Russ Feingold Will Not Run For President

Russ Feingold isn't running. This probably isn't news to anyone, and I ought to have written this sooner, but I've had a tough time deciding what to say. But today is Thanksgiving, and, believe it or not, I've still got a lot to be thankful for, and a lot of thank-you's to make.

Senator Feingold chose not to run because he didn't want to lose the opportunity he'll have to do good work in the newly-Democratic Senate, and, though disappointed, I can understand. He's still the most honest man in Washington, and if he wants to run in 2016 (or 2012, if a Democrat doesn't win in 2008), I'll be racing thousands of others to be the first person on the plane to Wisconsin to volunteer.

I've devoted time and energy to this cause, but I think we all owe thanks to the amazing folks that put together this movement, from the very first blog to RunRussRun.com. Their hard work, with help from ordinary people like you and me, created a movement. It was people-powered politics at its finest, and in a matter of days there were over 3,500 members and over $92,000 pledged-- numbers that would have grown even further if Senator Feingold had made a different decision. We'll all go our separate ways, and get excited about different candidates (though, I suspect we'll be attracted to the same set of possibilities), but this accomplishment should not be forgotten.

And thank you, Senator Feingold, for giving us someone to be excited about. Finding the beginnings of a movement to draft you into the campaign helped me recover from John Kerry's loss, and helped restore my belief in progressive politics. I know that you had a similar affect on others as well.

Thank you to the readers of this blog, who have suffered through my poorly-written posts because they've hoped to help Senator Feingold in Michigan. And thank you to certain people who have encouraged me and my ideas through this movement.

This is all I can say, but there's so much more I wish I could say. Go read Dan's final post at his blog, and save a copy, because he's a masterful writer. Then, read Senator Feingold's thank you post on RunRussRun.com.

In the meantime, let's keep going Forward. Let's go Forward with progressive politics in Michigan and around the country. Let's go Forward into 2008, winning seats in places where progressivism can make a difference, all across the country. And let's go Forward with Feingold, building a better future for ourselves with a Democratic Congress.