Russell Feingold in Wisconsin Senate Debate

On Civil Rights: The Patriot Act allows people to monitor your computer usage

FEINGOLD: I found some things in [the PATRIOT Act] that were deeply troubling, opportunities for people to monitor your computer usage, to get into your home & your library records without any demonstration of a connection to terrorism.

MICHELS: We can talk about all these boogie men. There have been no civil liberty violations via the Patriot Act. There hasn’t been a terrorist attack in this country in over 3 years and 8 al Qaeda cells have been broken up because of the Patriot Act.

Source: WI Senate Debate, on NBC15.Madison.com Oct 20, 2004

On Civil Rights: Shouldn’t change the Constitution to ban gay marriage

We should treat gays and lesbians like everybody else. We all should have the same rights. The federal government shouldn’t be changing the Constitution. We should be focusing on other priorities. Source: WI Senate Debate, in Washington Post Oct 18, 2004

On Homeland Security: Al-Qaeda is a priority, not Iraq

Michels has the wrong priorities when it comes to national security. The priorities are Al-Qaeda and national security. Source: WI Senate Debate, in Washington Post Oct 18, 2004

On Homeland Security: Privatizing screening at the airports allowed 9/11 to happen

FEINGOLD: Michels has to read the 9/11 report. We had privatized screening at the airports when those 19 Saudis went through with their box cutters & went into the planes & flew them into the World Trade Center. That’s the way that privatizing works.

MICHELS: Of course, it’s a great travesty what happened on 9/11-but because it didn’t work once, he’s like, that’s it, it’s failed, the government has to take it over.

FEINGOLD: Based on that logic, I suppose we should privatize our military, as well.

Source: WI Senate Debate, in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Oct 17, 2004

On Homeland Security: We are not any safer with Saddam gone

FEINGOLD: We are better off Saddam Hussein is gone, but we are not safer.

MICHELS: I supported the war in Iraq, progress is being made and putting a democracy in place will make the Middle East and the world much safer. Osama bin Laden has his troops deployed in Iraq right now.

Source: WI Senate Debate, on NBC15.Madison.com Oct 9, 2004

On War & Peace: Can’t blame Iraq on the media

The only thing Michels could say (about Iraq) was that there wasn’t good reporting. That’s like saying the Florida hurricanes’ only problem is that there are reporters blowing around in the wind. Source: WI Senate Debate, in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Oct 1, 2004

The above quotations are from Wisconsin Senate Debates: Russell Feingold (D) vs. Tim Michles (R), series of debates in October, 2004. Click here for other excerpts from Wisconsin Senate Debates: Russell Feingold (D) vs. Tim Michles (R), series of debates in October, 2004. Click here for other excerpts by Russell Feingold. Click here for a profile of Russell Feingold.
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Abortion Budget/Economy Civil Rights Corporations Crime Drugs Education Energy/Oil Environment Families Foreign Policy Free Trade	Govt. Reform Gun Control Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Jobs Principles Social Security Tax Reform Technology War/Peace Welfare
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Page last updated: Feb 26, 2019