February 1, 2014

Is Mary Burke even trying to defeat Scott Walker?

I'm reading this article in the Wisconsin State Journal about how, in the second half of 2013, Gov. Scott Walker raised $5.1 million and his Democratic challenger Mary Burke only raised $1.8 million:
Burke, a former Trek Bicycle Corp. executive and member of the Madison school board, is running her first statewide campaign in an attempt to dim Walker's rising political stardom. She already has tapped $400,000 of her personal wealth on the effort.
Maybe that paragraph was just sloppily written, but it seems to say that the goal of defeating Walker is understood to be out of reach. There's nothing but an attempt/effort to diminish Walker's stature and impede his ability to run for President. 

It must be hard to inspire donations if that's all the campaign is about, especially when Burke doesn't seem to be doing much to tear Walker down. She doesn't even seem to be distinguishing herself from Walker. And look, she declined to show up with President Obama when he did that appearance at the GE plant in Waukesha (Wisconsin) the day after the SOTU. She claimed to be "too busy"!

Is she simply a placeholder to avert the humiliation of no opponent for Walker and because she has her own money? But if it's so obvious that I'm asking that right now, it is humiliating.

ADDED: State Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison says:
“If the president comes to your state and you’re running for governor, you drop what you’re doing and go. That’s just politics 101... The picture of her standing next to Obama (would have helped) her, especially because most people in Wisconsin don’t know her.”

Hulsey, who last year said Burke had the personality of a turnip, tweeted “@MaryBurkeGov is too chicken to greet @PresidentObamaB, #toochicken to repeal Act 10, #toochicken to be governor too?”

But Hulsey himself remains noncommittal about whether he’ll run for re-election, and if so, whether he would do so as a Democrat or independent. He also won’t rule out a possible long-shot gubernatorial bid.
Oh, really? Click on the Brett Hulsey link if the name's not familiar and you want to know why Meade laughed when I read "He also won’t rule out a possible long-shot gubernatorial bid" out loud.

As for Politics 101, maybe Politics 102 says when a candidate avoids appearing alongside the President, it means she strongly believes that the picture would not help her.

35 comments:

Hagar said...

Bingo!

PB said...

You have to at least have a candidate in the mix when the US Attorney issues timely indictments against the governor.

Anonymous said...

it's one thing to be asked by the party to humiliate yourself for a year, it's more painful if you are asked to spend all that energy AND $400K doing it, AND have to ask your friends to piss away more cash...

Mark said...

Neither side has really started the campaign. Haven't seen an ad from either.

Perhaps Walker doesn't want to win, as he is not doing anything either?

Heyooyeh said...

Althouse's cruel neutrality at work! There never was a sentence that Althouse didn't read as a positive for her Dream Guy/Dear Leader, Scott Walker.

Glenn Howes said...

You know probably all the money Walker will have left over after the campaign can probably be transferred to his Walker for President account.

traditionalguy said...

The war on women requires a woman run against a man in the year of the first women to do whatever. It is like watching plate spinners.

Ann Althouse said...

"Neither side has really started the campaign. Haven't seen an ad from either."

But we all know who he is. He hasn't announced that he's running, by the way.

She's not too well known, and yet she seems to have deterred everyone else from running in the Democratic Party. That happened months ago, and since then, she doesn't seem to have acquired any definition at all.

Ann Althouse said...

Walker has stayed the same in the Marquette poll, while she lost ground. How did she lose ground?

Unknown said...

---Perhaps Walker doesn't want to win, as he is not doing anything either?


He gets lots of free air time when he announces that due to our revenue surplus he's recommending a tax cut. Does that count?

Mark said...

She lost ground due to margin of error, mostly.

All that poll analysis during the last election did not lead to lots of accurate predictions by people here. I think that would suggest not getting the cart before the horse again, but you are free to play poll-as-excuse-for-partisanship game all you want.

When dealing with Walker, any interesting impartiality you have on national issues disappears and we are left with a partisan ax grinder.

Bob Ellison said...

Is Walker going to run for POTUS?

madAsHell said...

Heyooyeh

You must be new here.

Curious George said...

Pols are avoiding Obama like he has the herp. But Mary Burke is just a moron...go figure. She didn't have a presser to respond to Walker State of the State.

LOL who went to Brett Hulsey as "the source" for background? Long before he ever become guv he will be caught in a hot tub with th eneighbors teenage son or something.

MayBee said...

How often have pols who were running for office appeared with/campaigned with Obama? He doesn't seem to do a lot of campaigning for Dem pols?

Ann Althouse said...

Remember when Obama conspicuously avoided appearing next to Barrett (during the recall)?

jacksonjay said...

How often have pols who were running for office appeared with/campaigned with Obama? He doesn't seem to do a lot of campaigning for Dem pols?

I think that Dems learned early on, in 2009, that Obama was a liablity. He campaigned for Corzine and got Christie elected. He was also unable to retain the "Teddy Kennedy" Senate seat in Massachusetts in 2009.

garage mahal said...

Long before he ever become guv he will be caught in a hot tub with th eneighbors teenage son or something.

Hulsey is a piker compared to the utter slime Walker surrounds himself with.

I wonder why Dear Leader is only polling at 47% against a virtual unknown?

Bob Ellison said...

garage mahal, I'm not from Wisconsin, though I've traveled through your beautiful country (it really is gorgeous).

So let me observe, from the outside, that Wisconsin appears to have a strongly and strangely lefty position, and the real question is not, as you put it, how Walker is not polling better against an unknown, but how Walker pulled off what he has done for so long, as a pretty far-right conservative?

Curious George said...

"garage mahal said...
Hulsey is a piker compared to the utter slime Walker surrounds himself with.

I wonder why Dear Leader is only polling at 47% against a virtual unknown?"

Do you wonder who is going to be our next governor?

cubanbob said...

I don't follow WI politics but what is the Democrat running for governor running on that Walker is against? Higher taxes and more spending and restoring public service union political power?

garage mahal said...

So let me observe, from the outside, that Wisconsin appears to have a strongly and strangely lefty position, and the real question is not, as you put it, how Walker is not polling better against an unknown, but how Walker pulled off what he has done for so long, as a pretty far-right conservative?

Good question. The state media serves as an extension of his campaign staff. Most people aren't aware of all the bills passed that do nothing for them. The Bradley Foundation has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the state over decades spreading lies and misinformation. Add the Club for Growth, Americans for Prosperity, and dozens of other right wing groups that flood the airwaves and fill mailboxes with slick mailers, and at the end of the day 45% adore Walker and 45% despise him. Divide and conquer. It's amazing what you can get done with a 52% mandate. Who cares what the other half think? The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is also criminally incompetent, and Mary Burke is their brainchild. As much as they hate Walker, most progressives will not vote her. But after awhile people will realize they aren't really getting any tax cuts, their schools are getting raided by fly-by-night voucher scammers, and the lakes, streams and marshes they love are drying up from high capacity wells. But that more than likely will be after Walker is reelected.

Sam L. said...

"How did she lose ground?"

And how's Barry doing with the voters in Wisconsin? A likely explanation for avoiding being pictured with him.

khesanh0802 said...

Does anyone take Garage seriously?

cubanbob said...

"It's amazing what you can get done with a 52% mandate. Who cares what the other half think? "

The irony is rich in this one.

Browndog said...


I wonder why Dear Leader is only polling at 47% against a virtual unknown?


I saw a poll the other day that had it at 46-41. Shocked, I was.

I mean, that's way before the local and national Democratics launch their "War on women/Occupy/Koch Bros. corporatist/it's for the children" 2-Minutes Hate campaign.

I thought Walker was stronger in Wisconsin. I thought results mattered.

LarryK said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
LarryK said...

Run, Brett, run! I will gladly cross over and vote for you in the primary. Brett Hulsey is the Democratic wing of the Democratic party.

Garage: the state media serves as an extension of his (Gov. Walker's) campaign staff.

No one with a functioning brain who lived in WI between Jan 2011 and June 2012 believes this

Meade said...

"Remember when Obama conspicuously avoided appearing next to Barrett (during the recall)?"

I do. I also remember when former senator Russ Feingold kept dodging Obama every time he came to the state in 2010. As you know, Feingold lost.

LarryK said...

I'm still waiting for Mary Burke to make a smart move, and justify Mike Tate's faith in her. No evidence that will happen anytime soon.

Bob Ellison said...

On conservative blogs and web sites, I see Wendy Davis ads non-stop. WD ads are the #1 money on Instapundit, National Review, Legal Insurrection, etc. Yet she's a lefty wacko. How can that be?

And Wendy Davis is not going to win the election, apparently. So what's going on?

National money, local elections.

What about Mary Burke? I've only just heard the name on this blog. Could she be trying to get some of that Wendy Davis fire going? Get national money going after a local election?

What's the long-term goal?

Bob Ellison said...

Who was that guy who ran against Joe Lieberman? Got national money and all that, and some wacko lefty support and a big attempt at a viral YouTube video? Who was that guy?

Wow. There's this thing called Google. I wouldn't want to be called John Dickerson.

Browndog said...

As you know, Feingold lost.

Mere semantics.

It's not over. It's never over...until....you know the rest.

hibernation...

Alex said...

I love watching the left implode at another Scott Walker victory. Garage will spin into another round of alcoholism no doubt.

Anonymous said...

Looks like Hulsey is the one who's "too chicken" to run, no?