The (mixed] blessing!
Is Mar-a-Lago the Santiago de Compostela of Republicans? Make the journey, fondle the bones, get the blessing?
Returning from a pilgrimage to that principality, Tommy Thompson tells the Werkes that the former President anointed him as the only Republican who can beat Tony Evers this November. Duh! That’s like betting the Harlem Globetrotters over the Washington Generals.
Helzz bellzz, we should have responded, Blaska could beat Tony Evers (although probably not as a write-in). Tommy Thompson IS Wisconsin — what could this four-term governor, legislator, and university system president learn about the Badger State from the insurrectionist in Florida? Our guess, the visit to Trump-a-Lago was intended to immunize Tommy from Tim Ranthum RITOs (Republicans In Trump Only) in prep for another run. Even the WI State Journal (once a Republican paper but no more) wants Tommy to go for it! Filing deadline isn’t until June; primary election in August.
The mid-terms: Trump’s Waterloo?
From his Floridian Elba, the deposed caudillo endorsed a 26 year old freshling who lives hours away from the North Carolina congressional district he seeks to represent. A local Republican party chairman groused:
“We don’t need Mr. Trump or anybody else bringing candidates in who don’t know nothing about farming, don’t know anything about agriculture and the roads here and the needs we have.”
Once a welcome disrupter of the status quo, Trump has degenerated into a psycopathic score-settler. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp refused to jigger Georgia’s presidential election results, so the defeated President endorsed a defeated former senator to challenge Kemp. Seemed like a good bet at the time, but David Perdue’s campaign is cratering. Their primary is May 24. Georgian Erick-Woods Erickson predicts:
Being the first high profile loss for Donald Trump will undoubtedly earn Perdue no grace at Mar-a-Lago. … Republicans want to beat Stacey Abrams [for governor of Georgia] and they were never going to do so by replacing the only man to beat her with the man who couldn’t even beat Jon Ossoff.
Blaska has a call in to Madison’s city clerk: “Maribeth, can you find me 11,780 more votes?” (Actually would need 22,716. It wasn’t close.)
Padding your batting average
Just as he annointed Tommy, Trump is picking front-runners. “Note the causality,” never-Trumper Jonah Goldberg counsels. “He doesn’t endorse people so they can win, he endorses people who will win so he can take credit. If Trump and Trumpism were the powerful force he and its shills claim, it’d be the other way around.”
As a f’r instance, Trump just endorsed Dr. Oz for U.S. Senate In Pennsylvania — one of the many states the former President lost. Trump’s first choice for the nomination dropped out of the race late last year. Some coat tails! That primary election is May 17.
Blaska’s Bottom Line: The real question is should Tommy go for it or is it time for a new generation? Our bench is deep. Elder statesmen, too few. You’ve earned an Amazon warehouse-worth of moral capital, boss. Time to spend it. Since you asked.
Education
Blaska Policy Werkes 
Enjoy your columns, but your Trump Derangement Syndrome is taking over your soul . . . ..
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Deranged is believing Joe Biden was smart enough to steal the election from a guy who never could win a majority of votes.
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Trump’s statements have had their intended effect – There is now a national awareness of the sloppy, lazy, unconstitutional, and downright illegal election practices we have tolerated up until now. Especially in Wisconsin.
Your ilk would say I am giving Trump too much credit, but you are making the common mistake of underestimating him.
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Blaska has an “ilk”?
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He’s got a HUGE ilk – You’ve never seen it?
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Come on David.
Tommy doesn’t owe anyone anything. He wasn’t kidnapped and flown to Mar-a-Lago. He went there voluntarily.
He is a politician who knows where the bread is buttered. If he does run the best he might do is 3rd in the GOP primary. His next big milestone birthday is 90.
He KNOWS he needs as much support as possible from every corner, to even have a prayer. That’s why he was down there. Same reason he looked the other way while the University system he presidented pushes mask mandates and CRT down everyone’s throat. He could’ve put a stop to it instantly but chose not to because he needs support to compete in a primary.
That’s what’s going on here.
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So what did Gableman get in Mar-a-LARDO? Another taxpayer funded trip?
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May I calls’ya’Dick: Re: your comment: I suggest you call a pal with a fraction of brain, and repeat your remark. If he says, “Gee, Goo… Go…” then ya know yer safe in Biden territory.
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Correct and accurate identification of positively breathtaking imbecility.
The Gotch
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A legit question gets nothing but an idiot response from both of you. Gableman is a grifter and Vos is trying to escape without looking like the fool he is.
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Good reminder, Squire. Since tRump’s NOT got his LOUD bully pulpit right now, we can easily forget how petty and dangerous this “psychopathic score-settler” truly is.
Tommy has bigtime credibility and bigtime experience but sure wish he were younger insofar as the electorate.
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So broken. Haha. Wont vote for T squared, his reckless spending and expansion of state government handcuffed both McCallum and Doyle until Walker set the state back on the path of surplusses, taxcuts and real property tax relief. Just because you can does not mean you should. Just stay retired back in Elroy.
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Wow! Someone is actually a creepy uncle Doyle fan? I heard there was one, but I didn’t believe it!
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I hear his wife liked Jim Doyle but can’t confirm it.
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Wouldn’t let him babysit my kids. . . . .just sayin’
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Umm, where in my post did i say liked diamond jim doyle. My point was how the reckless spending of t squared set the stage for terrible feckless governors until Walker put the state back on track. Orange dulce is not going anywhere yet and is pulling in hundreds of millions for the GOP midterms regardless of your disdain. We shall see how all the legal actions play out beyond 2022. Burner phones latest in fake news conspiracy by media folks retracted 48 hrs later.
Say that in front of my wife and she will your face ala will smith style.
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At least half of the people who voted for Tommy in his last governor’s race must be dead by now. The rest won’t vote for someone that old. So who is left to vote for him?
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Agreed. And people are especially wary of old people given our doddering fool in chief.
But hey shout out to Gary Player who at 86 is fitter than most much younger and seems to still have his wits about him as well.
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Heck even at 80 years old I’d rather vote for Tommy Thompson than another four years of Tony Evers; however, I’d MUCH prefer that Tommy Thompson spend his significant political clout and actively endorse a highly qualified area Republican (a protégé if you will) that’s much younger to help usher in the next generation(s) of solid conservative Republicans in the State house. Tommy Thompson place in Wisconsin’s politics now should be a vocal trusted advisor to a new Republican Governor, not the full stress of actually being Governor again.
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Also I think Tommy Thompson should publicly steer clear of Donald Trump.
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Correct. If your going to run do it on your on merit Trump is poison.
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Hmmm. . . .I’ll take Trump’s endorsement record so far. . . .
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