Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisc., spoke to Dartmouth students and Hanover residents Saturday morning in the Hinman Forum amid speculation of a 2008 presidential run.
Billing the one-hour event as a "listening session," Feingold fielded questions and took positions on a host of issues including health care, gun control, deficit and pork barrel spending, campaign finance reform, the Iraq war and global warming.
Feingold fueled speculation about his possible candidacy by demanding President George W. Bush to set a date for removing troops in Iraq and by creating a political action committee, a step often seen as a precursor to a presidential run.
The Saturday event, sponsored by the Young Democrats and the Rockefeller Center, was part of a two-day tour Feingold took of New Hampshire, the location of the first presidential primary.
In an interview with The Dartmouth, Feingold said he has not yet decided whether he will run for president in 2008.
"If I ultimately get to the point of thinking about this seriously, I would probably make a decision sometime after the 2006 election," he said. "I don't anticipate really looking at it in a real serious way until I see what's going on then."
The senator explained that he was visiting Dartmouth to energize Democrats.
"Since the disastrous outcome of the presidential and congressional elections last year, I'm trying to go around the country and help, as others are, to restore the prospects of the Democratic Party," he said.
Bipartisan and notoriously unpredictable, Feingold has gained a reputation in the Senate as a "maverick" Democrat. He voted against the USA Patriot Act and criticized the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war, but says he supports gun rights and voted to confirm Chief Justice John Roberts.
Feingold's responses to audience questions confirmed his stance as a liberal Democrat with stripes of conservatism.
In response to a question about health care, he indicated support for a socialist system.
"I support the idea of a national law guaranteeing health care for all," he said.
But when asked about gun control, Feingold came across as more conservative.
"I believe in and have always believed in the constitutional right to bear arms," he said.
When one audience member asked why he voted to confirm Roberts, Feingold defended his position and said he thought that Roberts would turn out to be more liberal than Republicans hoped.
"I would not have voted for John Roberts had I concluded that he was a conservative ideologue," he said. "I think his nature is essentially conservative as a person, maybe even politically."
In the interview with The Dartmouth, Feingold explained how the Democrats must focus their energies on key issues in order to gain more support.
"[Democrats] have to sound like we're serious about dealing with the issues that affect their lives," Feingold said. "That means if we're not talking about guaranteeing health care for all Americans every day, we're missing the vote. If we're not talking about reversing the job loss from unfair trade agreements, we're missing the vote. If we're not talking about how can we get independence from foreign countries' oil supplies, and have our own energy policy in this country, we're missing the vote."
Feingold also reiterated his opposition to the Patriot Act and noted that, while it was unpopular at the time, his decision has gained support around the country.
"Clearly people have come around," Feingold said. "Some 350 communities in the country including New York City, which was attacked, have passed resolutions saying the Patriot Act here needs to be repealed or changed."
Feingold has attracted attention for his unique campaign practices. During his 1992 senatorial campaign, he painted a contract with voters on his garage door, promising, among other things, to refuse pay increases and to hold "listening sessions" in each county.
In his unique campaign commercials, Feingold claimed he was endorsed by Elvis and gave voters a tour of his home, showing that there were no skeletons in his closets.
The tactics paid off when Feingold, whose poll numbers had staggered in the single digits, won the primary by 70 percent and defeated his Republican opponent.
