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Feingold won't challenge Obama in '12 - Ben Smith: Feingold won't challenge Obama in '12

November 03, 2010
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Feingold won't challenge Obama in '12

Defeated Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, who considered a White House bid in 2008 and would be the most plausible candidate on Obama's left flank, has "no interest" in such a challenge, his spokesman said today.

"While a lot of other Democrats ran away from their support for the Recovery Act and health insurance reform, Russ Feingold didn't, he stood by those votes and President Obama's effort to do the right thing," said spokesman John Kraus in an email. "I would chalk up any Beltway chatter about Russ running against President Obama as simply Washington getting wee-wee'd up on the first day of new election cycle that is two years away."

Feingold "has no interest in challenging President Obama in 2012," Kraus said.

Posted by Ben Smith 11:49 AM
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  1. There is no way it is going to be Feingold if Obama gets challenged from the left it will be Benedict Bayh running on Clinton money you watch.

    Posted By: Tom | November 03, 2010 at 11:59 AM
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  2. was that audible noise Ben's Huge Sigh of Relief?...lol

    Posted By: was that audible noise Ben's Huge Sigh of Relief?...lol | November 03, 2010 at 12:04 PM
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  3. Those traitor DE$MS help REPUBS to win the House. No complains. More gridlock.

    Posted By: Those traitor DE$MS help REPUBS to win the House. No complains. More gridlock. | November 03, 2010 at 12:45 PM
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  4. It was obviously more of a Bill Kristol wet dream than anything close to reality anyway... Tom - how exactly would Bayh run to Obama's *left* when he keeps b*tching about how Democrats aren't being moderate enough?

    Posted By: Howard | November 03, 2010 at 01:31 PM
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  5. "Defeated" is the key word here.

    Posted By: Barry | November 03, 2010 at 01:53 PM
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  6. Russ Feingold is a Big Government Progressive and an enemy of free speech. The far left will love him, but America as a whole will thoroughly reject him.

    Posted By: Tony | November 03, 2010 at 02:14 PM
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  7. I didn't say or mean bayh would run to the left I said and meant if Obama is challenged by the left. Huge difference. Bayh is going play centrist.

    Posted By: Tom | November 03, 2010 at 02:27 PM
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  8. No serious Democrat will challenge Obama in 2012. After two years of Republican idiocy, Obama will cruise to victory, just as Clinton did in 1996 after two years of a Republican Congress.

    Posted By: srb | November 03, 2010 at 02:27 PM
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  9. srb, You are a very smart person!!! You are EXACTLY right.

    Posted By: sick of the party of NO!! | November 03, 2010 at 06:02 PM
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  10. Who care about Feingold. Hillary will challenge Obama in 2012. And man, now she has tons of amunition. It will be a great fight and Hillary will be victorios.

    Posted By: yamama | November 03, 2010 at 08:45 PM
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  11. Duh, this is so obvious. Do we really need an article about this?

    Posted By: Rice | November 03, 2010 at 10:41 PM
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  12. In related (and just as important) news, I'm announcing that I, my dog Katie, my barber, the local newspaper delivery boy, and most people I meet on the street "have no interest in challenging President Obama in 2012".

    Posted By: Laughing at the Partisan Media | November 03, 2010 at 11:18 PM
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  13. He wasn't that bad a guy so it is a shame that Obama and his team scuttled him .

    Posted By: Tom in Florida | November 04, 2010 at 12:52 AM
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  14. He wasn't that bad a guy so it is a shame that Obama and his team scuttled him .

    Posted By: Tom in Florida | November 04, 2010 at 12:55 AM
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  15. Someone should hope that Obama changes his way or the Katie will beat him !

    Posted By: Tom in Florida | November 04, 2010 at 12:56 AM
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  16. Wisconsin is full of people who seem nice but are really the wink-wink-wink get the "B" out of the White House ... Don't touch my assault rifle's and those "G's" are screwing up marriage type people ... that’s why Russ lost here … Other than the Madison vote where the city is open minded and young … no progressive EVER wins here ... Obama's a nice guy ... but he's not a Presidential Leader ... he’s more like a First Lady ... You beltway morons are out of touch with the reality of the heartland ... you predicted the end of the repugnican party for the past two years ... how did that work out for you ? … you know NOTHING ... Russ is the real deal !

    Posted By: loosecannonart | November 04, 2010 at 09:05 AM
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  17. A real shame Liberals can never get one of their own to challenge weak-kneed, apologetic centrist sisters like Barack Obama. There will be no challenge to the cowardice of the Dems and the perfidiousness of the Reps until Liberals like Russ.. MAN UP. Thanks much. HLB Engineering http://hlb-engineering.us

    Posted By: HLB Engineering | November 04, 2010 at 01:06 PM
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  18. Big government progressive? Seems to me since Ford the government growth is larger under republican governance. I don't know where you check your facts (I doubt you even do) you just listen to ramblings of half-wit retard pundits without even doing an inkling of thought for yourself. Republican administrations account for 12 of the 14 trillion debt growth in the last 50 years. Every Democrat president has caused the deficit to plateau or trend downward. Republicans are the party of big government and spending. Quit believing the lies.

    Posted By: TimL | November 04, 2010 at 07:36 PM
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  19. Frankly, as a Wisconsinite I prefer to think of Russ as ours, not yours. So I would rather him see take two years off, then challenge Walker for the governorship in 2014.

    Posted By: Aaron | November 05, 2010 at 11:49 AM
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