In the 1988 Presidential Election, Senator Lloyd Bentson of Texas debated then Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana. In one of the more famous lines, Bentson rebuked Quayle for likening himself to John F. (Jack) Kennedy. Quayle went on to be elected Vice President as George H. W. Bush's running mate. He also went on to ignominy as a result of being eviscerated weekly on a television show "Murphy Brown" by Candace Bergen, and also due to his many speaking faux pas' which seemed to belie a shallow, vapid man. Since then, the reply "and you Sir, are no Jack Kennedy" has been a political insider's retort to anyone who gets a little too full of him or herself.
Fast forward 22 years and in reading about the Senate election in Wisconsin between Russ Feingold and Ron Johnson. Russ Fiengold has been one of the best examples (imho) of a politician who is not for sale. He worked with John McCain to get finance reform passed in the face of massive opposition and has been (again imho) a tireless worker for the middle-class as well as being one of the most honest Senators in the Senate (yes, I know faint praise). Feingold took on his own party and reached across party lines to get things passed.
Ron Johnson is someone I don't know - he's a plastics executive who currently is in a statistical dead-heat with Feingold. Over the weekend Johnson commented that Feingold's support for a high-speed rail line between Madison (WI) and Milwaukee was, "yet another example of big government spending."
Now, not withstanding that a high-speed rail line is greatly desired by an enormous number of politicians, communities, and businesses, and would be of tremendous economic support if completed through to Minneapolis at some point, I have one reply.
"No, Mr. Johnson, $700 Billion in a needless war, with $5B left behind in Iraq in unfinished redevelopment projects - THAT is big government, wasteful, stupid spending."
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