November
2006
Jim Doyle: The Crime Fighting Governor
Congressman Mark Green picked a fight with Gov. Jim Doyle on crime this week, making wild accusations in a new TV ad about Doyle's record of cracking down on sexual predators and concluding that Doyle "gets it wrong" on crime.
The Doyle campaign fired back yesterday with an unusually long email highlighting Doyle's crimefighting record. A response TV ad from Doyle that will play like a mantra between now and Tuesday is sure to follow. Effectively, this ends whatever chance Green had of winning the governor's race. He has foolishly picked the one fight with Doyle he cannot hope to win, much less land a blow.
It's a fatal mistake by Green and his handlers, and it's more than that. It's yet another display of evidence that the Green campaign has no respect for issues or voters, and apparently believes they can say anything and still eke out an election win. Down in the polls just days before the election, this foolish and desperate attack against Doyle looks a lot like campaign suicide.
Below is the release from the Doyle campaign, dated Wednesday.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Doyle is Both Tougher and Smarter than Green on Crime" — Dishonest Green Ad Uses Data from McCallum Years to Try and Smear Doyle
MADISON – A day after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorialized that Governor Jim Doyle “is both tougher and smarter than Green on crime,” Congressman Mark Green has launched another attack ad designed to distort the Governor’s crime record. [Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10/31/06]
Like most of his ads, it’s filled with lies. This one even uses data from the McCallum years to try and smear Governor Doyle.
Of course, as a prosecutor and Attorney General, and now as Governor, no one’s been tougher on violent criminals and sex offenders than Jim Doyle.
“While Congressman Green was sitting behind a desk in Washington, Jim Doyle, as a District Attorney and Wisconsin’s Attorney General, was prosecuting hardened criminals, and putting them behind bars –sometimes for life,” said Anson Kaye, Communications Director for the Doyle campaign. “Governor Doyle opposes parole – he led the fight to end it – and no one’s been tougher on sex offenders. When it comes to law enforcement, Governor Doyle has walked the walk, while Congressman Green’s been little more than a wannabe.”
GOVERNOR DOYLE: NO ONE’S BEEN TOUGHER ON CRIME
I think you get the idea. It goes on from there, 11 bullet points in all and a Fact Check on the blatant smears in Green's ad. To read the full release, click here.
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John-david Morgan
John-David Morgan, Watchdogging Campaigns, Watchdogging Criminal Justice
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JDM – Most of those things are very impressive, but does the connection to Crowe Chizek and Equis Corporation make him look bad, even to fellow Democrats?
I don’t prefer this crime focus in the final ten days. I’d rather see Doyle talk about health care reform, which Green doesn’t want to talk about at all. Many seats will flip in the Eau Claire area on health care reform, where “the do-nothing Legislature” is the central issue. Green’s sinking, losing ground — not gaining — in every poll put out this week.
Crowe Chizek and Equis? If one was to make the case that Doyle is corrupt, one would be wise to be squeaky clean. This is Wisconsin, after all, home to Russ Feingold. Green, however, has shown nothing but disdain for campaign finance law, and has fallen on is sword on the sleaze issue. Crowe Chizek? How about Tom Delay and Captain Jack Abrahamoff?
Green was a lousy candidate from the get-go. So much of what he has done in this campaign has made me wonder what Congressman Paul Ryan might have done, or what Scott Walker would have done.
Doyle is safely in the briar patch of law enforcement, the place he knows better than any other. Green is the foolish farmer of the Briar rabbit story, who was tricked into putting him there.
I am not a big Mark Green fan, so I am not sure why you went to that, because my question was about Doyle.
Because Mark Green’s running against him. Nobody’s happy about how business gets done in Madison, whether it’s a contract to clean state office buildings, an expensive computer systems contract or a contract involving state real estate. The prison building contracts under Thompson were always a campaign contribution sleazefest. Tommy used to just shrug and say, “People give me money all the time. I can’t help that.”
Time to look again at a strong, bipartisan, state ethics package.
Election 2006 Through the Eyes of Bloggers: Gubernatorial Race…
[inline:1]The gubernatorial race in Wisconsin is by far the most blogged about issue that will appear on the ballot in our state Tuesday. Keeping with the standard set with the Gay Marriage Ban entry and the Death Penalty Advisory Referendum entry I ha…
JDM –
My question was more of a pointed one, not a “pick sides” question.
Yes. And I think we need to look at how the state contracts out work. You would point to the computer systems contract (its largess is what got my attention). Others would point to Adelman. Some might remember Tommy Thompson’s prison industries contracts or that the law firm of his personal lawyer (Steil-Basting) got a big piece of the tabacco lawsuit work. I would point to the janitorial services work, which went to a nonunion cleaning contractor that will continue to depress the cleaning services industry in Madison.
There are many points to look at with contracting issues in the state. Yes, it does go beyond this campaign and beyond Doyle or Green.
And we say Illinois is corrupt.
Illinois is on another stratosphere altogether. Seriously.