Scott Walker – Epitomizes “Male, Pale & Stale” with Rail Position

I love Katrina Vanden Heuvel’s statement that the GOP is “male, pale & stale”. As I continue to read the policy positions of WI GOP Gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker, his positions match up with this characterization. I’ll skip over the “male” and “pale” components, since that is a given, but the “stale” one needs further exploration. Scott Walker’s antidote for what ails the state seems to rest on a single stale and discredited premise that we’ve seen often from the GOP – cut taxes by decimating government to “grow the economy”. Nowhere have I seen a statement of any sort of vision on how he wants to help the state grow other than through his efforts to cut taxes.

Especially telling of his lack of vision, imagination and economic development prowess is his position against railroads of the high speed inter-regional, local commuter or streetcar variety.

Continue Reading

Terrence Wall says he’ll run a positive campaign…

….but I can’t help but wonder when he’s going to start: Wall says he’ll run a positive campaign. “It’s good for all Republicans to remember, we’re on the same team.” Delegates at the state Republican Party convention on Sunday supported Johnson with nearly 64 percent of the votes cast on…

Continue Reading

Just a quick prediction

Now that Dick Leinenkugel has dropped out of the Republican U.S. Senate primary and has endorsed Ron Johnson, look for Terrence Wall to be the next Republican to drop out of the U.S. Senate race. While Wall has dumped well over a million dollars of his own money into the…

Continue Reading

Moving on OUT, Moving on UP

I found some interesting odds & ends related to people moving out and moving up that I wanted to share with you. The first was a report from AZ on the implications of SB 1070 – the “paper’s please” anti-immigrant law. It seems that the economists were right that the law would have significant negative impacts on Arizona businesses. They made this statement following an analysis of the economic value of immigrant workers to the state, without even taking into account the impact of boycott’s to the state. In this report from CNN you can hear business people and politician’s alike saying:

The immigration law backfired. “Whoops we have no workers” Randi Kaye

In other moving news, I heard through the grapevine, the unconfirmed report that Representative Paul Ryan (R-01) has purchased the Parker Mansion in Janesville’s prestigious Court House Hill Historic District. He will be living next to the Cullen’s, a builder and prominent Republican fundraiser.

Continue Reading

BREAKING: Leinenkugel out of GOP Senate race, endorses Ron Johnson

Word from the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s 2010 convention is that Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dick Leinenkugel has dropped out while announcing his endorsement of Ron Johnson’s candidacy. I speculated yesterday Leinenkugel might be dropping out of the race soon, though I have to admit this was sooner than I…

Continue Reading

A few election news & notes

State Rep. Annette Polly Williams, who has served in the Wisconsin State Assembly since 1980, has announced she won’t seek another term in office. I’m a firm believer that the Milwaukee delegation in the State Senate and State Assembly is in need of new leaders with fresh ideas, so hopefully…

Continue Reading

Sunday open thread

I’ve got a front lawn that needs some TLC… Tell me what’s on your mind.

Continue Reading