Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Wisconsin's culture of corruption continues
As reported by our friends at the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign: The report on Illinois donors in trouble with the law who've contributed to the campaigns of the three Wisconsin candidates for governor that the Democracy Campaign released yesterday is the top story in the metro section of today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The Democracy Campaign is calling on Governor Jim Doyle and his Republican opponents, Congressman Mark Green and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, to immediately return the contributions and disassociate themselves from the individuals in question and the interests they represent.
So far, the candidates appear intent on keeping the tainted money. The Journal Sentinel article mentions only two of the questionable donations Green accepted, large contributions from indicted former Tommy Thompson aide Nick Hurtgen and Chicago wheeler-dealer Stuart Levine, who has been charged with 41 crimes. The newspaper asked Green's campaign manager Mark Graul if those donations would be returned, and Graul said the campaign will consider refunding the donations or giving them to charities or other organizations "if either of these gentlemen is convicted."
The article makes no mention of other donations to Green, such as one made by Joseph Cari, former finance chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who already has pleaded guilty to attempted extortion in a 2004 kickback scheme he participated in with Levine.
Walker's campaign manager said his candidate also is "going to wait for a final outcome in each of these cases" before deciding whether to refund any of the contributions. The chairman of Doyle's reelection bid said the campaign would look into the donations the governor accepted, adding: "We've returned contributions before."
To hear Ethics Board director Roth Judd tell it, record lobbying at the Capitol is a healthy sign. Judd told the Appleton Post-Crescent that when "you have more people involved, the more groups involved, you don't have one loud voice dominating the conversation" in response to the newspaper's finding that Fox Valley businesses and industry groups spent nearly $800,000 peddling influence at the Capitol.
Judd's comments demonstrate a woeful ignorance of the stranglehold a few big-money interests have on policy making in Wisconsin. Out of the more than 700 groups registered to lobby state government, just 14 account for one-quarter of all spending on lobbying.
His remarks also show how out of touch the Ethics Board has grown with citizen attitudes about the influence of special interest lobby groups and the political corruption that has accompanied their rise to predominance at the Capitol.
The vast majority of Wisconsin residents do not feel represented by either elected officials or the special interest lobbyists. Ordinary citizens have been given plenty of good reasons to feel alienated from the political process, which has sadly led to a retreat from public life by many. This withdrawal creates a vacuum in the political arena that special interests and their $200-an-hour lobbyists are willing, able and happy to fill. That, Mr. Judd, is not a healthy sign.
The Democracy Campaign is calling on Governor Jim Doyle and his Republican opponents, Congressman Mark Green and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, to immediately return the contributions and disassociate themselves from the individuals in question and the interests they represent.
So far, the candidates appear intent on keeping the tainted money. The Journal Sentinel article mentions only two of the questionable donations Green accepted, large contributions from indicted former Tommy Thompson aide Nick Hurtgen and Chicago wheeler-dealer Stuart Levine, who has been charged with 41 crimes. The newspaper asked Green's campaign manager Mark Graul if those donations would be returned, and Graul said the campaign will consider refunding the donations or giving them to charities or other organizations "if either of these gentlemen is convicted."
The article makes no mention of other donations to Green, such as one made by Joseph Cari, former finance chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who already has pleaded guilty to attempted extortion in a 2004 kickback scheme he participated in with Levine.
Walker's campaign manager said his candidate also is "going to wait for a final outcome in each of these cases" before deciding whether to refund any of the contributions. The chairman of Doyle's reelection bid said the campaign would look into the donations the governor accepted, adding: "We've returned contributions before."
To hear Ethics Board director Roth Judd tell it, record lobbying at the Capitol is a healthy sign. Judd told the Appleton Post-Crescent that when "you have more people involved, the more groups involved, you don't have one loud voice dominating the conversation" in response to the newspaper's finding that Fox Valley businesses and industry groups spent nearly $800,000 peddling influence at the Capitol.
Judd's comments demonstrate a woeful ignorance of the stranglehold a few big-money interests have on policy making in Wisconsin. Out of the more than 700 groups registered to lobby state government, just 14 account for one-quarter of all spending on lobbying.
His remarks also show how out of touch the Ethics Board has grown with citizen attitudes about the influence of special interest lobby groups and the political corruption that has accompanied their rise to predominance at the Capitol.
The vast majority of Wisconsin residents do not feel represented by either elected officials or the special interest lobbyists. Ordinary citizens have been given plenty of good reasons to feel alienated from the political process, which has sadly led to a retreat from public life by many. This withdrawal creates a vacuum in the political arena that special interests and their $200-an-hour lobbyists are willing, able and happy to fill. That, Mr. Judd, is not a healthy sign.
