Views on News, wispundits • November 26th, 2008

Random bits

by Chris Lato

With the holidays right around the corner, this l’il blog will be going dark for a few days as I venture off to spend some quality time with the family.

But before I go, a couple little tidbits…

I’m late to the party on this one, but holy cow. The stuff being unearthed about spending at MPS will make your head hurt.  It makes one wonder how, in difficult economic times and with Milwaukee Democrats shut out of legislative leadership positions, whether this is going to be a real showdown in Madison in the coming weeks. I don’t know exactly how MPS can spin its way out of the massive pile of bad press it’s been getting. Something’s gotta give.

Man, the Cap Times has it in for Wisconsin’s newest Supreme Court Justice. The author seems to forget that when it comes to McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, groups on both sides of the political aisle were not fans of the law.

Was letting Brett Favre go to the Jets a mistake? After how things played out this week for the Pack and the Jets, it’s getting harder to argue that it wasn’t…despite the fact that Favre’s conduct surrounding the whole will-he-stay-or-will-he-go mess was thoroughly unbecoming.

Still, wins are wins. It is up to Packers management to make decisions that will win games. And right now, things aren’t looking promising for the Pack.

And, last but certainly not least, a colleague has a baby daughter hospitalized and struggling right now. Our thoughts are with him and his family – you can read more about it here.

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Fundraising, Grass Roots Organization, Views on News • November 25th, 2008

The Franken & Coleman show

by Chris Lato

I don’t see a scenario where this ends well – at least, not without a bloody legal battle. The margins are just too small. So unless someone suddenly, legitimately turns up a box of previously uncounted boxes stashed in a town hall basement (kidding!), this threatens to drag on for months and become 2008’s version of Florida – admittedly, with somewhat less at stake.

I have no horse in this race. As regular visitors to this blog know, I have little use for party-flippers, who typically act more in their own interests than anything else, so Sen. Norm Coleman has a black mark next to his name. As for Al Franken, well, he stopped being funny approximately 28 years ago. He has since then become little more than a shrill partisan hack’n’slasher.

It is amazing to consider that out of 2.9 million votes, a race could come down to fewer than 200 ballots. That’s what I call a divided state (and yes, I realize there was a third-party candidate in the mix).

The Dems are positioning this as the last great political battle of the Bush administration – Coleman’s harshest critics paint him as a Bush/Rove puppet.

However, both parties have the opportunity to use this contested result as a rallying point. Feelings tend to harden during such bitterly-contested elections, with both sides seeing fraud and deceit. If nothing else, it’s a great tool to rally the base and raise money.

As someone who has pitched in for a recount or two, I can tell you that tensions can run extraordinarily high in those rooms. No kidding - pushing, shoving and trash-talking happens. It’s akin to fans of opposing football teams getting together in the same stadium. The only thing that’s missing is beer, face paint and giant foam fingers.

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Views on News, wispundits • November 24th, 2008

Did ‘Public Enemies’ rob Wisconsin?

by Chris Lato

Hollywood comes to Wisconsin and takes the Badger State for a ride.

At least that’s the sound of it from this Associated Press story, which contends that in hard dollars, the recent film ‘Public Enemies’ spent just slightly more than it saved in tax breaks when filming in Wisconsin this year.

Others are taking issue with that assessment, arguing the residual impact on tourism and national attention on Wisconsin was worth the effort.

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Messaging, Views on News • November 21st, 2008

Image control vs. journalistic standards

by Chris Lato

It would be easy to bemoan the decline in journalistic standards connected to the allegations laid out in this story (although it is ‘People’ magazine we’re talking about – it ain’t the ‘New York Times’). This is really a reflection on the state of celebrity ‘journalism,’ and how money and the ‘get’ of a celebrity interview can trump standards.

Still, ‘People’ is owned by Time, Inc. – publishers of other, more reputable mainstream media products. What does that say about the organization as a whole if this story is, indeed, true?

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Leadership, Research & Ideas, Uncategorized, Views on News • November 20th, 2008

Part-time lawmaking

by Chris Lato

Well, here’s something I never thought I’d be saying: Dave Zweifel is on to something in pushing for Wisconsin to go back to a part-time Legislature.

I disagree some of his points, including the notion that we should judge the success of a legislative body by how much legislation they pass. This idea of ‘laws by the pound’ will, almost by necessity, lead to a lot of idiotic laws. And I’m sure making such a serious change in how the Legislature does its business is far easier said than done. Decades of bureaucratic buildup won’t be washed away overnight.

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Views on News • November 19th, 2008

Hang up and drive

by Chris Lato

Waupaca County is the first in the state to restrict cell-phone use while driving to hands-free units only.

Do we really need another law like this on the books? How about enforcing the inattentive driving law?

One problem with Waupaca County’s action this is that they stick out like a sore thumb. How are travelers supposed to know that the law of the land in one county changes to something else once they cross the county line?

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Leadership, Views on News • November 18th, 2008

Doyle for A.G.? Nope

by Chris Lato

It looks like President-elect Obama has selected his attorney general, and it’s not Gov. Jim Doyle.

For some reason I always suspected that Doyle would not get the nod for this post, despite the fact that on paper, Doyle’s resume would fit. However, A.G. always seemed a bit too high-profile to put a Wisconsin governor (and former state A.G.) into. Eric Holder has the kind of D.C.-based resume that Obama will need for the stormy times to come.

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Report from the Field, Strategic Blueprints • November 17th, 2008

The Fox Valley goes blue

by Chris Lato

It was once fairly reliable GOP territory. But in the last two election cycles, the Fox Valley has been steadily turning from red to blue. To put a spin on the title of one recent book, what’s the matter with the Fox Valley?

Anyone who thought Democrat U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen would be ‘one and done’ were disappointed this month after John Gard failed to knock one out of the park in his second at-bat.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin Democrats see the opportunity and are seizing it. Note the rise of Fox Valley Dems to leadership positions. Wisely, Democrats recognize the chance to build a political dynasty in an area of Wisconsin that was once fairly reliable in leaning GOP.

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Views on News, wispundits • November 14th, 2008

Freaky Friday

by Chris Lato

Gov. Doyle got a call from the Obama team? Shocker! I trust we’ll be hearing a lot more about what was discussed, and how Doyle is (or isn’t) preparing for a potential Washington move in the days to come. I’ve been saying all along that if I was a bettin’ man, I’d put money down that the guv is heading east, but time will tell.

Milwaukee represents…on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, that is. We’ll see whether that is enough to address concern that Milwaukee will not get its due in the upcoming legislative session.

Dan Shelley vs. WTMJ. This is fascinating on so many levels.

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Leadership, Messaging, Strategic Blueprints, Views on News, wispundits • November 13th, 2008

Let the turf war begin

by Chris Lato

Interesting stuff...the first real sign that as Democrats take over the Legislature, it’s still going to be a bumpy ride.

Locking Milwaukee lawmakers out of leadership roles sends a message, suggesting that it will be a Milwaukee vs. the-rest-of-Wisconsin session as the new majority grapples with a multi-billion-dollar budget hole.  

The Assembly Speaker will be Mike Sheridan, a rep from Janesville who used to be a UAW president. Other Dem Assembly leaders come from Kaukauna and Wausau.

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