The Obvious Unasked Questions

Since it is State Budget time and all, I was just wandering around the state's various websites for pending legislation, the Joint Finance Committee's website, and the LFB's website. And I just couldn't find it.

So the 'obvious unasked question' is...

Where the hell is the Joint Finance Amended Budget? It's been eight days since they passed it out of committee. Why hasn't the public seen it yet?

It has been over a week since the all-night session after all.

Just asking.

The School Money Vote

See who truly cares about the kids, and who wants to be WEAC toadies. Roll Call's here, total was 70-27. More than enough to override a veto if the Senate ever takes action.

Good to see that grand Progressive Humanitarian Mark Pocan of Madison voted No. Pity he can't blame John Gard on this one.

(He's got to miss no longer having that excuse...)

Wake Me When the Dems Admit They've Lost

Amazing what one election will do huh?

Oh, I'm sure you're thinking of 2006 aren't you? I mean it was 2006 that gave the Democrats the State Senate, that kept Doyle in the Governor's Mansion, and made Mike Tate more than a just guy with a .000 political batting average.

(In reality, Tate is still a guy with a .000 political batting average, but was wise enough to flip an issue tailored to Republican's advantage against them by getting college kids out to vote in an off-year election. Now he's just hoping no one asks him how ACT did its accounting in 2004 here in Wisconsin.)

The GOP got its head handed to it in 2006, gosh darnit, and they are paying for it no doubt. Too bad the Democrats are still kicking themselves for 2004.

"What?" You say. That was a political lifetime ago. And besides, Democrats won Wisconsin in 2004.

Oh did they?

In actually, while the state's electoral votes went to John Kerry and Russ Feingold was re-elected, the GOP gained seats in the State Legislature. A net gain of one in the Assembly, and a gain of one in the State Senate.

It's the second one that's having the ramifications now. Because the loss of the 32nd State Senate District - the Greater La Crosse area - the Senate Democrats went from having the usually competent Jon Erpenbach of Middleton, Chuck Chvala's true heir, as their leader, to Beloit's Judy Robson.

For lack of a better term; Robson is an idiot. Heck, she's not just an idiot, she's a horrible strategist, a lousy negotiator, and a border-line crack pot.

Oh, she's a nurse too.

Having Robson leading these negotiations over Erpenbach is a godsend to legislative Republicans. Erpanbach's history is in sales (Reality) and he can B.S. with the best of them. It seems the only thing he can't sell is the idea of Retirement to Jim Doyle.

Looking at all this from D.C., it seems a lot of things are going on. The first is Robson's and Erpenbach's money (literally their own money) was poorly spent. The idea that "Healthy Wisconsin" is a political winner for them is poor math. They gleefully keep slapping it down on the table thinking they're putting Mike Huebsch and Scott Fitzgerald in a corner; when all they get in return is blank stares.

Already the writing is on the wall that they've over-played their hand on this one. Their lack of a serious committee hearing and debate on the plan shows it was poorly thought out and muscled through their caucus. They've let it drift in the wind defending "the principle" while the details have been teared apart one by one by Republicans, the media, and conservative think tanks. Finally, they drafted a plan they had to have known the Governor wasn't on board with, but kept pushing it anyway.

What they're left with is an anchor they themselves have placed on the budget conference. One so big, it doesn't just wear down the process; it's left them politically boxed in between having to kill Healthy Wisconsin themselves (something a well-read liberal blogger's now urged). Or even worse; they force their own governor to veto it out of the budget, thus facing the wrath of his own party's political base.

Hell, if nothing, the always reliable liberal barometer that is One Wisconsin Now quit urging for socialized health care on a regular basis last week should say something. All the "Healthy Wisconsin" train has tied left to it are the Alliance of Cities and the diehards like Jack Lohman and the bill's authors.

One only wonders what going on behind closed caucus doors?

Secondly, you can't help but laugh at the countless political opportunities Doyle and the usual flock of patrons at the public trough are handing Democratic conference members to only see Robson fumble the ball over and over again.

Take for example this past week. Doyle spends taxpayer resources flying from metro-center to metro-center posing for holy pictures with local superintendents and demands the budget passed so his trump card - K-12 education - gets money. Robson responds by opening up the next budget conference session with...renewable energy investment.

When asked by the other side about its K-12 plan, the Democrats say "it's being work out." Yeah, behind the scenes. To add another insult to Robson's political IQ; a subset of rogue Republicans are saying "Just pass the school money seperately," giving the impression that members of the party usually charged with trying to burn down schools cares more this time around while Democrats care more about a universal health care plan than the state's school kids.

Opportunity given; opportunity wasted.

Of course, Doyle's own little stunt with the Medicaid monies is nothing new. The only thing that differs this time around is he got caught before any real voting occured.

Expect more scare tactics with a willingly media passing them on to everyone.

Finally, what's going to make this upcoming defeat; and it will be a defeat since it's Democratic demands for a $15 billion program that's really slowing things down, so striking is that it appears from the outside Wisconsin Democrats hold all the cards. They have the Governor's office, the State Senate, the media rooting for passage of something and soon, the usual lot of advocacy and liberal groups demanding more money with their own press machines, and most powerfully -- the potential threat of an Assembly takeover next year.

All of these should be a hand of five aces. Instead, all they've shown so far, is a hand of five jokers.

This then...Explains Much

One question that many a reporter was having last week (not to mention WisPolitics) was why the State Senate Democrats threw in a provision about wine distributors.

Ya see, what this amendment (See Pg. 4) would do is still protect the three-tier distribution system for alcohol (Producers to Wholesalers to Retailers). It stops wineries from selling directly to retail stores and restaurants, thus bypassing tier two.

It would force individual vineyards in and outside the state, to get a permit, on an annual basis no less, to distribute on their own; which could end up costing them thousands in profit.

Basically, the amendment only benefits one group -- Distributors of wine who have a statewide network. There are roughly only a handful in Wisconsin.

Critics said this amendment, which barely was debated before it was voted upon, was a payback for campaign contributions.

The critics may have just been proven right.

MADISON, Wis. -- Employees of a beverage wholesaler made campaign donations to members of the Democratic-controlled Senate before that chamber approved a budget amendment that will help its business in Wisconsin.

Two employees of Madison-based General Beverage Sales Co. gave at least $12,495 to the campaigns of eight Senate Democrats and the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, campaign finance records show.

That includes $350 to Sen. Russ Decker, D-Weston, who backed the amendment to stop wineries from selling products directly to retailers and require them to hire distributors such as General Beverage instead.

The company officials -- Frances Weinstein and Joel Minkoff -- also donated to Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson and four freshmen whose victories flipped Senate control back to Democrats last year, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which tracks campaign donations.

The amendment approved last week would protect General Beverage's market in Wisconsin. The company is one of the few wine distributors with statewide reach with operations in Madison, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Little Chute, Menomonie, Chippewa Falls and Barron.

Critics have argued the amendment, which was introduced just hours before Senate Democrats approved it in the $66 billion two-year state budget, was a favor for politically connected distributors.

"I don't see that there's a public policy reason for this other than rewarding your friends," said Bill Nelson, president of WineAmerica, a trade association representing U.S. wineries opposed to the plan.

In a "it's a small world" moment for Wisconsin bloggers, Decker's press flack is none other than Carrie Lynch, who was once the writer of "What's Left?" at WisPolitics.

Pardon me if I don't buy the spin she's cycling.