On October 21, 2015, Marty McFly and Doc Brown landed in the future in Hill Valley, California. I think Marty would have skipped Senator Feingold’s Stanford class, but I am sure he would be happy to travel back in time to find out exactly when Senator Feingold decided to abandon his principles.
It’s going to take a while to go back through his many decades as a career politician, but thankfully, the DeLorean is ready to generate 1.21 gigawatts of research so Senator Feingold can’t hoverboard back to Washington.
Back in Time with Senator Feingold…
Feingold Said “That’s A Pledge I’m Going To Keep. I’m Not Going To Get In There And Go, ‘OK, Where Are The PACs And Where Are The Out-Of-State Contributions?’ I’m Making A Pledge For The Future.” FEINGOLD: “And it’s not self-serving because I’m promising it for the future. I’m saying that’s a pledge I’m going to keep. I’m not going to get in there and go, ‘OK, where are the PACs and where are the out-of-state contributions?’ I’m making a pledge for the future.” (Russ Feingold, Democratic Senate Primary Debate, 8/28/92)
Feingold Said One Of The Reasons For His Self-Imposed Spending Limit Was Fundraising “Made Me Sick.” “Another reason for the self-imposed limit, he said, was the disgust he felt at begging for money like some political panhandler. ‘It made me sick,’ he said. ‘You’re calling someone you don’t even know and asking them for money.’” (Dirk Johnson, “2 In A Wisconsin Race Put Limits On Coffers,” The New York Times, 9/23/98)
In A Famous 1992 Campaign Ad, Russ Feingold Pledged “I Will Rely On Wisconsin Citizens, Not Out-Of-Staters To Pay For This Campaign.” FEINGOLD AD: “I’m just the opposite. I visited Washington, DC, but I live right here in Middleton, Wisconsin. And if you elect me, I’ll continue to live right here. That’s one of the three pledges I made when I decided to run for the United States Senate. They’re all here in writing on my garage doors. The other two are that I will rely on Wisconsin citizens, not out-of-staters to pay for this campaign, and I’ll accept no pay raise during my six year term in office.” (Feingold “Home Movies” Ad, 1992)
In January 1995, Russ Feingold Introduced S. 46, The Senate Campaign Financing And Spending Reform Act – A Bill That Included A Ban On PAC Contributions. (S. 46, Introduced 1/4/95)
Feingold Said “People Have Finally Realized That The No. 1 Issue That We Have To Deal With In This Country Is Getting The Big Money Out Of Policymaking That Goes On In Washington.” FEINGOLD: “Mr. President, why does the public sense we absolutely have to move on campaign finance reform at this point? I think it is because people have finally realized that the No. 1 issue that we have to deal with in this country is getting the big money out of policymaking that goes on in Washington.” (Sen. Russ Feingold, Congressional Record, 6/24/96, p. S6684)
In June 1996, Feingold Said His Goal Was “To Reduce The Flow Of Money In The Electoral Process That Has Become Dominated By Dollars And Cents Rather Than Issues And Ideas.” FEINGOLD: “Our goals are as follows. We try to reduce the flow of money in the electoral process that has become dominated by dollars and cents rather than issues and ideas. We try to end the perpetual money chase on Capitol Hill by somehow allowing current office holders to spend less time raising the requisite campaign funds and more time fulfilling their legislative duties and obligations.” (Sen. Russ Feingold, Congressional Record, 6/24/96, p. S6684)
Senator Feingold Said “My Life Isn’t About Running For Office”(Manu Raju, “Inside Russ Feingold’s Comeback Attempt,” Politico, 8/4/15)
Feingold Said He Did Not Want To Be A “Permanent Candidate.” RUSS FEINGOLD: “You know, I have decided that the best thing for my family and for me and for my ability to contribute is to not be a permanent candidate. I ran for office for 28 years. I started when I was 29, I went ’til 57. That’s a pretty good contribution. Maybe I’ll do it again.” (Russ Feingold, Democracy Now Interview, 2/23/12)
Feingold: “I Ran For Office For 28 Years. I Started When I Was 29, I Went ‘Til 57. That’s A Pretty Good Contribution.” RUSS FEINGOLD: “You know, I have decided that the best thing for my family and for me and for my ability to contribute is to not be a permanent candidate. I ran for office for 28 years. I started when I was 29, I went ’til 57. That’s a pretty good contribution. Maybe I’ll do it again.” (Russ Feingold, Democracy Now Interview, 2/23/12)
FEINGOLD: “And I Believe That You Can Do A Lot Of Things These Days With Faxes And Conference Calls And Other Mechanisms, So You Don’t Have To Be In Washington All The Time.” (CNN, 11/4/92)
Feingold Said Democrats Who Embraced Super PACs Were “Dancing With The Devil.” “‘I also think it guts the president’s message and the Democratic Party’s message,’ Feingold added. ‘We are doing very well right now. The president is doing brilliantly. This is no time to blunt that message by starting to play this game. I think people will see it as phony that Democrats start playing by Republican rules. People will see us as weak and not being a true alternative and just being the same as the other guy. And as I have said before, to me this is dancing with the devil.’” (Sam Stein, “Russ Feingold: Obama Super PAC Reversal Will Lead To ‘Legalized Abramoff System,’” The Huffington Post, 2/7/12)
Feingold Said He Didn’t Think Anybody Running For Office Should Be Involved With Super PACs “Because It Completely Cuts Out The Average Person From The Political Process.” FEINGOLD: “But with regard to being involved with super PACs, I don’t think Barack Obama should be involved or any of his cabinet members nor should anybody else running for public office because it completely cuts out the average person from the political process, and people with that kind of fortune can dominate our system. It’s wrong and we need to put the genie back in the bottle.” (CNN’s, “Piers Morgan Tonight,” 2/20/12)