What follows is a guest blog by Graeme Zielinski, former Communications Director for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
I’ve seen that there are some knives out for Mike Tate.
I just worked on the Illinois governor’s race, where we were wiped off the face of the earth in a PLUS-EIGHT DEMOCRATIC STATE by the same monied wave of destruction that encountered Democrats across the country.
In Wisconsin, we had a preview of this unholy pottage of dark money and partisan craving, in the 2010, 2011 and 2102 Scott Walker cycles.
Mike foresaw this and anticipated the wound of the union movement by trying, with all his might, to expand the girding of the progressive base. He’s freaking smart and applies this in ways we need.
My opinion? His view of how to win should be endorsed, followed and copied. His view to concede not an inch to the Scott Walker agenda needs vocal fuel. This is an existential moment, and he understands this in a way that some social media patrons might not.
I don’t always agree with Mike and I stand to gain nothing in his defense-but I think his way is the right way, and I know he cares as much as I do about the might of right in Wisconsin.
I can answer lufthase’s question. The reason there was on candidate in AD 33 was because the Jefferson County Dems Chair (yep, the same one who starred in that brilliant TV ad) was AWOL – constantly in Madison kissing Tate’s ass so she could get a job there. Meet your new Executive Director of EMERGE, the organization supposedly dedicated to recruiting and training qualified women to run for office. God help us.
Oofta!! Thanks for connecting those dots, Jim.
She couldn’t recruit a candidate (of any gender) to run in AD 33, didn’t think Bice/MacIver would take 10 seconds to check CCAP, and thinks the county party website (http://jeffdems.org) only needs to be updated once every 3 years… and we put her in charge of training/recruiting female candidates statewide.
Throw in the curious handling of the Bomhack/Wittwer primary, and looks like we might have a little cronyism problem of our own in the DPW.
Whatever we do with with the Chair, I think the DPW needs to add a separate “Director of Not Shooting Ourselves in the Foot” position. Here are a few items for the job description (can’t believe these actually need to be spelled out):
1) Register domain names for candidates BEFORE any trial balloons are floated or rumors started.
2) Perform Google and CCAP searches of anyone who is being considered for prominent placement in the party or campaign materials. If anything remotely negative is found, weigh the risks and benefits of standing behind this person, and develop a strategy and a message to counter what you know Bice/MacIver are going to write.
3) Make sure candidates know (how) to respond to negative ads/mailers with press releases to local outlets and wheelerreport. (I’m pretty sure at least one of our incumbent Assembly reps managed to get thru the entire 2014 campaign without issuing a single press release…he lost.) Ad buys are too valuable to waste on responding to accusations; use these to take back control of the narrative.
4) Identify races that we didn’t contest in 2014, and work with county parties starting TODAY to start recruiting candidates for 2016.
5) Implore county parties to update their webpages at least quarterly. These are recruitment tools, and one of the first places a progressive who just moved to your area might look. A totally blank “Stay Informed” page (http://jeffdems.org/category/informed/) leads to the conclusion that the county party isn’t even functional or meeting.
6) Generally screen high-profile communications and decisions and try to poke holes in them preemptively, so we can assess risk and not be caught flat-footed when the RW Outrage Machine starts to crank.
Nice list, suggesting an addition to your item 4) or that could simply stand alone at the number one spot.
What do constituents here think are the greatest local needs, problems or obstacles to be overcome to promulgate economic and social justice and a sustainable quality of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. How would you address them or seek to engender their successful fruition?
The feature questions gone entirely missing in all politics on both sides of the isle of the church of the oligarchical dynasticists.
Well, I hoped you were incorrect but here is the Emerge announcement: http://www.emergewi.org/press/emerge-wisconsin-announces-hiring-new-executive-director
Jefferson County’s Web site indicates it is still under construction. So if I have this right – they went into a major election with no candidate in the 33rd and their most basic communication tool was unfinished. And the person in charge has been selected to lead the state-wide recruitment of Progressive women candidates.
Is there any reason to hope that the DPW can reform and rebuild?
The DPW and much of the rest of Wisconsin’s political establishment is very “incestuous,” for lack of a more tactful word. You’ll often see the same cast of characters shuffling in and out of various positions within state government, campaigns, the DPW, and other progressive organizations.
I’ve heard more than one elected official say the reason for that is because those people have “paid their dues,” as if those of us who haven’t made a career out of working in politics have NOTHING to add to the mix.
Yeah, “paid their dues” by having us get our asses kicked while they continue to collect their salaries. Then they mock those who criticize them because, after all, they’re SO COOL.