Today, Politico reports on Senator Feingold’s attempt at a comeback. It is hard to keep track of his hypocrisy so below please find the main points:
- Senator Feingold claims to want to represent all of Wisconsin…yet he denigrates families in trailer parks.
- Senator Feingold said his life is not about running for office…yet he started running for office when he was 29.
- Senator Feingold defended taking a salary from his SuperPAC…yet he introduced legislation to ban them.
- Senator Feingold said his opponent liked to “lecture”… yet he earned over $350,000 for lecturing at colleges and universities.
- Senator Feingold said he “doesn’t have an ego”…yet he maintains his “full name” is Senator Russ Feingold.
- At An Event Senator Feingold Attended, A Speaker Said 2010 Wisconsin Voters Came “Out Of The Trailer Parks, Essentially”
Senator Feingold Attended A Fundraiser Where A Speaker Said That In 2010, Wisconsin Voters Came “Out Of The Trailer Parks, Essentially”
At The July 21, 2015 Fundraiser Senator Feingold Attended, Camery Said That In 2010, Wisconsin Voters Came “Out Of The Trailer Parks, Essentially.” “‘2010 was just so different, with Obama just having come in and a lot of the tea party people just kind of coming out of the woodwork — coming out of the trailer parks, essentially,’ Camery said at a Feingold fundraiser in River Falls, Wis… ‘There was a different mix of people at the polls.’” (Manu Raju, “Inside Russ Feingold’s Comeback Attempt,” Politico, 8/4/15)
In 2005, Senator Feingold made similar denigrating remarks…
When Senator Feingold Was In Alabama He Said He Saw “Check-Cashing Stores And Abject Trailer Parks," "Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, came to Greenville for a vacation in November with his family and to play golf at Cambrian Ridge Golf Course. After eating dinner one night, Feingold said he decided to take a tour of the area. ‘And what we saw — check-cashing stores and abject trailer parks, and some of the hardest-used cars for sale on a very rundown lot — told us the people there were hurting economically and deserved more than they were getting,’ Feingold wrote." (Kevin Taylor, "Senator’s remarks outrage residents," Montgomery Advertiser, 1/12/2005)
Senator Feingold Said His Life Is Not About Running For Office, Despite Spending 28 Years In Elected Office And Running Eight Times
Senator Feingold Said “My Life Isn’t About Running For Office”(Manu Raju, “Inside Russ Feingold’s Comeback Attempt,” Politico, 8/4/15)
Senator Feingold’s Daughter Asked Him Not To Run. "Russ Feingold is quick to recall that bitter night when he lost his Senate seat nearly five years ago. He had just conceded the race to a first-time GOP candidate, Ron Johnson. And as he hopped into his van on his way to deliver a speech to his dejected supporters, his daughter made one plea. “Don’t run again, Dad,” she told him."(Manu Raju, “Inside Russ Feingold’s Comeback Attempt,” Politico, 8/4/15)
Senator Feingold Said He “Regretted” People Were Lied To About ObamaCare
In August 2015, Senator Feingold Said He Understood People Were Lied To About ObamaCare And He “Regretted That.” (Manu Raju, “Inside Russ Feingold’s Comeback Attempt,” Politico, 8/4/15)
In 2010, Senator Feingold Made Several Promises About ObamaCare That Turned Out To Be False
In April 2010, Senator Feingold Wrote That If You Like Your Health Care Plan, You Can Keep It. “If you like the plan you purchase, the health care reform bill does not force you to change it.” (Sen. Russ Feingold, Op-Ed, “Setting The Record Straight On Reform,” La Crosse Tribune, 4/4/10)
In April 2010, Senator Feingold Wrote That ObamaCare Would Lower Health Care Premiums. “What will this do to the cost of my private insurance plan? For Wisconsinites who purchase health care on the individual market (i.e., people who do not get insurance through their employer), experts believe this reform will lower premiums by 14 percent to 20 percent compared to what the same plan would cost without health care insurance reform by 2016.” (Sen. Russ Feingold, Op-Ed, “Setting The Record Straight On Reform,” La Crosse Tribune, 4/4/10)
Senator Feingold Defended Taking A Salary From Progressives United And The Organization’s Work
Senator Feingold Defended His Involvement With Progressives United
In August 2015, Senator Feingold Said The Group Was “Active In Promoting Progressive Causes” And Said He Took A Salary Because He “Worked Hard For The Organization.”(Manu Raju, “Inside Russ Feingold’s Comeback Attempt,” Politico, 8/4/15)
Only Five Percent Of Contributions To Progressives United PAC Were Given To Federal Candidates And Political Parties. (Daniel Bice, “Russ Feingold’s PAC Funded Fees, Salaries For Former Staffers, Himself,” Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 6/15/15)
Senator Feingold’s PAC Was Used To Pay Members Of Current Campaign Staff. “Cole Leystra — Feingold’s campaign comptroller for seven years — was paid $291,112 by Feingold’s PAC and nonprofit since February 2011, the month after Feingold left public office. Nancy Ballweg — Feingold’s executive assistant at the Senate for 18 years — was paid $169,403 from his PAC since 2011. Her LinkedIn page says Ballweg also worked as a consultant to a Middleton dermatologist during much of this same period. Christopher Louderback — another veteran Feingold campaign staffer — pulled down $164,389 from the PAC and nonprofit, acting as the treasurer for both groups. Louderback now is listed as the assistant treasurer for Feingold’s U.S. Senate campaign fund, which was registered with the federal election officials last month.” (Daniel Bice, “Russ Feingold’s PAC Funded Fees, Salaries For Former Staffers, Himself,” Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 6/15/15)
Senator Feingold Attacked His Opponent For Doing His Job And For Lecturing, Even Though Feingold Is A Highly Paid College Professor in California
Senator Feingold Attacked His Opponent For Holding Hearings And Said He Liked To “Lecture”
Senator Feingold Has Earned Over $350,000 For Lecturing At Colleges And Universities
Since Leaving Office, Senator Feingold Has Earned At Least $350,000 From Salaries And Honoraria From Colleges And Universities. (Russ Feingold, 2012 Public Financial Disclosure Form, Filed 7/11/13; Russ Feingold, 2013 Public Financial Disclosure Form, Filed 5/28/14; Russ Feingold, 2014 Public Financial Disclosure Form, Filed 4/17/15; Russ Feingold, 2015 Public Financial Disclosure Form, Filed 5/29/15)
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In The 2013 Winter And Spring Semesters, Senator Feingold Was Paid A Salary Of $105,000 To Be A Visiting Professor At Stanford Law School, Teaching One Class In The Winter And Remaining In Residence During The Spring. (Russ Feingold, 2012 Public Financial Disclosure Form, Filed 7/11/13, Stanford Law School Office Of Communications And Public Relations, 2/12/13)
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In The 2012 Winter Semester, Senator Feingold Was A Paid A Salary Of $100,000 To Be The “Mimi And Peter E. Haas Distinguished Visitor” At The Stanford Haas Center. (Russ Feingold, 2012 Public Financial Disclosure Form, Filed 7/11/13, Stanford Report, 10/3/11)
During The 2015 Spring Semester, Senator Feingold Was Paid A Salary Of $50,000 To Be A Visiting Professor At Stanford Law School, Teaching One Class. (Russ Feingold, 2015 Public Financial Disclosure Form, Filed 5/29/15, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/3/15, Stanford Law Review, Accessed 7/26/15) -
Senator Feingold Was Paid A Salary Of $25,000 To Be A “Guest Lecturer” For One Semester At Lawrence University. (Russ Feingold, 2012 Public Financial Disclosure Form, Filed 7/11/13, Lawrence University News, 7/10/12)
- Senator Feingold Was Paid Over $70,000 In One-Time “Honoraria” By Various Colleges And Universities Between February 2012 And June 2013. (Russ Feingold, 2012 Public Financial Disclosure Form, Filed 7/11/13)