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| Bernie Sanders and Adam Dahl at the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport in Spring 2016 during heart of the 2016 Democratic presidential primary campaign. Dahl is a candidate for Wisconsin Assembly District 47 Image: Bernie Sanders 2016 |
Madison and Fitchburg, Wisconsin — Two candidates are running to fill an open seat in Dane County's progressive 47th state assembly district—Adam Dahl and Jimmy Anderson.
The choice could not be starker. Adam Dahl is an effective advocate for progressive campaigns and causes. Anderson is a multi-millionaire with no experience beyond his repeated refusals to sign the Recall-Scott Walker petition.
The local Democratic Party establishment wants the millionaire and his money, which purchased the services of the full-service, D.C.-based political consulting firm, the Pivot Group. No grassroots support needed.
Wisconsin's 47th assembly district comprises neighborhoods on Madison's east side and a Democratic-progressive mix of scenic municipalities in south-central Dane County. The winner will succeed the outgoing State Rep. Robb Kahl, (D-Monona).
This race illustrates everything that is wrong with politics today. The prime directive that money is more important than people guides local politicos weighing in on the race.
The Bernie Sanders independent, Dahl, has organized more people than Anderson with his money ever will. When Dahl was organizing meet-ups for Howard Dean's 2003-04 campaign, Anderson was in high school in California.
Dahl has spent his adult life doing the hard work that is the life blood of successful campaigns. Not so with Anderson who lists an admiration for TR and FDR, whom he read about, as his progressive bona fides.
Ever wonder who did those Howard Dean meet-ups in 2003-04, the Bernie Sanders 2015-16 work?
Meet Adam Dahl, he's one of those people. Dahl also made 21 small contributions to Sanders' presidential run. He is in politics for the movement.
In 2011, Adam Dahl was active in protesting Act 10, marching around the capitol several times with 10,000s, and he also signed the recall-Scott Walker petition.
Jimmy Anderson refused to sign the Recall-Walker petition, telling the Capital Times in August that his refusal was not the result of ideology, but rather because Anderson believed he could not sign the Recall-Walker petition by "law," because of his disability. This is a ludicrous excuse, but it does illustrate Anderson has little conception of voting rights law.
Anderson told the Capital Times in an otherwise fawning August piece by Todd D. Milewski that, "Whenever (Recall organizers) would approach me, I would tell them that of course I would love to sign it but I just physically can't. And I know that you can't sign it for me because that'd be against the law. I had to decline at the time."
This is wrong. Wrong on the facts, wrong on the law.
Anderson is displaying a complete ignorance of what any circulator of a recall petition or candidate nomination sheet knows well.
Let's take a closer look at the Pivot Group-spun profile of Anderson, accepted uncritically by the Dane County political press.
Jimmy Anderson has a compelling life story. So does Adam Dahl who lost his mother to a hit-and-run accident in Janesville when Dahl was a teenager. Dahl has never stopped working since to help his family.
We wish Anderson well. He does not need the seat for the money, he's fine. But this seat is about a prospective state rep serving the people, not the other way around.
As noted in these pages, Anderson moved into the district from the neighboring district, the result of an apparent assembly seat-shopping excursion.
Anderson was reportedly urged by local activists to get experience before running for state assembly. Anderson ignored the advice and instead loaned his campaign some $100,000 to win the Democratic Party primary on Aug. 9. The political and media establishment jumped on the bandwagon.
After having missed numerous votes as a citizen including two statewide Supreme Court races and a statewide race for Superintendent of Public Instruction, according to data obtained from the Wisconsin Elections Commission site comparing Anderson's voting activity, (BD - 08-26-1986), with elections the past four years, Anderson decided he wanted the assembly seat.
Two pillars of the Pivot Group's creation of Anderson define his campaign: He is a lawyer and anti-drunk driving advocate.
Lawyer who cannot practice law
Anderson cannot practice law, give legal advice or purport to practice law because he listed himself as "inactive status." Yet, Anderson ledes every profile stating he is a lawyer, misrepresenting the above facts, (Mal Contends).
Drunk Driving Front-Group
Anderson tells reporters he is an advocate against drunk driving because his family was killed in a car accident in Stanislaus County California in 2010. Anderson argued in 2011 through his lawyers that Stanislaus County was the culprit for improper signage at a dangerous intersection, (Insurance News).
Anderson is not an improper signage advocate, not a 'Failure to timely install four-way stop resulted in fatal crash' advocate. Not a compelling political story, (Verdict Search). He went after the money and he needed to blame Stanislaus County to get $8 Million, and who can blame him? Not me.
But Anderson's Drive Clear non-profit appears to be a PR website, with little or no activity, (Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions).
Look, Jimmy Anderson is a nice guy and we all wish him luck. He's living as comfortably as possible in a nice Fitchburg home.
The race for Wisconsin State Assembly District 47 is about what these two gentlemen can do for us.
Adam Dahl has it all over Jimmy Anderson.
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