Sen. Russ Feingold's call for a censure of President Bush over the National Security Agency's wiretapping has not received broad support nationwide, but Wisconsin's College Democrats are hopeful for what this action could mean in the long run.
While some members, much like the Democratic legislature, are unsure about backing Feingold's measure, all support his move to discuss issues that others in Congress are afraid to talk about, according to College Democrats chair Brian Shactman. The group also encourages public debate and discussion raised from the attention drawn to Bush's alleged illegal wiretapping.
Whether [discussion] leads to censure or not, I think what's important is that people are discussing it and forming their own debates amongst each other,\ Shactman said.
""If [the censure resolution] leads to an investigation that clearly shows that the president broke the law and knew he was breaking the law, then I would wholeheartedly support the censure resolution, if not something even more severe,"" he said.
Shactman said that members support his motivation for calling for a censure even if they do not support the actual resolution.
Feingold's resolution, introduced in the Senate March 13, accuses Bush of violating laws by establishing an eavesdropping program within the NSA. A censure is a formal reprimand of the president's behavior, but it does nothing to jeopardize the presidency, like impeachment.
Nationwide, Americans are hesitant to support Feingold's resolution. A Newsweek poll of Americans March 16 to 17 shows 42 percent supporting the censure. However, among Democrats polled, 60 percent supported it.
Shactman said he thinks the percentage would be slightly higher among College Democrats, since Feingold is from Wisconsin.
Kira Brenner, UW-Madison sophomore and visibility chair for the College Democrats, said she thinks the way the topic was spun and a lack of understanding in the public has led to low support for the resolution.
""I think people don't quite understand the situation, and a lot of people don't like it when someone is insulting the President, which is how people would interpret this,"" Brenner said.
In Congress, only a handful of legislators have signed on to Feingold's plan.
""I would foresee a couple more jumping on the bandwagon, but I don't think it's going to get leadership support, unfortunately,"" Rapid Response Chair and UW-Madison junior Adam Petras said. ""That's going to keep a good portion of the 44 Democrats off from officially supporting it,"" he said.
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