August
2006
Endorsement: Vince Bobot for Sheriff
On September 12th, Milwaukee County voters will have an opportunity to choose which candidate they want to run as a Democrat against a lone Republican in November. Their choices — the incumbent David Clarke or challenger Vince Bobot.
Clearly, Vince Bobot is the right choice.
Voters deserve to have honest representation from honest people. Sheriff David Clarke has been a miserable failure, has lied to the public, and has been a ruthless bully rather than the leader voters deserve. Like Captain Bligh from Mutiny on the Bounty, Clarke has abused and misused his post to satiate his own lust for power. But instead of a mutiny, deputy sheriffs held a "no confidence" vote – and Clarke received "no confidence" from about 99% of the deputies casting ballots.
Bobot, on the other, hand has been high-handed and honest. His experience in the Milwaukee Police Department and as a Municipal Judge give him a broad understanding of the criminal justice system. Bobot's take-charge attitude extends to providing real leadership in the department, but, unlike Clarke, should anything go wrong Bobot understands the chain of command and that the person at the top must take responsibility.
Clarke cannot lay claim to personal responsibility as he has sought to scapegoat his deputies for every ill that has happened in the department since his arrival. "Some people just don't get it" has been Clarke's mantra as he has sought to fire and demote his subordinates, only to have the county's personnel review board overturn his heavy-handed actions. Clarke's drunken antics led to his (temporary) firing from the Milwaukee Police Department, yet recently he was seen sporting a sidearm-holstered gun (a clear violation of his own departmental rules) while serving beer at a fest.
Bobot is a member of the Democratic Party, but Clarke has refused to join, calling himself an "Independent Democrat." At the same time, Clarke has worked to undermine Democrats while he has worked for and endorsed Republican candidates. It may sound odd until you realize that whoever wins this primary election is nearly a shoe-in to win the general election since mostly Democratic Milwaukee County trends very Democratic in general elections.
Bobot's endorsement list is strong and includes prominent Democrats: U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, state Sens. Tim Carpenter, Spencer Coggs and Jeff Plale, state Reps. Pedro Colon, Jon Richards, Chris Sinicki and Josh Zepnick. Numerous traditional Democratic groups have unanimously lined up behind Bobot, making it clear that he is the choice for Democrats.
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Jim McGuigan
Clarke Watch, Endorsements, Jim McGuigan
Interesting note, on Charlie Sykes’ radio show, August31, Dave said, he chose to run as a democrat because it was his parents’ party. They were Bobby Kennedy, and JFK democrats, he thought the democratic party would welcome his conservative point of view. Not because he personally believed in the democratic party. I think he is more of a reluctant democrat than an Independent democrat.
It seems that Bobot stands a good chance in the September 12th primary. It is all but assured that everyone who voted for Misko and Hayes in the last election will throw their votes Bobot’s way. It seems unlikely that Clarke’s support base has grown since then, with all of his missteps. More than likely it has shrunk. Hopefully it has shrunk enough that the Democratic party’s strong endorsement of Bobot, and the bad press from all of Clarke’s violations of various court orders (should a law enforcement officer be violating court orders?)will be enough to push Bobot ahead on the 12th.
Here is something to swallow for all of those people that are still on the fence. The courses mentions are on David A. Clarke Jr.\’s campaign website.
1. Completed a course in Domestic Preparedness Training (response to nuclear, biological and chemical threats) offered by Jacksonville State University.
2. Selected by the FBI to attend the FBI Academy in Virginia and, later, to complete a course in executive leadership development for police executives from all over the world.
3. Selected by the BATF to attend a course in Illegal Gun Trafficking held in Washington D.C.
4. Completed a course in Operating Intelligence Systems offered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
5. Selected by the Secret Service to attend and complete a course in Dignitary Protection held in Washington, D.C.
6. Completed the U.S. Department of Justice course for running a correctional facility offered by Indiana State University in South Bend.
7. Completed the program on policing terrorism at the Manhattan Institute\\\’s Center for Policing Terrorism in New York.
8. Completed programs at Harvard University\\\’s Kennedy School of Government for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.
9. Certified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in National Incident Management Systems.
Who paid for all of these courses and programs? I can certainly tell you it wasn’t David Clarke. All of these courses were paid in full by the people of Milwaukee County.
Dave why don’t you extend your hand and thank everyone in Milwaukee County that paid for your education in Law Enforcement.
Numbers are dwindling on the department where Clarke has the public thinking we are truly out there. He has Freeway deputies doing saturation enforcements in high traffic areas and times to make it appear as if there are a lot of Deputies out there. Some nights you are lucky if you have a handful on duty. And the Safe and secure Airport squads are being taken away from Airport Duties to perform routine Freeway patrol functions. All smoke and mirrors. As for his claim of accountability, he can say he has made deputies more accountable just because he is forcing his command staff to find almost all complaints to be true, even when the complaint is not true or worthless in nature.
and making Milwaukee county safer and making the department more law enforcement orientated????
hmmmm…
got rid of – 200 Law Enforcement officers in exchange for correctional officers, less deputies on the freeway, selling the only Law Enforcement Helicopter in SE WI if not all, grounding the boat and about to sell it till plane crashes in Lake Michigan(still not in water regularly), eliminating Park patrol (renaming his grip unit to parks when murder happens in a park, then putting deputies at lakefront where voting public goes, and not at park where murder happened.)
giving Away Miller Park patrols to his former department MPD by overbiding it. Cost to taxpayers for this – nothing as Brewers footed the security bill. Only hurt his deputies who he despises.”headless nails”
I could go on and on……but will not
Wake up Milwaukee County…
see beyone the smoke and mirrors.
David A. Clarke a Democrat???? Yeah, right. While speaking to the Young Conservative Leaders of America at Wauwatosa East High School last spring, he stated he would be running as an “independent Democrat.” What the heck is that???
I bet I know!!! It’s a Republican, initially appointed by a Republican “acting” governor, and not even intially voted into office, who is pretending to be a Democrat, as he knows that Milwaukee voters have a Democratic tradition, especially in sheriff. He turned coat on the Republicans when he ran as a Dem in 2002, and now he has really for all intents and purposes turned coat on the Dems, though still using their ticket to try & worm his slimy way into remaining in office.
This guy (Clarke) is a walking “Crock-o-Crap”. First time around he quotes great Republican leaders. Now he takes on the likes of Kennedy. Oy Vay.
Who cares who Clarke quotes? Do you really think that when you die your political allegiance matters? My father is a Democrat who voted for Bush AND Feingold. He says he doesn’t give a hoot what party they are in, as long as they stand-up for what they believe in. He would quote Lincoln, Bush, Martin Luther King Jr. This thing called life is bigger than a political party and it’s agenda.