Last week, I wrote about plans by Assembly Democrats to hold a fundraiser for the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee while the state budget is still being debated, which seemed to be in direct conflict with a rule implemented in the State Assembly banning fundraising during the budget debate. Turns out, the Assembly Dems have cancelled the fundraiser, presumably because they came to realize how hypocritical it made them look:
In a joint statement, Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan of Janesville and Majority Leader Thomas Nelson of Kaukauna said the fund-raiser did not violate the ban, but they wanted to remove any doubts about the effectiveness of the ban.
“Just as it is critical that we have a strong ban in place, it is also critical that people have full faith and confidence in the ban,” they said in their statement, adding that they had a “deep commitment to campaign finance reform.”
To be honest, if Speaker Sheridan and the Assembly Democratic leadership were as committed to campaign finance reform as they say they are, they would have never scheduled the fundraiser to begin with. While it’s good to see Speaker Sheridan and Assembly Dems have “come to their senses” in regards to the fundraiser, they’ve now made it clear they’re not above bending the rules when it suits their own self-interests.
I heard it is back on! Wispolitics.com
Jeff, there seems to be conflicting reports. The article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel indicates the fundraiser has been canceled right before it says the fundraiser was only postponed.