2008 Primaries • October 16th, 2008

Uh-oh

by Chris Lato

I have been wondering how this could possibly be seen as good for McCain. The answer: it’s not good – at least not in Wisconsin.

While I simply don’t believe Obama has a 17-point edge in Wisconsin, the RNC definitely sees things in its internal numbers that it doesn’t like. Suddenly, Wisconsin is being tossed aside after a whirlwind battleground-state romance.

The question now turns to how this will affect the campaigns in Wisconsin. If Obama is sitting on a pile of campaign cash, does he keep pouring it into Wisconsin, or does he begin to pull up stakes as well? Will McCain keep buying ads? Will the candidates stop showering love and attention all over the Badger State?

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2008 Primaries, Views on News • September 17th, 2008

The iPod tax is back

by Chris Lato

Uh-oh. New taxes could be coming your way in Wisconsin…including the dreaded iPod tax.

With the election less than two months away, the timing on this proposal is interesting. With the state Senate expected to stay in Democratic hands, and the Assembly believed by some to be up for grabs, the thinking is that a Democrat-controlled Legislature, coupled with a Democrat governor, would embrace this list of proposals from the Department of Revenue.

Could this be a game changer in some legislative races? It certainly should be a hot topic on the campaign trail in these final few weeks. Republicans and fiscally-conservative Democrats would be wise to seize this issue as just one example of how important the upcoming elections are.

Those who support these taxes may be asked why they would seek tax hikes when the Wisconsin economy and families are already struggling to make ends meet.

Now, a lot can happen in the next few months. Let’s say Republicans hold onto the Assembly. Or, Barack Obama becomes our next president, and Gov. Doyle leaves Wisconsin for a job in the Obama administration. Barbara Lawton ascends to the throne, and she is thought to be more liberal on tax-and-spend policy.

Or, Congress refuses to act on these Internet-tax proposals.

Those are a lot of ‘what-if’ scenarios. These tax hikes wouldn’t go into effect tomorrow. But by the same token, these ideas aren’t going away and it’s a worthy issue for voters to consider before November 4.

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2008 Primaries, Grass Roots Organization, Views on News • August 13th, 2008

Déjà vu all over again

by Chris Lato

Seriously, how many more of these stories are we going to see in the weeks ahead?

I know, I know – the argument is that the system is working because the bad apples are getting yanked out of the bunch. So how many more bad apples are out there that won’t be found before election day? 15 voter registration workers are ‘implicated’ so far. How many more are out there?

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Messaging, Views on News, public relations • March 10th, 2008

The wearin’ o’ the red

by Chris Lato

A little bit o’ resume inflation can leave politicios red-faced in embarrassment. Case in point: this fascinating tidbit about Hillary Clinton and Ireland. Just in time for St. Patty’s Day, too!

The temptation to do a little puffery on one’s resume can be strong. In this case, Clinton is looking to build credibility on her claims that she has more experience than Barack Obama. But if you reach too far, you can wind up stuck in an embarrassing place.

Clinton’s claims are debatable, and the campaign dutifully trotted out someone who attested to Clinton’s bona fides in the Irish peace process.

The key to making such claims is to ensure you can actually back them up in a reasonably strong way. Avoid the need for having to move into crisis mode by having good connections (preferably actual participants who have some appearance of objectivity) ready to step up and speak to the claims and qualifications. That way, you have the potential to turn it around and have your accusers as the ones with egg on their faces.
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Leadership, Messaging, Q & A, Views on News • March 7th, 2008

Voter ID prompts partisan scuffle

by Chris Lato

You have to see it to believe it. A news conference at the state capitol rapidly degenerates into something approaching a cage match. Watch the video – it’s worth it.

The merits of requiring photo ID to vote in Wisconsin are subject to debate (I am squarely in the pro-photo ID camp). Looking past the partisan wrangling that is presenting the ID issue from going before the voters as a referendum question, I was struck by how quickly things fell apart at the news conference itself. The Senate Republicans were shanghaied, and quickly lost control of their message by failing to take the steps necessary to control those in attendance. They called a news conference in an open part of the capitol. Some Democrats showed up and basically took over. It really doesn’t look great for anyone.

I have seen these news conference hijackings happen before. It’s bad form, but depending on the venue you select to host a news event, you leave yourself open to shenanigans. Suddenly, the story becomes about the fight, not the issue. The message is lost in the jumble.
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