Commentary: John Nichols on Russ Feingold’s Future

Commentary: John Nichols on Russ Feingold’s Future

Russ Feingold has been one of the few consistently progressive Senators in Washington, so it’s no surprise that he’s now a prime target for conservatives.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email
Print

Russ Feingold has been one of the few consistently progressive Senators in Washington: the sole vote against the PATRIOT Act, a principled vote against bailing out the banks, a tireless fighter for civil liberties and a man willing to stand up to his own party as well as to the opposition. So it’s no surprise that he’s now a prime target for conservatives.

John Nichols is from Feingold’s home state of Wisconsin, and when he came by the Nation on Grit TV studio recently, he discussed his recent article on the beleaguered senator and gave us his thoughts on Feingold’s race to keep his seat.

The Nation on GRIT TV is a weekly video collaboration between The Nation and GRIT TV with Laura Flanders. Watch for Monday briefings, Wednesday commentaries, weekend conversations and more at TheNation.com. For full half-hour episodes of The Nation on GRIT TV, or local television air times visit www.grittv.org.

Hold the powerful to account by supporting The Nation

The chaos and cruelty of the Trump administration reaches new lows each week.

Trump’s catastrophic “Liberation Day” has wreaked havoc on the world economy and set up yet another constitutional crisis at home. Plainclothes officers continue to abduct university students off the streets. So-called “enemy aliens” are flown abroad to a mega prison against the orders of the courts. And Signalgate promises to be the first of many incompetence scandals that expose the brutal violence at the core of the American empire.

At a time when elite universities, powerful law firms, and influential media outlets are capitulating to Trump’s intimidation, The Nation is more determined than ever before to hold the powerful to account.

In just the last month, we’ve published reporting on how Trump outsources his mass deportation agenda to other countries, exposed the administration’s appeal to obscure laws to carry out its repressive agenda, and amplified the voices of brave student activists targeted by universities.

We also continue to tell the stories of those who fight back against Trump and Musk, whether on the streets in growing protest movements, in town halls across the country, or in critical state elections—like Wisconsin’s recent state Supreme Court race—that provide a model for resisting Trumpism and prove that Musk can’t buy our democracy.

This is the journalism that matters in 2025. But we can’t do this without you. As a reader-supported publication, we rely on the support of generous donors. Please, help make our essential independent journalism possible with a donation today.

In solidarity,

The Editors

The Nation

Ad Policy
x