I’m curious as to what voters might think about Senator Barack Obama selecting Senator Russ Feingold as his Vice Presidential nominee?

I’ve done a little research on the man and there are some rather interesting points to point out about him.

Yes, he’s a liberal for the most part; but he has conservative views too, like the budget, pork barrel spending, campaign reform, wanting English to be the official langauge and he fights for our Constitutional rights every day.

Russ is considered the ‘maverick’ of the Democratic Party, just as Senator McCain is considered to be in the Republican Party.

He’s from Wisconsin, he’s Jewish and his grandparents are immigrants from Russia.  He’s a Rhodes Scholar.

During Feingold’s last election, 2004, he won counties in Wisconsin that supported George W. Bush for President.

Did you know he was awarded the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award?  He also cosponsored the bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (Take Note: He cosponsored with Senator John McCain on the “McCain-Feingold Act).  He was also the only Senator to vote against the USA Patriot Act.

On August 17, 2005, Feingold became the first U.S. senator of either party to suggest a firm date for American withdrawal from the Iraq war.

Feingold looked into running for President but in the end decided against it, partly because of his divorce.  In his parting comments however, he warned his supporters against supporting anyone for the presidency who voted for the Iraq War, whether they later regretted it or not, saying his first choice for president in 2008 was someone who voted against the war, and his second choice is someone who wasn't in Congress but spoke out against the war at the time. 

On February 22nd 2008, he stated that he voted for Barack Obama as the Democratic Party nominee for the 2008 Presidential Election.

Feingold's primary legislative focus has been on campaign finance reform, fair trade, policies, health care reform, conservation and environmental protection, a multilateral foreign policy, Social Security, civil liberties and wasteful spending.

Feingold was the only Democratic senator to vote against a motion to dismiss Congress's 1998–1999 impeachment case of President Bill Clinton.

Feingold is also a well-known advocate for reductions in pork barrel spending and corporate welfare.  Citizens Against Government Waste, the Concord Coalition, and Taxpayers for Common Sense, three nonpartisan organizations dedicated to those causes, have repeatedly commended him.

In 2006, Feingold introduced a resolution in the Senate to censure President Bush. This was a result of allegations of illegal wiretapping.  Just today, Feingold tried his best to stop the FISA bill from being passed.  Feingold again called for Bush's censure in July 2007 for his management of the Iraq war.

Feingold has been supportive of a universal health care plan since he first ran for Senator of Wisconsin.

For more information please google his name.

Senator Feingold, like John McCain once was, is known for not always standing with his Party on every issue.  He’s a good speaker and debater.

If Senator Obama were to introduce Feingold as his VP nominee, it would ‘shock’ the political pundits and even the Republican Party.  If, as the media claims, Senator Obama is moving to the center politically, by having Senator Feingold at his side, he’s keeping the Democratic base very happy.

Opinions?