Whereas, Michels doesn’t need it.
Rebecca Kleefisch pulled out all the stops at the state Republican convention Saturday in Middleton. The candidate for governor turned the 12 minutes allotted to make her case into a real production. Instead of a candidate reading a speech, out comes former governor Scott Walker, her running mate. Something of a surprise, since he has been little seen in the state since taking that job at the Reagan Ranch. Becky is the only one of five candidates for governor to win statewide, he reminded. She battled the hundred thousand protesting Act 10 AND cancer, at the same time. Pressed the delegates’ hot buttons: Defunded Planned Parenthood, supports school choice, enacted castle doctrine gun laws. She’s a fighter.
Then out comes onto the stage a rainbow of supporters bearing signs, as if to show that the feisty lady is no “establishment” candidate. Her two teenaged daughters introduce the candidate, who does not make her entrance until 4 minutes of allotted time remains. It’s a great speech but the microphone goes dead at 00:00 just as Ms. Kleefisch is shouting “I got to tell you.”
Even so, all in all, very professional. Too polished?
Her campaign swag would win best of show, were there such a contest. Besides the usual caps and tee shirts, cowbells, tote bags, welcome bottles of drinking water awaited delegates at each chair; the bottles reading “Not Swampwater.” (Get it? That Trumpy thing about draining the swamp.)
By contrast was a low-budget candidate who was a stranger even to these party activists. Guy named Adam Fisher. Even his stance at the microphone was pugnacious. Less polished than a barroom spittoon. Former cop. More red meat than a rendering plant.
“I am one pissed-off American,” he began. Now THERE is an applause line! Claimed to be the only candidate to go to Kenosha during the troubles. But he went with a friend, he admitted. “My .45 caliber.” Unvaxxed and unmasked during the entirely of the Covid. That’s a brag among Republicans. But Fisher did finish at exactly 00:00.
The other three more mainstream candidates almost promoted “No endorsement” as much as their own bonafides — they being Kevin Nicholson, Tim Michels, and Timothy Ranthum. They had little expectation of getting to the 60% threshold required to get the party’s endorsement, which brings with it campaign cash, organization, and the organizational stamp of approval.
They succeeded. In the first round when five candidates were on 1,450 delegate’s ballots the results were:
Rebecca Kleefisch 51.7%
No endorsement 36.4
Timothy Ramthun 5.1
Kevin Nicholson 3.1
Tim Michels 2.8
Adam Fisher 0.8
In the second round, with three candidates eliminated Kleefisch (pronounced “Clay-fish”) improved to 54.6% but so did No Endorsement (to 42.8%). Ramthun fell to 2.6%.
That hurts Kleefisch, who could have used all the resources she can get her hands on to fend off multi-millionaire Michels, head of the largest construction company in the state, employing some 6,000 workers.
Money was Michels message; he warned that incumbent Tony Evers will be well funded by Democrats desperate to trim their losses in a bad electoral environment. As for political action committee money, “I don’t want it, I won’t take it, I don’t need it.” “Nobody’s Senator but Yours” elected millionaire Herb Kohl back in the day.
Blaska’s Bottom Line: Becky needed the party’s resources; Michaels can do without. But in defense of polish — it’s evidence of a well run campaign.
Education
Blaska Policy Werkes 
“Unvaxxed and unmasked during the entirely of the Covid. That’s a brag among Republicans.”
Looks like a super spreader.
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“Looks like a super spreader.”
You mean like the George Floyd/Jacob Blake/bLack LIES Matter, et al, fiery but mostly peaceful protests, or were those different…?
The Gotch
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Vaccines did not stop the spread, but kept more alive than dead while we waited for nature to produce less and less deadly strains of this man made disease. At what cost is to be determined or buried by cdc, who and dhs. In acuality, those that were vaccinated were probably more likely to be the super spreaders because they usually had less severe symptoms at onset thus putting more people in harms way. Personally it is a douchy thing to talk about and even Trump was never against the vaccine. Only the Dem candidates ran on not taking the vaccine if it was available under Trump, except they were all 1st in line.
Ranthum just seems loathsome.
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Ha the corresponding brag amongst liberals is “I got Covid. Fortunately I am vaccinated and boosted”. Parisi is latest to spew the narrative. More honest: “I got Covid. Fortunately I’m not a fat tub of goo.”
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“More honest: ‘I got Covid. Fortunately I’m not a fat tub of goo.’ ”
More honest yet? “I’m a GROOMER, but we call it ‘Helping Youth Find Their Real Identity.’ ”
Despicably recruiting Lefties!!!
YankeeBubba
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what does any of your comments have to do with “no endorsement” Are you afraid to discuss your weak candidate?
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richard lesiak wrote, “what does any of your comments have to do with “no endorsement”…
richard lesiak is a BRAZEN HYPOCRITE!!! You’re always trying to change the blog topic to some completely unrelated progressive taking point, it’s literally what you do, and it’s literally what trolls do.
Here’s a fact that blew straight over Richard’s political hack consumed head, the Gotch wasn’t replying to the blog post, he was replying to comments made by others. Richard’s Cranial Power Generation Potential is approaching infinity.
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“*******’s Cranial Power Generation Potential is approaching infinity.
To say nothing of the suffocating Negative Social Potency from which the Blogge Idiot suffers mightily…
The Gotch
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The breathtakingly illiterate, NEVER_ON-TOPIC Blogge Idiot (a better example of The Gotch’s Razor will NEVER be found!) slobbering imbecilically about someone else not being on topic?
Priceless!
The Gotch
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I was wondering how the convention in Middleton went, I seriously considered going to listen to the speakers in person this year without the media filters (I’m really F#*(@#% tired of the media giving me their point of view and not just the facts) but my vacation got in the way, just got back last night from a nice visit to Texas and Arkansas.
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Just looking at the numbers, it looks to me like Rebecca Kleefisch is going to be the Republicans top gun in the Governor race.
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