The Playground is back from spring break. It was a nice, self-imposed vacation. Mostly, I've spent the last week or so basking in the response from southeast Wisconsin noisemakers to the withdrawal of their golden boy, Scott Walker, from the Republican gubernatorial primary. Of course, referring to Scott Walker as a golden boy is probably a bad choice of words, as Walker's inability to raise any kind of gold with his take on movement conservatism was the primary reason for his decline.
What annoys me the most is the self-important attitude that has taken hold in this little corner of the state. The message coming from most of the bloggers there seems to be "okay, we got our ass kicked, but hey, you better take us seriously or we'll... we'll... why, we'll just stay home or be unenthusiastic supporters."
To which I say: do it. Stay home. Green will win without you. And then where do you turn?
Here's the thing, talk radio acolytes. Your revolution doesn't exist. If you'd all take 12 steps back from that self-congratulatory circle jerk in the blogosphere, zip up your fly, turn 180 degrees, and look at the rest of Wisconsin, you'd know just what I mean.
We've had to listen to you blowhards gloat about killing ethanol and TPA and make stupid RINO jokes about anyone who dares so much as to disagree with you. Well, now it's time for you kids to sit down, shut the hell up, and take your medicine.
You might have a couple of loud yappers on the radio in Milwaukee, but when push comes to shove, there are still more of us out here than there are of you in that little bubble - the one completely removed from any sense of reality when it comes to what life is like in the rest of this state.
Most Republicans outside of your suburban Xanadu support ethanol. They're not nearly as zealous about TPA as you are. Oh, and by the way, any of you that think you can get 17 votes in the Senate for TPA are nuts. You didn't get it last session and you're not getting it this session. And if you're super smart you'll try to remove Dale Schultz as Majority Leader before the vote because then he won't vote for it either.
Some of us haven't forgotten that bloggers aren't the be all and end all of the political landscape. Hell, blogging is great, but in terms of real influence - the kind that wins elections - bloggers are barely a blip on the map. 99% of us have less stroke in the political world than a middle school PTA newsletter. We're writing for our own edification and that's about it.
But I'm not out here trying to affect change. I'm not out here trying to make a difference or purify the Republican Party.
I'm just out here laughing at it.
Two examples from presidential politics highlight the absurdity of this "pander to us or we'll stay home" logic.
First, let's rewind to the 2000 presidential campaign, when Al Gore may or may not have lost a heated bid for the presidency to George W. Bush. Does anyone actually think that Gore would've won Florida by moving to the left and peeling votes away from Ralph Nader? Truth be told, isn't it more likely than not that Gore would've lost two votes in the middle for every vote he picked up on the left? Or would some Walker supporters like to offer support for the argument that Al Gore lost because he didn't do enough to cater to the Nader crowd?
Mark Green has obviously employed a very successful strategy thus far, considering he was able to send his primary opponent running for the hills almost six months in advance of the primary. Why should Green divert from his plan and jeopardize his standing with mainstream Republicans and moderates in order to placate the whining of Republican extremists?
Yes, I said extremists. The conservative movement in southeast Wisconsin is about extremism, no different than the Howard Dean movement two years ago. And golly, wasn't that great? Howard Dean looked like a sure thing until he actually had to earn the support of regular people. Then it was all over.
And therein is the second point. Movement politics doesn't win elections. It is the sound and fury signifying nothing. Walker, Dean, McGovern, Goldwater. It's all the same campaign. A bunch of people on the fringe are angry and pissed off. They try to storm the castle and get mauled by the establishment. Then they slink back under their rock and plot their next unsuccessful coup attempt.
In a battle between movement conservatism and mainstream conservatism, middle-of-the-road Republicanism is where your money should always be. And that was the difference between Mark Green and Scott Walker. Mark Green soft-sells the tax and spend message. Scott Walker pushed it like an Amway salesman.
Want more proof? Tommy Thompson. If Mark Green is a RINO, he's got a pretty small horn compared to the King of the RINOs. Thompson's key to success? Spout the feel-good, pro-Wisconsin rhetoric that voters want to hear, but at the same time spend boatloads of money making everyone happy.
Southeast Wisconsin represents the vocal fringe of the Republican Party. It surely doesn't represent where this party needs to be if it has any hope of being in a position to win statewide races. And there will be more on that in my next post tomorrow.
What annoys me the most is the self-important attitude that has taken hold in this little corner of the state. The message coming from most of the bloggers there seems to be "okay, we got our ass kicked, but hey, you better take us seriously or we'll... we'll... why, we'll just stay home or be unenthusiastic supporters."
To which I say: do it. Stay home. Green will win without you. And then where do you turn?
Here's the thing, talk radio acolytes. Your revolution doesn't exist. If you'd all take 12 steps back from that self-congratulatory circle jerk in the blogosphere, zip up your fly, turn 180 degrees, and look at the rest of Wisconsin, you'd know just what I mean.
We've had to listen to you blowhards gloat about killing ethanol and TPA and make stupid RINO jokes about anyone who dares so much as to disagree with you. Well, now it's time for you kids to sit down, shut the hell up, and take your medicine.
You might have a couple of loud yappers on the radio in Milwaukee, but when push comes to shove, there are still more of us out here than there are of you in that little bubble - the one completely removed from any sense of reality when it comes to what life is like in the rest of this state.
Most Republicans outside of your suburban Xanadu support ethanol. They're not nearly as zealous about TPA as you are. Oh, and by the way, any of you that think you can get 17 votes in the Senate for TPA are nuts. You didn't get it last session and you're not getting it this session. And if you're super smart you'll try to remove Dale Schultz as Majority Leader before the vote because then he won't vote for it either.
Some of us haven't forgotten that bloggers aren't the be all and end all of the political landscape. Hell, blogging is great, but in terms of real influence - the kind that wins elections - bloggers are barely a blip on the map. 99% of us have less stroke in the political world than a middle school PTA newsletter. We're writing for our own edification and that's about it.
But I'm not out here trying to affect change. I'm not out here trying to make a difference or purify the Republican Party.
I'm just out here laughing at it.
Two examples from presidential politics highlight the absurdity of this "pander to us or we'll stay home" logic.
First, let's rewind to the 2000 presidential campaign, when Al Gore may or may not have lost a heated bid for the presidency to George W. Bush. Does anyone actually think that Gore would've won Florida by moving to the left and peeling votes away from Ralph Nader? Truth be told, isn't it more likely than not that Gore would've lost two votes in the middle for every vote he picked up on the left? Or would some Walker supporters like to offer support for the argument that Al Gore lost because he didn't do enough to cater to the Nader crowd?
Mark Green has obviously employed a very successful strategy thus far, considering he was able to send his primary opponent running for the hills almost six months in advance of the primary. Why should Green divert from his plan and jeopardize his standing with mainstream Republicans and moderates in order to placate the whining of Republican extremists?
Yes, I said extremists. The conservative movement in southeast Wisconsin is about extremism, no different than the Howard Dean movement two years ago. And golly, wasn't that great? Howard Dean looked like a sure thing until he actually had to earn the support of regular people. Then it was all over.
And therein is the second point. Movement politics doesn't win elections. It is the sound and fury signifying nothing. Walker, Dean, McGovern, Goldwater. It's all the same campaign. A bunch of people on the fringe are angry and pissed off. They try to storm the castle and get mauled by the establishment. Then they slink back under their rock and plot their next unsuccessful coup attempt.
In a battle between movement conservatism and mainstream conservatism, middle-of-the-road Republicanism is where your money should always be. And that was the difference between Mark Green and Scott Walker. Mark Green soft-sells the tax and spend message. Scott Walker pushed it like an Amway salesman.
Want more proof? Tommy Thompson. If Mark Green is a RINO, he's got a pretty small horn compared to the King of the RINOs. Thompson's key to success? Spout the feel-good, pro-Wisconsin rhetoric that voters want to hear, but at the same time spend boatloads of money making everyone happy.
Southeast Wisconsin represents the vocal fringe of the Republican Party. It surely doesn't represent where this party needs to be if it has any hope of being in a position to win statewide races. And there will be more on that in my next post tomorrow.
6 comments:
If there are any readers on the left side of the blog spectrum who are gloating at these words my advice is, "Stop now. Reread the paragraphs above and substitute your own fringe candidates and pet projects and take them to heart. Repeat until you have some humility."
Both parties should be aiming for compromise, statesmanship and humble governance. Make the highways and the schools work. Be humble. You have a lot to be humble about.
Mr Supervisor, I thank you for your wisdom this morning.
Oh, and I liked that part about the 5 County Republicans staying home, too. Push that as hard as you can.
Oh boy ohboyoboyoboy
I can't wait till tomorrow.
You are correct: bloggers "don't make a difference" in Party politics.
We don't buy our politicians...
Since I live in SE Wis Xanadu I will once again say fine carry your own water Lets bring funding down to the County level let all you people outside of SE Wisconsin pay for your own roads your own schools et al.
Any Tax dollar fee or fine stays in the county where it was orginated. Then all of the outstate counties will never have to worry about supporting Xanadu. I would love to see them build that 4 lane highway that will someday reach Hurley by themselves.
You can call us the Vocal Fringe all you want if we did it your way what will we get? Become more of a Tax Hell?
Like I said places like Richland Center are more then welcome to pay for their crap themselves.
I will take our Xanadu over what your selling any day of the week.
You may not be interested in strategy, Chris, but strategy is interested in you!
And how are you Republican again? I see nothing of ideology in your screed - only a denunciation of those that have one.
This is how you end up with the disasterous Dale Schultz as Senate leader.
And Reagan was a very successful movement conservative, iirc. The ethanol-friendly "Green Team" won't be too happy election night when he underperforms in SE Wisconsin and loses a close election.
This is a war for the Republican Party's soul.
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