Lessons for liberals from Wisconsin
Go Ugly Early. Negative ads saved Scott Walker’s job. His campaign and its allies blasted labor unions and his opponent. They began in the gutter and wound up in the sewer—even shamefully implying Barrett was somehow responsible for a Milwaukee 2-year-old who had been beaten while Barrett was the city’s mayor. And Walker’s allies were little better. One ad by a Tea Party group attacked “labor-union mobs,” as if the peaceful labor protests of 2012 were somehow different from the spirited but peaceful Tea Party protests of 2010.
Just to bust one more myth: all that negativity didn’t discourage voting. Despite a remarkably negative campaign from both sides, turnout was 56 percent—higher even than during the 2010 general election.
Class Warfare Has Already Begun. When the PAC I advise ran ads featuring people who were laid off by Mitt Romney, the smart set gasped. “Class warfare!” they cried. Well, no. We weren’t attacking Romney for being rich but for getting rich in part by loading up companies with debt, driving them into bankruptcy, firing workers, closing plants, canceling promised health benefits, and walking away with millions for himself and his investors. But even many Democrats thought that crossed the line. Funny that the morning-show yakkers weren’t equally offended by attacks on public servants and their unions—as if our economic crisis had been caused by bargaining rights for teachers, cops, and firefighters rather than Wall Street. Warren Buffett had it right when he said, “There’s class warfare, all right. But it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.”
Blowback
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More and more it seems to me controversial is a word used that means liberals disagree and don’t like you
dentalque on June 9, 2012 at 8:36 PM
Sounds a tad jealous, to me.
OldEnglish on June 9, 2012 at 8:39 PM
He’s kidding right?
Someone please tell me he is kidding!!!
SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME HE IS KIDDING!!!
Meat Fighter on June 9, 2012 at 8:40 PM
Wow what advice…..
no political party ever does that.
CW on June 9, 2012 at 8:44 PM
Lesson 1: Don’t make assholian jackassian effwaddian fools of yourselves by tramping through the state capitol building as if you were vagrants who have never seen indoor plumbing before.
Bishop on June 9, 2012 at 8:45 PM
John the Libertarian on June 9, 2012 at 8:47 PM
Union violence
http://conservativehideout.com/2011/02/24/union-violence-in-wisconsin/
CW on June 9, 2012 at 8:48 PM
Cry me a river.
davidk on June 9, 2012 at 8:49 PM
You’re irrelevant now Begala, but we do have to give you props for giving birth to the art of digging up dirt and trash-talking in American politics.
You’re the original sleazeball. Kudos.
fogw on June 9, 2012 at 8:49 PM
No violence. None.
http://specfriggintacular.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/wisconsin-union-thug-violence-arrests-double-standards-and-hypocrisy-democrats/
CW on June 9, 2012 at 8:50 PM
Lesson: When you’re going to flee the state, flee faster and stay away longer.
Lesson: When you’re going to write fake doctor’s notes, make them faker and better.
Lesson: When you break in and occupy the capitol building, don’t leave.
John the Libertarian on June 9, 2012 at 8:51 PM
I fervently hope that all Democrats read and study Paul Begala’s sage wisdom in this article. I hope that they take this to heart and follow the advice to the letter.
These “lessons” will kill them in November.
trapeze on June 9, 2012 at 8:52 PM
denial
Dollayo on June 9, 2012 at 8:53 PM
If these are the lessons liberals actually take away, 2012 will be a conservative tsunami.
How ’bout this lesson?
If the other side wins control of House, Senate and Governorship, and then does precisely what it says it would do, don’t behave like a bunch of spoiled four-year-olds, kicking and throwing public temper tantrums and playing hide-and-seek, and then try to recall a select few senators, a judge, and a sitting governor, just because they did their jobs; but rather admit that “elections have consequences,” and then get organized and work like hell to change the results in the next election.
That’s what conservatives took away from 2006-08, and it served pretty well in 2010 and so far in 2012….
notropis on June 9, 2012 at 9:00 PM
1. Be honest.
2. Have spine.
3. Have stones.
4. Have convictions.
5. Stand by your record.
6. Don’t blame others and be accountable.
7. Put the folks first, always and foremost.
8. Show humility.
9. Work hard.
10. Don’t be snotty.
11. Don’t be a narcissist.
12. Be a leader and know economics.
Conclusion, Obama ain’t Walker.
Schadenfreude on June 9, 2012 at 9:01 PM
It seems Begala has not been paying attention.
Team Obama has already gone ugly. In fact, so has the NYT. It is not working. It has backfired. The way it is going, I hope they keep trying.
farsighted on June 9, 2012 at 9:02 PM
That is a bald-faced lie. If you listened to the ad in context (key phrase here) the beating was apparently not classified as a violent crime by the Milwaukee PD — something Barrett should, at bare minimum, have some political pull over. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (which endorsed Walker, by the way, calling Barrett “risk averse” and “slow to act”) did a report on how crime stats in Milwaukee were seemingly lowered because the nature of crimes was recorded as less severe than the actual crime (i.e., an assault was classified as something like disorderly conduct). This was chalked up to “human error” in coding of crimes but, rather ironically, none of the errors were coded as more severe than the actual crime.
And — as the Journal Sentinel endorsement said, Barrett was slow to act. Rather than demanding an investigation, taking responsibility (something Barrett said he’d do as governor), or otherwise doing what’s right…Barrett really said nothing.
If you watched the second debate between Barrett and Walker, when they talk about the crime stats…watch Barrett’s face. He is livid. If looks could have killed, Walker would have dropped dead in his seat. It hit clearly a nerve and we can speculate why.
And Walker’s allies were little better. One ad by a Tea Party group attacked “labor-union mobs,” as if the peaceful labor protests of 2012 were somehow different from the spirited but peaceful Tea Party protests of 2010.
I’d be fascinated to see how many public facilities Tea Party groups have shut down, as the labor union mobs did in Madison. I’d be curious to see how many death threats a sitting governor (and his family) and the families of state Democrats received from Tea Party groups. I’d like to know how many Tea Party members dumped beer on Democrat politicians at the local watering hole.
Hint to the media: the whole “both sides are equally violent!” and the “liberal protest are peaceful!” memes are not working.
Man, I cannot tell you all how glad I am Walker won a resounding victory over Barrett.
englishqueen01 on June 9, 2012 at 9:03 PM
Denial and projection.
Fallon on June 9, 2012 at 9:07 PM
We voted the same way we did the first time. Most people’s minds were made up. I think the protests gave us indy’s that were sitting on the fence. I also think when Walker had time for the savings to show up in schools, cities and towns that was the deal breaker. None of us knew how good they had it, and it did not win us over to see that Circus in Madison. Worse showing up a businesses that supported Walker to protest. I also think many signed those petitions under duress. Family, or co-workers shoving them in our faces, some just signed. But they went in that booth and voted for Walker.
wi farmgirl on June 9, 2012 at 9:14 PM
I wonder when did the TP cause millions of dollars in damage?
http://newmediajournal.us/indx.php/item/672
CW on June 9, 2012 at 9:18 PM
Looks like lefty delusional thinking has settled in for the long haul. Good!
Rational Thought on June 9, 2012 at 9:22 PM
Paul Begaula’s Logic as regards Wisconsin Explained
A Scientist had fifty frogs.
He lined them up at one end of his laboratory.
He then took a Cricket Bat and created a sudden noise behind the frogs after which he carefully measured the results.
In his book he wrote: ‘Frogs when startled by a sudden noise tend to jump an average of ten feet.’
He then randomly cut one leg off of each frog, he lined them up again and created the same noise with the Cricket Bat and observed the results again.
In his book he wrote: ‘Frogs with one leg cut off when startled by a sudden noise tend to jump an average of seven and a half feet.’
He then randomly cut a second leg off of each frog, lined them up again and used the Cricket Bat to create the same noise again.
In his book he wrote: ‘Frogs with two legs cut off when startled by a sudden noise tend to jump an average of five feet.’
Continuing he randomly cut a third leg off of each frog, lined them up a fourth time and using the Cricket Bat created the same noise.
In his book he wrote: ‘Frogs with three legs cut off when startled by a sudden noise tend to jump an average of two and a half feet.’
Realizing he was on to something he proceeded to cut the final leg off of each of the frogs, he then lined them up and grasping his Cricket Bat created the same noise again.
With no reaction from the frogs he continued to slam the Cricket Bat to make his noise in progressively harder strokes.
In his book he wrote:
‘The correlation is undeniable.
You can see the deterioration with each leg being removed.
Without question the final result is that with all four legs cut off;
Frogs become completely deaf.’
jaydee_007 on June 9, 2012 at 9:31 PM
Yeah, don’t change the message or policies; only the tactics. Begala is pathetic.
rickv404 on June 9, 2012 at 9:38 PM
If Begala actually believes his own BS he is suffering from willful ignorance and the self inflicted delusion that after 18 months of constant news coverage and politicking the Wisconsin electorate still did not know and understand what Walker did, what the results were, what the issues were, and what the opposition was offering as an alternative.
Begala and the Dems are trying to treat this as if it was an ordinary election. It was not. It was a RECALL election, in which the opposition campaigned non-stop against a sitting governor for 18 months. That is almost unprecedented.
farsighted on June 9, 2012 at 9:45 PM
Actually..no.
Sane policy saved Walkers job.
These leftie buffoons always thinks reality is some kind of game.
Mimzey on June 9, 2012 at 10:00 PM
They think all human behavior is conditioned and can be controlled through proper indoctrination.
farsighted on June 9, 2012 at 10:04 PM
As long as the Dems remain this oblivious, this ignorant, this dishonest, November should be a blowout for the Republicans.
Django on June 9, 2012 at 10:06 PM
The negative actions of the protesters did more to get people to vote than any negative ad anyone run. Remember the death threats? Yeah, those didn’t scare enough of the politicians but it did catch the attention of a number of voters.
Additionally- running “No one” against “Someone” only works if the “No one” has a sufficiently blank record and the “Someone” can be vilified. Unfortunately for now 3 time loser at running for the post of Governor, Tom had a record and his attempts to be as invisible when running against Walker as possible by having no ideas and trying to placate everyone failed as the 18 month attack on Walker shriveled as the results started to come in.
So basically the Democrats need to get their candidate to vilify Romney and make sure that the candidate tries his best to hide his record- good thing no one looks at the record of the current President then, huh?
Last note- the Milwaukee crime ads came out after (I think) Tom had already gotten desperate and was throwing the John Doe accusations out as far and wide as he could in his hoping something would stick flailing.
Betenoire on June 9, 2012 at 10:46 PM
Such a small brain for such a large forehead.
The Count on June 9, 2012 at 10:52 PM
Loves me some Paul Begala. He and Paul Krugman are my Black Knights in shining armor.
Kiss Kiss
lowereastside
Del Dolemonte on June 9, 2012 at 11:33 PM
FIFY. They didn’t get rich off the ones that went bankrupt, Paul.
smellthecoffee on June 9, 2012 at 11:38 PM
Paul Begala is so ’90s. Yawn.
Ward Cleaver on June 10, 2012 at 12:24 AM
When it comes to Paul Begala, “go ugly early” isn’t a piece of political advice, it’s just a fact of birth.
chapman on June 10, 2012 at 1:47 AM
I was just going to say, Paul Begala seems to be serving up the same weapons-grade denial as Krugman.
Caiwyn on June 10, 2012 at 9:21 AM
Hey Paul you mean like the day you were born?
jimfreedom on June 10, 2012 at 9:39 AM
Remember, when a liberal is speaking, you have to parse the words carefully. He was referring to the labor protests of 2012, conveniently leaving out the violent labor protests of 2011.
Odysseus on June 10, 2012 at 9:56 AM