How NOT to Lobby 101

The other day I had one of those lobbying experiences that makes you appreciate all the more why we live in Wisconsin.

A group of lobbyists for the petroleum industry visited my office to discuss why they thought the Governor's tax on oil profits was bad. No surprise. The local Wisconsin lobbyists were professional and polite, like you would expect.

But they brought in a "big gun" from Washington DC to present the side of the petroleum industry, an economist from a large trade association. Yikes. Now I know why I'm so glad to live in Wisconsin.

First off, using "bloated ego" and "pompous" to describe some people only makes them, well, more pompous then even before. Enter the DC suit to explain to us dairy folk about how the e-con-o-my works. You see, oil companies really don't make that much money, as a percent of sales. My first B.S. detector went off - "net income/over sales" in a specific quarter still doesn't address obscene profits, it just provides misdirection.

Then the suit from D.C. went on to lecture me (the poor fly-over country boy that I am) that this really hurts public employees and other that have pensions that invest in oil companies. B.S. detection number two. I asked a union leader who is a friend of mine about this, and after his laughter subdued, he offered to counter that arguement. Not necessary I told him.

Then, my six-figure lobbyist from D.C. went on to throw out the biggest whopper of them all, that if we tax them, gas companies will leave Wisconsin. I'll repeat that for all you Wisconsin folk eating your cheddar cheese that we are always eating. Put it down for just one minute. The glass of milk too. Gas stations will pull out of Wisconsin according to the D.C. suit.

Now I myself was almost an economics major back in college. Three classes shy of the major, I realized that the major was largely theoretical, rarely practical and most importantly, nearly impossible to get a real job in a real world (ie Wisconsin) with it. So I switched majors.

But the absurdity of saying a small assessment of about $270 million over the next two years on excessive profits would drive gas stations out of Wisconsin, making us go horse-and-buggy statewide, is ridiculous. Exxon alone made about $4.1 million PROFIT per hour last year.

When I explained to the suit that given the market forces (big concept here), if any did indeed leave the state (which I explained to him why they wouldn't), others would fill in the gap to pick up the business. He pontif....pontific.....went on and on (hell I am from fly-over country!) to tell me why he was right.

After all his huffing and puffing about the tax, he explained to me he was on his way to the Capital Times editorial board to make his case. I told him he might want to rework his presentation a bit, to which he proudly (pompously in Wisconsin) said he wouldn't change a thing. To that, I gave him an advance "I told you so" when he receives a bad editorial.

But I wanted to share just a bit of my day, when Washington types come in to impress us poor Wisconsin folks. Any side of an issue has good points and bad ones. But it's always best to stick with your best arguments, with quality over quantity. I felt bad for the Wisconsin-based lobbyists, who tried their best with their well-suited friend. But as we gear up for the budget, this is an example of what NOT to do when lobbying in Wisconsin. I just wanted to get the word out before the fun REALLY begins...

Governor's Budget Critics Rhetoric Doesn't Stand Up

If you watched Governor Doyle's budget address last night, you probably noticed that the vast majority (all?) of Republican legislators sat through the address in opposition to most of what was proposed.

They wouldn't stand up for affordable health care, quality schools or creating new jobs, but they did want to fight to defend their friends in big oil and big tobacco. Now that's a position to take with the public in Wisconsin.

Look, the GOP is trying to pass on the rhetoric that there is a $1.7 billion tax increase in the budget, costing the average family $724 a year. Right. Maybe if that family owns Exxon or Philip Morris.

In reality, the Governor's budget provides REAL tax breaks for working people. It includes tax breaks on residential property taxes, tuition and other educational costs, health insurance premiums, child care costs and social security. Real tax breaks, no rhetoric.

So, in the coming weeks get ready for all the tax rhetoric from the GOP. But then look closely at the tax breaks that are actually in the budget.

My guess is that the public will side with the working families of Wisconsin instead of Exxon (who made $4.1 million an HOUR last year in profit).

Some Really Good Recent Blogs

If I don't have the time to blog, I'm glad others do. Check out these really good recent blogs....

Haggard "cured"?
Thanks Babblemur.

Photo Identification, Take 37.
Appreciate your thoughts Ken.

With the state budget one week from being released, keep watching the daily releases from the Governor Doyle's office about important features. So far, this week he has proposed a 20-plus percent increase in financial aid, increased shared revenues for local units of government and a plan to help Milwaukee. I'm looking forward to the whole budget next week (Feb. 13th), with lots of comment in the following weeks.

Groundhog's Day Resolution

Alright, a couple of friends recently pointed out that I made a new year's resolution to post more often, like I did last session. But I failed badly.

Last month, I posted a total of two blogs. Yikes.

So, I now make a Groundhog's Day resolution to blog more often, whether I see my shadow or not.

This week I will post a week in review, a feature I will try to do in addition to regular blogging. Really, I am back.

Doyle Tackles Insanely High Rate of African American Incarceration In Wisconsin

In today's Capital Times, David Callender writes about a new commission Governor Jim Doyle is appointing to study the insanely high rate of incarceration for African Americans in Wisconsin.

Gov. Jim Doyle today announced today that he will create a panel to study the high rates of incarceration among blacks in Wisconsin.

"Far too many of our citizens, particularly African-American males, are serving time in our prisons rather than learning in our schools or succeeding in the workplace," Doyle said in a draft of a speech he was set to deliver at today's Capitol celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Kudo's to Governor Doyle for tackling such a high need issue that has been neglected for decades in Wisconsin. As Callender points out, Wisconsin has the highest rate of African-American incarceration in the nation and is also among the highest in the nation for contacts between black youths and the criminal justice system.

Kudos also to Callender, who has been willing to tackle issues of incarceration throughout his career, including some pieces on the prison formerly known as Supermax. Callender has done a superb job of raising the profile of an issue most people would just as soon ignore.

I recently got appointed to the Assembly's Correction's Committee, a committee I have served on since I was elected to the legislature minus last session. Since I now serve on the legislature's Joint Committee on Finance, many members choose not to serve on other committees.

However, I have a strong interest in corrections issues and think they are among the most non-partisan problems demanding attention in our state. And for that I am glad to be serving on the committee again.

I look forward to helping solve the problems facing public safety and the appropriate responses, with strong attention to the root problems of crime as well as finding alternatives to non-violent offenders. Simply housing inmates at a cost of over $28,000 per year simply doesn't make sense for many, many offenders.

Thank you Governor for your attention to this issue. I look forward to working with you.

Ethics Bill Brings Bipartisan 'Kum Ba Ya'

Believe it or not, bipartisan ethics reform legislation has been introduced in the Wisconsin legislature.

Today, the awaited ethics bill was introduced, merging the Ethics and Elections Board with a more powerful and autonomous Government Accountability Board. The leadership of Governor Doyle and legislative leaders in both parties and in both houses announced the introduction, with a special session called to get the bill passed this month.

The bill reflects some of the previous proposals, with important adjustments and augmentations. Kudos go to Governor Doyle, Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, Assembly Democratic Leader Jim Kreuser, Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, Representatives Mark Gundrum and Jeff Fitzgerald, and others for working hard on seeing that this bill advances.

I believe this bill is a strong start to cleaning up both real and perceived problems at the State Capitol. If we can move this forward in a bipartisan fashion, we can hopefully move forward on other substantive issues of ethics and government.

On top of my list would include real campaign finance reform, efforts to get rid of fake "issue" ads, banning fundraising during the state budget deliberations and more.

There is no question that the voters schooled elected officials on this issue this past fall. Seats changed hands, long time incumbents lost their elections and editorial boards keep the issue of ethics reform alive. Perhaps more uniquely, legislators from both parties listened and DELIVERED.

This bill's model of all parties working together has been a great process, which if replicated, could mean a lot of wins for the people of Wisconsin.

I'm proud of my part in helping this bill advance. I hope we can move swiftly to get this passed by the end of January.

(I have to admit a lot of people may not like the bipartisan praise for my first post of the year, but it is deserved. A kinder, gentler Pocan? Hmmmmmmm.......)

I resolve....

I resolve to get back to blogging on a regular basis with the new year. Sorry folks.

Tanned, Rested and Married

Thanks to everyone for their patience while I was gone, but I'm back and already working hard at the Capitol.

As you may have heard, my longtime partner Philip Frank and I got married in Toronto, Canada (where it is legal and supported - their government recently voted to not review their policy on allowing gays and lesbians to marry) on November 24, 2006, with our immediate family there to celebrate with us. We then spent two weeks vacationing in Indonesia, on the islands of Bali and Java.

It was a fantastic honeymoon/vacation! We went diving at the US Liberty wreck, whitewater rafting, boating, touring the Borobudur and Prembalan temples and more. The Balinese people were especially gracious, in a Hindu culture that welcomes all people including gays and lesbians. I urge everyone to take a look at Bali as a vacation spot, and we'd be glad to pass on additional details.

But I am back, and if you have been keeping up with the news, helped craft a strong bipartisan ethics reform package this week (which I will outline in the next post).

Thanks to all who passed on their warm wishes. While we were gone, South Africa just made marriage legal for gays and lesbians, and since we got back, New Jersey passed a civil union bill. Progress. Real progress.

I truly look forward to getting back to work at the Capitol! As always, contact me with any questions or concerns.

On Vacation

I am on vacation for a bit.

When I get back, I will post on a regular basis with POLICY, now that the legislature is coming back in January.

Have a great thanksgiving.

Final Election Thoughts

OK, last crack at this....even MORE elections thoughts.

* If Scott Walker had been the nominee, how would the election have been different? Walker is a far better candidate, has a Milwaukee base potentially eating into the Democrats base, and the illegal money transfer would not have been an issue. But then again, the Milwaukee County financials woes would have come into play.... I have to wonder though. I always thought Walker is a formidible candidate for any office.

* Dawn Marie Sass is the new State Treasurer. It really was a Democratic year. You think even a hundred people met her on the campaign trail? (Jack, best wishes. You are a class act.)

* What if all the outside groups had put even ten percent of their effort into Assembly races for the Democrats? Doyle would have both houses to govern with....hmmmmm.

* Does John Gard become a lobbyist in Madison or a Bush appointee in Washington? Or does he just wash cars in Peshtigo? Bets?

* I have estimated there are about 40-45 new jobs for Democrats at the State Capitol, with the Senate going Democratic and more Assembly Democrats elected. Look for lobbyists to hire more Democrats as well. Democratic Governor, Democratic State Senate, Evenly Divided Joint Finance Committee, Close Margin in the Assembly - I don't think Foti is "golden". Add to that hundreds of jobs in DC for Dems as well. Looks like good news for Democratic activists.

* Who pays for the dismal GOP election performance? Rep. Mike Huebsch? Rep. Mark Gundrum (author of the marriage amendment, which turned out Democratic voters)? Rep. John Gard? Sen. Dale Schultz? The State GOP? What do YOU think?

Final question: Who was the biggest winner of the state 2006 elections?

More Election Observations

My random thoughts about yesterday's elections.

Positives

Governor Doyle won decisively. He beat both Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and the Wisconsin REALTORS Association, who spent heavily against him. WMC even played coy with Doyle for awhile, before showing their true colors. The unions that were not always pleased with his first four years were there for him 110% at election time, showing their true colors as well. My hope is that Governor Doyle rewards his friends and punishes his enemies.

Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton was reelected, putting her in strong position for future statewide office.

The Democratic trend was so strong that not only was Sec. of State Doug LaFollette reelected, but virtually unknown Democrat Dawn Marie Sass was elected State Treasurer.

The State Sentate flipped, making the Governor and the Democrats agenda much more possible. Look for Sen. Judy Robson to continue as leader and Sen. Russ Decker to be the new co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee.

The State Assembly had big gains, somewhere in the 7-8 seat range. If the eight seats hold out, the new balance will be 52-47, the closest margin in decades. Ironically, many of those victories were due in part to the Constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Look for a more aggressive Democratic minority, led by Rep. Jim Kreuser.

John Gard LOST. And he cried in his concession speech. Waaaaaaaa. Karma. Proof there is karma.

Negatives

Obviously per my previous post, the marriage amendment went down. But overall, a lot of good will happen because of the strong effort of Fair Wisconsin. And Arizona - a state with full public funding of elections - beat back their discriminatory amendment.

Kathleen Falk lost to WMC's $2.5 million spent against her. Oh, and Van Hollen took the AG's spot thanks to WMC. Look for Van Hollen to introduce a limited gay marriage amendment to allow him to marry James Buchen of WMC.


End Results

The Democrats will be in STRONG position to hold the State Senate and win control of the State Assemby in two years. The rightward shift may have finally stopped....right on John Gard's behind.

Fair Wisconsin Winner Despite Vote Tally

There is no one in the state who understands politics that actually thinks the GOP truly believed in the constitutional ban on gay marriage as a public policy manner. It was about politics. It was about driving out conservative voters. It was about winning elections.

And the GOP couldn't have been more wrong.

Sure, YES prevailed. I'm not surprised. The only real winners are lawyers who will bring cases deciding what "substantially similar" actually means.

But what Rep. Mark Gundrum and his ilk didn't gauge was how intense the vote NO voters were, and most importantly, WHERE they were.

College students are about 4-to-1 against the amendment. The legislature had competitive seats in a number of districts with college campuses, including at least six for the State Assembly.

What happened yesterday? Four of those districts went into Democratic hands, and a fifth is only six votes off from another Democratic victory. The margin in some of those races is clearly from the campus vote, which was driven by the Vote NO forces.

Oops. The GOP was too clever by half and LOST.

The only question that remains is whether people like Gundrum have to pay the price from his fellow GOPpers for making them loose more seats than anytime in at least 16 years.


One other interesting aside....Appling, the woman who fronted the Vote YES operation, said on the radio she expected about seven percent more vote than the polls showed, due to voters lying about voting NO to not appear to be bigots. We knew the margin was about five to six points by the most recent polling, but in the end that extra margin was there. Indeed, even some bigots understand (and are comfortable) being bigots.


Finally, to everyone who worked on the Fair Wisconsin effort, congratulations. We may have lost on paper, but we won in so many other ways that bigots will not be able to operate the way they have for too long in Wisconsin. We picked up legislative seats due to Vote NO, we put together the most impressive political organization in memory and we introduced a lot of Wisconsinites to recognizing our families and our values. In every state where these measures were introduced, the public opinion of gays and lesbians has dramatically improved from the exposure. As much as it may be hard to see it now, we really won in more ways than may seem apparent. Again, thank you.

Will Gundrum Lose His Leadership Post Over the Marriage Amendment?

After traveling around the state helping candidates the last few weeks, I have to pose a question. Will State Representative Mark Gundrum, author of the ban on civil unions and marriage amendment, lose his leadership spot over the miscalculation of the constitutional question on the ballot?

There is no question that the GOP was opportunistic in placing the ballot measure on the Fall 2006 ballot. But it has become apparent that this is not the vote generator promised or expected. In fact, regardless of the final outcome of the measure, the intensity has been with progressives and independents against the measure, rather than conservatives for the measure.

Further, in at least seven legislative districts, a key factor in turnout on college campuses will be a NO vote. In that age demographic, it is about 80 percent against to 20 percent for the measure. If the NO voters vote on other issues, does that help Doyle, Falk and legislative candidates rather than the GOP? If so, does Gundrum pay that price?

And in Oshkosh, the GOP assembly candidate's treasurer quit the campaign over the weekend (to front page coverage) over the negative rhetoric by the GOP over the marriage issue. Again, Gundrum's measure cost valuable votes in the final days of the election. I personally had several people mention the issue at the doors while I was helping in Oshkosh this weekend.

So in the end, regardless of how the constitutional amendment fares statewide, several key districts may swing Democratic thanks to the amendment being on the ballot.

Does Gundrum and his ilk pay? Or does the GOP continute down a path of spreading hate and discrimination in order to try to win elections? I can't wait to see...

Sorry, It Has Been A While

Sorry friends. But I have been working hard to elect Democrats this fall, and I have not been doing my duty as a blogger. But I am back.

Use Gard's Webpage to Tell The Truth About Sun Prairie's Favorite Son

It is no secret that I would love to see John Gard lose his congressional bid on November 7th.

After all, I'm sure there are a lot more jobs he is more suited to. I plan on driving up to Peshtigo the weekend after he loses to get my car washed; it will be fun to watch John rubbing and buffing. (I'll probably ask him for directions to something too, but since he's really from Sun Prairie, he probably won't be able to give them.)

Anyway, check out John's website. He offers an easy way to send letters to the editor to a bunch of newspapers to tell how great John is. Heck, he even gives you talking points.

Maybe instead some progressives should write their own letters using his site. Tell about how John took $88 a day per diem for living in Sun Prairie Wisconsin, ripping the taxpayers off for thousands of dollars each year. Express how he killed ethics reform in the legislature. Or tell about how he tried to kill stem cell research in our state, risking tens of thousands of lives of Badgers.

Let's use John's technology to our advantage. Tell the truth. God knows John can't. Thanks John!

Scott Suder Makes Frank Lasee Look "Mainstream"

OK, so Rep. Frank Lasee got some press for his rather "interesting" comments about how to get guns out of schools. His solution? Put guns in the schools. Yup, arm every teacher to protect the children. Hey, that's what you get with a GOP majority, got it?

But don't make the false assumption that Lasee is the most extreme member of the legislature. Sen. Glenn Grothman and Tom Reynolds would argue their own case for that role. As would Rep. Mark Gundrum and Mark Pettis. But hands down the most "out there" legislator is none of the forementioned; it is the gentlemen from the 69th district in Wisconsin.

It is the little guy with a big chip on his shoulder, Rep. Scott Suder.

Suder brought Scott Jensen and Mickey Foti the caucus scandal. He was dating (while he was still married) the GOP caucus staff person who eventually blew the whistle on the caucus operation. Their break-up was the impetus for the disclosure. Oh, did I mention Suder is a "family values" candidate?

Well check out his two most recent releases.

Last Friday, he was attempting to go after Governor Doyle over how the University of Wisconsin is run. Suder likes to think of himself as a "watchdog" for the University System; in reality, he is a press wh**e who loves to see himself in the media picking on those eggheads in academia. The UW is unquestionably a great economic development engine for the state, but Suder thinks it is more important to discuss issues like the UW having former inmates on staff and criticizing part-time professors for their course material rather than how to keep the System great. Check out the last line of the release: "Quite simply, I have to wonder if a University System under Jim Doyle can survive another four years." What a dope.

Today his attempt at getting press was on the state of rural Wisconsin, something Suder knew little about prior to getting elected when he was a Capitol staffer living in Madison. Anyway, check this one out.

Now before I go into just how stupid the release is, check out the two releases letterheads. The first is a generic legislative topper. The latter a special "If you love your freedom, thank a veteran", generic eagle on shield, aren't-I-tough letterhead. If obviously must mean more.

Anyway, check out what Suder considers "rural" issues. Energy policy, health savings accounts (tax breaks for the wealthy), splitting the DNR into two agencies and legal reform. Agricultural issues? Nope. Just GOP pet projects. Oh wait, he also mentions HIS "Rural JOBZ Act", which is spelled about as keenly as he spells "Marck Green" in the first paragraph of the release. What is the Rural JOBZ Act? Another tax break for big business targeted at - I'm being serious - everywhere in the state but the Democratic strongholds of Madison and Milwaukee. "Rural" downtown Appleton? Sure says Suder. Kenosha lakefront? Sounds like a farm to a city boy like Suder. Doyle's sin? He vetoed out the part that excluded the two communities Suder dislikes. Check out the release. Suder says it himself, Doyle vetoed the "rura" (his spelling) of the act.

So, when I ask who is the most extreme legislator, both for their policies and their politix (maybe Suder will understand this better if I misspell a few words), Suder comes out on top.

And remember, electing a GOP majority allows him to keep passing legislation.

Three weeks to a better balance in the legislature. Can you help?

Can the "Religious Right" Be Any More Unrighteous?

To any normal (ie not a Major GOP spinmeister) person, the Mark Foley cover-up in Congress is about as pathetic and hypocritical as can be.

A GOP Congresspedophile stalks his high school prey for years, with the GOP leadership's knowledge, yet nothing is done about it. Meanwhile, as a party the GOP bashes the Democrats for being weak on morals for their support of equal treatment of gays and lesbians. The GOP cashes in on gay bashing, while secretly covering up their own pedophile members.

Seems almost too wild to be true? But sadly it is.

So at least you'd think the REAL social conservatives would stand up to right the wrongs of the GOP congressional leadership, right? Wrong.

James Dobson, the charlatan who claims to speak for the truly "religious", does his best to continue to cover-up the scandal for the GOP. I'm serious. Check this out. (No really, CHECK THIS OUT.) Makes you want to go take a shower doesn't it?

Can you believe it? "Sort of a joke by the boy"? A "prank"? If anyone thought that Dobson was truly a man of the cloth, just listen to that news clip again and again. Dobson, the same man who claimed SpongeBob was gay, is the lowest of the low. He is not a man of GOD; he is a man of the GOP.

So when will people of faith finally get it? You are being used. Your leaders care more about their power and a political party than your morals and beliefs. They would rather protect a pedophile than criticize the people who allowed him to go after teenagers year after year.

These people truly are the lowest of the low. And you follow them.

They are the same people who feed on your fears of the unknown - of gays and lesbians - and use them to make you give them money, give them your vote and give them your hearts. They don't give a damn about your soul. They only care about your wallet and your vote.

I cannot imagine that Dobson and his ilk go undamaged by this scandal. No matter how blindly you follow their hate speech, you have to wonder why they would rather cover-up a pedophile cover-up than represent your values.

I have to admit this makes me think of the fakers in my own state legislature. The legislators who speak of moral values, but cheat on their spouses. There are even rumors of a Capitol hooker that sees more than a few of our elected officials. Some are discrete about their affairs. Some are not. But they all lie when they get back home.

I have never been one for "outing" the hypocrites. I think it becomes a dirty business getting in the mud with the swine who enjoy it. But eventually someone has to call them out for the lying wonders they are.

A couple of years ago I was approached by someone who knew of a wealthy donor who wanted to hire a private investigator to follow around some of the bigger hypocrites. The person was willing to invest $25,000 to expose the lies of the legislators who faked family values. I convinced them it was a bad idea.

I have to admit if they approach me again I might be tempted to stay quiet.

My hope is that the far right has finally gone too far. Theirs lies and fake speech are finally being exposed for what they really are - ways to promote a political agenda. I just hope the payback comes in the next few weeks. Losing the majorities in Congress and the Legislature is a perfect payback for the truly unrighteous.

Frank Lasee: Nationally Ridiculed

I've seen all sorts of news programs poking fun at that wacky Wisconsin State Representative Frank Lasee. Last week Lasee said the way to address guns in schools was to, well, put guns in schools. Lasee thinks we should arm teachers and staff.

Yikes.

Well, just minutes ago The Colbert Report, a popular Comedy Central program, joined in on the fun. Lasee was this time not just reported on nationally, but ridiculed nationally.

Remember this when you vote in November.

GOP majority: Wacky gun laws. Think Frank Lasee.

The GOP Might Actually Be Right - But For The Wrong Reasons

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Wisconsin Elections Board will be requesting an additional $1 million per year in the next budget to operate their statewide voter database, which is not yet fully operational.

I have long been a critic of the handling of the database. Our neighbor, Minnesota, got theirs done as required by federal law for about $5 million. Our elections board is nine months behind schedule, and the project is still unfinished. Oh, the cost? About $27 million and counting.

The Republicans are in outcry about the "partisan" elections board and their decision that Mark Green is breaking the law with his illegal transfer. It clearly is illegal.

But it is not the decision that's the problem. It is the makeup of the board alltogether.

Politicians appoint the members for the most part of the Elections Board. Now take a seat. And their appointments are often - really sit down - political. I've said it.

Well, surprise surprise.

It's not the decision they made (which again is correct) that is the problem. The problem is that we have political hacks appointing political people.

They are not bad people at all. But they are part-time volunteers essentially, without the capacity to truly exercise the job that is necessary.

The entire database issue should have raised the hairs of every GOPper in the Capitol. Yet you barely heard a pin drop about the issue outside of good government reform groups and a handful of legislators.

If you REALLY want reform (and I'm not sure many Republicans really do), you have to pass a bill like SB-1, the Ethics Reform bill. We need an INDEPENDENT body to make decisions about our elections. But it was the same GOP whiners who killed the bill only months ago.

So my GOP friends, you are actually right about the Elections Board being problematic. But you arrive at that decision $27 million too late and for all the wrong reasons. Go figure.

Take a Break for Fun, Colbert Style

Here's my list.

Thanks to Diamond Dave, who thanks Jay, for giving us some fun from the Colbert Report. Please, do not pronounce the T.

Try yours here.

By the way Dave, Mamma Mia? What gives?

Feingold Helping Assembly Democrats

Assembly Democrats in Wisconsin are honoring United States Senator Russ Feingold for his work on behalf of electing "progressive patriots" at the state level.

Join us in honoring Russ on October 13th, from 5-7pm at the Zor Shrine on the west side of Madison.

Sponsorships are:
* Honorary Member of the Assembly: $500
* Maverick: $250
* Progressive Patriot: $100

All proceeds go to helping elect Democrats to the State Assembly. Russ will be attending the event to help the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee.

Sponsor online by October 10th to be listed.

And please join us in honoring Russ Feingold.

Assembly Democrats Stand Up Against DINO’s

At 8:00 pm on primary election night Tuesday, the John Gard congressional campaign and conservative Democrat Robert Ziegelbauer released a television advertisement boasting an endorsement from the Manitowoc Democrat for Republican John Gard. Since then, a lot of Democrats have voiced their frustration with Ziegelbauer’s actions.

I made my position heard today, along with the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee, the organization that works to win seats for Democrats in the State Assembly across Wisconsin. We do not condone his actions and further will not support his candidacy anymore.

Let’s face it. Bob Ziegelbauer epitomizes why the Democrats are in the minority in the State Assembly. Throw a D behind your name and claim you are a Democrat. Ride the yellow line down the middle of the road, and hope no one realizes you stand for something. Coast to victory by barely differentiating yourself from your GOP opponent. And protect your own ass at all costs. God knows helping out the team might affect your comfortable life.

That attitude has helped the Democrats lose ground since 1994.

And we’ve had enough.

Look we are a big tent. However, when you would rather be in a gated country club instead of the tent, we have to let you go on your own.

Assembly Democrats stand for a whole lot more and stand a whole lot more unified than ever before. We fought hard for several bills to address accessible and affordable healthcare. We championed funding for public education and higher education. We fought for good paying jobs and an increase to the minimum wage. We fought the reactionary bills brought by Republicans, from putting discrimination in our state constitution to banning birth control and more. We led the fight to pass SB-1, the ethics reform bill, as John Gard and the GOP killed the bill, weeks after their former leader Scott Jensen received a sentence requiring prison time.

And now we stand for helping elected Democrats - real Democrats - to the State Assembly. But we won’t stand with those who don’t stand with us.

The point is not to trash Bob Ziegelbauer. He is a smart legislator, who is considerably more conservative than every other member of our caucus. He opposed raising the minimum wage. He supported the civil union ban. And he opposes stem cell research. That’s just for starters.

But the only way Democrats will retake the majority is to stand FOR SOMETHING.

The public agrees with us on most every issue. But if we are afraid to piss off the few to support the many, we will continue our downward spiral.

Instead, this is one small stand to show we have values and we will fight for them.

If you agree, help me show what we did was right. Go to the Assembly Democrats webpage, and consider contributing to our cause.

We are featuring Democratic candidates in 85 of the state’s 99 districts, the most in over 22 years. We are fighting hard to win the majority, with real Democrats. But the only way we can win in November is with your support.

Please help me prove that by being proud about being Democrats, we can and will win this November.

Give to the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee. Give $84 dollars. A buck for every race with a Democrat, except for Bob Ziegelbauer. We need your help now more than ever.

Please give $84 or whatever you can afford today. Thank you.

What to Do About Ziegelbauer?

Jeff Hall has a great in-depth post about conservative Democratic State Representative Bob Ziegelbauer's television advertisement he cut on behalf of REPUBLICAN Congressional candidate John Gard.

Ziegelbauer was silent about the ad until the polls closed yesterday, after HIS primary election was over. The ad was released just after 8pm.

Sure, as Hall shows, his voting record probably matches Gard's more than mine. But Ziegelbauer is supposed to be a DEM.

What do you think about this? Should Ziegelbauer pay a price? Or is he just doing this to save his behind in November, so lay off?

I'll post my thoughts later Thursday, but I'd love to hear yours now.

Primary Election Observations

Here are my personal observations from last night's primary elections.

Attorney General's Race:
GOP Primary - Bucher may suck after all, according to a majority of GOP voters. Van Hollen won, as I expected, making him one of the least experienced people to seek the office of AG. But he does have a few bucks to spend on the race.... Van Hollen brought us the campaign highlights of saying his opponent "sucked" and that a terrorist cell was in your basement right here in Wisconsin. The far right should be pleased.

Democratic Primary - Kathleen Falk wins. Falk ran hard and won, alleviating fears of many Democratic voters that Peg would be chopped up and spit out by the negative GOP spin machine this November. For the record, Peg Lautenschlager is a good person and a good AG. However, those of us who have watched campaigns for years know what the GOP would do to her from airing footage of the drunk driving arrest to raising the personal use of her state car to asking why there were hit-and-runs in her vehicle, including one in her driveway. Then they would really start their attacks. Peg deserves better, and I hope the Democratic powers-that-be recognize that and assist her in any way in the coming months. Kathleen is a superb candidate and will win this fall, ensuring a better Wisconsin for the environment, consumers, civil rights and more.

Secretary of State's Race: The people of Wisconsin truly love "Fighting Bob" La Follette. They love him so much that one hundred years after he was elected Governor, five-thousand people still show up annually at a festival named after him. And trying to beat anyone with a name even remotely close to his is close to impossible to do, which Scot Ross found out last night.

Lt. Governor's Race, GOP Primary: For the hand-picked Lt. Governor nominee Jean Hundertmark to only win a primary with 56 percent of the vote against a non-campaigning nobody, shows the GOP would rather elect ANY man to statewide office than a woman. Yikes. It is 2006, isn't it?

8th Congressional District: No surprise to political observors, but John Gard and Steve Kagen won their respective primaries. One GOP lawmaker told me if this is the match-up, Kagen will win. I hope so. It would be fun to see John Gard doing a job he's more appropriately qualified for....I can't wait to get my car washed in Peshtigo November 8. Kudos to Jamie Wall, who outperformed virtually everyone's expectations in the Democratic primary.

State Legislative Races: Strong candidates came out of the primaries, making the State Senate closer to taking the majority for Democrats and the State Assembly closer to picking up a significant number of seats. Watch this blog for more about this in the very near future.

Overall, it was a fun election night. But I have to admit I am glad the primaries are over. Too many people get irrational over their support for one candidate versus another in primaries when the real focus should be on defeating conservatives in November. The differences between Peg and Kathleen on policy, for example, are very minor compared to the differences between either Democrat and J.B. Van Hollen. I hope everyone can rally appropriately for a victorious November.

Blog Lite & Your Predictions

Sorry for the lack of blogs the last few weeks, but my responsibilities at my business, the Capitol and helping candidates outside the building have got the best of me.

The peak at my business is winding down, so I promise to post more often in the very near future.

So, what are your predictions for next Tuesday?

Van Hollen (aka You Suck) or Bucher (aka No I Don't Suck)? Lautenschlager (I'll Go Negative First But No One Will Call Me On It) or Falk (Falk Is Attacking, Read All About It)?

Kohl or Masel? (There you go Ben, sorry for the lack of attention) Ross (Hard Working) or La Follette (Of the La Follette Tradition, Give or Take a Few Name Changes)?

Nusbaum, Wall or Kagen? Gard or McCormick? (OK, anyone who actually thinks McCormick will win should probably find a new line of work)

Travis or Saunders? Carol Owens (Yes She Is Still Alive) or Her More Alive Opponent? Other Legislative Races???

Post your comments. I'll leave 'em all on to read unless you slander. That means even you Todd Rongstad can post...if you're not too busy putting together GOP attack pieces for the Assembly Republicans.

Peg In Trouble?

Recent signs show Peg Lautenschlager's campaign may be in trouble.

For a while, Peg has campaigned hard thanks to a primary challenge from Kathleen Falk. But recent developments show the push the last six months may not be enough.

First, Peg has a small television buy going promoting her candidacy. But half the commercial also knocks her primary opponent Kathleen Falk. Rule in Politics: If the incumbent is attacking a primary challenger, polling is definitely not going well for that incumbent. It may help her confuse the voters on Falk's qualifications (which include over a decade as an Assistant Attorney General), but it really shows she's not winning with a primary two weeks away.

Secondly, the Sierra Club put out a press release bashing a recent settlement Peg made with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, for misleading regulators during the permitting of a massive coal-fired power plant near Wausau, Wisconsin. The paultry $21,000 settlement did not please the Sierra Club. Despite Peg's overall good environmental record, a hit like this two weeks out from the primary can't be good.

Meanwhile Kathleen Falk has a strong commercial buy with television, focusing on positives not negatives. And despite some potentially unpopular comments about drunk driving laws and check points, her campaign is continuing to gain endorsements and momentum in the crucial final weeks of the campaign.

In contrast to the two Republican candidates, "You Suck" and "No I Don't Suck", either Democrat may ultimately be stronger than their opponents. My hope is that this seat stays in the Democratic column, to keep strong legal protection for the environment and consumers.

May the strongest Democrat win.

September Primary Observations

As the summer's end nears, I wanted to share some observations about the September partisan primaries. Agree or disagree, here they are:

Attorney General's Race: On the GOP side, Beavis (Bucher) and Butthead (Van Hollen) seem to be letting the primary get to the best/worst of themselves. First they had the "you suck"-fest. I believe the final outcome was they both sucked big time. Then they started to have a fight over their families. Yikes. The final outcome? A bruised primary winner, most likely Van Hollen.

On the Democrat, I like both Peg and Kathleen as people. However, I support Kathleen Falk as our best chance to retain the AG seat. Falk's commercial released today is impressive, as is her campaign bank account and record as a tough campaigner. Lautenschlager's campaign has yet to really take off, with less than three weeks to make a strong move. My guess is that Falk wins the primary and the general election.

Secretary of State's Race: On the Democratic side, there is a two-way race between Doug LaFollette and Scot Ross. LaFollette has held the office for as long as I can remember, but since it is the Secretary of State's office, I really don't remember much about it. Ross is running an energetic challenge, with bold ideas about electoral reform and clean elections for Wisconsin. Can ideas beat a well established name in state politics? We'll see.... (No prediction yet...)

Eighth District Congressional Election: Gard wins the GOP nomination hands down. However, thumbs down on his performance so far as a candidate. His mediocre intellect may have worked in the GOP caucus of the State Assembly, but he will have a much harder road in getting elected to Congress as the class bully.

On the Democratic side, three of the best candidates I've seen running for Congress in a long time are all in one primary. Ouch. I like all three. Each has strengths that would make them the best person to beat John Gard. But if I had to bet, I would have to pick Kagen to win at this point. His well-healed campaign and reputation as a doctor seem to be playing well. I'm so glad I don't have to personally pick someone in this race.

State Legislature: The race most talked about is the Milwaukee area's 7th Senate district, with incumbent Jeff Plale being opposed by Donovan Riley in the Democratic primary. At first, it seemed that Riley was giving Plale a run for his money, but recent developments around Riley potentially voting twice in two different places in one election certainly seems to have let the wind out of his sails and put a 2'x2' hole in the bottom of his boat. My prediction: Plale wins easily.

OK, I put my views out there. It is always a risk to do so, especially so early, but I thought I'd start a discussion. What do you have to say?

I Met Grover Norquist

I’ve spent the last few days at the annual conference for the National Council of State Legislatures, listening to all sorts of topics affecting state governments across the nation. But I have to admit I was especially excited to have a chance to hear right-wing puppeteer Grover Norquist on a panel about taxation.

For those of you who don’t know Norquist, he’s the President of Americans for Tax Reform, a right wing think tank that thinks taxes are worse than Osama Bin Laden. He’s the guy who famously (infamously?) said, “My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years," he says, "to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.” He also helps coordinate the entire far right on a variety of issues, making him one of their most powerful strategists.

I couldn’t wait to see just how powerful and persuasive he was.

I have to admit some disappointment.

First, he is hardly a likeable guy. He was smug, arrogant and not at all self depreciating. He started out by attacking pretty much every legislator in the room, Democrat and Republican, by saying you can’t trust any politician while he was asking us to sign his pledge to never raise taxes.

Don’t get me wrong, he is formidable. He is very smart. But packaged in that “I got my ass kicked in high school, and now you’ll all pay” perennial geek persona, he isn’t smart enough to know how to really influence people.

He offered far right platitudes about taxes. He kept telling us how powerful he was. But he was not persuasive in his arguments that the tax pledge offered by his organization is really on behalf of our constituents, not the almighty Norquist. Then he proceeded to tell us just how he determines what his pledge actually means. It seems our constituents have proxied their voices to Norquist to tell us what is a violation of the pledge, on a case-by-case basis.

He certainly has the ear of federal politicians. George W. Bush and a majority of Congress have signed a federal pledge not to raise taxes. Instead, they just increase the deficit, and pass any real costs for homeland security, the war and the like on to future generations.

But he only has about a third of state legislators gullible enough to sign his pledge, a dismal failure for such a bright guy (just ask him, he‘s really bright, he'll tell you). When asked about that failure, he only offered a pledge to have sixty percent of legislators on board in ten years.

He explained that Bush the First lost because he signed the pledge, but then raised taxes. Bet you didn’t even know about that pledge then did you? But he takes credit. Norquist claims Bush “ruined an otherwise good presidency”.

He even trashed Governor Arnold for not being right wing-zealot enough.

But in the end, I have to admit disappointment. He had one moment where I thought he had an especially good line. But other than that, legislator after legislator asked questions of him which he really didn’t answer very convincingly.

There are chinks in that right wing warrior’s armor after all. I’m glad. But it was nice to finally meet one of the main architects of all that is wrong with politics, Grover Norquist.

Now I just hope to run into Karl Rove some day.

Can Blogging Do In Wisconsin What It Did to Lieberman in Connecticut?

Almost every pundit agrees. A big part of why Joe Lieberman went down in the Democratic primary in Connecticut was due to a strong effort by progressive bloggers on behalf of Ned Lamont.

The question then, is, can we do that in Wisconsin? Can bloggers and readers of blogs make the difference where their impact is most felt and needed.

I argue yes, and we can do it by helping defeat Republicans in the State Assembly.

Check out the Assembly Democrats website. Work on behalf of the team effort for Democrats in the State Assembly. Pick a candidate or two, or better yet, help the ADCC effort statewide to take as many seats as possible.

Here's my rationale.

- We are fielding Democrats in 85 districts out of 99, more than any election cycle in twenty years. The GOP is challenging only 13 of our incumbents.

- The Democrats have only one member not seeking reelection, the best time to pick up a seat. They have eleven incumbents not running again.

- The overall quality of Democrats running is much better than Republicans. We are fielding former Sheriffs, small business owners, local elected officials, educators and more. They are fielding a "private eye" who lives in his Mom's basement, a perennial loser, and a guy who swears and calls everyone gay on blogs in his district - not exactly the Dream Team.

- Their leader, John Gard, is running for Congress. One of their want-to-be leaders, Mike Huebsch, is attempting to lead their caucus, while other GOPpers are waiting for him to fail so they can be leader.

- The GOP has passed a myriad of knee-jerk, reactionary legislation that makes the far right drool, but middle Wisconsin shake their heads. Think birth control bans, attempts to stop stem cell research, the civil union ban, tax breaks for special interests and bills that pollute our environment.

- And despite having two of their former leaders facing jail and prison time, the GOP in the Assembly killed ethics reform. That issue alone is a political silver bullet in many districts.

So, can progressive bloggers and progressives who read blogs in Wisconsin flex their muscles? Can we at least try?

Check out the Democrats running for the State Assembly.

And better yet, DONATE to help the efforts to defeat the politics of John Gard and Mike Huebsch and Mark Gundrum.

It would be great in November for the headlines to read: Bloggers Deliver State Assembly to Democratic Hands. Will that include you?

Is There a WI GOP Gay African-American Environmentalist Federation?

I was navigating the internets (as Bush would say) and found an interesting GOP "affinity" site.

The Republicans would love you to think they have a big tent. A big tent as long as you're not gay. Or black. Or an environmentalist. Or a working family. Or a jew or muslim. Or a latino. Or a college student. Or a senior on a fixed income. Or a real small business owner.

But if you are a union member, they claim they have a place for you!

Check out the Wisconsin Republican Labor Federation, the webpage for GOP union members.

Ah, right.

Check out their leadership. Not many. Only a few of them will even admit what union they belong to. Then check out the Photo Gallery. Yup, same people. Labor-oriented content? Nope, just a bunch of GOP reactionary talking points. So the connection to labor? Ah...well....um.....someone with a job had to put the site together?

You have to give the GOP credit for trying to fleece the working men and women of Wisconsin. They need to make them think they have a friend in the GOP, even if the GOP is screwing working families on a regular basis. But the lack of content show's what the GOP really thinks about labor. Not much.

Another Business Group Says Vote No on the Amendment

The most recent business group to take a formal stand against the constitutional amendment to ban civil unions and gay marriage is the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce.

They say the amendment hurts businesses trying to attract employees. From their release:

Laurie Benson, CEO of Inacom Information Systems and a GMCC Board Member, agrees. “As leaders, it is important that we understand the impact of our decisions on our workforce. In order to optimally position our businesses and our state for a thriving economy, we must remove any barriers that could negatively impact our ability to attract and retain exceptional employees in Wisconsin,” said Benson.

The GMCC joins Downtown Madison, Inc. in the business community's opposition to the amendment.

Want to help get the word about the harmful effects of the amendment? Give to Fair Wisconsin.

Green Trying to Buy His Way Away From Tom Delay

Check this out. So much for the "ethical" Mark Green. Guess he really did learn a lot from Tom Delay.

From a Doyle release.

Get ready for an avalanche of negative attack ads against Governor Jim Doyle.

This Thursday, Mark Green and his special interest pals are holding a golf outing in Kohler to raise buckets of cash for the Republican Governors Association.

$25,000 for a foursome to play a round of golf, $10,000 for two, or $2,500 for what must be one heck of a barbeque.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000 - $750,000 raised when all is said and done …

Wisconsin special interest money, raised at a Wisconsin event, by the Republican Governors Association? Yeah, you can bet it’ll be on the Wisconsin airwaves this fall, in the form of more negative attack ads against Governor Doyle.

All this after Green’s $10,000 dollar a plate fund raiser with George W. Bush.

And the dirty money he took from disgraced Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

And the dirty $1.3 million he transferred from his federal to his state campaign account that the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign says was “wrong,” and that the State Elections Board is going to take up at the end of this month [Source: “The Law is the Law, by Mike McCabe; blog posting on the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign website; http://www.wisdc.org/blog/bigmoneyblog.html; 7/21/06].

Does the GOP really think the public will buy (pun intended) their spin about Green's ethics?

Check Out Assembly Democrats New Website

The Assembly Democrats have a new website up, and it is worth taking a look at.

It previews all the Democrats running for the State Assembly, as well as a blog, a calendar and the all important spot to contribute.

Given the totally unproductive past session where the Republicans tried to allow pharmacists to refuse to fill your prescriptions, stem cell and birth control bans, tax breaks for special interests and the death blow of ethics reform in Wisconsin, my guess is that the GOP is in big, big trouble.

Democrats are running in 85 districts, more than any other election in the last twenty years.

So check it out. And please contribute if you can.

Baldwin Introduces Bipartisan Health Care Proposal

One of the nation's leading voices for healthcare reform, Wisconsin's own US Rep. Tammy Baldwin, today introduced a bipartisan proposal to break through the logjam accessable and affordable healthcare.

The Health Partnership through Creative Federalism Act (HR5683) would empower states, with the federal government's help, to find ways to insure the uninsured in their respective states. Each state could find a unique fit, in hopes of finding ways to address the problem the most effectively nationwide.

Baldwin's Republican opponent, Dave Magnum, has attacked Baldwin for not advancing healthcare despite her constant efforts on behalf of the issue.

Don't forget, it was Magnum's campaign that has taken on the weighty issues of protecting our borders (with Lake Mills?) and saying Baldwin called him a pig. I'm serious. Baldwin made a joke at a fundraiser with an anecdote about farm life, where if you get in the mud with pigs you wind up getting some on yourself.

To Magnum, that was a personal attack. I guess he must have felt his nasty campaign was a bit too much like pigs rolling in the slop. But that is the campaign Magnum is running. Too bad for him this healthcare proposal once again shows his attacks are without merit. Maybe we should go back to attacking foreigners, eh Dave?

Congratulations Tammy on another fine job done on behalf of healthcare.