current American politicians that you respect

[xxThe_Lebowskixx]

Russ Feingold is the only one that comes to my mind. He is hands down the best senator in our country.

[Borodog]

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Russ Feingold is the only one that comes to my mind. He is hands down the best senator in our country.

[/ QUOTE ]

Serious question. Is this supposed to be a joke? Leveling? The guy sponsored a bill that infringes on the First Ammendment, specifically regarding political speech, which is pretty much the EXACT kind of speech that you want protected. That alone makes him an evil douchebag.

Edit: Who the [censored] deleted my other post?

Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ron Paul
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Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ron Paul


Fine. I respect Ron Paul because he's the only member of the gang of 535 who is not an unprincipled powerhungry evil bastard. He has never voted for an unconstitutional bill, has never voted to raise taxes, wants to abolish the IRS and replace it with nothing, wants to abolish the Fed and put the country back on a hard money standard. He understands economics, is principled, and is not a demagogue.

[El Diablo]

All,

If you're gonna respond here, respond w/ more than just a name. Essays not necessary, but at least a sentence why or a link or something.

[xxThe_Lebowskixx]

What bill are you talking about? Is it this one?

On July 14, 2005, Feingold introduced a bill to the Senate that would ban lobbyists from giving gifts to Senators and impose a $50,000 fine for violating the ban; force lawmakers to sign statements saying that lobbyists did not pay their travel expenses; forbid lawmakers from traveling on corporate jets; bar congressmen, staffers, and executive branch officials from serving as lobbyists for two years after leaving office; and require that lobbying reports be disclosed on a quarterly, rather than semi-annual, basis.

[Borodog]

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What bill are you talking about?

[/ QUOTE ]

McCain-Feingold. Yet another in a long line of Incumbent Protection Acts.

[xxThe_Lebowskixx]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What bill are you talking about?

[/ QUOTE ]

McCain-Feingold. Yet another in a long line of Incumbent Protection Acts.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you are wrong.

[DannyOcean_]

RON PAUL,

because he actually acts on his beliefs, rather than being a giant douchebag and voting in pork.

I would honestly forgive just about any politician for anything ever if they swore off ever voting for pork spending bills.

[Borodog]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What bill are you talking about?

[/ QUOTE ]

McCain-Feingold. Yet another in a long line of Incumbent Protection Acts.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you are wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

It explicitly outlaws certain kinds of political speech. Outlawing something is pretty clearly "infringing" upon it.

[ctj]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What bill are you talking about?

[/ QUOTE ]

McCain-Feingold. Yet another in a long line of Incumbent Protection Acts.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you are wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

See The Speech Police (WSH June 27 - you may need a subscription to WSJ online to view the link).

Some excerpts:

In February 2006, Norm Feck learned that the city of Parker, Colo., was considering annexing his unincorporated neighborhood, Parker North. Realizing that it would mean more bureaucracy, Mr. Feck and five other locals wrote letters to the editor, handed out information sheets, formed an Internet discussion group, and printed up anti-annexation yard signs that sprouted throughout the neighborhood.

Annexation supporters responded with a legal complaint against Mr. Feck and his friends for violating Colorado's campaign-finance laws. The suit also threatened anyone who had contacted Mr. Feck's group about the annexation, or put up one of their yard signs, with "investigation, scrutinization, and sanctions for Campaign Finance violations." Apparently the anti-annexation activists hadn't registered with the state, or filled out the required paperwork disclosing their expenditures on time. In February of this year voters defeated the annexation proposal -- but Mr. Feck and others still face steep fines. The case remains in litigation. [not directly related to McCain-Feingold]
.....
During the 2000 presidential race, four men placed a homemade sign, reading VOTE REPUBLICAN: NOT AL GORE SOCIALISM, on a cotton trailer along a Texas highway. The FEC spent nearly 18 months investigating, because the sign lacked the legally required information about who had paid for it. In 2004, Nascar driver Kirk Shelmerdine spent $50 to affix a BUSH-CHENEY '04 decal to an unsold spot on his car's advertising space. The FEC admonished him for making an unreported campaign expenditure.

Such cases are not merely examples of bureaucratic excess, points out campaign-finance lawyer Bob Bauer, a lonely pro-freedom voice in Democratic circles: Under today's intrusive laws, Mr. Shelmerdine's activities demanded an FEC inquiry. Nor are such cases rare.
....
Though they claim to speak for average citizens, reformers don't care much about the way their reforms hurt those citizens. Trevor Potter, president of the Campaign Legal Center and a McCain adviser, has dismissed complaints by arguing that campaign-finance laws are no more complex than antitrust or patent laws. "They are worth the inconvenience and lawyers' fees they generate," says Mr. Potter -- who also heads the campaign-finance practice at the law firm of Caplin & Drysdale, where partner billing rates can range upward of $750 per hour.

Another disturbing trend in campaign-finance regulation is the attempt to directly regulate speech. For example, in the Shelmerdine case, the FEC valued the driver's "contribution" not at the $50 it cost him to place a decal on his car, but at several thousand dollars -- what the FEC determined to be the advertising spot's monetary value.
...

"I have come to doubt that the masses of the people have sense enough to govern themselves," wrote Ben Tillman, the founder of federal campaign-finance reform, in 1916. Many years later, in 1997, House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt famously described the battle over campaign-finance reform as "two important values in direct conflict: freedom of speech and our desire for healthy campaigns in a healthy democracy. You can't have both."

[jackflashdrive]

I'm libertarian personally, but I have tremendous respect for Ralph Nader. You should see the documentary "Ralph Nader: An unreasonable man." Yes, it's a puff-piece, but it does provide factual information to buttress the man's character a lot.

His past efforts with regard to consumer advocacy have significantly altered the consumer and employee landscape (largely for the better). Not many individuals have had such a substantial positive impact on American life, and that is quite an acomplishment (despite the fact that most people nowadays are ignorant of what he has done).

I certainly see why some people are skeptical of the man's judgment, but as for which politician is deserving of respect, admiration, and imitation, I think Nader wins hands down.