Feingold stumps for Menendez

Wisconsin Democrat urges vote for Senator in upcoming elections

By: Joseph Harvie
   U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, a Democrat from Wisconsin, urged South Brunswick seniors to vote for U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, in the Nov. 7 election.
   Sen. Menendez is running against state Sen. Thomas Kean Jr., a Republican, in New Jersey’s 21st District. The two are vying for a six-year term in the U.S. Senate. Sen. Menendez filled the seat when former senator Jon Corzine was sworn in as governor Jan. 17.
   The campaign has featured ads by both candidates attacking each other.
   On Monday, Sen. Feingold spoke for 30 minutes at the South Brunswick Senior Center about how he and Sen. Menendez would fight to keep Social Security stable, work out problems seniors are having with the Medicare Part D prescription program and keep the Community Development Block Grant Program running.
   Sen. Feingold said keeping Democrats in the Senate is important because both houses of Congress have Republican majorities, and the executive branch is Republican, which he said allows the president to push policies through more quickly.
   There are 55 Republicans, 44 Democrats and one independent serving in the U.S. Senate. Of the 33 seats to be filled in this election, 15 are occupied by Republicans, 17 by Democrats and one by an Independent.
   Sen. Feingold took questions from seniors, who mostly wanted to know if he would vote to impeach President George W. Bush because he allowed Americans to be wiretapped without a judge’s orders.
   "I would censure the president and have him apologize," Sen. Feingold said. "I would want him to tell his country that, ‘Even the president cannot break the law.’ "
   He also said that Sen. Menendez would continue to take a stand against the Iraq War, which he said he voted against from the beginning.
   "We know these young people shouldn’t be killed over there for reasons that don’t make any sense," Sen. Feingold said.
   In addition, Sen. Feingold said he would urge President Bush to pursue talks with North Korea, which conducted a nuclear weapons test last week and has been under fire from the United Nations Security Council. President Bush has said he would seek sanctions against North Korea and not look to have direct talks with the communist country.
   "Yes, there are six-party talks, but we need direct talks with North Korea," Sen. Feingold said.