A Negative Campaign for May can lead to Negative results in June

[Big Tent]

The current negative internet ad against Tom Barrett passed along by Afscme Council 24 distorts an interview Barrett had with Charlie Sykes where the interview is chopped up to look as if Barrett supported Walkers plan to end most collective bargaining for most public employees in the state. The fact is that Tom Barrett brought forward a position that was held by many in the Democratic Party at the time in 2011 who wanted to show the state that what Walker and Republicans were saying about Collective Bargaining being included in act 10 as fiscal issue was wrong. Barrett supported what the Wisconsin 14 were trying to do by splitting non fiscal from fiscal portions of act 10 in order to come back and vote.

Looking ahead to June its going to be difficult to get a high voter turnout among Democratic leaning constituencies for the General Election with Walker. Negative campaigns are proven to destroy turnout by turning people who sometimes vote discussed with participating in the political process altogether. With negative campaigns being waged by Afscme against Tom Barrett and by NARAL against Kathleen Vinehout all they are going to accomplish is hurt the democratic nominee no matter if its Barrett, Vinehout, La Follette, or the one these groups are supporting in Falk. The lower the turnout for the primary in May, the lower the turnout for the general election in June.

I will note that the one candidate in the Democratic field for Wisconsin Governor that to date is not serious about trying to stop the negative attacks from Afscme and NARAL in a real way is Kathleen Falk. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate should publicly state that the party believes it cannot afford any more attacks that distort the truth about candidates in the Democratic field for Wisconsin Governor by organizations who want to win in June against Scott Walker. I have always been in favor of a Democratic Primary about where candidates stand on the issues but I am not in favor of a slime primary.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

1. Time to get activist again? Frankly Ive been thinking lately that the Dem party and the unions

need to have their own day of reckoning. As a state worker/ union thug, I was NOT PLEASED when our union leaders made decisions about who to endorse behind closed doors, without a member vote or input. If ever we needed transparent, open, democratic process - it would be now. Instead they're giving us politics as usual and a process distorted by NATIONAL $$$ pouring into it.

Is it too late to give a resounding HELL NO to that scenario?

United Wis said it didn't want to get involved in selecting a candidate - fine, but I think input re: platform and process needs to come from "we the people" and it's reasonable to expect that our voices get HEARD by those who claim to be our "leaders".

[undeterred]

2. Since when is politics not slimy??

It will be slimy on both sides of the aisle and within the big tent. Kathleen Falk stands up for the unions and collective bargaining rights. Good for her, shes what Wisconsin needs right now.

[Big Tent]

3. The attacks on Democrats are a losing strategy.

I do not support the politics of slime by progressive organization or unions in the primary or against Walker in the general election, because it both misleads the public about where candidates stand on the issues and its a losing strategy for democrats. The facts speak volumes about how Walkers policies have been counter productive for Wisconsin. The public will be turned off by these blatant misleading attacks in the general against Walker. The current attacks by Naral and Afsme that are aimed to drive a stake in the enthusiasm of Vinehout and Barrett supports about voting in the recall elections is only going to help Walker in the general election. The attacks by Naral and Afsme are more than just mere negative, they are the type of attacks that are the most deceptive and blatantly misleading.

[undeterred]

4. Re-running the candidate who Walker already defeated once is also a losing strategy.

I cringe everytime I look at Barrett.

[Big Tent]

5. Falk needs to speak out against the attacks from her supporters

Cringe all you want, but the fact is that Barrett and his supporters are not in hot pursuit of driving up negatives of the other Democratic Candidates in the field for Wisconsin Governor the way that the Falk supports of NARAL and AFSCME are.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

6. Its considerably less so when Big Money isn't pouring into it - ala early Feingold

I'm disheartened that you... and others... are not seeing the big picture.