Russ Feingold Expands Progressives United, Launches Advocacy Operation

WASHINGTON -- Former Wisconsin senator Russ Feingold is expanding his Progressives United operation, launching a 501(c)(4) and a new website on Monday morning. The organization will now consist of a political action committee for political work and a nonprofit for advocacy efforts. And although a 501(c)(4) is allowed to spend and raise unlimited amounts of undisclosed money, Feingold is promising to practice what he preaches by setting up strict disclosure requirements and contribution limits for his group.

Feingold launched Progressives United in February. Since then, it has raised more than $2 million. The organization was designed to support progressive candidates at the local, state and national levels, as well as hold the media and elected officials accountable on combating corporate influence in politics.

The PAC has raised more than $200,000 for the Democratic candidates in the Wisconsin state senate recall elections, and it organized a campaign calling on President Obama to fire General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt as the head of his Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

The new nonprofit arm will allow the group to do more advocacy work, allowing the PAC to concentrate on political work. The PAC will be posting new endorsement criteria for candidates and asking supporters to nominate possible individuals they would like to see Progressives United endorse.

"It's clear people are fed up with the way corporations are running our politics and our government. Progressives United is taking the next step to fight back," said Progressives United Executive Director Cole Leystra.

Feingold has been one of the Democratic Party's most vocal critics on the issue of whether to accept corporate contributions.

Speaking at the annual Netroots Nation conference for progressive bloggers and activists in June, Feingold said the Democratic Party was "in danger of losing its soul" if it did not adopt stricter regulations on campaign contributions. He singled out Priorities USA, a new Democratic independent expenditure group, or super PAC, that is allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of corporate cash for political purposes.

The nonprofit that Feingold is forming, known as a 501(c)(4) in the U.S. tax code, is allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of undisclosed money as long as its primary focus is not politics.

But Feingold is placing extra restrictions on his new organization. It will disclose 100 percent of its income and will not knowingly accept any money from corporations, national banks, labor unions, federal contractors or federal or state lobbyists. It is also swearing off independent expenditures, electioneering and the "issue ads" that are popular with outside groups. No contributions above $10,000 per individual per year will be accepted.

The group says it is also putting up firewalls between Progressives United Inc., the nonprofit, and the Progressives United PAC. While they will share resources and staff, they will be financed and fundraised for separately, and they will engage in distinct activities. On Aug. 1 of congressional and presidential election years, all non-administrative operations will be conducted and financed through the PAC.

On Monday, Progressives United supporters will receive an email announcing the launch of the new website.

"With elections coming up in Wisconsin next week and around the country soon -- and with corporate money already flowing into politics through shadowy front groups like Karl Rove's Crossroads -- we had to launch our new website right now to get these important grassroots tools into activists' hands as soon as possible," reads the message.

Feingold has said that he will decide by Labor Day whether he will run for retiring Sen. Herb Kohl's (D-Wis.) open U.S. Senate seat in the 2012 elections. Progressives United staff insisted that the new announcement is an extension of the senator's long fight for campaign finance reform, not any indication about his political future.

Comments

[canna78]

08:55 PM on 09/02/2011

Mr. Feingold--please run for President. We need a serious progressive in the White House!

[fgbouman]

06:32 AM on 08/02/2011

Russ is great but neither he nor anyone I know of has any way to get out of the situation we are in without hyperinflation. This latest exercise in brinksmanship and self-deception probably hastened the collapse of the dollar.

[grovestand12]

08:40 PM on 08/01/2011

LOVE YOU, RUSS!

[Jenababy]

07:20 PM on 08/01/2011

Valerie Jarrett was on the news saying that the President has removed cuts to Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid, when they resume budget cuts with the committee of 12. That the vast majority of these do not go into affect until 2013. She also said that tax loopholes and allowing the Bush taxes to expire is still on the table when it comes to correcting our deficit. The Democrats are cautioning if we can get a majority into the Congress and the Senate, that we can get things corrected before any more harm is done. It's nice to see Congresswoman Gifford back on the floor, to vote and end this impasse on the Debt Ceiling. She fought to come back and so should we, when the going gets tough the tough get going. We've got to toss out these Teapublicans in 2012, so lets get over this and move on. Be more proactive and less reactive, we've got to participate in changing the national debate towards job creating, and correcting the inadequacies of our tax system.

[askandtell]

02:14 AM on 08/02/2011

Fantastic post and points Jena. Valerie Jarrett's points are great. I agree we must be more proactive and less reactive to the other side as they aren't going away. Faved and Fanned.

[nckjm]

04:07 PM on 08/02/2011

Unfortunately the President has a consistent habit on NOT living up to his promise or his keeping his word on an issue. And equally unfortunate, progressives keep thinking that Democrats are going to finally stand up and do the right thing. We will drive ourselves crazy if we continue to put faith (time, money, and effort) into Democrats or this travesty of a President. Each time we are held hostage and are abused by a thoroughly corrupt system, we are told to "get over this" but the abyss gets deeper and our souls are chipped away. I'm all for being proactive, but I want to put my time, money, and energy into and align myself with a true progressive agenda....NO MORE dems or repugs for me. My relationship with this President and the Democratic Party are completely severed at this point. My eyes are opened.

[dporterdvd]

06:47 PM on 08/01/2011

Russ Feingold for POTUS in 2016.

[Caroleeena]

06:46 PM on 08/01/2011

Service-oriented people continue to serve even if they are not in office. I admire this man.

[wom122]

06:32 PM on 08/01/2011

Russ Feingold is a true Progressive and an American hero. Feingold for president!

[DenNYC]

06:14 PM on 08/01/2011

I love me some Russ!!! Russ for Prez! We need an full-fledged, unashamed, Democrat in office.

[Durango]

06:08 PM on 08/01/2011

I worked with Feingold (well actually his staff) on an environmental issue, and while he is a very good guy and is 100% correct on many issues he allowed himself to get out maneuvered politically. And ended up losing fights he could have won.

[Caroleeena]

06:46 PM on 08/01/2011

How so?

[Durango]

07:12 PM on 08/01/2011

Don't want to go into details but:

He agreed to let a bill go to the floor if his version was voted on. When his bill lost that vote (which it was obvious that it  would) he didn't have any backup plan. Nor did he tell his supporters what to do on the next vote.

He should have kept a hold on the bill. The vote was in Dec 2000. The environmentally devastating and fiscally irresponsible bill he opposed was then put through as a Rider on an Appropriations bill in the very last hours of that Congress. It never even got a vote in the House.

I did not think he showed much shrewdness in his management.

Though he was our champion in the Senate and an excellent person.

[Durango]

07:17 PM on 08/01/2011

I should add: It was not necessarily Feingold's fault. The Clinton Administration held up the Project (bill) for 7 years. Then stabbed us in the back in the very last moments of the Administration.

In a deal with Republican Congressmen and Senators.

Actually it was Bruce Babbitt, not Clinton. But neither Clinton nor the Dems got a thing out of the back stabbing deal. Republicans made out like bandits.

I think they called that Triangulation.

[askandtell]

09:03 AM on 08/02/2011

Thanks for sharing this story. Feingold can make a huge difference organizing and getting support for progressive candidates. He also reminds us of our principles; don't have to go the route of the GOP. F&F

[Progressive forever]

05:54 PM on 08/01/2011

Finally.......The extreme business friendliness of Democrats and Republicans is alarming. A strong progressive movement would really help bring the country to the "real center".

[askandtell]

09:03 AM on 08/02/2011

Agreed.

[Don Glenn]

05:53 PM on 08/01/2011

I am encouraged to know that someone not in office without a job to lose can now focus on the educating the American people about how they are losing our country to mergers and acquisitiveness that create one monopoly after another. Think "oil".I would put my money on my Gov. before I would trust big corporations. There tax's are greater than the Gov's

[askandtell]

09:06 AM on 08/02/2011

Good points; I agree that Russ bring creditably from outside the political system.

[jasev01]

05:50 PM on 08/01/2011

Russ Feingold primary challenge

[JoeChip]

06:12 PM on 08/01/2011

I totally agree. Obama has failed us and the American people. He will be responsible for this democracy collapsing into a plutocracy made up of CEOs like the Koch Bros and Murdoch while the middle class collapses. I would volunteer, donate and go door to door for any progressive challenger to obama.

[Durango]

07:19 PM on 08/01/2011

Let us be clear on the responsibility here.

President Obama is in no way responsible for the actions of the Koch Brothers or the other shady billionaires out there funding the Right Wing machine.

[grovestand12]

08:51 PM on 08/01/2011

A bad political situation was made even worse when over 10million on the left did not vote during the 2010 elections. Now we have a bunch of nutty ideologues pretending to be legislators in the house, mucking up the works.

[ClassicalGas]

05:44 PM on 08/01/2011

If Citizen's United is the Law of the Land, we may as well use it to our advantage. Until CU is overturned, let's show them how it's done!

Russ Feingold is making large waves. With enough of us behind him, Progressives United can change the political landscape. Enough of this being dragged to the right, let's try to restore some balance!

[kenhamlett]

05:30 PM on 08/01/2011

Senator Feingold is one of the few politicians on the national stage who stands for principle and acts in concert with his professed beliefs. He has shown in the past a real willingness to compromise to get things done, but when he compromises, his principles remain intact and the products produced are in the interest of our party and our nation. He could serve as a model for the other leaders of our party, but they seem uninterested in his ideas and approaches to solving problems. That is indeed disappointing. But, those of us who love our party need to keep Senator Feingold active on the national stage and pressure our leaders to emulate him rather than ignore him.

[askandtell]

09:09 AM on 08/02/2011

If the voters are listening to him because of his ethics and principles, the leaders will follow. I look forward to more stories about Feingold on HuffPo. They are encouraging.

[Ev3ryWord]

05:20 PM on 08/01/2011

At this point, I would like to see Sen. Feingold get back on the national stage, because we need principled leadership again.

I used to say that I wanted him to challenge Wisconsin's Gov. Walker when Walker's recall election comes up, but I'm so fed up now with this debt ceiling deal that I almost hope he challenges President Obama in the 2012 presidential primaries. I'd vote for him in a heartbeat.

[Graywolf48]

05:36 PM on 08/01/2011

As would I. But, to challenge a sitting president from within the party would be political suicide.

[JoeChip]

06:27 PM on 08/01/2011

It's better than from the outside. I think Obama now has a good chance of losing in 2012 anyway. As well he should - he has insulted the progressive base that got him elected at every turn. He has damaged the Democrats of every strip by putting SS and Medicare up automatic cuts. I won't be volunteering for him this go round and I don't plan on voting for him again.

[Durango]

07:20 PM on 08/01/2011

See: 1968.

Which was the beginning of the Democratic downfall.

[growelly]

05:50 PM on 08/01/2011

What Graywolf said.

AND -he doesn't have the money for it anyway. There's no way he could afford to fight for the presidency against an incumbent Democrat.