My column for the Washington County Daily News is online. I’ve been waiting a long time to be able to cast a vote for Leah Vukmir (I don’t live in her district). Here you go:
There is still a little time for additional candidates to jump in, but it looks like there will be two Republicans vying for the right to challenge incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Republican primary voters will choose between Kevin Nicholson and State Sen. Leah Vukmir on Aug. 14. I will be delighted to cast my vote for Vukmir for the first time in her storied political career. It isn’t even a close call.
Vukmir is a career registered nurse who was compelled to run for the Wisconsin Assembly in 2002 with a passion for education. It is a passion that has never diminished. Vukmir has been a staunch advocate for education reform and school choice throughout her time in office. In 2006, she almost single-handedly rescued the expansion of the Milwaukee School Choice program by battling other Republicans to get it passed.
For the past 16 years, Vukmir has been at the epicenter of Wisconsin’s conservative movement pushing for smaller, more efficient, more effective government. In 2010, Vukmir was elected to the State Senate as Scott Walker was elected governor. Vukmir has been a powerful ally of Walker in Wisconsin’s conservative revolution. She voted to expand the exercise of our gun rights. She voted for tax cuts. She voted to protect the unborn. She voted for welfare reform. She voted for cutting back regulations. She fought for right-to-work even when many of her fellow Republican legislators opposed it. She pushed to end the corrupt Government Accountability Board.
Amongst her lengthy list of conservative accomplishments, Vukmir singles out her steadfast advocacy for, and defense of, Act 10 as one of her proudest achievements — and rightfully so. Act 10 was transformative for Wisconsin and faced a withering onslaught from entrenched special interests. Vukmir stood firm in the Legislature and in public.
Beyond Vukmir’s very public actions, she has also been tireless in supporting conservatism behind the scenes. For years, it has been common to find Vukmir working in Republican offices around the state helping get other conservatives elected. She has always been willing to show up and do the grunt work of working the phones, stuffing envelopes, or whatever else was needed to move the ball forward.
The reason it is easy for conservatives to supportVukmir is because she is one of us. She has been one of us for decades and has been a leader in the Wisconsin conservative movement. Furthermore, she went to Madison with her conservative beliefs and has been an effective leader who advanced mountains of conservative legislation into law. It is not an exaggeration to say that Vukmir has been one of the most important conservatives in Wisconsin in the past 20 years.
Nicholson also touts his conservative beliefs. After years of being a paid activist liberal Democrat, Nicholson went to war and returned a conservative. In 2002, when Vukmir was first elected to office as a conservative, Nicholson was still being paid to work for Democratic candidates in Minnesota. In 2005, the year before Vukmir helped save the Milwaukee School Choice program, Nicholson was living in North Carolina as a registered Democrat. Nicholson’s parents have donated to Baldwin’s campaign.
One must take Nicholson’s battlefield conversion to conservatism at face value. Certainly, many people have made the transition from liberal to conservative as they gain the wisdom that comes with age and experience. I welcome Nicholson into the conservative movement with open arms. We have a big tent. But now Nicholson is running for one of Wisconsin’s two seats in the United States Senate and he does not have any actual track record of conservative achievement to evaluate.
So far, Nicholson has proven to be an articulate spokesman for conservatism, but only since he began running for the U.S. Senate. Where was he during the battle for Act 10? Where was he when the Wisconsin Legislature was passing concealed carry? Where was his advocacy for the rights of the unborn? Where was Nicholson when Republicans were battling over right-towork legislation? Where was he when Republicans were cutting taxes? Where was he when liberals were protesting Walker and Republican leaders? Where was Nicholson when school choice was being expanded statewide?
I don’t know where he was. I know exactly where Vukmir was. She was right in the thick of it.
I am eager to cast my vote for Vukmir because she is an effective, proven, conservative leader. We need more of those in the U.S. Senate.
As always Owen, you have the right candidate pick!
Isn’t Vukmir the one who stonewalled open records requests and then said she couldn’t be sued while in office?
https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2016/11/08/murphys-law-the-legend-of-leah-vukmir/
Kevin Nicholson appears to be running for one reason: Kevin Nicholson.
“Nicholson is playing to a perceived strength by attacking Baldwin’s poor handling of a Veterans Affairs scandal in Wisconsin, but when I ask him about the VA accountability bill that Trump signed into law this summer, Nicholson admits to not knowing the details.” – https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/09/22/kevin-nicholson-wisconsin-republican-senate-2018-former-democrat-215631
While his “enlightenment” may be authentic, lack of political evidence of it, and trying initially to make off with a very large slice of political pie certainly in my eyes makes his candidacy suspicious.
As if Bruce Murphy is anywhere close to objective reporting….
k:
You are the last person on earth that should comment on someones objectivity.
Looks like Vukmir is less than willing to play by the rules, and is pretty cavalier with the taxpayers $$.
“Vukmir settled the suit in 2014 and agreed to pay $12,500 in lawyer’s fees and $2,500 in punitive damages — money the taxpayers supplied — and turn over e-mails from her personal account she had withheld.”
Nord,
I don’t claim to be objective. I am an unapologetic Evangelical conservative who believes in America’s greatness.
I oppose those that spend time that tear Christianity and America down.
Bruce Murphy will never be transparent about his liberalism.
>Vukmir led the effort to eliminate the nationally acclaimed non-partisan Government Accountability Board with one controlled by legislative leaders.
This statement right here spotlights the authors liberal bias. It’s been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the GAB was politically biased and the shame of Wisconsin to the rest of the nation.
You say you aren’t objective, but are more than willing to pass judgement on others. Wow…
“It’s been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the GAB was politically biased”. Well, let’s see the proof.
Nord,
Well…no kidding. Passing judgement on the actions of others is how we determine good and bad.
You act like you do not pass judgment.
That is why I am transparent. I disclose what I consider good and bad. I don’t suffer from the liberal disease of moral relativism.
What did Murphy get wrong?
Another on topic post:
Two Prostitutes and a Police Officer Two prostitutes were riding around town with a sign on top of their car which said: “Two Prostitutes — $50.00.” A policeman seeing the sign stopped them and told them they’d either have to remove the sign Or go to jail. Just at that time, another car passed with a sign saying: “JESUS SAVES.” One of the girls asked the officer, “How come you don’t stop them?!” “Well, that’s a little different; the officer smiled “Their sign pertains to religion.” So the two ladies of the night frowned as they took their sign down and drove off. The following day found the same police officer in the area when he noticed the two ladies driving around with a large sign on their car again. Figuring he had an easy bust, he began to catch up with them when he noticed the new sign which now read: “Two Fallen Angels Seeking Peter — $50.00.”
Unless someone has been spending time on NASA’s New Horizon probe almost any news source will do.
It was the snarky way he made a literal non-issue sound like a triple homicide.
It was a liberal lynching.
It was anti-woman by a liberal angry white man.
>Well, let’s see the proof.
TROLL!!!!