Less Than Compelling

First off, I have to call "BS!" on both of the political parties in this argument over which set of unemployment numbers is "more accurate".  For three and a half years the Republicans have been using the initial unemployment estimates to show how "President Obama's Economy is hurting Wisconsin."  Now that the numbers show job losses--the GOP says that report is "wildly inaccurate" and that the revised state report is the one to trust.  Meanwhile, for years Democrats used the revised state report to claim that "Wisconsin was doing better than the rest of the country under Jim Doyle's leadership".  But now that the numbers can be used to Governor Walker's advantage--someone is "cooking the books".  To first tout statistical reports for telling the "real story"--and then trying to discredit those VERY SAME REPORTS when they don't favor your political agenda is disingenuous to say the least.

In a related matter....

When we got past the primaries this month, I thought we would really see recall campaigns begin.  I thought the Democrats and their supporting political action committees would come out the with ads and talking points making a compelling argument for why a sitting governor should be removed from office in the middle of his term.  Instead, all we've had for two weeks is the same rhetoric that we've come to expect from the regular elections.

A recall is an extraordinary event--and voters want to hear extraordinary arguments for why they should fire someone in the middle of a job.  "The state has lost (or gained--see argument above) "X" number of jobs over the past year" is going to be your main argument?  Better get recall papers ready against 12 other governors then--some of them Democrats.  "He has divided the state" is another reason?  Some of us welcome actual political discourse rather than the political disconnet we went through in the post-Watergate 1970's.

Look at the recall of California Governor Gray Davis.  Republicans gave voters two compelling arguments to give him the boot.  1--The state was literally bankrupt and unable to keep its offices or the schools open for five days a week.  Kind of a primary function of the government itself--and if you can't accomplish that, you deserve to go.  2--Arnold Schwartzenegger is a movie star (a sure-fire reason for your vote in California).

So c'mon Wisconsin Democrats, give us that extraordinary, compelling reason to take the historic step of removing a sitting governor and lieutenant governor.  Based on the latest polls, at least half of us are waiting.