Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was an ambitious, youngpolitician who almost certainly envisioned he would run for president one day.But it’s doubtful he originally intended to run before he’d even finished hisfirst term in national office.
However, eight years of a disastrous Republicanpresidency combined with baggage-burdened veteran Democratic candidatesprovided the opportunity for Obama’s historic election years ahead of schedule.
The possibility of a mayor from Milwaukeebeing elected governor of Wisconsin can’treally be compared to electing the first African American to the presidency ofa nation with America’sshameful history of racism. But anti-Milwaukee attitudes statewide aresufficiently strong to make Tom Barrett the first Milwaukee mayor in our lifetimes who evendared to run for the office.
Like Obama in 2008, Barrett almost certainly hadn’tplanned to run for governor at this time.
Barrett sought the governorship in 2002 afterleaving Congress, coming in second to then Attorney General Jim Doyle in theDemocratic primary. After that, he put away any gubernatorial ambitions and waselected mayor of Milwaukeein 2004.
In recent history, Milwaukee mayors tend to have jobs for life,barring any midlife sex scandals. Barrett’s strong family ties, including fourschool-age children, made it a particularly difficult time for him to take on astatewide campaign. But, again, an unusual confluence of events made it exactlythe right time for this particular mayor of Milwaukee to run for governor.
The job opened up unexpectedly when Gov. Jim Doyleannounced he would not run for re-election. Other high-profileDemocratsCongressman Ron Kind and Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawtonthen decided not torun for their own reasons.
All the while, Barrett was growing in stature as apossible candidate. Barrett received statewide and national acclaim for acourageous personal act. Leaving the Wisconsin State Fair with family members,he intervened in a West Allisdomestic dispute to protect a grandmother and an infant. He ended up beingbrutally beaten with a tire iron.
Barrett had been among the earliest electedofficials to support Obama’s candidacy for the presidency, traveling to Iowa to campaign door-to-door for Obama before the Iowa caucuses.
President Obama and Vice President Joe Bidenpersonally called Barrett in the hospital when the mayor was recovering fromhis injuries. White House political operatives let it be known they were urgingBarrett to run for governor of Wisconsin,where Obama won 59 of 72 countiesmore urban, suburban and rural counties thanin any other state in the nation.
Representing Milwaukee
Besides strong support for Barrett from Democratsfrom the top on down, another factor that makes it an unusually good time for aMilwaukee mayorto run for governor is what is happening within the Republican Party.
There’s a strong possibility the Republicangubernatorial candidate also could be from Milwaukee. Statewide polls show CountyExecutive Scott Walker leading former Congressman Mark Neumann for theRepublican nomination.
If Walker were theonly Milwaukeecandidate, he might have drawn far more votes from Democratic Milwaukee Countythan Republicans usually do. Barrett as the Democratic candidate negates thatpossibility.
One immediate effect of Barrett’s candidacy could beto boost out-state support for Neumann, Walker’sRepublican primary opponent. Neumann is the anti-Milwaukee candidate.
When Neumann ran against Sen. Russ Feingold in 1998,he didn’t even bother to campaign in Milwaukee,which he lost by 68,000 votes. Already, in the governor’s race, Neumann hasused coded language to suggest there’s something scary about the people of Milwaukee: “In a statewide race, people will be asking thequestion, ‘Do we want for all of Wisconsinwhat is happening in Milwaukee?’”
Golly, what could be so different about what is happeningin Milwaukeecompared to what is going on elsewhere in the state? It almost sounds as ifthere are different kinds of people here other communities wouldn’t want to seemoving in.
Neumann has a reputation as a mean campaigner.During his Senate race, he made a female student cry when she asked him achallenging question at a campaign forum. He can be expected to hone hisanti-Milwaukee tactics as he tries to take out Walker.
Walkerputs a more amiable face on his hard-right politics, but as governor hisno-tax-increase, right-wing political ideology would slash state aid to everycity, county and school district in the state.
Walkeralready appears ready to abandon his nice-guy personal style by addressingshrill hate rallies staged by tea-baggers and inviting the preposterous SarahPalin to campaign with him.
That could allow Barrett to make history as the onlyrational, positive candidate in the governor’s race.
