What does Mike Tate actually do?

Predictably, in the wake of the drubbing Dems took on Tuesday night, calls for Mike Tate’s head to be put on a spike next to the bust of Fighting Bob La Follette in the Capitol rotunda have been plentiful. And while I’m no Mike Tate fan, something about the chorus of disapproval smacks of fish, barrels and smoking guns.

So let’s start a different discussion on a more concrete and, perhaps, constructive topic. What does Mike Tate actually do with his day? What role does the Chair of the DPW play in any given election cycle? What I’ve heard is that Tate is good at fund raising. Is that it? So he raises a lot of money for whom? The ADCC? The SDCC?

What I’d like to know is who, or what entity, is deciding which candidates are viable, and when they’re either chosen or meet with official approval, who tells them how to run their campaigns?  Does the DPW Chair have much to do with this?

I’d be willing to consider renewing my membership with the DPW next month, but first I’d like to know what the Chair does, and I’d also like to see some job descriptions for other positions at the top.

Democrats across Wisconsin deserve some answers. Let’s hope some are forthcoming.

Share:

Related Articles

8 thoughts on “What does Mike Tate actually do?

  1. Your questions should have been asked by a lot of people when Mary Burke first was mentioned as a candidate. Don’t expect any answers to be forthcoming and expect Mike Tate to keep his job. Nobody else seems to want it.

  2. Robert,

    While I understand your skepticism you’re likely wrong on two counts. I’ve heard Tate won’t be running again in June and I trust the people who told me that. I/they could be wrong but I doubt it.

    Secondly, I’ve been told there are people who want his job, some good people with experience running campaigns and with, in my view, the right values and motivations.

    And a lot of people have asked this question previously but haven’t gotten an answer, though they aren’t the party regulars so you’re right, no answers were forthcoming. I think that’s finally going to change.

  3. Democrats has a primary choice.

    They chose Mary Burke. They defended her, lied for her, promoted her and voted for her.

    When she got destroyed by Scott Walker now it’s someone else’s fault! Look in the mirror, this is why democrats can not win elections and the state and country are better off for it.

    1. There was no other choice on the ballot except fake Democrats or people trying to make a statement at best. Try again.

      Democrats simply need a better marketing strategy, because it has been shown as victorious in Minnesota. I guarantee you if Mary Burke was allowed to be herself (Like she was at her concession speech) Walker would have lost. It’s the leadership of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin that is holding us back. We need to stop selling ourselves as republicans but real democrats. Because they will take the real deal each time.

  4. Don’t know whose in charge of HR for pro dems, but there desperately needs to be much more emphasis put on professionalism and marketing expertise instead of cronyism. We should all know by now that we are up against world class pros in this regard. Burke was an amateur in this regard as well. Which surprised me. Administrators are generally not good marketers.

  5. Administrators are generally not good marketers though they ususally know how to find good marketers. Burke has all the right ideas. It should have made no difference where she got her ideas as long as they were good. However a rookie mistake in this regard cost her the governership. the Perception of her stimied on that silly acusation about plagerism grounded all the really important things she said and stood for during the campaign. Walker’s pros understood this and pushed it till the game was over. If Burke had simply ignored that accusation she would have fared much better. But she didn’t have the staff to convince her to say nothing.

  6. Honestly, Tate spends most of his time golfing or going to party events in DC, like the White House Christmas Party.

Comments are closed.