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6/10/2010
The 12th commandment

Yes, we want to keep the GOP primaries above-board, but… when there are differences, well… there are differences.

I suggested earlier this week that civility in GOP primaries would be great – at a time when a couple of our gubernatorial candidates – and their supporters, or non-supporters, as it were – are sniping at each other.

South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson and state Reps. Kristi Noem and Blake Curd are keeping it clean, eschewing personal and political attacks in favor of emphasizing their personal and professional backgrounds and very similar conservative views on fiscal and cultural issues.

Why? Respect.

One reason the campaign is positive, say the candidates and party officials, is that the contenders respect one another and don’t want internecine squabbling to complicate what they see as a golden opportunity to unseat Democratic Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, who is serving her fourth term in a state that leans Republican.

Former Neumann campaign advisor-now-Walker-supporter Jim Klauser’s Monday letter to Mark Neumann, asked him, not too respectfully, I might add, to get out of the race – and oh by the way, to return any Klauser campaign contributions.

Candidate Neumann since has responded to Mr. Klauser’s letter, saying he would return the donations if Klauser could prove that Neumann’s claim about Walker’s proposed budget increases in Milwaukee County being higher than Jim Doyle’s over a 7-year period was wrong. Oh my. (Here’s Neumann’s data used to back up his claim as the best fiscal budget hawk in the bunch.) FP reader Tom Sladek offers a refreshing counter to my distress.

I've certainly not seen anything in the Wis GOP governor primary race (from the candidates) that I'd consider "personal", and the "policy" arguments seem to be what one would expect as candidates try to differentiate themselves to get the upper hand. If anything about the race seems inappropriate, it's letters like Klauser's. I fully understand the frontrunner -- seeking advantage -- will use the "Reagan 11th commandment" ploy to suggest the challenger should simply sit idle, but Klauser's letter defines what "getting personal" is all about (calls Neumann "phony, shallow, contrived, staged" and asserts lack of integrity). I hope Walker's campaign is not behind Klauser's letter.

In any event, the "lesson" that needs to be learned is one for GOP primary voters ... commit to supporting whichever candidate wins the primary, and understand that during the campaign candidates are going to, well, campaign!

Another FP reader mentions that

Jim Klauser and others will site "the 11th amendment" by Ronald Reagan; I think Republicans forget that Ronald Reagan RAN against a sitting (appointed) incumbent Pres. Gerald Ford...and he criticized him where he thought Ford was wrong and explained where they differed [e.g., détente, Panama Canal].

Ok. So how about this. Let’s go with a slightly modified “Sladek” 12th commandment:

Campaign like the dickens
Campaign truthfully, respectfully.
The minute the primary is over, everybody get on the winner’s bus and campaign like the dickens once again

Jo Egelhoff, FoxPolitics.net

COMMENTS

Charlie Sykes had an interesting commentary yesterday on the Neumann sludge machine. It seems there are more open records requests for such things as who is using which computers in Walker's office for what, and details of employment records of nearly all Milwaukee County employees coming from the Neumann campaign than there are from lib groups like One Wisconsin Now. Imagine that, a Republican up to his ears in the behavoir we all hate in lefty liberals; inside-the-beltway political dirt mongering that we all hate in our congressional rulers!

Sorry, not interested in accepting the lesser of two evils as the winner of the GOP primary campaign. If Neumann wins with his negative personal slime spewing, I'll find someone else to support even though it means Russ gets a free ride back to the U.S. Senate.

I'm a Conservative first and a Republican second. Neumann needs to either apologize to Conservatives and Tea Party activists, or get out now, before makes a total ass out of himself and his party!

Duke (Thu Jun 10 08:12:09 2010)

Sorry - phone rang while I was typing. I meant to say, "...I'll find someone else to support even though it means Barret (Doyle II) gets a free ride back to the Governor's Office."

The call was about a visit tonight by Ron Johnson. As I get older it gets harder to keep track of the flurry of great people stepping up to replace the socialists.

Check out the ad at the top of the page on Drudge for the latest Neumann mudpie!

Duke (Thu Jun 10 11:41:45 2010)

Mudpies I guess are in the eye of the beholder. Is the assertion true? That is of primary importance to me. Is it misleading in any way? Not that I can tell.

I have a couple objections to the Scott Walker saga. Clearly he was the "chosen one" of the insiders. Only candidate to speak at last yr's convention. Before he spoke, I was talking to a gentleman from Milw, and he said, well I wonder if he is going to give the same speech I have heard 5 times already?" then listed the hipoints. Obviously, Walker gives a preapared speech fairly well. Same thing this yr. Did some internet searching, and the ONLY speech he seems to be giving this year is the one he gave at the convention. I am more interest in performance under fire, would like to here extemporaneous answers to unrehearsed question. Like in a forum/debate. Which the Walker camp has repeatedly ducked. Walker and his backers may be surprised if he can not back into the office of governor. If he can not challenge his primary opponents head on, how will he do against Barrett? Moreover, a public forum would presumably sharpen the skills of participants, make for a better candidate at the end, regardless of who that is.

BTW, I still have not made up my mind who I am voting for, but I am starting to lean toward one candidate, and because of all of the above, you may be able to guess who it is not.

I want candidates elected, not annointed or appointed.

Ken Van Doren (Thu Jun 10 13:01:14 2010)

I agree with your sentiments regarding 'electing' a candidate. And I fully support your idea of doing your homework regarding who to support. This morning I listened to Sykes blast Neumann again for his negative campaign against Walker. Lo and behold both Walker and Neumann came on his show to explain their side of the issue.

Walker's comment was that the one vote Neumann is singling out occurred in the middle of the night, after all the legal help had gone home, and was a procedural vote, not a direct vote on the issue. When pressed by Sykes Neumann danced around it and stuck to his high school level class president attack. It was obvious that Neumann was grabbing at straws and trying to build a mansion.

As to who can perform under fire, if the job of County Exec. in Milwaukee County isn't "under fire," nothing is. Walker has not only been able to hold the line on the county budget while working with a heavily Democrat County Board, he's managed to get himself reelected for his performance by the people of Milwaukee County.

As for Walker's speechifying..., well, we've got the official national speechmaker in the White House right now. I haven't seen the oceans begin to receed, the earth begin to heal, or the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico get smaller yet. Just words..., just speeches....

Sooner or later I think you'll realize that an inside-the-beltway ex-Congressman's mudslinging speeches are not only boring, but downright sickening!

Duke (Thu Jun 10 13:35:57 2010)

Duke -

Oh how I wish more people would openly state what you posted above ... I'm a conservative first, above and beyond being a Republican. My sentiments exactly and I'm quite confident that there are as many of US out there as there are 'rock-ribbed Republicans' that will vote the ticket regardless of track record, policy, or character.

EXACTLY why Republicans who want to see a conservative in office should take a serious look at the independent or 'Tea Party' candidates AND why many serious conservatives like us are not terribly interested in 'coming back' to the party of damaged goods.

Jeff Riedl (Thu Jun 10 13:43:37 2010)

Exactly Jeff - I've run for office as a Republican, but I also voted for Democrats who didn't blow a bunch a' smoke and tell me they were gonna' make the "earth heal."

It's candidate-by-candidate in today's political revolution. Watch who speaks to the Tea Party rallies, and listen to what they say. It's not possible to spew BS in front of that many people, that many YouTube cameras, and that many voters who've 'been there, done that.' The Tea Party Movement is the antithesis of the Washington D.C. oligarchy.

Duke (Thu Jun 10 13:57:03 2010)

It's fine to stick to your conservative guns and go down with the ship, but too many conservatives did that in 2006 and 2008 and look what it got this country. A know-nothing socialist president and a radical leftwing Congress. If that isn't the old cutting-off-your-nose-to-spite-your-face syndrome, I don't know what is.

We may never be able to repeal and change the damage done to this country in the short time the radical Democrats have been in office.

As the ship of state rolls over and sinks beneath the waves, perhaps you can wrap your conservatism around you like a life jacket!

Way to go, my friends.

C. R. Stevenson (Thu Jun 10 23:42:05 2010)

C.R. -

I voted PROUDLY for Perot (twice) and Chuck Baldwin in the last election. Why? Because the GOP didn't run a candidate that I believed represented what I wanted in office.

I have principles, and I vote my convictions. If the GOP doesn't like losing my support then they're not going to 'win me back' by being condescending an deriding me ... they're going to win me back by running true conservatives.

Learn the lesson - get the support. Business as usual, I'll look elsewhere.
Simple enough that even an old-school power broker who has been in Washington forever can figure it out.

Jeff Riedl (Fri Jun 11 06:24:06 2010)

I don't know much about either Walker or Neumann slinging mud--don't listen to talk radio, but I am automatically suspicious when I see a party anointing one candidate, and ignoring another. Surely the VOTERS should decide a primary!?

(This is what is happening in the race for Obey's seat. The Anointed One is Duffy, who is funded by corporations, who definitely participated in fraud when he was filming the gay wedding video; whereas Mielke, a true INDEPENDENT-minded conservative, is ignored or ridiculed by his own party!)

Another alarm bell that is ringing, is the fact that when I called Neumann's campaign re. his stand on raw milk, the staffer immediately told me he is in favor of farmers being able to sell direct. It took three un-returned calls to Walker--when they said they'd get back "THAT DAY"--and finally a fourth, before I got an answer.

So I guess I lean toward Neumann, but have not decided for sure yet. If he is just slinging mud for the sake of it, that's not good, and I may change my mind...

emily matthews (Fri Jun 11 16:32:06 2010)

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