I started working on this blog about a week ago and then set it aside when Tim John posted that he was attending Drinking Liberally. I thought I’d talk to him a bit and add any new information before posting. Well he showed up but I got distracted by other conversations. Well after reading Eugene Kane’s column in this morning’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the tenacious candidate, I thought I’d better dust this off.
Many of you have probably seen some of the videos that Tim John has created for his campaign and hopefully you’ve read Zach’s interview with the candidate. I first became aware of Tim John at a Jazz in the Park concert early this summer when two young ladies thrust a Tim John for Governor brochure in my hand. After a brief scan of the brochure I had to ask which party Mr. John belonged to. Like a lot of other candidates, party affiliation isn’t included in the literature. I saw Mr. John at the Democratic convention in June but I don’t believe he spoke and I was surprised that he wasn’t cruising for signatures on his nomination papers like every other candidate in the place.
When asked what he knew about the candidate, Zach pointed me at Mr. John’s campaign website and videos. If you’ve seen Mr. John’s videos you know that he doesn’t take himself particularly seriously and for the casual viewer it is hard to take him at face value. Almost all of his videos are pointless…not pointless like Mayor Barrett has more money, more name recognition and the party’s backing…but pointless in, what are your positions, what are the issues, what do you stand for? Well it seems like he was making it up as he was going along. I was lucky enough to attend the first Drinking Liberally when Mr. John visited as part of his campaign. He is a bright energetic individual who is very passionate about a few issues and obviously in love with the English language and holds his poetic license in high regard (see his bio and vision at his website at www.timjohnforgovernor.com). Whether that is sufficient to get him elected Governor of Wisconsin is up to you… apparently he didn’t make a gubernatorial impression on Mr. Kane.
Unemployment in the central city of Milwaukee is the issue that is most important to Mr. John. He put out a video on the topic that absolutely nails it…here it is and that’s all I’ll say for now:
I had wanted to make this video for seven months but couldn’t get it done until recently. I am glad you enjoy it. The “invisible” concept could have been used for lots of different groups, including bloggers.
“The “invisible” concept could have been used for lots of different groups, including bloggers.”
That’s ’cause we strive to be transparent!
Let me give Tim a tip, government does not make you “visible”. Hard work, perseverance, and faith in yourself will cure all your ills. Only people who feel the government has a leading role inu their lives will care much about this video.
Did you even watch the video? Invisible Mike has a job. Invisible Mike has always worked hard. Invisible Mike participates in his church. Invisible Mike volunteers and contributes to charity. Invisible Mike is doing all the right self improving ans self supporting things that you suggest but Invisible Mike still feels invisible. And he apparently is because you aren’t seeing him.
I don’t think Mr. John is talking about government making someone visible. But he certainly is talking about the current crop of candidates treating Milwaukee’s central city as if it is invisible. Show me one candidate for any state wide or federal election that has come out and addressed the problems in Milwaukee’s central city? Mayor Barrett? Senator Feingold? Executive Walker? Ron Johnson? Mark Neumann? Representative Moore? Paul Morel? Todd Kolosso? Representative Sensenbrenner? State Senator Plale? Supervisor Larson? They are all gingerly dancing around the topic about what to do to help Milwaukee…never realizing that until Milwaukee starts to exercise its economic muscle again, Wisconsin too will continue to wallow around in the doldrums. For the majority of those in poverty hard work is no longer enough if we continue to build a virtual moat around the city of Milwaukee and the central city in particular.
My apology to the 6,000 candidates for Lt. Governor I failed to mention and any other candidates I overlooked…
Ed, it is unlikely that you have ever experienced poverty. I have. I grew up very poor and started working at an extraordinary young age to help my family.
What would you have the government do for the seemingly helpless central city? If small businesses were not stuck with crippling state and federal regulation and taxes then maybe the central city could attract jobs?
As of now, because of Obama even businesses that have extra cash are not hiring.
Who cares what the politicians say, stop waiting on them to fix things for you.
Kent, did you grow up in Milwaukee’s inner city, or somewhere like it?
If not, I don’t think you’re in any position to speak as to what ails the inner city of Milwaukee and what can be done to solve the problems.
Your view is incredibly simplistic. And certainly don’t base your reading into the matter more than is presented, particularly when making presumptions or assumptions about the backgrounds or life experiences of the author.
And who cares what politicians say? Isn’t that the whole reason we are on this site? Isn’t that the reason for election season discourse? As most everyone here will happily point out about the candidates from the ‘other side’, they aren’t talking their walk…
Ed and Zach,
It is glaringly obvious that neither one of you understand what it means to be poor. Both of you think that somehow the government with all its grace and brilliance will come to the rescue of inner city Milwaukee. That will never happen. Why won’t you tell me what the government could do to make things better? I would imagine that you have no idea and you use this issue as a wedge between the poor and not so poor.
Kent, what’s glaringly obvious is that you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about when it comes to my experiences with being poor.
http://www.politico.com/morningscore/