Transcript: Russell Feingold On Why He Hasn't Endorsed Barack Obama Or Hillary Rodham Clinton
© National Journal Group Inc.
Friday, Feb. 15, 2008
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National Journal's Linda Douglass sat down with Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., for the Feb. 15 edition of "National Journal On Air." This is a transcript of their conversation.
Audio of the full show is also available.
Q: Welcome, Senator Russ Feingold, senator from Wisconsin, a state with a very big primary next week. Welcome, Senator.
Feingold: Thank you. We are excited we are important again. We weren't sure we were going to be.Q: Many states have suddenly discovered themselves important in a way they haven't been in years past. Well, let's start with you. You were quoted a couple of weeks ago in one of the Wisconsin newspapers as saying that you were having a tough time making up your mind between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Why is that?
Feingold: Well, because they are both very impressive colleagues of mine. I've worked very closely with both of them on important legislation, from racial profiling, to lobbying and ethics reform, to the Iraq war. They are both excellent people, and I see great qualities in each of them. They are different qualities, and I think we would do well with either one. So it is hard for me to make a judgment.Q: So you are not going to endorse before Tuesday?
Feingold: Extremely unlikely. I think it's best for me to hear what Wisconsin people have to say. If there is an overwhelming feeling that one person is better than the other, that will have a big impact on how I vote. But if it's very close, I will probably continue to have some questions about what the best thing is to do, and to see how they continue to perform.Q: Let's talk a little bit about your state. You know, everybody's analyzing Wisconsin in terms of demographic information. It has more Catholics than some states; it's got more blue-collar workers than some states; it's got a big pocket of college students. It's your state. What do you think are the issues that will drive the Democratic primary?
Feingold: Well, demographically it is probably almost like a microcosm of the whole country. It has very much that sort of balance, so it's a perfect bellwether. And, of course, we share certain issues that the whole country is concerned about, but maybe with more intensity. And in particular here I am talking about the concern about the Iraq war being a big mistake that's hurting America, and also the desire for health care for all Americans.Q: Well, it's interesting that you mention the war. Because we don't hear the war mentioned as often as an important issue to voters at this point in the campaign. Which of the candidates do you think is closest to you? You have been a consistent and ardent opponent of the war. Which of them is closest to you on that subject?In addition, we are especially concerned in Wisconsin, as is the case in places like Ohio and Pennsylvania, with job loss due to these very unfair trade agreements. How are we going to get our manufacturing base back, which was so powerful in Wisconsin? It has been greatly harmed in the last decades.
It's a very green state, too, not only on environmental issues -- Gaylord Nelson was the famous senator that was my predecessor, who created Earth Day -- but also energy issues. It's one of the states that is most active in trying to come up with alternative energy and get away from dependence on foreign oil. So those are some of the things that really, especially hit home in Wisconsin.
Feingold: Well, certainly Barack Obama's understanding that this was a mistake from the beginning, even though he wasn't in the U.S. Senate, is a major point in his favor on this issue. With regard to voting, they've been very similar, and I just feel grateful to both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama for supporting the Feingold-Reid Amendment. They will have another chance to show that. Senator Reid and I are going to come back right after the recess, and there's going to be a vote on this again. As they go through Wisconsin, I hope both of these candidates commit to vote for that. It has a specific deadline to begin the troop withdrawal and to eliminate the funding for this war as that troop withdrawal is completed. So they'll have an opportunity to show again in the very near future -- and hopefully they'll talk about it before Tuesday -- whether they continue to be strong supporters of the toughest provision in the Congress to get us out of this war.Q: And if one or both of them, but perhaps one over the other, were to support you on that, might that affect your decision?
Feingold: Yes, that would have a significant impact. I hope that both would support me as they have been doing recently.Q: So you are a superdelegate, and the superdelegates are in the spotlight in a way that they've never been because they are elected officials who could, in a tied race, wind up making the difference about which candidate gets the nomination. How are you going to decide how to make your own pledge?
Feingold: Well, I'm going through this process really for the first time. You know, the superdelegates have never been important. To me, being a superdelegate meant that I got to go to the convention ... so I never gave it a thought because it was always decided.Q: OK, well, thank you so much, Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin. I really appreciate your joining us today.I think it's a combination of looking at the candidates and seeing what their qualities are. I think it's very much related, for a senator, to what the state votes in the primary, or if it's a caucus state -- I think that's got to have a big impact. But you also have to do what's best for defeating the Republican candidate, so it's going to be a combination of factors. I would say the most important thing to me is if there is an overwhelming feeling that one person is better than the other by the people of the state.
I'm struck by the fact that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, our number one newspaper in Wisconsin terms of size, thanked Senator [Herb] Kohl and me for not endorsing before the primary; I called it Wisconsin courtesy. So I want to see what people have to say, and I'll be strongly factoring that in.
Feingold: My pleasure.