2007-11 Vital Source Mag – November 2007
Recalling the Wisconsin Idea
By Barry Wightman A century ago there was a political agenda known as the “Wisconsin Idea.” As Sanford D. Horwitt, author of Feingold: A New Democratic Party, puts it, the idea at the center of then-nascent progressive political thinking “became widely known as shorthand for new, enlightened rational government that would rein in laissez-faire capitalism, invest in vastly expanded educational opportunities and infrastructure, and use the expertise at the University of Wisconsin to create pioneering programs to promote the health, safety and economic interests of ordinary workers and farmers alike.” One would be hard-pressed to argue with that agenda. Famed Wisconsin Governor and Senator, Robert M. La Follette, one of Russ Feingold’s political heroes, personified the progressive Wisconsin Idea. And understanding La Follette is key to understanding our current senator. Having read La Follette’s autobiography as a high school student, Feingold was steeped in the progressive tradition. Simply put, true progressives believe in competence, community and thrift and are fervently against the power of big money and behind-the-scenes influence. With roots in the Northern European traditions of many of Wisconsin’s 19th century settlers, progressives cover a wide political spectrum that, in today’s terms, is neither red-state nor blue-state. And it is that pragmatic, party boundary-crossing approach that is central to Feingold’s politics. Progressivism as a coherent political movement is largely forgotten, its tenet planks scattered among the dusty platform statements of the two major parties of the 20th century. But Feingold is, by the historic definition, a progressive. Asked about the prospect for a progressive revival in 21st century America, Feingold was hopeful. Saying that his hero Bob La Follette would be “passionate” about today’s possibilities, Feingold is clearly working to speak for the independent, pragmatic and public-minded of Wisconsin. Those are not the words of cautious man. Feingold’s habit of confounding the leaders of the Democratic Party establishment would have been familiar to “Fighting Bob” La Follette. Feingold’s was the lone vote against the Patriot Act in 2001 and he was one of the few to vote against the authorization for war against Iraq in 2002. He was also the only Democrat to vote to continue the Senate Clinton impeachment proceedings in 1998 – a very unpopular position, at least among Democrats. And with Republican maverick John McCain, he has consistently championed campaign finance reform, attempting to drive corrupting big money from the national political process. Feingold, Horwitt writes, can be counted on to vote for reform, not to play it safe. As a result, Feingold frequently tangles with his more cautious contemporaries. His 2002 public dust-up with Senator Hillary Clinton on campaign finance – she claimed he wasn’t living in the “real world” – rocked the party boat, as did the recent failed Feingold-Reid Senate bill to end the Iraq war. Many Democrats veered away from him. But Feingold remains undeterred, going about the business of serving his state and nation unbowed by what some might perceive to be political failures. In speaking about the war at one […]
Nov 1st, 2007 by Vital Archives
November 2007
November 6th Angels & Airwaves I-Empire Geffen Chris Brown Exclusive Jive Jimmy Buffett Live in Anguilla Mailboat Cassidy B.A.R.S. Full Surface/J Counting Crows Saturday Nights, Sunday Mornings Geffen Kevin Elliot and The Broken Damage of This Day Broke City Rob GEE Rob GEE Rock Ridge Music Jay-Z American Gangster Def Jam Kanekoa Under the Coconut Sky Major Hana/Fontana/ Universal Keak D Sneak Deified Broke City Little Big Town A Place to Land Equity Music Group Monster Magnet 4 Way Diablo SPV Nonpoint Vengeance Bieler Bros. Nicole Scherzinger Her Name is Nicole… Interscope Rick Springfield Christmas With You Gomer November 13th Boys II Men Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA Decca Dane Cook Rough Around the Edges: Live From Madison Square Garden Comedy Central Dillinger Escape Plan Ire Works U.K. – Relapse Céline Dion Taking Chances Epic Duran Duran Red Carpet Massacre Epic Aretha Franklin Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen Arista The Hives The Black and White Album Octone/Interscope Ja Rule The Mirror The Inc. Alicia Keys As I Am J LCD Soundsystem 45:33 DFA Nelly Brass Knuckles Derrty/Universal Pitbull The Boatlift TVT Seal System Warner Shaggy Intoxication Big Yard/VP James Taylor One Man Band Hear Music Wu-Tang Clan The 8 Diagrams Loud/SRC/Universal Trisha Yearwood Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love Big Machine November 20th Foxy Brown Brooklyn’s Don Diva Black Rose Entertainment/Koch Daft Punk Daft Punk Alive 2007 Virgin November 27th Mary J. Blige Growing Pains Matriarch/Geffen Kylie Minogue X International-EMI
Nov 1st, 2007 by Vital Archives
