Do not pigeonhole Wisconsin's incumbent Democratic senator, Russ Feingold, as a \political maverick."" The term seems to imply a renegade who struggles against the grain willy-nilly. Indeed, Feingold does stand alone in much of his decision-making, but he is not a maverick. Instead, he justifies his decisions with such clarity you cannot help but watch in awe as one of Wisconsin's greatest politicians takes his progressive case to Washington.
Would that there were more Russ Feingolds in the U.S. Senate. His aura extends not just to liberals-but to Wisconsin conservatives who appreciate his support of this state and his level-headedness. Feingold has made it his mantra to conduct listening sessions in every county in Wisconsin. And in even the most conservative counties in Wisconsin-the Waukeshas and the Outagamies-he still commands respect.
This is precisely why we whole-heartedly endorse Feingold for re-election: His thinking goes beyond the Senate floor's dividing line and into the rare realm of pragmatic policy-making. The examples of his bipartisan judgment are nearly endless.
Most famously, perhaps, Feingold was the lone senator to vote against the USA Patriot Act in October 2001. On the other hand, he approved President Bush's nomination of his far right attorney general, John Ashcroft.
Conservatives might balk at the former; liberals, at the latter. Feingold, however, explained both decisions: His rejection of the Patriot Act reflected his concern with its dangerous restriction of civil liberties, while his approval of Ashcroft showed his desire to allow the president to appoint a cabinet which would enact his policies.
The eponymous McCain-Feingold bill epitomizes the bipartisan spirit our government often lacks, and is a sign that Feingold can foster cooperation between fiscal conservatives and progressives.
Feingold has played a major role in lesser-known, but equally important, bipartisan projects. Feingold pushed for media regulation reform at the same time some of the most conservative members of the Legislature supported similar measures.
He has gone against the party line to vote for agricultural policies that would benefit Wisconsin directly. He has worked to end unfair regional dairy subsidies in other parts of the country and helped to pass restrictions on agricultural mergers that would ruin family farming.
He has distinguished himself from his challenger Tim Michels in numerous debates. Michels is a party-line hack who will do no more than to rubber-stamp decrees from above. His criticism of Feingold's rejection of the Patriot Act, for instance, was made before Michels even read the act.
That Michels was able to pull ahead of money and media hog Russ Darrow in the primaries is indeed impressive, but he has done little to gain on that momentum or build a discernible platform.
Feingold deserves another six years in the Senate. It would truly be a disappointing day if this state turned on one of its strongest advocates on Capitol Hill. Feingold is one of those rare heroes in politics: a practical mind in a sea of hardliners.
