What Did Tommy Thompson Not Say When Declaring Victory Tuesday Night?

If you love Wisconsin politics, and old-fashioned, well-tested pols then there was no better speech to listen to than that of former Governor Tommy Thompson as he accepted the party nomination for U.S. Senate.

With bluster and emotion Thompson delivered remarks that I am sure made for smiles from those who have known him over the years.

What struck me, however, was not so much what he said, but what he did not say.

It was most telling what was on his mind when he made mention of the three other candidates that be competed against in the election.

Thompson noted that former Assembly Speaker Fitzgerald is a fine man and ran a most impressive campaign, and that former congressman Mark Neumann loves his country and was to be commended for his service.

But when it came time to mention Eric Hovde all that Thompson would say is that the candidate had called him.  No gracious words were given to the rich man who wanted to buy a senate seat, and had called the credibility of Thompson into question every step of the way.

I am glad that Thompson gave no fake political praise to Hovde.  The conservative businessman deserves nothing more than the thanks of the state for promising us that his political career is finished.  Thompson owed Hovde nothing in the remarks, and that is exactly what Hovde received.

Hovde ran a despicable campaign for senate, and his style makes clear that those who wish to buy an election should alway be held suspect in the mind of the voters.

Exactly What “Very Prominent Role” Will Scott Walker Have At Republican Convention?

I have been interested in what role Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will play at the Republican National Convention.  It would seem to me that the words from RNC Chair Reince Priebus of Walker having “a very prominent role” at the convention are just not true.

First, Walker was not announced with the big-name Republican governors.

When notables such as South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, and Ohio Governor John Kasich were all announced in a group there was no mention of Walker.

Second, when Walker finally got a nod for speaking he was paired in the press release with Ted Cruz, the tea-party-backed Texas Senate primary victor, and the  Puerto Rico governor.

Now with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie writing his own keynote address to be delivered to the delegates one has to wonder what was meant when Priebus claimed  Walker would have   “a very prominent role” at the convention.

With Paul Ryan on the ticket there is only room for one rising star from Wisconsin on the stage.    Walker may have wanted to be thought of as the next great conservative that could climb the ladder in national politics, but Romney had other ideas.  Paul Ryan is now the Republican from Wisconsin who matters to the party.

Scott Walker looks more and more like an asterisk at the Republican National Convention.

Perhaps those watching C-SPAN will have a chance to see Walker give a four-minute speech in the late afternoon while delegates adjust their hats and wonder who that balding man on the podium happens to be.

I wonder what it is like to have your brightest political moment in the rearview mirror?

Republican Operatives Have Great Dismay Over Paul Ryan On Ticket

The color is fading from the rose.  Democrats are smiling.

Away from the cameras, and with all the usual assurances that people aren’t being quoted by name, there is an unmistakable consensus among Republican operatives in Washington: Romney has taken a risk with Ryan that has only a modest chance of going right — and a huge chance of going horribly wrong.

In more than three dozen interviews with Republican strategists and campaign operatives — old hands and rising next-generation conservatives alike — the most common reactions to Ryan ranged from gnawing apprehension to hair-on-fire anger that Romney has practically ceded the election.

t is not that the public professions of excitement about the Ryan selection are totally insincere. It is that many of the most optimistic Republican operatives will privately acknowledge that their views are being shaped more by fingers-crossed hope than by a hard-headed appraisal of what’s most likely to happen.

And the more pessimistic strategists don’t even feign good cheer: They think the Ryan pick is a disaster for the GOP. Many of these people don’t care that much about Romney — they always felt he faced an improbable path to victory — but are worried that Ryan’s vocal views about overhauling Medicare will be a millstone for other GOP candidates in critical House and Senate races.