loud and clear. So far, a good number of people are hearing him, despite the level of noise he has to cut through.

Hopefully this important debate will not get swallowed up in our ADD culture.

[Related blog post- The Dems are missing the boat on Feingold]