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Politics, Poll, US Senate Race 2012, Wisconsin

Questions about the WISGOP Senate Race

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Public Policy Polling, a solid pollster, has a poll out today that puts Eric Hovde (28%) in the lead for the GOP Senate race, with Mark Neumann and Tommy Thompson (25%) tied closed behind.

There are two weeks to go, and these are close findings, with more campaigning and money yet to be spent.

Still, a few questions —

Could Tommy Thompson really lose this race?

Other GOP incumbents or insiders have lost seats in primaries across America, but Tommy, too? There would be another, brightly-lettered sign of profound change in the WISGOP. Despite PPP’s findings, I’d still guess that Thompson will win a close primary. Close would have been unthinkable a few years ago.

If you’re a Republican, do you really want to run Hovde against Baldwin?

I’m not a Republican, but I’d run any of the other three against Baldwin before I’d run Hovde. His long stay in Washington, his lack of prior electoral experience, and a hedge-fund background that Baldwin will target day after day will make Republicans wish for any of the other three candidates in late October.

If you’re a down-ballot Wisconsin Republican, would you rather have Romney and Thompson/Neumann/Fitzgerald or Romney and Hovde on the ballot?

Fitzgerald has lagged behind his GOP rivals, but wouldn’t he be better, for the GOP, than Romney and Hovde?

At the beginning of this year, I predicted a Romney win in Wisconsin and America, but the Wisconsin part of that predication looks likely to be wrong. Yet, there are degrees of winning and losing, and if you’re a Republican, wouldn’t you think Romney would do better in Wisconsin with Thompson or Neumann or Fitzgerald? I’m not sure why Hovde’s presence wouldn’t only intensify a WisDems attack on the GOP as a rich person’s party.

(By contrast, Paul Ryan as Romney’s vice-presidential nominee would be sure to boost GOP spirits down the ballot, as he’s particularly popular among Wisconsin Republicans. The US Senate nominee would mean far less with a Wisconsin on the ticket with Romney.)

We’ll know the slate in less than two weeks.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 8.1.12

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Good morning.

Whitewater’s Wednesday will be sunny and hot, with a high of ninety-one.

The Tech Park Board meets at 8 AM this morning.

From LiveScience.com, for the Olympic Games, here’s a video on the physics of diving:

 

On this day in 1832,

Black Hawk’s Escape Across Mississippi Blocked

On this date the armed steamboat the Warrior reached the British Band on the Mississippi where they hoped to cross the river and escape the American troops. After being guided by a Sioux Indian, the ship which held an artillery piece, dropped anchor, making the Sauk escape virtually impossible. Black Hawk attempted to surrender to the Warrior, waving a white cloth, but the crew either did not understand or did not accept the message. The ship and its men opened fire, killing a number of unprepared Indians. [Source: Along the Black Hawk Trail by William F. Stark, p. 140-141]

Google’s daily puzzle asks about a place and the consequences of being there: “Your friend from the Rooftop of the World has more of what vasodilator than you do?”

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 7.31.12

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Good morning.

Tuesday in Whitewater will be mostly sunny, with a high of eighty-eight, and north winds at 5 to 10 mph.

On this day in 1964, the Ranger 7 spacecraft took photos of the moon more detailed than ever before seen:

The Wisconsin Historical Society marks today in 1967 as one on which Lake Geneva took a courageous stand against the dissolution of our civilization:

1967 – Lake Geneva Bans Go-Go Girls
On this date the Lake Geneva city government passed an ordinance banning go-go girls, dancers in bikinis, and swimsuit-clad waitresses from working in establishments that served alcohol. [Source: Janesville Gazette]

Google’s daily puzzle asks about letters and numbers: “If you solve for the factorial of 4 and count that many places in the Greek alphabet, you’ll find a letter that literally means what?”

Law, Liberty, Local Government, Open Government

Chetek, WI bans open public comments from council meetings

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The elected representatives of Chetek, WI would rather their constituents ask permission to speak openly to those they’ve elected:

Mum is the word in a local community after the mayor removes people’s ability to come into city council meetings and openly speak their minds.

If residents of Chetek have something to say at city council meetings, they now have to get permission to be put on the agenda by the Friday before a Tuesday city council meeting.

The mayor says this new rule was adopted to save time at meetings but some say it’s violating rights.

Wisconsin law does not require that general, open public comments be provided at a meeting, but Mayor Diane Knowlton might have advocated a time-limit per resident, if her goal were (as professed) merely to limit a loquacious resident from wasting time.

That she chose a more extreme approach tells all one needs to know about her views: she’s either incapable of a more moderate solution, or simply doesn’t want comments without pre-approval.

Feel free to drop her a line, and tell her what you think, as she’s not yet developed a way to require her permission before writing: Dianne Knowlton chetekmayor@chibardun.net.

Via City bans open public comments from council meetings.

Posted originally on 7.30.12 at Daily Adams.

Crime, Law, Liberty

Oregon Man Sentenced to 30 Days in Jail — for Collecting Rainwater on His Property

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Is collecting rainwater that falls on your property a crime?  It is in Oregon:

A rural Oregon man was sentenced Wednesday to 30 days in jail and over $1,500 in fines because he had three reservoirs on his property to collect and use rainwater.

Gary Harrington of Eagle Point, Ore., says he plans to appeal his conviction in Jackson County (Ore.) Circuit Court on nine misdemeanor charges under a 1925 law for having what state water managers called “three illegal reservoirs” on his property – and for filling the reservoirs with rainwater and snow runoff.

If you doubted for even a moment that government claims too much and goes too far, doubt no longer.  Next: paying a daily use tax for sunshine.

Via CNSNews.com.

Hat tip to the Wisconsin Happy Farm for the link.

Posted originally on 7.30.12 at Daily Adams.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 7.30.12

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Good morning.

Whitewater’s week will begin with mostly sunny skies and with a high near 94.

On this day in 1965, Pres. Johnson signed Medicare into law, easily the biggest government insurance program of its kind at the time:

LiveScience.com considers the science of Olympic swimming:

Google’s daily puzzle asks about…elephants’ ears: “You’re choosing between an African and Indian elephant. Are the ears larger or smaller on the kind you can domesticate?” more >>