So Terrence Wall has made it official and pulled out of the race for U.S. Senate.
His withdrawal comes on the heels of Dick Leinenkugel’s departure from the race as well.
Which leaves newcomer Ron Johnson, endorsed by delegates at the GOP convention despite lacking concrete positions on issues (still), and David Westlake, a conservative with little money and no support from the party elite.
I’ve been enjoying the scuttlebutt on the Internet about the role of the Tea Party in these moves.
They’re trying to own it and distance themselves from it at the same time.
First up, Leinie: He got in a few good swipes on his way out of the race, saying the GOP needs to include moderates like him if they’re going to be a party that can field appealing statewide candidates.
After all, he’s a guy who’s been blasted as a RINO andworst sin everworked for Doyle.
Now, after his parting shot, conservatives are like, who me? We forced Leinie out? Not us. No, not us. We hated him but no, we didn’t do it.
Then there’s Terrence Wall. The guy had a lot of problems as a candidate. OK, he’s super rich. But he doesn’t pay income tax in the state. If you want to jump into politics during a recession, that’s probably not a good thing. What do you have to complain about?
|
|
Even worse, Sykes didn’t like him.
Butlo! A savior was conceived in the form of Ron Johnson. Unlike Leinie, he’s no RINO. He’s a Tea Party star. Unlike Wall, he got Sykes’ seal of approval.
Just listen to Sykes’ buildup of Johnson in Johnson’s campaign bio video. It’s hysterical. Beyond hysterical.
Then listen to one of Johnson’s speeches at a Tea Party. I really can’t see what Sykes is so pumped up about. It’s unoriginal and superficial, if you ask me.
So Johnson is conservative. He’s got Sykes behind him probably because the GOP poo-bahs told him to pitch it to his fans to get Johnson into the race.
But here’s another advantage: Johnson has money. He has money when the Republican Party’s fundraising isn’t doing so hot.
So, lo, there’s Johnson.
And now there’s Internet chatter about his viability.
So can Johnson beat Feingold?
Good question.
For a thoughtful debate among conservatives/Republicans, check this out. I didn’t notice any real hostility, just a debate, and for that I commend them.
Rasmussen is floating new numbers saying it’s a real race. But Ras’s polls lean Republican anyway, so take it with a grain of salt.
Then there’s the GOP strategy of moving right during the primaries, then moving to the center during the general election. Nothing new here, except that a decent number cruncher found that conservative GOP candidates actually under-perform moderate GOP candidates, even controlling for scandal.
So Johnson, whose political career started with a few Tea Party speeches (actually, I think his political career solely consists of Tea Party speeches), may have a hard time getting moderates and independents to vote for him in the fall if he’s still seen as a creature of the Tea Party.
I’m not surprised that he’s emphasizing his Citizen Legislator credentials during an election cycle that’s likely not to be kind to incumbents. In fact, Johnson took a few swipes at career politicians during his Tea Party speech.
So isn’t it ironic that Johnson is swiping at career pols at the same time career politician Scott Walker is his party’s anointed gubernatorial candidate? There’s a disconnect there that the party is going to have to fix.
What about Westlake? Perhaps he should have a beer with Mark Neumann to commiserate about being conservatives who got shut out by their party’s leadership. Maybe they should get all mavericky and run an insurgent campaign for their party’s nominationsNeumann’s money, Westlake’s blaze orange combo could be a winner in September. Whether that will appeal to general election voters in November is another matter. But it would be fun while it lasts, that’s for sure.
