What is in Madison, and what I'm up to (after the jump) -
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| Cap at night on the walk home. Beautiful. But 24 feet shorter than the Texas Capitol. |
Governor Thompson
I'm working on the campaign of former Governor Tommy Thompson. Gov. Thompson is a native of Wisconsin and still lives here - he has a ranch in Elroy, WI and a house here in Madison. During his time he was known for reforming welfare, introducing school choice, and cutting taxes. After serving as Governor for nearly 14 years (a record in Wisconsin) he moved to Washington, DC to serve as President Bush's Health and Human Services secretary. During his time he helped spread several of his reforms from Wisconsin across the country while also overseeing several of GWB's initiatives. If you're curious, you can find more about his record here and see the campaign website here (website should be updated with new materials soon - being handled by Teddy here in Madison and should be pretty slick once it is completely finished - stay tuned).
Wisconsin Politics
Brief backstory about Madison and Wisconsin politics - home of the progressive movement, strong belief in activist government, strong safety nets and support for the people (check out Bob La follette for more). Fast forward to 2010 - Scott Walker (R) is campaigning for Governor and on the basis of balancing a 3Billion$ budget hole without raising taxes - no small feat. I'm sure you all read the stories about the Wisconsin Democrats running to Illinois to avoid the passage of the "Budget Repair Bill" which would make Union membership (and dues) optional and ask some public employees to pay 5% of retirement and 12% of healthcare (both way below what is paid for in the private sector). Clearly the Unions were not excited about this and descended on the Capitol here to protest for weeks and months (this should give you a good idea of what it was like). Eventually the bill passed and withstood legal challenges, but the Unions have launched recall campaigns against several state senators and Governor Walker. There are more issues to this entire process than I can cover in less than 5,000 words, so I won't even attempt to. Just know that the protestors STILL hold daily protests in the capitol during lunch. Over a year later.
I tell you the above to convey the degree to which Wisconsin politics has become polarized - Madison is not a safe zone for Republicans (thousands of "Recall Walker" signs and petitions and bumper stickers), but several of the Republican leaders in national politics have emerged from Wisconsin over the past several decades - Rep. Paul Ryan (Wisconsin 1st district), Reince Priebus (RNC Chairman), among others. Clearly they are doing something right up here to create such top level leaders who are proposing some of the best ideas in modern government.
Why I'm here
I signed up for Governor Thompson's campaign for several reasons - 1. to get involved in politics, 2. to learn from a legend, and 3. to get experience so I can return to politics when I get home. I was warned ahead of time the work would be extreme with long hours and so far that bar has been met and greatly exceeded. This is going to be one of the top 3 races in terms of competition and overall spending, so there isn't a better place for me to learn.
What I'm doing
The beauty of the campaign so far is it is a pretty small (but growing) team, so there is a lot of opportunity for me to get involved at all levels of the campaign. I have been responsible for organizing speaking opportunities for Gov. Thompson in all of the counties up here (of which there are 76). So I am working with the grass roots people in the counties to make sure we either get the Governor to all of these events or someone else to speak on his behalf. During the time I've been here I have met a group of passionate, patriotic and principled individuals who are dedicated to bringing positive change to their state, and it is incredibly moving to speak and work with all of them to assist in any small way. For most of the events which Gov. Thompson is attending I (or another staff member) travels with him to set up materials, make introductions and in general try to keep up with him. When he is in a large crowd, working the room he has an energy unmatched by anyone I have ever seen. He knows 95% of the people in the crowd, and if he doesn't know someone they still know him and somehow leave their convo as best friends. I knew he would be good, but damn, I'm still impressed. Anyways, we've had a few different events in the past month, but there are a ton of events that are upcoming that we will be traveling to, so I know the stories are just beginning. The biggest highlight came last night in Beloit, WI. Paul Ryan represents the district and was in attendence, which guaranteed there would be protesters (there were) and I knew there was a good chance I could meet him if I stayed close to Gov. Thompson. As we were leaving he was just getting there and was crouched down signing pictures. I had listened to his speech at CPAC from Friday evening on the drive down from Madison so I could be ready in case we ran into each other with a smart comment on his vision for the legislature. Unfortunately we were in a bit of a rush to leave and so the introduction was just a brief "Pleasure to meet you, big fan of your speech" and a handshake. People like Rep. Ryan are leaders who are willing to offer new ideas and he will be fascinating to watch over the next several years as he continues to do work on the House Budget Committee.
In addition to the county work I am helping around the office in any way possible - researching topics and writing up position summaries; writing, editing or researching press releases; drinking lots of beer (spotted cow is killer up here); following up with supporters and donors; and in general helping to lay the foundation for what should be a competitive primary and general election campaign. The primary isn't until later in the year, so unfortunately I won't be able to see the fruits of our labors in person, but I'm looking forward to tracking Gov. Thompson's progress via updates from the team here once I'm over seas.
Oops
So, in as brief a form as possible, this is what I'm doing. It's refreshing, frustrating, tiring, empowering, exciting, and challenging work, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
At some point this week I'll try to drop a post of the social side of Madison - but no promises. I also owe everyone a post on where I'll be in the next few weeks and months (aside from Madison), so make sure and check back.
Hope you enjoyed it
J
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