Plale’s courage on key issue might save him

We don’t know who Donovan Riley is but we do know that he’s filed an intent to run form with the state elections board.

It’s widely accepted that State Senator Jeff Plale is in a Democratic stronghold. He represents the liberal east side, the socially moderate area of Bay View and the socially conservative areas of Cudahy and South Milwaukee. Plale is a social conservative and his positions on issues such as abortion have more than miffed the liberal east side.

What’s more, Bay View is becoming increasingly affluent and many are calling it “the other east side” as educated white collar workers stake their claim to this blue collar neighborhood. While Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood has long been a Democratic stronghold, it has had a strong catholic base and with that base it has been socially conservative. That is changing.

So it’s no surprise that Plale would eventually have a primary — it was just a matter of when. But questions remain — who is this Donovan Riley and will he even garner the required signatures to get on the ballot? Does he have the political savvy to succeed in a campaign or will he just be another candidate who doesn’t know that targetted lists, polling and a strong campaign message coupled with multiple pieces of well crafted and well distributed lit pieces are critical? Will Riley be just another guy who was itching to see his name on the ballot, maybe makes up a few self-gratifying signs and distributes them to his friends?

But whether Riley is a good candidate may be less of an issue that whether or not Democrats will leave Plale.

Plale showed strength and courage last year when he stood against TABOR and voted to sustain Governor Jim Doyle’s veto of the GOP led legislature. Although Plale has a predisposition to wanting to please fringe groups like CRG and to occasionally agree with right-wing talk show hosts, many Democrats now know that when it comes down to pushing and shoving, Plale will be with them on some key issues.

That was not the case with Senator Tim Carpenter. Carpenter was a shining star in the State Assembly but when he sought and won a promotion to the State Senate he caved in to CRG and right wing radio. While Carpenter may be good on may core democratic issues and he is the only out and proud gay Senator, one of his key votes has disappointed the left. In his recent run for Congress, Carpenter took a well-earned beating which hopefully will act as a reminder that when you side with the right on key issues, those in the center and on the left won’t be embracing you anytime soon.

Plale has earned admirers for more that just casting a vote to sustain Doyle’s veto — he won admirers for standing up to CRG under intense heat. When it came down to two votes that the GOP needed to override the TABOR vote, Carpenter caved in and sided with the Republicans putting even more pressure on Plale.

Plale stood firm. The override came down to one vote. If Plale caved, local governments in Wisconsin could have faced the crippling financial crisis which gripped TABOR constricted Oklahoma which has consequently suffered from failing schools and crumbling public infrastructure.

So if Riley is riled about one issue, he’s going to have to overcome democratic activists (the ones that help to win elections for their candidates of choice) perception that Plale has earned the right to be labeled one of the most courageous Senators in the legislature. That’s an uphill battle for any unknown candidate.