‘Go and make disciples.’ — Matthew 18:19-20
There are several reasons why Republicans are projected to lose the Wisconsin Senate next Tuesday, besides the reckless elephant in the room, which we’ll get to later. Not answering candidate questionnaires might not even be the most important. But it is one of them.
We continue to be dumbfounded: from Tom Tiffany on down, Republicans again this election cycle are blowing off that seemingly quotidian chore: answering candidate questionnaires. How hard can it be?
Here in Dane County WI, the League of Women Voters published another Candidates’ Answers. We know, the League is more leftist than a sociology professor on a moped. But the gals print your answers verbatim, bundle them in the morning newspaper, stuff them in your mailbox, and post them on-line. Free advertising!
Some candidates can’t be bothered
The year’s voter guide covers 19 contested partisan races — from governor to State Assembly. Can anyone tell the indentured servants why (oh why!) did only 5 of the 19 Republican candidates respond? Don’t they have staffs and canned responses for trick questions like “Please describe your priorities.”
Admittedly, some of the questions ARE biased. “What will you do to guarantee each neighborhood public school has the resources?” If you can’t handle loaded questions you aren’t ready for prime time. (Answer to loaded question: “Ever notice we keep spending more money on schools and keep getting worse test scores?”)
Same story with Madison’s Wisconsin State Journal. By Assembly District:
46 (Cottage Grove/Lake Mills): Republican candidate John Donohue did not respond.
43 (Whitewater): Republican candidate Paul McGraw did not respond.
45 (Evansville/Beloit): Republican candidate Jocelyn Jordan did not respond.
42 (Deforest/Lodi): Republican candidate Keith F. Miller did not respond.
39 (Green Lake): Republican incumbent Alex Dallman did not respond.
64: Kenosha) [Incumbent Republican] Ed Hibsch did not respond.
96 (Vernon County): Johnson’s [Republican] opponent did not respond.
Readers are diligent voters
Most egregiously, incumbent District 17 State Senator Howard Marklein was also a No Show in print. Here’s a conscientious Republican legislator — a CPA — who was gerrymandered out of his own home and saddled with Democrat-leaning southwest Dane County. Marklein and challenger Jenna Jacobson are pummeling each other over the airwaves. Do you tune out, too? To our way of thinking, nothing is more damning than “No Response” — the equivalent of that empty chair on the debate stage. There is empirical evidence that readers VOTE and disproportionately so.
For what it’s worth, the Multistate website projects that Democrats will flip Marklein’s 17th Senate district and two others (the 5th and 21st) to turn Republicans’ current 18 to 15 advantage upside down. (Republicans will keep the Assembly, barely — at a much-reduced 50 to 49 from the current 54 to 45.)
As for candidate rallies, they’re heavily screened for the already converted, mainly because Democrats (in particular) disrupt all but the most-policed town halls. Even at that, CNN on 10-14-26 cablecast a town hall featuring only Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. Why? Because Republican candidate Ken Paxton refused to show!
Of the titular head of my party, Wall Street Journal pundit Karl Rove writes: “the bulk of White House messaging last week had nothing to do with swaying undecided voters.”
Mr. Trump asked people to vote as if he’s running. They will and he’ll regret it. — Peggy Noonan
Blaska’s Bottom Line: All the more reason to make your own case wherever opportunity offers. Political campaigning is a lot like missionary work. The nuns implored us kids at Sacred Hearts elementary school in Sun Prairie WI to collect cancelled postage stamps. The tiny bits of paper would (somehow) finance missions “to save the pagan babies” in countries the current President describes in scatological terms. Don’t know if we saved a single soul for Christ but at least we tried.
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