Grass Roots Organization, Messaging, Strategic Blueprints, Views on News • August 5th, 2009

Those pesky constituents…

by Chris Lato

For U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen, the heat is on. And Rep. Kagen, who’s been known to step in it from time to time, is lashing back at what he feels is a conspiracy organized by Big Insurance.

“I couldn’t have organized it better,” Kagen said. No kidding - and it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

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Leadership, Strategic Blueprints, Views on News • August 4th, 2009

The trains from Spain

by Chris Lato

A 47-million dollar, no-bid contract for trains from Spain gets the approval of the Joint Finance Committee. Even legislative Democrat leaders are expressing some misgivings over the way the Doyle administration handled this one - yet are doing little to actually challenge it.

Republicans like Rep. Robin Vos are sounding off, but it doesn’t matter much. The die is cast, the deal is done.

All this in the face of evidence that the state originally planned to do a competitive bidding process, then decided it was too much bother. Also, other companies had expressed interest in the project.

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Views on News • July 23rd, 2009

Book burning? Seriously?

by Chris Lato

Is this Wisconsin in 2009 or Germany in 1933? What a great way for the Badger State to be portrayed in the news!

OK, maybe that’s an overreaction. But calls for book burnings in West Bend are so backward, so anti- free speech, it’s both a little scary and comically over the top all at once.

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Leadership, Views on News, public relations • July 22nd, 2009

Degrees of misconduct

by Chris Lato

I had an interesting conversation recently about whether any law or state regulation that is on the books should still be enforced- particularly when those who create/enforce the laws are accused of breaking it.

The initial discussion was spurred by adultery – which is illegal in Wisconsin. Recently, a top law enforcer was caught in an affair with a reporter/commentator/professor who wrote a story about him. Both were married and admitted to the infidelity. (I’m not mentioning names here – I see no need to rehash. Read some of Dan Bice’s recent columns at JSOnline if you don’t know who I’m talking about.)

Now, beyond the obvious questions of journalistic ethics, should the law enforcer face punishment for breaking what most people likely consider to be an unnecessary law that hasn’t been enforced in decades?

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Leadership, Views on News, public relations • July 16th, 2009

In the news

by Chris Lato

So, Governor Doyle is now refusing to answer questions about missing travel receipts?

The state news media is generally obsessed with the notion of open records in state government, and not without reason. By that standard, shouldn’t the press refuse to take no for an answer and call for full disclosure…and not give up until they get it?

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Global Concerns, Leadership, Messaging, Views on News • June 10th, 2009

Budget blues

by Chris Lato

Once again, I waited far too long between posts – keeping very busy on the business side, which is always a good thing.

But reading today’s Journal Sentinel inspired/disheartened me.

The following comes directly from the article:

Both houses agree on taxing oil company revenue, but they differ on how to structure the tax. Doyle and Senate Democrats want to bar the oil companies from passing the tax on at the pump, but the oil industry is threatening to sue over that provision on the ground that it would violate constitutional protections on commerce.

Some Assembly Democrats said they didn’t want to wind up paying interest and legal fees on a case they were likely to lose. (emphasis added)

Wait what?

So, the Legislature and governor want to enact a tax that they know will get them sued, and some legislators even admit they will likely lose in court…but they still want to go ahead and run up a taxpayer tab.  Just how big is that state deficit again?

So, what is this, other than a feel-good shell game? (Get it? ‘Shell’ game!) I guess we’re expected to take comfort from the knowledge that Wisconsin is trying to punish Big Bad Oil, no matter how fruitless and expensive.

And, if we actually did win a lawsuit, it would mean higher prices at the gas pumps. Assuming this actually survived a legal challenge, does anyone honestly believe the cost to oil companies somehow wouldn’t be passed along to us? In the meantime, I wonder which law firms will benefit from the suit…

Another bit from the article that caught my eye:

The state budget faces a record $6.6 billion shortfall over two years. To close that gap, Democrats plan to cut state agencies and aid to local governments, spend federal economic stimulus cash and raise taxes and fees by about $1 billion a year. (emphasis added)

The budget is still in flux right now and the amount of that hike may well change. Still, just a little something to keep in mind next year when politicians are out looking for your vote, and they claim to be fiscally conservative types who oppose tax and fee increases - as they have been known to claim whether it’s true or not.

Give ‘em a little truth test - ask for detail on how they voted on the budget back in ’09.

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Views on News, wispundits • April 29th, 2009

Specter switches

by Chris Lato

I know I have been long overdue in writing something….it’s been a busy stretch lately, thankfully. But when Arlen Specter pulled an utterly cynical move to expand his own power base and advance his political career, handing Democrats a filibuster-proof 60 seats in the Senate (assuming an Al Franken win in Minnesota is finalized sometime this decade) and a free pass to do whatever it wants…well, I had to speak up.

I am not typically a fan of party-jumpers, as my comments not too long ago about Libertarian-turned-Republican-turned-whatever State Rep. Jeff Wood will prove. For every party-jumper who claims to be ‘taking a principled stand,’ dig a little deeper and you will typically find opportunistic reasons for the switch. And Specter’s move is particularly craven. It is difficult to pin down the areas where Specter has had political courage to stand on principles. As one Specter staffer anonymously admitted about the switch, “It is all about him.”

So what else is new? Isn’t self-preservation what most politicians care about? Maybe so, but Specter is an exceptionally vivid example of a career politician - a onetime Democrat who jumped over to the GOP in the past when it became clear he couldn’t win as a Dem. He’s now jumping back because polling indicates he can’t win re-election next year as a Republican.

What’s particularly galling is that Specter himself warned against giving one party too much power just a few months ago, in explaining why he was going to stay a Republican. How can Specter’s constituents trust anything that comes out of his mouth? He effectively disillusions Republicans, while Democrats can rightly argue that Specter is not truly one of their own. The middle is left to wonder whether Specter is going to wear his red tie or his blue tie depending on which way the wind is blowing that day.

Specter really wants to hold onto his job and has proven he’s willing to pay any price. And after 29 years in the US Senate, politicians like Arlen Specter are poster boys for a term limits movement.

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Views on News • March 13th, 2009

Color me shocked

by Chris Lato

I had to read this piece very closely to make sure it wasn’t some kind of joke. You could’ve knocked me over with a feather. On the Daily Page (the online incarnation of Madison’s free liberal mainstay publication, Isthmus) Bill Lueders has written a, yes, fair and balanced piece about the state Supreme Court race that actually has some strong praise on behalf of candidate Randy Koschnick and points out Shirley Abrahamson’s disingenuousness on the campaign trail.

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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.

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Leadership, Messaging, Speeches, Views on News • February 25th, 2009

Fact-checking

by Chris Lato

One thing that you can count on is that when given a big stage to speak from, most politicians find it mighty hard to avoid using some creativity in their facts, figures and versions of history.  So, while President Obama knows how to deliver a speech, and every reasonable American should be pulling for him to succeed, it’s always good to do a bit of fact-checking.  

Bottom line: last night’s address to Congress and the nation not detail-heavy. In fact, some may have been disappointed by the lack of detail, but all that comes later. Obama was doing nothing new in that sense. And these deep economic problems won’t be solved overnight, no matter how much some want to believe that all our president has to do is wave a magic wand and our national nightmare is over.

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