Uncategorized • October 7th, 2010

The rumor mill vs. substance

by Chris Lato

Joe Biden is an endless source of amusement. Let’s hope the rumors of him being booted off the ticket aren’t true.  And they probably aren’t - it seems every President running for a second term is subjected to similar chatter.

For fans of political gaffes, Biden is the gift that keeps on giving. One can only imagine that his communications clean-up crew is battle-tested and perpetually on alert - a lot of Pepto-Bismol must be consumed in that office.

But there’s a larger issue here. E.J. Dionne suggests the Biden/Clinton rumor reflects laziness on the part of the news media - that this story sprouted legs because it’s ‘easy’ and not because there’s a whole lot of substance behind it.

Dionne also notes there are many more momentous issues to for the press to cover, what with a potentially game-changing election day right around the corner. He has a point.

There is a hunger for more in-depth political coverage - witness WisconsinEye and C-SPAN as two examples. Similarly, WISN-TV in Milwaukee has shown consistent dedication to political coverage, including jumping through a lot of hoops to stage political debates hosted by Mike Gousha.

While working with Mark Neumann’s campaign this year, we had no idea how many would tune in when the primary debate took place. WISN deemed the results a success. 

WISN worked hard to pull off a logistically challenging event and did a solid public service in the process. Wisconsin had the (very, very rare) chance to see those candidates interact directly.

Whether most people choose to watch is a separate matter entirely. Making the option available in the first place is an important step.

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Views on News • November 16th, 2009

Barrett’s in

by Chris Lato

My gut told me he wouldn’t jump in. So much for the predictive abilities of said gut.

Tom Barrett has his work cut out for him. Already, we are seeing cracks in the façade - such as the ‘will he or won’t he raise taxes?’ question. The difference between the printed remarks and his actual words is revealing.

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Leadership, Views on News • October 13th, 2009

Where did all the Dems go?

by Chris Lato

I’m a little surprised at this one. It’s mid-October and the only Democrat of note who’s running for governor is…Barbara Lawton.

Are the Dems really that confident in the current lite guv that they’re willing to give her a free shot – essentially relying on her to carry the Democrat flag? Or is the crop of solid candidates really that small?

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Branding Politix, Leadership, Messaging, Strategic Blueprints, Views on News • August 17th, 2009

Doyle’s decision

by Chris Lato

From a political junkie’s perspective, the news about Gov. Doyle is seismic. It blows all the current conventional wisdom out of the water and makes this anybody’s race (with a definite advantage for the GOP).

And yet, Gov. Doyle’s announcement that he will not seek a third term is not necessarily cheery news for the state in the short term. The governor is leaving Wisconsin in worse shape than he found it. There’s no joy or gloating in that statement. We have deep problems that need a fresh perspective ASAP.

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