Strategic Blueprints, Views on News • March 12th, 2009

Recall Doyle? Really?

by Chris Lato

Apparently a debate is raging that I just haven’t been paying much attention to…on whether to seek a recall election against the governor. Kevin Fischer has a recap and his own thoughts on the idea.

I daresay Gov. Doyle’s loyal opposition has far more important things to worry about – and this is coming from a former flack for the state GOP. The mood of the state is not inclined to embrace the recall of a politician who, while not universally loved, is no Blago either. It’s a waste of effort that would be better spent organizing now for 2010.

It would take on the appearance of a petty move that would likely fail – a demoralizing P.R. blow that would serve to galvanize the Doyle faithful who, it should be noted, are on a bit of a winning streak.

Fischer says he generally rejects the idea of single-issue recalls.  Yet that’s what a movement like this would need to succeed. There’s no issue here to rally public support around – no single, truly heinous move by Doyle that will fire up the troops en masse and make a recall feel urgent and necessary. Consider George Petak and the Milwaukee County pension scandal as two examples of single issues that voters understood clearly when considering a recall vote.

Like it or not, a big chunk of people out there don’t feel very strongly about Doyle one way or the other, and any honest Republican will tell you that going up against Doyle and his big bucks will be a challenge. He’s not unbeatable - but it will be tough. The GOP has a potentially strong, all-but-announced candidate in Scott Walker.

Kevin Fischer is right: conservatives shouldn’t just sit back and take it. But an attempted recall is the wrong use of that pent-up frustration. That’s why we have elections. The possibility that Wisconsin can have a new governor as of January, 2011 should give Doyle’s opponents a clear goal and something to work toward, starting right now.

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