Mike Sheridan Loses To Gazette's Dirty Campaign

Tweet

In a close race, Republican Joe Knilans defeated Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan.

Sheridan, a democrat who became expendable to the Gazette mediacorpse monopoly soon after General Motors vacated the Janesville plant, apparently could not overcome the Gazette's sensationalized negative campaign that soon followed against him on the state's payday loan legislation.

After wrongly painting him as a corrupt politician for almost a year, in April I noted that the newspaper began backing away from their smear campaign and started taking a much quieter if not defensive position regarding the legislator.

The Gazette however left their dirty fingerprints all over the legislator in an attempt to wash their own hands clean of guilt in this bizarre re-election endorsement for Sheridan. But it was too late. The people didn't buy it and their endorsement became the perfect kiss of death.

Will Interstate Expansion Have a Psychological Impact On Taxpayers?

Tweet

As you may have heard, Rep. Brett Davis (R) has issued a boondoggle warning against the high-speed” train that would run from Madison to Milwaukee. His main beef is state taxpayers will have to subsidize the train's operating costs to the tune of about $7-10 million per year. Clearly he says, the people of the state can’t afford this project.

In Rock County however, the local Republican establishment and media along with their respective organized business and construction lobbyist groups are pushing for an expansion of the I39/90 corridor from 4 lanes to 6 lanes between the Illinois stateline and Madison. This luxury is expected to cost state taxpayers at least $1 billion, which by the way would cover over 100 years of operating costs for the M2M high speed rail. So, where is the outrage from Davis on the interstate expansion spending?

To take it a step further, where is the outrage from the so-called watchdog and fiscally conservative-leaning Janesville Gazette? Particularly with the heavy lobbyist action engulfing once again a certain local state legislator to apply his "leadership" position to influence and fast-track the legislative process. This time for a project that will cost taxpayers a billion dollars.

JS Online Excerpt:
Projects are supposed to be approved by the Transportation Projects Commission before going to the Legislature, but lawmakers can bypass that process. Legislators end their regular session April 22, and the transportation commission has not announced any plans to convene....The I-39 project is viewed as key by two industry groups - the Transportation Development Association and the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association.

And a third group, Forward Janesville. Forward Janesville is thee politically active local business lobbyist group with over 500 area members and embedded transients in Rock County's Bilderberg Group known around these parts as the Rock County 5.0, among them local construction heavyweight J.P.Cullen and Sons. Their tentacles of influence on local legislators, particularly Assembly leader Mike Sheridan, should not be underestimated. Local legislators can be blackmailed and have been smeared as anti-business tax and spenders when they don't jump to the whims of these tax shifting corporatists.

Another Wisconsin blog picked up on the legislative hi-jinks involved to swipe the taxpayer's credit card with the interstate expansion's billion dollar tab.

Political Environment Excerpt:
So why not go for it now? We're probably getting closer to another round of vehicle registration and licensing fee increases, and toll roads, to pay for the highway budgets that legislative leaders covet.

That's one reasonable way to look at it. Create the project first to justify the hike in taxes later. Probably the worst part here is that these road projects are spun as job creators by the republican establishment and their media enablers while the tax hike projects to pay for them are viewed as democrat creations. Who do you think wins at the ballot box with those arguments?

As can be expected, the most recent Janesville Gazette article regarding the billion dollar expansion of I39/90 through Janesville was basically a lobbyist lovefest touting the road project as an absolute gravy train for jobs, economic growth and safety improvements.

Excerpt:
The slimming of the Interstate at the Wisconsin/Illinois border has a "psychological impact" on supply chain industries looking to relocate to the area, John Beckord said at a meeting...

That's the best local business interests can do after the reality of losing GM? Turn to government and tax and spend a billion dollars on a psychological enhancement. Just when I thought I've heard it all.

It will be interesting to see how the Janesville Gazette eventually responds to the entrenched local lobbyist's swarming pressure on Sheridan. If they do at all. Remember, this is the newspaper that was the primary source for a twisted story accusing Sheridan of capitulating to lobbyist pressure and using (abusing) his speakership position to influence the course of legislation through the state capital for the benefit of the payday loan industry.

I would suppose, everything's changed now.

Quote To Remember About Forward Janesville:
Make no mistake, Forward Janesville’s overriding goal is to advance the interests of its members.

Despite Editorial Hypocrisy, Newspaper Still Seeking A Payday

Tweet

Saturday's Janesville Gazette editorial ironically titled, "Payday Loan Bill Should Have Included Rate Cap" was yet another shameful attempt by the newspaper to isolate Speaker Mike Sheridan.

JG Editorial Excerpt:
Speaker Mike Sheridan of Janesville says a bill that the Assembly passed Tuesday is tough on payday lenders. He says he has stopped seeing Shanna Wycoff, a lobbyist for the industry, and he apologized for being evasive about their relationship. He claims dating her did not influence his stance on legislation. Of course he would say these things. Sheridan wants to put this episode behind him. It’s not that simple, however.

It sure isn't that simple. Not when you're trying to keep a smear campaign alive.

Not surprisingly, the newspaper completely ignores the facts and the math on the payday interest cap amendment and the rollcall votes that eventually led to the cap's demise, and instead continues to blame Sheridan for Republican's obstruction and failure. The paper rambled on...

JG Editorial Excerpt:
Last September, Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, introduced a bill to cap interest on payday loans at 36 percent. Sheridan supported that but later—was it before or after he started dating Wycoff?—backed off.

That no longer matters because regardless of which way Sheridan voted, two overwhelming truths remain after the fact. One; it would have failed anyways because assembly republicans negative vote overwhelmed the Democrats pro-cap vote and two; why should the newspaper criticize Sheridan for voting against the cap when the deceitful newspaper, despite the title to their editorial - IS ALSO AGAINST THE CAP!

JG Editorial Excerpt:
We believed a 36 percent cap was extreme and would create unintended consequences. At that rate, lenders wouldn’t rake in enough on a two-week, $100 loan to pay for the paperwork. Most would shut their doors.

But it's not just the 36% number they were against because...

JG Editorial Excerpt:
Even Sheridan’s neighboring Democrat, Rep. Kim Hixson of Whitewater, supports a rate cap. Hixson issued a news release saying he voted for AB 447 because it’s a step in the right direction.

Unlike local Republicans, Sheridan like Hixson, also voted for AB447, the Responsible Lenders Act. So what is the Gazette referring to here? Why it must be Hixson's position on the interest cap amendment to AB447. The newspaper offers a supporting hand for Hixson's position on an amendment they just finished saying is too extreme and a bearer of unfortunate consequences.

Make no mistake, the predatory publishers at the Janesville Gazette can't keep their own partisan posture straight. They are against Sheridan because he voted against the cap, but they are against the cap too. But wait, no, they're for the cap because Sheridan's position against the cap runs counter to another local Democrat's position on the cap, and they could use that as political foil - see, Sheridan stands against his own democratic colleagues.

And what about Republicans and the lobbyist industry who were solely responsible for crushing the cap amendment? Why they don't even get an honorable mention in this editorial.

The bottom line here is the newspaper that blasts Sheridan over changing his position in a matter of a few months on the rate cap can't even keep their own position straight in a matter of a few paragraphs. If the newspaper was the honest Joe they claim to be against a strong 36% rate cap, they should be commending Sheridan for changing his vote. Not tearing into him because they agree.

I couldn't even begin to make stuff up better than this. Click cartoon for Lobbyist Story at Racine Post

About Credibility And The Janesville Newspaper

Tweet

The Janesville Gazette continued to pile on Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan in both Saturday and Sunday editions with gangland style attacks, even bragging about how their trumped up story received statewide attention.

JG Editor's Views Excerpt: (Feb.7, 2010)
In nearly every case, the Gazette got credit for reporting the story first. We love to be first with any story. We particularly like it when the story has statewide significance.

On Saturday the newspaper ran two articles, one asserting that Sheridan no longer lives in his district since filing for divorce, and the other one describing the findings (comical) uncovered by the AP's Open Records search of the legislator's e-mails. What they found was a series of e-mails describing a shell-shocked staff wondering how and why a seemingly legitimate newspaper would fire off repeated rounds of vicious rumors to hurt the speaker's reputation.

Adding to the poisonous newsprint mix was Stan Milam's column of buffoonery and fabrications questioning in disbelief why Sheridan's colleagues would come to the defense of the wrongly maligned legislator. A solid 80% of Milam's rant was just made-up stuff, not typical even for this establishment concern troll.

Then on Sunday, the Gazette unleashed one of their puritanical editorials attempting to shame the legislator even further with sensationalized rehashments of previously ratched-up news bites, and a cartoon.

JG Editorial Excerpt: (Title: Sheridan Is Eroding Credibility) They accuse us of trying to destroy Sheridan because he's a Democrat. That's nonsense. Why would we do that when we've repeatedly endorsed him and when someone in his position could help Janesville's economic recovery?

They continued..."no lawmaker should be friends with a lobbyist." Is that so?

How about when a newspaper enthusiastically endorses a lawmaker who by most definitions IS a lobbyist? Let me explain.

Do you know why the newspaper endorsed Mike Sheridan for assembly in the Wisconsin State legislature? Any idea? They endorsed him because...and this is the unbelievable part, they endorsed him because at the time, he was still the UAW chief at the Janesville GM plant! Technically the UAW local chief is not a lobbyist, but I would challenge anyone to draw up definitive enough descriptions between the two to show any major differences. At the time, he wasn't dating a lobbyist nor was he in bed with a lobbyist so to speak...no sir, nothing that politically offensive...instead, HE WAS THE LOBBYIST! He was a state legislator and a paid special interest representative all wrapped in one. This made him a prize in the Gazette's eyes. That is precisely why they endorsed him!! There was no other reason. I can't stress this enough.

Just a few days after the newspaper's chilling endorsement back in 2006, I wrote the following...

Nov. 4, 2006 -- On Nov. 1st, the Janesville Gazette editors endorsed Rep. Mike Sheridan for the 44th state assembly. I thought for a moment, “wow, this IS news, a Democrat,” but after reading the full story, their reasons became increasingly clear. Sheridan also happens to be president of UAW local 95, and it is this corporate connection that the Gazette finds highly desirable in elected public officials. Sheridan's ability to play both fields would seem to pose a moral dilemma for principled progressives and Democrats. But the difference between principled politics and Gazette principles is far apart. ...but it's also plain to see if he weren’t the Janesville GM union leader, the Gazette would have endorsed Yoss in a heartbeat.

I'd like to see the Gazette re-publish their editorial endorsement for Sheridan from 2006.

Granted, none of this effects anything in Sheridan's personal life today. But for the Gazette to impart any editorial credibility today, they would have had to have some credibility yesterday on which to stand on before accusing this legislator or any legislator of a conflict of interest. Yet, it's undeniable this peek into the newspaper's editorial history uncovers yet another marketing campaign deeply rooted in intellectual dishonesty and partisan publishing. The newspaper isn't even true to themselves. But there's more.

Rock Netroots Excerpt:
After he was first elected to Wisconsin legislative office, I was one of few who spoke out against his continued employment with corporate GM as a conflict of interest to serve the greater good. I was happy to see that when it came time to make a decision of either/or, he chose public service. -- Kaye

The Janesville Gazette and their minions not only turned a blind eye towards this unethical relationship, they actually trumpeted it. I was one of a very few who spoke out against the legislator's ties with GM. And yet they call me the partisan? The truth is, Sheridan came clean nearly two years ago from this conflict of interest when he finally cut his commissions to the UAW and corporate GM.

So what's changed? From here on I could leave that up to you, but let me explain further while I still have your attention.

For one, Sheridan is no longer bringing Janesville the economic security he once did as a UAW lobbyist working the legislature, so he no longer possesses those Gazette-desirable qualities he once had. Plain and simple. Two, the GM plant's operational infrastructure has been gutted since early 2009. There are no signs of GM coming back anytime soon.

No longer a lobbyist pulling the strings for the GM juggernaut, Sheridan becomes expendable to the profiteers at Forward Janesville and the Gazette. That he happens to be a Democrat at a time of perceived party weakness and heightened political partisanship, he then becomes intolerable to the right-wing tabloid. He's become an easy target.

To the predatory publishers at the Gazette, Sheridan is now like a piece of used chewing gum that's lost all its flavor.

Folks should ask the Gazette. Why did they endorse Sheridan for legislature when he was a fully salaried special interest lobbyist, but now run a smear campaign against him for merely having a date with one? What really changed? Was it the payday loan industry's perceived lack of economic contribution to the Gazette's bottom line? As compared to the wealth that previously trickled down from GM to the Gazette? Is this how the newspaper wages political war to finally spit out that used wad of gum? Why was only one legislator targeted when they all are directly effected by the corrosive influence of lobbyists? Who are the sources that the newspaper has been taking marching orders from? What is their motivation and party affiliation?

The perception to the matter is, no matter how juvenile and petty the ethically challenged Gazette comes across in Sunday's editorials on Sheridan, they've still damaged his honorable reputation.

The bottom line in my opinion is; the Janesville Gazette owes the entire State of Wisconsin and their newspaper industry colleagues an apology. But more importantly, they owe Mike Sheridan a public apology with sugar on top. But it shouldn't end there. They also owe the citizens of Rock County and their subscribers an apology for the constant feeding of disinformation. That would be a good start. It's time to come clean.
NOTE: This posting is the independent perspective and opinion of its author. Kaye has no affiliation with political parties or collaborated in any way with the subjects in this commentary.

Related:
Sheridan should seize the moment

Newspaper Attempting To Malign Mike Sheridan

Opportunities of a serious rumor

GOP targeting local Dems

Sheridan Should Seize The Moment

Tweet

Mike Sheridan should seize the moment created by his hometown newspaper and use this awkward episode as exhibit A to write legislation to rid Madison of the scourge of play-for-play lobbyists once and for all. The greatest outrage from his constituents seems to revolve around the potential that he "changed his mind" about a piece of legislation because of his relationship with a lobbyist. This strikes at the heart of why lobbyists are allowed in the capital in the first place. For the most part, their only mission is to influence legislators, conflict business and "change minds."

Other PayDay Loan Lobbyists

JS Online Excerpt
Other lobbyists in the game include former Assembly Majority Leader Steven Foti (R-Oconomowoc); ex-Rep. Tim Hoven (R-Port Washington); Bill McCoshen, a former top aide to ex-Gov. Tommy G. Thompson; Scott Stenger, best known for representing the Tavern League of Wisconsin; Jim Smith, who ran the successful Democratic effort to take over the Assembly in 2008; and Jason Childress, who led the campaign for Senate Democrats.

Mister Speaker, don't let this rare groundswell of public interest die down. The legislator should even engage with the activist newspaper as a marketing partner to help keep the momentum going. They seem to be more than willing. Getting rid of this corrosive influence is half the battle to good clean government.

Congratulations Rep. Mike Sheridan!!

Tweet

Janesville's own Mike Sheridan, a former UAW union president, was chosen for the Assembly speakership. I've always felt Sheridan had all the right tools and work ethics necessary to fight for and speak on behalf of real priorities for the State of Wisconsin.

After he was first elected to Wisconsin legislative office, I was one of few who spoke out against his continued employment with corporate GM as a conflict of interest to serve the greater good. I was happy to see that when it came time to make a decision of either/or, he chose public service.

He's one of those kind'a guys who exemplifies "when the going gets tough, the tough get going" slogan and doesn't back down from anybody when advancing democratic ideals and candidates on the local front. Yet, he has the common sense to extend his hand across the aisle to get something done. He's just what south-central Wisconsin needs in Madison during these extremely challenging times. Good going!

Read Capital Times Article here.

Free Markets Hurt U.S. Automakers

Tweet

On June 22nd , the frontpage headline of the Janesville Gazette was a quote from Rep.Paul Ryan, “This policy hurts GM” in which Ryan voices his opposition to a congressional plan to increase fleet gas mileage standards.

JG Excerpt:
A part of the bill calls for increasing auto fuel economy to a fleet average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020, a 40 percent increase over current requirements for cars, SUVs, vans and pickup trucks.

Thinking they have a winning combination here to work against the Democrats, the Gazette does a follow-up frontpage story on July 1st titled “It’ll be the demise of the U.S. auto industry” in which they attempt to divide the constituency with quotes from Democratic Local Rep. Mike Sheridan and top GM plant management.

JG Excerpt:
U.S. automakers supported a failed amendment to the Senate bill that would have required 36 mpg for cars by 2022 and 30 mpg for trucks by 2025, a compromise they said would stretch but not break them.

The automakers request would put their fleet average at 33 mpg assuming the car and truck segments are split 50-50 which we know they are not. The democrats are asking for a fleet average of 35 mpg by 2020, a difference of a few years and 2 mpg. Hardly something we can blame for the demise of the U.S. auto industry when we know that the U.S. makers conceded the auto market years ago. Why did the U.S. automakers concede the auto segment to the imports?

JG Excerpt:
Sound Off: Our free market and competition have made America the greatest nation in history. Let the market decide. It has worked very well in the past.

Can you imagine if someone in government proposed workmanship and quality regulations and standards for automobiles back in 1980? The “outrage”, corporatists would say, let the markets dictate. Well, the market did dictate and guess what? U.S. automakers, their workers and customers lost bigtime. They are on track to concede the truck segment just as well, unless something is done. When we begin talking about how great America was, and use what amounts to a loss (manufacturing - auto segment) as a good example to follow, it may be too late already.

On the same day of this article, the Gazette ran a national article on page 4 detailing more bad news about the U.S. auto industry and their soon to be announced poor sales results. In addition, the Gazette posted an article and picture of an electric car on the frontpage. We are in the blame-game now, who’s fault is this?

But the Gazette wasn’t finished here, not by a long-shot. On July 3rd, a Gazette staffer wrote a story about Ryan winning the U.S. Chamber Award that I’ve dubbed the “Business Razzie.” But was the story really about Ryan qualifying for this dubious award or was it just another propaganda piece aimed at splitting the local democratic base once again over the energy/mileage bill? Title says "award," story says "politics."

The Gazette eventually got what it wanted. They stirred up the locals on this issue enough to post six anonymous rants in Thursdays “Sound Off” column about the fuel standards. But this episode is not so much about Ryan as it is about a GOP newspaper eroding Democratic support any way they can do it.

Fortunately there isn’t much the Gazette can do when reality steps in. The latest auto industry report showed GM sales fell 21% in June including sales of full-size trucks and SUV’s while imports posted solid gains.

JG Excerpt:
General Motors Corp. sales tumbled 21.3 percent compared with June of last year, while Ford Motor Co. sales dropped 8.1 percent and Chrysler Group saw a decline of 1.4 percent.
Yet Nissan posted a whopping 22.7 percent increase, Toyota saw a 10.2 percent gain, and Honda sales rose 11.5 percent.

Why are the free markets hurting only U.S. automakers? Why do American consumers continue to favor imports? This is history repeating itself over and over again. The Japanese among others, build gas guzzlers also, why are they still gaining? The U.S. auto industry appears to be on self-destruct. Are they just looking for someone to blame, other than themselves? Or is Ryan just playing politics as usual?

Chicago Tribune Excerpt:
"We build the three biggest gas hogs in the country in my eyes," Van Fossen said. "They were all excited about these vehicles when we started building them two years ago, but I didn't see anything to get excited about. This is not the future."

I think there will always be a market for full-size 7-passenger "stationwagons" on steroids.

But if we believe we can’t do it – we won’t. Ryan and his supporters have been legislating the slow death of the U.S. auto industry through outsourcing and labor busting, and protecting what amounts to low expectations. The imports are now making gains in the truck market without any input from the Democrats. As a Janesville resident, it matters to me. I'm afraid it doesn't matter to anyone else though. History doesn’t lie. How do we stop history from repeating itself?

They have stayed this course too long and it’s time for a change.

The Soft Bigotry Of Low Standards

Tweet

As a Democrat, I was somewhat miffed - no - disappointed in the direction Democrat Rep. Mike Sheridan took to defend himself against conflict of interest allegations presented in an article by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

In short, State Rep. Mike Sheridan (D-Janesville) also happens to be president of United Auto Workers Local 95. General Motors Corp. pays his salary. Sheridan helped introduce Assembly Bill 85, which would provide a $1,000 tax credit to Wisconsinites who buy or lease a new flex-fuel vehicle. The GM plant in Janesville turned out 120,000 FFV vehicles in 2007 and employs 2,600 workers. In the watchdog article, the Sentinel accuses Rep. Sheridan and bill co-sponsor Republican Rep. Eugene Hahn (Cambria) of having conflicts of interest.

Milwaukee Sentinel Excerpt:
Officials with the Wisconsin Ethics Board, which administers the state's ethics codes and lobbying laws, said they were unaware of the issue when first questioned by the Journal Sentinel.

The board might be unaware of the issue, but Sheridan’s constituents aren’t. You see, what Sheridan has working in his favor is the fact that residents in his district are fully aware of his ties to GM and many have elected him because of this connection. In effect, he is doing the peoples work. It’s not like Sheridan was elected and kept his GM job a secret and then did one of those “gut checks” before he sponsored a bill favoring an undisclosed special interest. Constituents in his district know exactly what is going on.

But Sheridan has faced these accusations in the past, and I would guess that every day he hangs on to both of these positions, he knows he leaves himself open as a target to these allegations of conflict, not from inside his district, but outside. This is why I was disappointed by his response to the Sentinels article. It could have worked to his tremendous advantage by using it as a springboard to introduce legislation to raise eligibility (conflict of interest) standards for those seeking a seat on the Wisconsin State legislature. Instead he chose to view himself as a “former autoworker” and dragged in anyone else who held a job before they entered politics as equally conflicted. I hope he didn’t get this advice from the Janesville Gazette.

Of course I don’t think Sheridan sponsoring this bill is as big as a controversy as the Sentinel implied, but most fundamental Americans demand complete dedication and accountability from their elected representatives and Sheridan is no different. He must know he is walking a highwire. The last thing Wisconsinites should be ashamed of is attempting to hold the ethical standards of our civic leaders and politicians too high.

The Janesville Gazette editorialized their support for Sheridan’s sponsorship of the bill which is the only right thing to do, but they also took the side that citizens must be careful not to set the bar too high for Wisconsin politicians. This is exactly what I come to expect from the Gazette, a newspaper whose principles are guided by profits and politics, in that order.

---

Additional story * Committee Defends Conflicts

JS Excerpt:
Rep. Barbara Gronemus (D-Whitehall) said "I can't imagine why anyone would think that Rep. Sheridan was doing something that wouldn't benefit the plant and the state." "Ditto for Hahn" she said.
"That to me is no good reason to admonish . . . Hahn because he was smart enough to invest in something he believes in," she said.

Memo to self: If you ever attempt to run for political office, buy stock in Wisconsin companies, particularly those residing in your district. This way, you will look smart sponsoring or voting for legislation that you not only believe in, but you have a vested interest in as well. Oooo, the web we weave.

Gazette Endorsements a Good Reason to Vote

Tweet

……….for somebody else. It’ll all come down to this Tuesday and as expected, the Janesville Gazette endorsement editorials have been running in lockstep with the Republican party. Just consider that the Gazette has chosen a Republican for every major political office except one. From the governor on down they chose corporate connected politicians from the GOP and remained true to their beliefs even when they picked Sheridan, a candidate whose connections with GM and union labor forced them to cross party lines. But besides being political opposites, this selection on their part adds another dimension to the differences most fundamental Americans like myself have with their choices. For one thing the Gazette chose Sheridan for a quality that most voters should reject in their quest to make a “smart choice.”

Sheridans odd mix of corporate politics and government representation poses a serious dichotomy for many, including myself. But I do find some relief knowing that had Sheridan been a Republican, I clearly would not vote for him regardless of his union relationship. The Gazette can’t say the same. The bottom line is they consider Sheridan’s union connection a positive influence on his sworn duty as a public servant. I do not, and that’s the big difference.

Worse yet, they decided to shift gears entirely when it came to the local county offices. Here they dropped their party-line politics completely and went with at least in their view, the candidates education, professionalism and experience. Had they used the same credential criteria and consistency for Governor and legislative offices, they would have chosen Doyle, Robson, Baldwin and Falk hands down. At least the Beloit Daily News, to their credit picked Doyle to lead Wisconsin. But like the Beloit Daily News their choices for the county offices seem driven by the desire to break down both offices to appointed positions. I would admit that the Gazette picking Spoden was a surprise after they had gone out of their way to over-emphasize his relationship to Runaas wrongdoing and misleadership and blast it on their front pages. Their choices at this level also seem designed to make a political statement and prove they are not partisan, endorsing what they perceive as the “smart choices,” or at least that’s what they want their readers to think..

Both newspapers share the same local agenda, but the similarities end there. Eventually they want to empower the county board with the responsibility of county office leadership and take away the right of the people to elect their own public servants.

So the Gazette follows the Republican platform for the governorship and all legislative offices except in the case of the wild-card Sheridan, where they chose corporate connections. At the county level, they pick in their view, educated professionals with experience. Their inconsistencies expose their motivation and make it easy to disagree with nearly all of their choices. Don’t be fooled.

A couple of months ago I thought the idea of publishing a list of endorsements would be the cool thing to do, but I’ve decided against it. People are smart enough to draw their own conclusions based on the information they see and read. I have written my support for several candidates and posted my reasons and democratic beliefs for all visitors to see. Everybody certainly has the right to choose any candidate for any reason they like and that includes newspapers. My objections to our local newspapers have been reaffirmed by their editorials, along with their carefully selected and edited news articles composed and directed to influence public opinion.

This mid-term election is very important and it’s prudent to remain consistent to your political philosophy without selling out to the special interests. Rock County is Democratic and needs to remain true blue for its own common good, this I believe. Don’t let the media or the negative ads compromise your choice’s and don’t allow the Republicans to return Rock County to the “stone age.”

Newspaper Endorsements deserve reality check

Tweet

On Nov. 1st, the Janesville Gazette editors endorsed Rep. Mike Sheridan for the 44th state assembly. I thought for a moment, “wow, this IS news, a Democrat,” but after reading the full story, their reasons became increasingly clear. Sheridan also happens to be president of UAW local 95, and it is this corporate connection that the Gazette finds highly desirable in elected public officials. Working-class Americans wanting to change the direction of our country are for the most part trying to end the nexus of corporate/government ties and corruption. So Sheridans ability to play both fields would seem to pose a moral dilemma for principled progressives and Democrats, but the difference between principled politics and Gazette principles are far apart.

Clearly, the Democrat has what it takes to be the man without his connections to the GM plant, but it is also plain to see if he weren’t the Janesville GM union leader, the Gazette would have endorsed Yoss in a heartbeat. However, it is important not to confuse the support for Sheridan as a pro-union endorsement by the paper either. Oddly, I should have sympathy for Yoss, but unfortunately he chose the wrong party platform to believe in. But here appears to be a decent guy running for office and because he has no corporate connections, he gets abandoned by his own self-serving special interests and party supporters. Way to go, Gazette!!

Less surprisingly they endorsed Dave Magnum for the 2nd District over Tammy Baldwin. And like Magnum, they chose to use the Knowlegis congressional ranking system as the centerpiece for their decision.

JG excerpt:
A recent update put her at 394. She can’t use her minority party status as an excuse because Wisconsin Democrat Dave Obey ranks near the top.

It's true that Rep. Obey is ranked in the top ten, but I get the feeling he would not use the ranking in his re-election campaigns simply because the ranking system is more an informational novelty than anything else. But at the time of Magnum's silly ads, 94 of the bottom 100 ranked were Democrats and that is a direct result of the party minority status. Baldwin is right not to take the rankings seriously and smart enough to know that an individual's rank is largely influenced by their party status. Just consider the Gazette’s editorial a week earlier when they gave their annual endorsement of Bush rubberstamp Paul Ryan.

JG excerpt:
If Republicans retain control of Congress, this rising star even has a shot at chairing the House Budget Committee, which sets the agenda for federal taxing and spending goals.

Only the Gazette can have it both ways. Why does it matter whether Ryan is a member of the majority party for this promotion to happen? Being a member of the majority party might catapult Ryan up in the power rankings according to the editors, but Tammy Baldwin has no excuse as a minority Democrat for being ranked lower? If the Democrats take the House, what will be Ryan's excuse for his sliding position in Congress? Suddenly, power ranking surveys won’t matter anymore to the Gazette editors.

Speaking of power crazy, Republican Dave Magnum crashed a Herb Kohl and Tammy Baldwin press rally. Magnum claimed he was invited by Channel 27 News, but 27 said they don’t know what he’s talking about and never invited him. Herb Kohl was commenting about Magnum’s campaign ad that quotes the Democratic senator supposedly ridiculing Baldwin rhetoric as "useless jaw-jacking." With cameras running and mikes turned on Sen. Kohl said he doesn’t know Magnum and never met him, and continued to say that his core values and views coincide with Baldwins. When Kohl left the podium, Magnum stopped Kohl by putting his hand up against his shoulder and introduced himself. They shook hands and Magnum started a rambling conversation about how they agree on some issues, or something on that order. Sen. Kohl was clearly caught off-balance and disturbed by Magnum’s interference. He quickly backed away saying “God bless you.” Here’s some unsolicited advice for Dave Magnum. Get some help – soon!