'The Sensenbrenner Tax' and Real ID

Last year, Wisconsin legislators raised the driver's license fee by $10 to pay for state compliance with Real ID, the national ID law authored by Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner. The fee, which raised Wisconsin taxes by $22 million, will now be used to balance the Wisconsin state budget.

Now Congressman Sensenbrenner is mad. He calls the deal, negotiated by Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch (R-West Salem) and Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker (D-Weston), a "breach of faith with the people of Wisconsin" and a "fiscal shell game."

This turn of events leaves many Wisconsin conservatives scratching their heads in wonder: Congressman Sensenbrenner purports to be a foe of big government. So why is he complaining that Wisconsin legislators aren't spending his tax increase the way he wants them to?

That's the question asked by Sensenbrenner's opponent in the Republican primary, on the Small Business Times blog, which -- besides calling the new fee the Sensenbrenner Tax -- includes a lot of reasons for both the left and right to oppose Sensenbrenner's Real ID law. Read it here.

Welcome to the real world

From the Politics Ain't Beanbag Department: A college political science prof who wanted to show the world how campaigns should work is getting a lesson in how they do. Journal Sentinel columnist Dan Bice reports:

Two Concordia University professors who launched a joint campaign this year are getting a big lesson in what happens when you mess with U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner.

It ain't pretty.

In fact, it's gotten downright nasty, with threats, name-calling and talk of backroom deals.

Clearly, this isn't how they draw it up in the textbooks.

The pair - political scientist Jeff Walz, a Democrat, and Jim Burkee, a Republican - garnered national attention with their plan to appear together and combine campaign literature in an effort to unseat Sensenbrenner, the veteran Menomonee Falls Republican.

The two said it was their goal to create a model for "what campaigns ought to look like."

But last month, Walz dropped out of the contest, leaving Burkee to go solo against the political heavyweight.

Burkee now finds himself embroiled in a heated and nasty dispute with Sensenbrenner and a big-time D.C. lobbyist.

Campaign lunacy gets green light from FEC

Professors Tweedledee and Tweedledum have gotten official sanction to raise money jointly in their campaign against Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, even though they are in opposing parties and supposedly running against each other as well as Big Jim.

The AP reports:

The Federal Election Commission has given the green light to an unusual joint fundraising plan by two candidates from different parties who hope to knock off Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.

On Thursday, the FEC approved an advisory opinion that lets Democrat Jeff Walz and Republican James Burkee raise money together as part of their plan to campaign with each other and combine promotional efforts.

The two Concordia University professors told the FEC they wanted to form a joint fundraising committee, which would serve as a "clearinghouse" for contributions. Those contributions would be equally divided between the two candidates' campaigns, although donors could contribute to only one candidate if they choose.

The candidates also said they want to split the cost of joint campaign and fundraising activities equally, including personnel expenses. Solo campaigning by one of the candidates, however, would be funded solely by that candidate's campaign.

"The commission concludes that the Burkee Committee and the Walz Committee may engage in joint campaign and fundraising activities as proposed," said the advisory opinion, which was unanimously approved by the FEC.

Messages left with the campaign office of the two candidates were not immediately returned Thursday. Sensenbrenner's office declined to comment.

Walz, a political scientist, and Burkee, a historian, have worked together in recent years as speakers and commentators. Their goal, they have said, is to show what elections should look like, with an emphasis on decency, cooperation and collaboration. They say they will avoid personal attacks and refuse special interest group money.

So this is how they think campaigns should work.

The trouble is, as I've said here before, is that campaigns are supposed to be about drawing distinctions between the candidates, not blurring their differences.

If it doesn't matter who wins, why would anyone give either of them any money, let alone both?

Democrats need a seriouscandidate, not a sideshow

(DISCLAIMER: I am a contributor, not the operator, of this blog, so these opinions are not necessarily those of the management.)

Yesterday, we noted that two professors, one Democrat and one Republican, say they are going to run a joint campaign for Jim Sensenbrenner's Congressional seat. We called the idea wacky.

Today, The NY Times takes note, treating it semi-seriously.

But lest there was any doubt this is a gimmick, which will be good for some media attention but have nothing to do with any serious chance of defeating Sensenbrenner, here's some of the Times story:

In a show of bipartisan comity rarely, if ever, seen before in congressional politics, Burkee and Walz will launch a joint campaign Web site at Burkeeandwalz.com and produce joint advertising, bumper stickers and yard signs...

Although only one of them can be elected to Congress, Burkee and Walz discuss their joint campaign in terms of what would happen if “we” win. They said they would continue teaching at Concordia as they served the district’s constituents, bringing back the idea of citizen legislators instead of career politicians...

Seniors from Concordia University and the University of Wisconsin will staff the campaigns...

Gary C. Jacobson, a professor of political science at the University of California San Diego and an expert in congressional elections, said he is not aware of such an arrangement in any past congressional elections, and gave the candidates slim chances in the general election.

“It’s a gimmick that will get them some attention but ... I don’t see how they could possibly expect to win,” Jacobson said..

Then there's this:

The idea for the run came out of a series of lectures Burkee and Walz undertook during the 2004 presidential campaign. The two professors, supporting their respective parties’ presidential candidates (Bush for Burkee and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry for Walz), conducted a series of self-moderated debates around the district to help educate voters about major issues.

Ah, yes, who can forget those exciting Burkee-Walz debates of 2004? Does anyone have any recollection of that, except the two participants?

Their first "debate" of the Congressional campaign may interest the news media, but after that they'll have to set their hair on fire to get any coverage.

If no other Democrat enters the race, Walz will be the Dem nominee. Burkee is not going to beat Sensenbrenner in a GOP primary. Come general election time, without his "running mate," what is Walz's plan to beat Sensenbrenner one-on-one? Do joint yard signs with Big Jim? Run joint TV commercials? Don't think so.

Here's hoping, once again, that a serious Democratic candidate -- one who wants to run a real campaign and try to win, even in this heavily Republican district -- gets into the race.

The voters deserve better than a sideshow.

UPDATE: I added a little more explanation and commentary on Daily Kos post.

Sensenbrenner gets bipartisan opposition

This seems more than a little wacky, with two professors seemingly wanting to test their academic theories about what kind of campaign voters want.

Be that as it may, two professors -- one Dem, one Repub -- have announced they will run in tandem for Sensenbrenner's Congressional seat next year.

Sigh.

That may well be enough to keep out any serious challenger.

Ken Mobile has more.