After selling his principles at the very Washington, DC bar where he once said lobbyists buy influence, Senator Russ Feingold’s latest plea for out-of-state cash will take him to Massachusetts. Tonight, Feingold will attend a campaign fundraiser co-hosted by fellow California college professor Michael Dukakis.
During his failed 1988 presidential campaign, Dukakis was attacked for his weak positions on national defense and foreign policy.
Since then, Dukakis even argued that terrorism is not an "existential threat" to the world and announced his support for bringing Gitmo detainees to the United States.
Shortly after Michael Dukakis’s political career ended in 1991, his legacy continued through Russ Feingold’s extreme positions in the United States Senate.
As the lone senator to vote against the PATRIOT Act, one of only nine senators to oppose the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the champion for the closure of Guantanamo Bay, Michael Dukakis’s weak national security record managed to find its doppelganger in Senator Russ Feingold.
Unfortunately for Senator Feingold, the result for the weak national security candidate in 1988 was a landslide defeat.
And, as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently explained, national security is set to become the key issue in Wisconsin’s Senate race given the "stark divide" between Ron Johnson and Russ Feingold:
National security was a back-burner issue the first time Ron Johnson and Russ Feingold went head-to-head five years ago. But their rematch could give us the sharpest, starkest debate over war, terrorism and America’s role in the world of any Senate race in the country in 2016.
BACKGROUND:
On December 7, 2015, Russ Feingold Will Attend A Campaign Fundraiser Co-Hosted By Michael Dukakis In Concord, Massachusetts. (“A Reception With Russ Feingold,” Invitation, Russ For Wisconsin, Accessed 12/7/15)
Dukakis Was Attacked On National Defense Throughout The 1988 Campaign
During The 1988 Campaign, George H.W. Bush Attacked Michael Dukakis For Being Weak On National Defense Issues. “NBC’s Chris Wallace reports on a new series of attack ads put out by George H.W. Bush’s campaign that attacks Michael Dukakis for his prison furlough programs and for being weak on defense issues.” (“Bush Ads Attack Dukakis On Willie Horton And Defense,” NBC News Archive, 10/19/88)
- The Bush Campaign Argued That Dukakis Was Weak On Defense Since He Opposed New Weapons To Keep America Safe. “George Bush and his GOP allies painted Democrat Michael Dukakis as weak on military and foreign policy Thursday while Dukakis campaigned in the South, seeking votes where Ronald Reagan won in 1980 and 1984 and where Jesse Jackson did well in this year’s Democratic primaries… Bush, in Corpus Christi, Texas, told a group of Hispanic veterans that Dukakis’ positions were ‘a rejection of America’s role as a world leader and a repudiation of the Truman doctrine and the vision of John Kennedy.’ Dukakis’ opposition to new nuclear weapons such as the MX missile were part of a policy for ‘unilateral disarmament,’ Bush told the G.I. Forum.” (Steven Kamarow, “Bush Hits Dukakis As Weak On Defense,” The Associated Press, 8/5/88)
Earlier This Year, Dukakis Said That Terrorism Is Not An “Existential Threat” To The World
In March 2015, Dukakis Said On Terrorism: “I Don’t For A Minute, However, Believe That They Are An Existential Threat To World Order Or Democracy And Freedom.” “5. Terrorism is the one issue on which virtually all established governments agree, and those that don’t are or will be quickly isolated. We all feel terrible about the victims of ISIS or the Taliban or other terrorist attacks and the various armed assaults that are taking place frequently throughout the world and take human lives. I don’t for a minute, however, believe that they are an existential threat to world order or democracy and freedom. They will be crushed quite simply because established governments won’t tolerate them. If one of those established governments in the Middle East happens to be Iran, so be it.” (Michael Dukakis, Remarks At Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan, 3/30/15)
Feingold Was The Only Senator To Vote Against The PATRIOT Act
In 2001, Feingold Was The Only Senator To Vote Against The PATRIOT Act. “Passage of the bill that would expand law enforcement’s power to investigate suspected terrorists. The bill would allow disclosure of wiretap information among certain government officials, authorize limited disclosure of secret grand jury information to certain government officials, and allow the detention of foreigners suspected of having ties to terrorism. It also would make it easier for law enforcement to track voice and Internet communications using surveillance techniques and would strengthen laws to combat money laundering. Most of the bill’s intelligence-gathering provisions would sunset after four years.” (H.R 3162, Roll Call Vote #313: Passed 98-1, 10/25/01, Feingold Voted Nay; CQ Summary, Accessed 12/7/15)
Feingold Was The Only Senator To Oppose Extending The PATRIOT Act And Enhancing Surveillance Of Lone Wolf Terrorists
In February 2006, Feingold Was The Only Senator To Vote Against Extending The Sunset Of Certain Provisions In The PATRIOT Act And The “Lone Wolf” Provision of The IRTPA. “Passage of the bill that would extend the 16 expiring provisions of the Patriot Act for five weeks, through March 10. It also would extend through March 10 the lone wolf provision included in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, which would permit wiretapping and surveillance of foreign terrorist suspects who operate alone, rather than as an agent of a foreign power or organization.” (H.R. 4659, Roll Call Vote #11, Passed 95-1, 2/2/06, Feingold Voted Nay; CQ Summary, Accessed 3/18/15)
Feingold Voted Against Legislation That Created The Department Of Homeland Security
In November 2002, Feingold Was One Of Nine Senators To Oppose The Creation Of The Department Of Homeland Security. “Passage of the bill that would consolidate 22 agencies into a new cabinet-level Homeland Security Department charged with protecting domestic security. Agencies moved to the new department would include the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Customs Service, the Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration. The Immigration and Naturalization Service would be split into separate agencies for immigration enforcement and citizen services, both of which would be in the new department. The president could exempt some employees from collective bargaining units for national reasons. The department could make changes to personnel rules, but unions could object to and negotiate those changes.” (H.R. 5005, Roll Call Vote #249: Bill Passed 90-9, 11/19/02, Feingold Voted Nay; CQ Summary, Accessed 11/20/15)
Dukakis Has Spoken About His Support For Incarcerating Guantanamo Bay Detainees In The United States
In 2009, Dukakis Said On Guantanamo Bay: “For The Life Of Me, I Do Not Understand This Reluctance To Incarcerate These People In The United States.” MB: “You have indicated the significant amount of damage that Guantanamo Bay has done to the reputation of the United States in the eyes of the world. However, what do you say to skeptics who claim these practices help keep America safe? Just this week, the New York Times issued a report claiming one in seven Guantanamo transferred detainees returned to terrorist activities.” MD [Dukakis]: “There may well be dangerous people that are our enemies, who must be detained and kept in custody for years to come. This is the same procedure we use in this country to punish our own violent criminals. For the life of me, I do not understand this reluctance to incarcerate these people in the United States. They are our prisoners. You mean to tell me that our correction system is not capable of housing these people? We have some extremely violent criminals in our prisons, but we cannot supply the secure incarceration of a couple hundred suspected terrorists? I simply do not buy it.” (Michael Bendetson, “My Interview With Michael Dukakis,” The Huffington Post, 6/23/09)
In 2007, Feingold Called For The Closure Of Guantanamo Bay Prison
In 2007, Feingold Called For The Closure Of The Guantanamo Detention Center Because “It Is Harming Our Ability To Gain Respect And Cooperation Of Other Nations, And I Fear That It Is Giving The Terrorists A Potent Recruiting Tool.” “I have joined Senator Feinstein in calling for the closure of Guantanamo. I did so because Guantanamo has become synonymous in the Arab and Muslim world with American abuses. It is harming our ability to gain the respect and cooperation of other nations, and I fear that it is giving the terrorists a potent recruiting tool.” (Senator Russ Feingold, “Sen. Feingold Issues Statement On Legal Rights Of Guantanamo Detainees,” Press Release, 12/11/07)
Feingold Supported Bringing Terrorists To The United States To Be Tried In A Civilian Court
In 2009, Feingold Applauded The Decision To Bring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed To New York For Civilian Trial. “I’m pleased that after more than eight years, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks will finally be brought to justice. I commend the Obama administration for deciding to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York, which shows the world that this country stands firmly behind its system of justice and its Constitution.” (Senator Russ Feingold, “Statement Of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold On Trying Guantanamo Bay Detainees,” Press Release, 11/13/09)
Michael Dukakis Is A Professor At The Luskin School Of Public Affairs At UCLA
Michael Dukakis Is A Visiting Professor Of Public Policy At The Luskin School Of Public Affairs At University Of California-Los Angeles In Los Angeles, CA. (Michael Dukakis, Luskin School Of Public Affairs, Accessed 12/7/15)