Race Card Politics Never Gets Old, or Does it?

During the 2008 presidential election, a journalist from the Washington Post named Spencer Ackerman tried to corral journalists from publications like Time, Politico, the Huffington Post, the Baltimore Sun,  and several others for the purpose of protecting Barack Obama from a "swirling controversy" involving his disavowed pastor Jeremiah Wright.

On a private discussion board, Acherman told fellow journalists it was time to deflect attention away from Obama by calling conservative commentators like Karl Rove and Fred Barnes racists whenever they discussed Jeremiah Wright's controversial sermons.  Important to note, their strategy wasn't about healing the racial divide, but using race a blunt instrument to secure an advantage for the Democrat Party.   

Racially Coded or Tactical Deflection?

Wisconsin Democrats and a number of others are jumping on what they believe to be a major gaffe committed by the Walker campaign.  On Monday, President Obama visited Menomonee Falls to stump for gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett.  On the same day, Scott Walker organized a rally at the Hoan Bridge drawing attention to Doyle's High Speed Rail project while running colorful ads that linked Obama and Barrett to the rail line.

Monday was supposed to be Walker's day to derail Barrett.  But while Obama was in town, campaign communications director Jill Bader forwarded a twitter post saying, "Ha!@hotairblog commenter: Pres. Obama's response to @ScottKWalker's www.NoTrain.com."  The tweet linked to a video of people in a disco, primarily African-American, dancing to a popular 90's song called "Come Un 'N Ride It (The Train).    

The Democrat Party of Wisconsin pounced on Walker calling Bader's tweet a "calculated defiance of our state's deep tradition of tolerance".  The Democrat Party's Black Caucus called the tweet a "racially coded program of division".  Chairman of the County Board Lee Holloway demanded an immediate apology from Walker calling his staffers "naive and unsophisticated".  Tom Barrett's campaign called the tweet "tasteless" and "inappropriate", adding that if his campaign was responsible for it, someone would have lost their job.

Adding to the coverage, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Eugene Kane said it wasn't in Walker's best interest to let "clueless aids send out snarky messages that could be construed as racist".  What's really going on here?  Is this about racism or about political advantage?   Well, all of the people barking share one common denominator: they are Democrats.  How would they react if a Democrat had done the same thing?   

Our Analysis

It is no secret that racially insensitive gaffes by Democrats are typically ignored while those made by Republicans are amped up by the media.  Recall Joe Biden's statement during the presidential campaign that Barack Obama was the "first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and nice-looking guy"?

This was a remarkable statement that drew virtually no criticism from any African-American groups.  Where was the Black Caucus on the issue?  Strangely, they were silent.  Where was the NAACP?  They were silent as well.

Now contrast Biden's remarks with Bader's link to a song about riding a train.  The video itself wasn't inherently racist or provocative.  In fact, there were white folks dancing in the video as well.  But if the video wasn't racist, then Democrats must be attacking Bader's motive, right?  Unless they are mind readers, their case seems pretty flimsy.

Conclusion

El Conquistador contacted Tom Barrett's campaign office to get an official response on the tweet, but thus far they have not return our calls.  However, we managed to contact columnist Eugene Kane.  Kane's column yesterday pointed out that Bader's tweet didn't seem like a coincidence.  After all, as Eugene Kane pointed out in his article,

"It would be easier to dismiss the gaffe as an honest mistake if not for the fact neither Republican candidate for governor seems to be making much effort to court African-American votes."

So unless one tries to court a community that heavily votes party-line for Democrats, gaffes cannot be excused?  Sounds like a pretty one-sided standard.  This seems to fit quite well with Kane's past statements.  When Joe Biden said Obama was the first mainstream black that was clean and articulate, Kane called it a "slip".

Unfortunately, as a society, we permit political parties to use race as a leverage point by buying into the hype.  After all, if it didn't work, people would stop doing it.  Most times, there is so much more to a person than how people perceive them.  It is my bet that if any of the people that were quick to throw stones at Jill Bader had actually met her, they wouldn't have picked up their stones up at all.     

Meet Angel Sanchez

Last week, El Conquistador interviewed Angel Sanchez, a candidate running for the 8th Assembly District located on the south side of Milwaukee.  Sanchez, the son of Mexican immigrants, is currently vying for a seat held by Pedro Colon, who announced earlier that he would not seek re-election.

To win, Sanchez must battle against fellow Democrats JoCasta Zamarripa (a Planned Parenthood Coordinator endorsed by SEIU) and Laura Manriquez (a board president of Esperanza Unida).  The winner of the primary will go up against Ramona Rivas, an Independent.

On School Choice

School Choice is an innovative program that gives children in poor communities an opportunity to receive a private school education. Since the School Choice program began, St. Anthony's School in Milwaukee has tripled in attendance making them the largest Catholic grade school in the county.  98% of the kids who attend St. Anthony's are Latino, many of which use English as a second language.  This makes St. Anthony's academic achievement all the more impressive since their students score above the national average in both reading and mathematics.

On the flip side, it is no secret that MPS is struggling.  A few years ago, their graduation rates dipped to 46%, ranking them 38th out of 50 school districts around the country.  But in Catholic schools, 91% of blacks and Hispanics in urban areas graduate.  If the School Choice program partners up with Catholic schools, it means a better education for our children.

We asked Sanchez if he supports lifting the caps on School Choice and providing school vouchers to more parents.  He said he believes the caps should be removed and that more schools outside the Milwaukee area should have the opportunity to participate.  Sanchez put it this way, "St. Anthony's has the winning recipe, so why change it?"

In this regard, Sanchez stands apart from his democrat colleagues Laura Manriquez and Jocasta Zamarripa.  Manriquez does not support lifting the cap on choice schools like St. Anthony's while Zamarripa believes that public dollars should go for public schools.  It appears that Manriquez and Zamarripa would rather Hispanic children go to a failing MPS.  It's my bet that well over a thousand Hispanic students at St. Anthony's, including their parents, would take exception to their views.      

On Obamacare

Obamacare is a term applied to a recent law passed by a Democrat-controlled Congress that experienced a rather cold reception from the nation as whole.  As of last week, Rasmussen polling showed that 60% of Americans wanted Obamacare repealed.   Among "mainstream voters", 76% favor a total repeal of the law.  Recent reports from Politico also show that White House strategists, due to a number of problems with the bill, are now abandoning their initial claims that Obamacare will reduce health care costs.

We asked Sanchez if he would support a repeal of the law.  Although he believes that all Americans should have health care, we need to be smart about how we invest in our future.   Sanchez would like to see Obamacare amended, not necessarily repealed. 

On Arizona's Immigration Law

Arizona's immigration law has been the focal point controversy in the Hispanic community.  The law provides officers the right to question people about their legal status after an arrest or a Terry Stop is made.  Sanchez believes that local law enforcement officials in Arizona should be concerned more about city ordinances than trying to enforce the nation's immigration laws.

Sanchez also believes Arizona's law is unconstitutional.  And his opinion has good support among many experts in law, including Judge Andrew Napolitano. 

Conclusion

A closer look at Sanchez' resume reveals that he has three distinct advantages over his opponents.  And with the primary less than three weeks away, it's good to have extra feathers in your cap.

First, Sanchez has the most experience in the public sector allowing him to hit the ground running when elected.  Second, he is a businessman who understands how budgets and deadlines are supposed to work, something important for cumbersome bureaucracies like government.  And third, he is an advocate for children in poor communities.  By supporting choice schools, some would say that Sanchez is best candidate in the race on issues of secondary education.

1.  Neumann is a RINO (no explanation as to why).

I'm not sure how many conservatives believe this, let alone Walker supporters, but Neumann is no RINO.  The only thing I can think of that would cause a conservative to say this is Neumann's wacky idea of increasing renewable energy by "more" than Doyle's projected goal of 25% by 2025.  And even then, it is more likely these Walker supporters were just having fun with Cindy more than anything else.  I would call this a straw man point because it is intended to create an easy win for Kilkenny.

2.  Neumann Lies about Walker (They won't ever tell you when or how)

Neumann has a history of lying, some about Walker and some about the campaign in general.

First, Neumann told a Madison reporter he heard rumors that Walker was abandoning his run for governor and taking his chances on a U.S. Senate bid.  When the reporter confronted Jill Bader, Walker's Communications Director, she said that Neumann needed a drug test.  Later, Neumann's campaign manager pinned the blame on a few junior staffers.  This happened in March.

Second, Neumann was caught lying about whether or not he would run as an Independent.  Several credible eye witnesses, including a U.S. Congressman and Republican officials said that had Neumann indicated he would run as an Independent if he did not secure more Republican support.  When challenged on Charlie Sykes's show, Neumann wiggled and eventually vowed that he wouldn't run as an Independent. This happened in April.

Third, Neumann lied about his followers being unfairly targeted and locked out of the Republican Convention.  It's strange that Neumann was unware delegates, alternates, and guests must all pay a fee to attend.  This rule applies to everyone, including his supporters.  Neumann never filed an official complaint because he knew his claim was bogus.  Hell, one of his supporters claiming to be locked out was wearing convention delegate badge.  This happened in May.

And fourth, Neumann lied about Walker's position on the stimulus position.  I will cover this in the "negative" section as it fits both categories.  This happened in June.

3.  Neumann Running a Negative Campaign (again, no specifics.  It just IS, you know.)

Here are some specifics.

First, Neumann issued a press release criticizing Walker for "severe" job losses in metro Milwaukee.  This is a specious attack because the Milwaukee County Executive has little authority and power to create TIF districts or economic incentives of any kind to attract companies or keep them from leaving.  These are important tools granted to city mayors or village presidents, not to the Milwaukee County Executive. 

Walker's authority extends to the County Jail, the Mitchell Airport, the County Zoo, the County Courthouse, and the Parks.  None of these areas provide Walker much ability to create jobs in the metro Milwaukee area.  But there are some things he can do. 

Walker can fight to cut government waste, reduce spending, and cut taxes.  On this front, however, he meets stiff resistance from the county board.  Here is where Kilkenny routinely jabs Walker supporters.  She thinks blaming the county board for tax increases is a cop out, but what she doesn't do is refute the actual claim.  Walker has vetoed every tax increase proposed by the county board.  He has no legal authority to stop tax increases when the county board overrides his vetos by a two-thirds majority.  Blaming Walker for something he has no legal authority to prevent is dishonest.  Needless to say, this was a negative attack on Walker, which happened in February.

Second, Neumann issued a press release in June attacking Walker for flip-flopping on the stimulus, which is not only a lie, but is also a negative attack.  Walker has never flip-flopped on anything regarding federal stimulus funds.  He has made it clear since January of 09 that he would accept stimulus funding if no local match was required, no long term commitments were made, and if no future operating costs were incurred.  The rationale is simple.  During a recession, taxpayers can't afford new expenditures.

Third, Neumann accused Walker for spending increases that outpaced Governor Doyle's spending during the same period.  This is also specious.

I won't delve into all of the issues since I wrote about it in "Neumann Allying with One Wisconsin Now".  It was also addressed in Klauser's letter confirming that Walker's spending was lower than Doyle's and below the rate of inflation.  Not only was Neumann's attack on Walker a distortion of facts, but it was negative as well.  This occurred in June.

And fourth, Neumann took a shot at Walker's stance on guns.  In a publicity stunt at the Straubel International Airport, Neuman brought his grandfathers rifle while blaming walker for flip flopping on concealed carry rights.  Neumann was referring to the bill Walker opposed because it was jammed through legislation at 4 a.m. without any public exposure.  Even the State Representatives who authored the concealed carry bill defended Walker (who is a hunter) saying that Neumann's attacks were "utter lies" and "ridiculous".  This may qualify as a lie, but it was certainly negative.  This occurred in June.

4. It's Walker's Time

Kilkenny is right.  This year's election is not a coronation.  When Walker supporters say that it's Walker's time, they are referring to the groundwork that Walker has laid out for the past 4 years, which includes securing the support of nearly all of the GOP leaders and activists across the state.  It's Walker's time because he is more prepared, more relevant, and has a better record of winning elections.  Quite simply, he has the best chance of beating Barrett and neutralizing his Milwaukee base.

Interestingly, Cindy Kilkenny says that the more she reviews the resumes of Walker and Neumann, the more convinced she is that Neumann is her guy.  This coming from a blogger who considered voting for Barrett because "He looks you in the eye when he talks to you".

Well at least she is willing to preview "work experience" to make her choice.  We wouldn't want eye contact to seal the deal.