Election Report From Fitchburg (Dane County) Ward Spells Trouble for GOP

Update: See Dane County couldn’t save Feingold this time

Here's a report from what is typically a relatively low-turnout district in Fitchburg, a city adjacent to Madison in Dane County.

Same-day registrants, with a high teen-20s presence, kept three election registers busy the moment the doors opened up through mid-afternoon, with a crush expected after 5:00.

If this district is at all representative of the turn-out in Madison-centered Dane County, the Republicans are in some serious trouble.

The youth vote is alive and well.

Word is Madison and Fitchburg are expected to exceed 80-plus turn-out.

With long voting lines reported in Milwaukee, when you're watching the results pour in tonight at WTMJ, be advised that Madison wards report in last and late in Dane County.

Neumann Endorsement Seems a Bit Terse

Here's Mark Neumann's Endorsement PR in its entirity:

WAUKESHA, Wis. - September 14, 2010 - Tonight I am keeping my word and endorsing Scott Walker.

I am sending Scott a copy of my book and hope he will use it as he sees fit.

I wish him the best in the general election.

Walker Wins Pulling Away

Some Democratic strategists are very happy about this result.

We'll see why soon.

Dane County Self-Correcting Optec Scanners Alert Voters to Multi-Party Voting

At least in Dane County, voters who cast votes on more than one party line (negating the ballot) are alerted audibly and immediately by the Optec machine.

Voters then can re-cast another ballot and correct their mistake.

Typically, Dane County is among the highest turn-out counties in the state, leaning significance to those who would make the mistake on Primary Day of casting votes in more than one political party.

Reports from the county indicate that the correctable errors of multi-party primary voting are occurring infrequently, but are definitely occurring and being corrected by voters on the spot.

Walker Is Not a Better GOP Nominee for Dems

What is Joel McNally thinking?

After admitting that Milwaukee media (MJS and talk radio) are in the tank for Scott Walker who is the Milwaukee County executive, McNally says Walker would be the weaker GOP opponent of presumed Democratic nominee Tom Barrett.

2006 General election results for Milwaukee County

Doyle 61.6%
Green 36.7%

If McNally is right, one must presume that Walker would underperform Mark Neumann in Milwaukee County which in 2006 was carried by Gov. Doyle by some 80,000 votes, about half of Doyle's winning margin.

Dane County gave Doyle a 91,000-vote bump in 2006, so again Walker would underperform Mark Neumann in Dane County as well?

Mark Neumann is a right-wing, fully-fledged member of the Tom Reynoldesque religious right, and I'm thinking Walker's arguably libertarian credentials would make him the stronger candidate for the GOP in both Dane County and Milwaukee County.

At least Walker does not have any anti-Catholic baggage to haul around.

But some folks across the political spectrum are sure awfully worried about Mark Neumann being the nominee.

They should not be, unless one believes anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, anti-choice religious zealotry plays well in the new media landscape much different than what Mark Neumann faced in 1998, his last statewide general election race.

Neumann lost that one in '98 and blamed "one county," Dane, as responsible. I think Neumann had a point there.

Thompson Is a Tough Sell to Tea Party Set

Update II: Tommy Says 'No'

Update: Tea Partiers Boycotting Rally Because of Thompson

More evidence the new Tommy Thompson with his blatant associations with big money and hedge funds would not sit well with all elements of the GOP-Tea Party sphere.

Thompson will announce his intentions at a Tea Party rally today in Madison.

From the Oshkosh Northwestern and AP:

Dave Westlake, a declared Republican for the GOP Senate nomination who identifies closely with the tea party movement, said Thompson should’t be using the rally to make his announcement.

'He’s using a platform that’s supposed to be about rallying around a common cause to reduce the size of government, to lower spending and lower taxes and he’s using it for his own personal announcement,' Westlake said. 'He’s not the tea party movement. He’s a big spender and did a lot of things that was the antithesis of what people in the tea party want.'

It appears that Westlake reflects what a lot of the Tea Party set thinks about big money, incoherent though their formulations are.

Desperate Wisc GOP Ineptly Reprises 1986 Gov Race

With Tommy Thompson likely out of the race for governor, a desperate Wisconsin GOP is attempting an old trick.

Back in 1986 it was the dump "Tony the Taxer (Earl)" campaign [and the Thompson-pushed image of black welfare recipients in Milwaukee] that launched Tommy Thompson's entry into the governor's mansion and national prominence.

Now, a Wisconsin GOP Google ad reads:

Tom "the Taxer" Barret (sic)
Higher Taxes, Fewer Jobs
Wisconsin Cant (sic) Afford
Tom the Taxer
www.wisgop.org

Sure, the GOP misspelled Barrett's name and the word "Cant", but that's not the only advertising mistake the GOP will make this campaign season.

Tommy Thompson Run Looks Improbable Now

A Tommy Thompson run for governor now appears unlikely.

And Thompson won't run for U.S. Senate—forget Jonathan Martin's Politico story that he's weighing it; the eventual GOP Senate nominee is toast and I want what David Blaska, Owen Robinson, and Chuck Todd are smoking.

Thompson is on a trip to the Far East for at least a week, and it's-my-turn-to-run Scott Walker and here's-a-$1 million Mark Neumann aren't dropping out.

A Thompson run for governor announced in February or March would cause catastrophic unpredictability in what the GOP already fears will be a divisive primary in this volatile environment, and in a state known for bucking the establishments of both major political parties.

Sure, Sen. Herb Kohl can parachute in the primary like he did in June 1988, refuse to debate other candidates, and win by air war.

That won't work for Thompson now as too many Republicans are vested in their chosen champion who will face a strong Democratic opponent in Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett.

Thompson is a great cultural fit for Wisconsin; but running now would just make too many enemies and confuse the already blurred political lines.

Thompson's like Chinese food, you're ready for him again but not when other entrées are prepared and ready to serve.

Tom and Tommy?

The Wisconsin gubernatorial race is wide open, even though the reported Obama backing of Tom Barrett led the heroic Democrat to throw his hat in the ring against two heavyweight Republican contenders.

A Tommy Thompson supporter this weekend described Thompson as a "tremendous bundle of energy," having what appears as a personal inclination to run for governor in 2010. But no official decision is expected until after the holidays and a personal inclination is but one factor among many.

There is growing GOP-muckity-muck sentiment to push aside Mark Neumann [in favor of whom?], a short-sighted move that may not sit well with a guy with razor-sharp, multi-appendaged elbows.

One GOP-leaning blogger in favor of moving out Neumann tries lamely to belittle him for not having finely-tuned field and press operations, as if money and ideology were not the consummate political organization.

Anyway, Thompson and Tom Barrett both culturally fit Wisconsin as does Neumann to a lesser extent.

But will Thompson get in after declared GOP candidate Scott Walker has invested nearly two years in running?

That Tommy is considering a run and is being repeatedly urged is revealing that politicos believe that the too-slick-by-half Walker [an admiring John Nichols calls him the Wisconsin William Buckley] and the ideological Neumann would not fare well against the affable Milwaukee mayor who looks like he belongs in Fondy or Superior downing beers as much as smacking punks in Milwaukee.

See also: One-term Tommy Thompson in 2010 Has Appeal.

One-term Tommy Thompson in 2010 Has Appeal

A constant in America over the last four years—epitomized in Wisconsin—is the startlingly anxious mood of the electorate.

Get everyone at the table and fix this is the prevailing popular sentiment. The great mass of apolitical voters don't want partisan blame now, just someone to clean it up.

Forget the Tea Partiers-GOP's implausible messages calling President Obama a dithering decider on one hand and a Chicago-based outlaw taking over the economy on the other. These guys are not serious.

Look at Wisconsin to lead. Whatever the result of the Gov. Doyle-Lt. Gov. Lawton-Mayor Barrett-local-national-Democratic-forces' machinations to take on the GOP nominee, a gubernatorial candidate who says, 'I will serve one term to clean up and then I'm out,' has a lot of appeal.

Brings to mind the relatively young, 68-year-old Tommy Thompson whom Scott Walker says is "pretty confident" will support Walker's candidacy. I'm pretty sure that's heavily qualified speculation.

Thompson would get killed in a race against Sen. Russ Feingold. That leaves governor.

Talk around political campfires this weekend is that Thompson is being asked often and is seriously considering a 2010 run for governor, no matter what any declared candidate says.

Clean it up. Tom Barrett gets that, though he seems a tad busy. Obama gets that. And so does Tommy Thompson.

NYT: Wisconsin Shows Signs of Industrial Rebound

All I say is that I hope Peter Goodman's piece in the Sunday Times, In Wisconsin, Early Signs of an Industrial Rebound, is on the mark.

Writes Goodman:

At the Rockwell Automation factory here, something encouraging happened recently that might be a portent of national economic recovery: managers reinstated a shift, hiring a dozen workers.

After months of layoffs, diminished production and anxiety about the depths of the Great Recession, the company — a bellwether because most of its customers are manufacturers themselves — saw enough new orders to justify adding people.

Given the panicked retreat that has characterized life on the American factory floor for many months, any expansion registers as a hopeful sign for the economy. Last week, the Federal Reserve found signs of 'modest improvement' in manufacturing. That reinforced the direction of a widely watched manufacturing index tracked by the Institute for Supply Management, which surged into positive territory last month for the first time in a year and a half.

GOP Buys Up Ron Kind Net-Domain Names

The Wisconsin GOP won't have U.S. Atty Stephen Biskupic around to do their dirty work in the 2010 election.

But they don't need him to take the low road.

Here's a sign of the campaign we should expect.

Apparently, the Republican Party of Wisconsin is buying up the Internet domain names to trip up a Congressman Ron Kind (D-La Crosse) run for Governor in 2010.

The Republican Party of Wisconsin's mob has reserved the following sites:

RonKindForGovernor.com (WhoIs.net)
KindForWisconsin.com (WhoIs.net)
KindForGovernor.com (WhoIs.net)

What do these guys think they are accomplishing by this cheap stunt?

Is the GOP really that afraid of a fair and open election? Pathetic.

The Race for Guv

A few items and observations:

- Anyone who underestimates the appeal of Mark Neumann [and on social policy I like to think that I am his biggest critic] is sorely mistaken. Look for an innovative and unexpected campaign from Neumann.

- Scott Walker is among other problems too slick by half.

- Governor Jim Doyle's campaign is like Rocky II going through a depression, while the audience is impatiently anticipating the dude finally training and getting ready for the big rematch.

Remember what Burgess Meredith says: "What are we waiting for?!" Declare your intentions now, Gov. Doyle. The July-August roll-out prohibition is obsolete.

- I hereby offer my services to any candidate who will stop our veterans in Wisconsin from being royally screwed over by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. These bureaucrats and cop-wannabes are not fit to hold a candle to the people who actually serve this country.

Mark Neumann Website Is Up, It's Good

The Mark Neumann for Governor committee filed its GAB-1 Campaign Registration Statement with the Government Accountability Board last week.

But a modern campaign is a campaign only when it gets its website up. Mark Neumann's site is up and it is not too shabby, though it's still in development.

Good colors, not text-heavy, and easy-to-find information.

Constructive suggestions, Mr. Neumann.

The upper-right and bottom quadrants of a given web page (in green in the above graphic) should be comprised of low-priority information. EyeTrack studies show readers’ eyes don't see these quadrants well. so whatever info you put on these spots ought to be low-priority. Your upper-right is a high-priority “Donate” button. Move this over to the left an inch or so.

Also, an industry standard is that hyperlinks should maintain the page a reader is using and open to a new, seperate page.

So your linked headline, for example, "Press Release: Mark Neumann Enters 2010 Gubernatorial Race," should open to a new window; it does not now. Easy fix. The current code for the linked headline is (in part):

-- a href="http://markforgov.com/pg/blog/MarkNeumann/read/53/press-release-mark-neumann-enters-2010-gubernatorial-race"> Press Release: Mark Neumann Enters 2010 Gubernatorial Race --

Simply place the following code target="_blank" between the " and > charactersin the code (that are bolded in above graf and in red) and the reader will open up a new window.

Like as follows (try it and hit this following link): Press Release: Mark Neumann Enters 2010 Gubernatorial Race. ... Whallah, a new window.

Mr. Neumann, I want you to win the GOP nomination for governor and then I sincerely want the best man to win the general election. I disagree with you on much policy; but you are an earnest man and such men don't grow on trees.

Lots of more ideas. Contact me if you are interested on my working on your primary as a consultant at: maleon@charter.net.

Wisconsin political junkies need fix

WisPolitics has an online poll up asking if Gov. Jim Doyle is running for reelection.

The GOP primary field looks set as Mark Neumann declared his intention to run. “While he'll file with the state, he plans to hold off on any formal announcements on his campaign until later this fall,” says WisPolitics.

Maybe that’s because the gubernatorial candidates can’t even begin to collect nomination signatures until June 1, 2010, or file nomination papers until July 13, 2010.

Seems like a long time.

The political site, Five-thirty-eight.com, ranks Jim Doyle at 45th among the 50 governors in political power.

Imprecise, but as the two major GOP candidates for governor are going to spend the next several months taking pot shots at Doyle, look for a very early gubernatorial campaign.

Doyle can’t just stand there and do nothing.

He has to fire back and declare his intentions early, and the fun begins fast.

"I held off as long as I could," Neumann said. (WisPolitics)

Heard that. And Governor Doyle: Hurry up too, man. It’s been over eight months since the last election!

Mark Neumann Is Ready, Wisconsin Is Not

Former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann announces today that he is running for the Republican nomination for governor.

Neumann will face Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker in a contentious and likely divisive GOP primary campaign.

Though Neumann will run on a saccharin high taxes and wasteful spending platform, Neumann in his own words and deeds is a hard-right ideologue packing the same anti-gay, anti-Catholic, and anti-Semitic ideology as former state senator Tom Reynolds.

Daily newspapers and television news won't feature this aspect of Neumann though he makes it clear that his religious ethics and morals guide his politics and public behavior.

But the doctrines of Neumann's über-rightwing church, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), are mean-spirited and exclusionary and will become an issue.

The media campaigns of 2009-10 are not like those of 1998, the year Neumann last ran for statewide office.

And the result will be a focus on Neumann's rightwing ideology that is contrary to the views of the majority of Wisconsin citizens, but may prove an asset in the race for the Republican nomination. The new media will be an important part of Neumann's downfall.

See also:
Mark Neumann in His Own Words
Mark Neumann: The Mean Machine
Mark Neumann for Gov. - Please Jesus, Yes!
Mark Neumann's Church: An Unfair Topic?

From a past column, some examples of meanness and bigotry from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS):

- We recognize the Pope as the Anti-Christ by his false teachings and by his matching the traits of the Anti-Christ as revealed in Scripture, not by the alleged symbolism of something he wears or carries.

- (Luther) had hoped that the Reformation with its clear preaching of the pure gospel would convert the Jews. Luther himself provides examples from the Talmud in 'On the Jews and Their Lies' (Luther's Works 47:226-228): 'Their Talmud and their rabbis record that it is no sin for a Jew to kill a Gentile, but it is only a sin for him to kill a brother Israelite. Nor is it a sin for a Jew to to break his oath to a Gentile. ... '

- Christians must take care during their lifetimes not to regularly associate with any group or organization [like the Catholic Church] that would take their focus off Christ alone as their salvation.

- We must warn the impenitent that homosexuality, like all sins, excludes people from eternal life (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). The church, therefore, must not, bless same-sex marriages or unions, since these are contrary to the will of God. The church must not place into nor retain in the public ministry of the Word people who defend, condone, or persist in words or actions that are contrary to God’s law.

From a purely political perspective, this yuckiness does not work in Wisconsin. Where is Catholic League president Bill Donohue?

Madison's Isthmus: Terminator of the GOP

Current gubernatorial candidate Mark Neumann sounded whiny after he lost a close race to first-term incumbent Senator Russ Feingold (D-Middleton) in 1998.

Appearing petulant for a politician on election night, Neumann singled out "one county" - Dane County - and blamed the voters there for costing him the election to which he appeared to see himself entitled after a hard-fought campaign.

Never complain Mr. Neumann, a safe bet that this 2010 candidate won't make that mistake again.

Of course Neumann neglected to mention that Waukesha County, where Neumann now resides, gave him a similar winning margin as Dane County gave Feingold in '98.

More importantly, Neumann might have noted that votes by folks in Dane County municipalities like Sun Prairie, Middleton, Fitchburg and Madison count just as much as anywhere else in a democracy.

But Neumann had a valid point.

In the same energetic election year that saw Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison) first win her seat to Congress in a historic campaign 10 years ago, polling sites all over Madison (including the undergraduate dormitory wards of UW-Madison) ran out of ballots and City poll workers frantically scrambled, sometimes asking voters to come back when more ballots became available.

The Isthmus

And nowhere as much as in the densely populated and high-turnout Isthmus wards did Mark Neumann meet electoral defeat.

The Isthmus wards supplied 15-to-one victory margins for Feingold and Baldwin, as is typical, and campaign volunteers' addresses often indicated Isthmus residency.

The people who live and work on the Isthmus are self-conscious about their electoral power and are proud of it. They take the notion of a classical liberal democracy seriously, so don't look for Neumann or Walker to knock it.

Read one homemade sign on an East Dayton Street house in the heart of the Isthmus in the spring 1999, "one neighborhood" beat Mark Neumann. That's about right.

In the 1992 presidential general election, a UW-Madison law student working for a national exit-polling organization, was stationed outside of a polling site on Williamson Street. But the law student had to repeatedly confirm the results to her uninformed, national contact who could not believe that people were voting 20-to-one Democratic in this ward.

Of all of Dane County and Madison, the Isthmus wards have become the single most effective killing machine of GOP politicians running for county and statewide office. The stories are legion and the stuff of oral political history, and the power has only grown the last 10 years.

The GOP doesn't dare try its voter suppression tricks in the Isthmus; better not to irritate the electoral equivalent of a perpetually pissed-off badger.

This spring as Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk actually lost Dane County outside of Madison by running a heavy-handed campaign that saw many small town taverns sporting huge anti-Falk signs, the late-reporting Isthmus wards came in and saved the day, granting the Democrat Falk the usual winning margins and a countywide electoral blowout.

It doesn't hurt that the get-out-the-vote infrastructure in Madison is a well-oiled machine. But when GOP strategists plan their statewide campaigns, they have to contend with and plan for the 1,000s-vote Isthmus deficit that is as predictable as Mark Neumann not kissing another man on the lips in a TV spot.

Bohemian, hyper-educated, young, old, pro-jobs, pro-health care, anti-war and hyper-politicized, the Madison Isthmus traces its cultural and political history as far back as the progressive movement identified with Robert M. La Follette.

The country has trended more politicized and progressive after eight years of Bush-Cheney, and the Madison Isthmus is blazing the path to the future as the GOP holds staged tea parties and the tried-and-false politics of division, hate and corruption.

Now the Obama administration works into the first 100 days, and it seems the GOP is on precisely the wrong side of history and of the Isthmus that will be an electoral hell for Mark Neumann or Scott Walker in November 2010.