My column for the Washington County Daily News is online and in print. Here’s a part:
In a year when frustrated Republicans are looking for an outsider to shake up Madison, Nicholson was the only true outsider and could not attract enough support to win. His withdrawal from the race was done in a smart and classy way such that we hope to see him remain a significant figure in Wisconsin Republican politics for years to come. With Timothy Ramthun still struggling to get more than 3% support, the primary election is really down to two Republican juggernauts — Tim Michels and Rebecca Kleefisch. Up until last week, all of the candidates had been working very hard to stay positive and focused on how bad Governor Tony Evers has been for Wisconsin. After pouring money into advertising with a message that is resonating with voters, recent poling seems to indicate that Michels is pulling into the lead. This has triggered a change in the campaign with Kleefisch and her surrogates beginning to take some negative shots at Michels.
[…]
What is really happening is a continuation of the generational and ideological clash in the Wisconsin Republican electorate. With support from the old Republican guard like Tommy Thompson and coming from the conventional Big Business-Republican symbiosis, Michels represents an older style of conservatism. With support from the new Republican guard like Scott Walker and coming from a grass roots with a sharper edge, Kleefisch represents the modern conservative mold. Both candidates come from established wings of the Wisconsin Republican Party that have been wrestling for supremacy for almost 20 years.
While not preordained, it is probable that whoever the Republican nominee is will oust Governor Evers and set the direction of the state Republican Party for years to come. Do Wisconsin’s Republicans want Thompson Republicanism or Walker Republicanism?
With Timothy Ramthun still struggling to get more than 3% support,
Wait, wait………
A Pubbie Leggie told me that Ramthun’s support was “spiking” following Nicholson’s exit.
You set up a dichotomy (old/new) which is intriguing.
Both are quite capable of putting boots in asses when necessary. Either will do.
Interesting how you decided to go back years&years to find some old Republicans who aren’t even very active in the party anymore in order to find those labels instead of saying anything about “Trump Republicanism”…even tho he is the face & voice of The Party.
You’re not alone in that tho. Lots of WI-Republicans seems to be distancing themselves from the former President…why is that?
Primarily because it is irrelevant to the Gubernatorial race? Owen went back to the last 2 elected Republican Governors (you can’t go less far back than that) who had quite different philosophies and Owen thinks the two remaining candidates have similar styles to the two former Governors (I am not convinced of that).
Trump is not the face of WI Republican politics that I have seen, and I would not personally agree that Trump is the national face of Rep politics.
>Trump is not the face of WI Republican politics that I have seen, and I would not personally agree that Trump is the national face of Rep politics.
He is the face of Rep politics, if you believe the MSM. If you are a conservative and don’t give a shit what a talking head on the nooz tells you, then Trump isn’t the face of anything any more.
I thought about writing about the Trump angle, but to T’s point, it’s not terribly relevant. The underlying shifts in the Wisconsin Republican electorate were happening before and independently of Trump’s emergence. Also, Trump endorses for reasons that benefit Trump. I don’t think he has much knowledge or interest of the internal dynamics of each state he gets involved in.
Excellent point. In political-time it ain’t that long ago at all.
No doubt about that at all and wasn’t trying to suggest otherwise. Just found it weird (until T pointed it out) that there wasn’t more current faces associated with the divisions within our State’s GOP.
thanks to you both for the responses and explanations.
Continuing the irrelevancy for a moment……..
Just exactly who is going to defeat Trump in the primaries, should he run?
Ramthun’s talk of decertifying the last election is a red herring at this point. How about impeaching and prosecuting officials that disregarded the law.
>Just exactly who is going to defeat Trump in the primaries, should he run?
I honestly don’t know because I do not care enough about the GOP. But I think if either side puts up another almost 80 year old, they will lose to a younger candidate. Who predicted Trump or Obama 2 years before their elections?