(Via Hot Air) Russ Feingold’s not running for Senate in 2012. He’s not running for Governor in a hypothetical (and futile) 2012 recall election. He’s not running for Governor in the 2014 general election[*]. Russ Feingold’s just running away:

“After twenty-eight continuous years as an elected official … I have found the past eight months to be an opportunity to look at things from a different perspective,” Feingold said in the email, first reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Craig Gilbert. Feingold said he is “thoroughly enjoying the life of a private citizen.”

Funny about that: I’m enjoying Russ Feingold’s life as a private citizen, too.  More than I suspect that he is, brave words to the contrary.

If you’re wondering why this announcement, it’s pretty simple: it’s all the fault of Wisconsin progressives.  You see, the Democratic establishment had a plan with regard to Wisconsin.  The plan was to create a backlash to Republican reform initiatives via a combination of demagoguery, grand-standing, scenery-chewing, and carefully-constructed astroturfing at the state capital by hardcore progressives, union goons, and other shills of the Democratic party; the endgame was to use that backlash to fuel a backhanded takeover of the Wisconsin state senate, then use that as a springboard to recall the Governor next year – and maybe even retake the Wisconsin Assembly in the 2012 elections, too.

It was a dishonorable plan, of course, but it was a plan – and progressive Democrats had one job to do.  It was a simple job: they just had to win three Senate races.  They were given all the money that they needed for it, got the organizational help that they needed, got logistics and national support: all progressives had to do was turn that support into people actually going into voting booths and voting out the Republicans.  And they failed.  They needed three, and they got two.  And this was the progressives’ failure, too.  If they had worked harder, they might have gotten three.  If they had fought longer, they might have gotten three.  If they had been smarter or stronger or more dedicated, they might have gotten three.  But they didn’t do any of those things, because they‘re failures.  And so Russ Feingold will stay hiding in his little corner of academia.

Because Wisconsin Democrats don’t deserve a Russ Feingold, weak as he is.  The man still has standards.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

[*Should have made it clear: this last is personal opinion.]