For those of you reading this blog who are not following
politics in Wisconsin – and believe me, I pay as little attention as I can - this great state which once had the
reputation of being the epicenter of clean and open government has become an
open sewer of filth, characterized by vile name-calling and narrow-minded “me
first” politics.
On both sides.
The most recent incident was late last week, when it was
announced that the John Doe probe into activities surrounding Scott Walker’s
office when he was Milwaukee County Executive has been closed, and that no
additional charges will be filed.
Apparently the Democrats had been hoping that Walker would be indicted
on criminal charges, and they were deflated to learn that those conducting the
probe closed up shop after catching a handful of Walker’s top lieutenants in a
variety of moderately serious charges, leaving Walker unscathed, save for the
perception that for the CEO of Milwaukee County, he apparently had no clue what
kind of shenanigans his senior staff was up to. (Wink wink nudge nudge.)
But, as my lawyer said to me many times in my legal battles
with my former employer five years ago, “there’s no law against being stupid”. Apparently the guv is OK with leaving that
perception.
Shortly after the John Doe probe was shut down late last
week, Graeme Zielinski, the (former) official spokesperson for the Democratic
Party of Wisconsin, let out a blast of Tweets, three of them comparing Governor
Walker with Jeffrey Dahmer.
If you don’t know who Jeffrey Dahmer was, you can stop
reading now.
Shortly after Zielinski’s blast of Tweets hit the internet,
a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reporter called my former colleague Mark Belling
–who was vacationing in Hawaii – and asked for reaction. Belling, the host of the highly rated
right-wing talk show on WISN-AM and frequent filler-inner for Rush Limbaugh on
his nationwide radio show, said “and they accuse my side of hate speech? What’s the difference between Graeme
Zielinski and Jeffrey Dahmer? Only one was found to be insane.”
Of course, my long-time friend and colleague Mr. Belling was
trying to make a clever remark to the newspaper (a remark which got a good deal
of play), but Mark apparently forgot that in 1991 a jury found Dahmer was NOT
mentally ill (I know, I know---the worst murderer and cannibal in Wisconsin
since Ed Gein) – a point which, while factually accurate, is probably not
really well-remembered by us ‘sconnies.
But this time, Zielinski’s hateful Tweets did NOT get
massive re-Tweeting. Apparently, even
the hardest of the hard-core left realized that Zielinski was in outer
space. In fact, several lefty friends
whose Twitter feed and Facebook posts I follow began to ask their fellow
Democrats to call the party headquarters (listing the phone number with their
Tweets and Facebook status updates) and say “it’s time for Zielinski to go”.
And, indeed, Monday we learned that the DPW took
action. They docked Zielinski a week’s
pay – about a thousand bucks - banned him from Tweeting - and removed him as
party spokesman, although plenty of Dems are still calling for his outright
dismissal, saying this latest flap is far from an isolated incident and should
be regarded as the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Although I doubt it, this public woodshedding of Zielinski could
be a start toward toning down the hateful rhetoric. The Republicans and their young turk, Jeff
Waksman, the mouthpiece for the Dane County Republicans whose acerbic partisan
rants (“press releases”) have caused the Party to issue formal apologies, could
take a hint and tone down their messaging, too.
Governor Walker is not Hitler, despite the signs and
placards saying that during the protests against Act 10, and he’s not Dahmer. He may not be that popular in the bluest of
the blue counties in the state, but he is the duly elected (and reaffirmed
through recall) Governor of all Wisconsin.
The Democrats can change that at the polls next time around, but comparing
him to a serial-killer cannibal is not going to win them many friends.
