Top ten reasons Larry Nelson won on tuesday...
The local blogs are filled with theories and jokes trying to explain away the suprise result of tuesday's election. Some are valid, while others border on the insane. So in my best David Letterman voice, I give you the top ten reasons Larry Nelson is the next mayor of Waukesha.
10. Larry Nelson is a fantastic and tireless campaigner. His enthusiasm and optimistic view of Waukesha even impressed Dean at Musings.
9. Nelson absolutely destroyed Nischke in the forums. Even the presence of Jeff Wagner couldn't level the playing field.
8. The campaign turned in the last ten days and Nischke had spent all her money. As James Wigderson pointed out, while the editorials for Nelson rolled in and the publicity stunts (live sign-holders) started working, Nischke's campaign was in debt.
7. Nischke was constantly on the defensive. Her flip-flop on the size of the council never really ended, with her last few mailings still touting the idea. Her strongest lit piece was on Nelson's aldermanic record but she never really explained what her vision for Waukesha was.
6. The teacher variable. With 30 years of teaching under his belt, one can only guess at how many voters have sat in Mr. Nelson's classroom or met with him at conferences. His ability to speak in front of a crowd was a real benefit as well.
5. Waukesha hasn't had an outsider elected Mayor in at least 15 years. Lombardi, Opal, Vrakas and LaPorte all came from the Aldermanic ranks.
4. The conservative base stayed home. Others have suggested that they took the win for granted. I disagree. I'm not so sure that Ann has rock solid support from the base. There are rumblings from her time at the Waukesha YMCA. Some question her leadership at the Chamber. It wasn't passiveness, it was apathy.
3. The Waukesha County Republican Party has lost it's political power in Wisconsin. I'll wait while you get over your laughing fit... but it is true. Schober, Davis, Engeleiter... Farrow, Huelsman, Rosensweig... Dreyfus...These names, to the politically astute, bring memories of control, effectiveness and independence. They were leaders in their time who helped shape the direction of our State. The resignation of Scott Jensen brought an end to that era. We are now represented by the many faces of John Gard and Charley Sykes. Do what the bosses say even if it isn't in the best interest of your district. Show an independent streak and you'll find yourself in a primary (Rosensweig) or simply harrassed out of office (Huelsman). Now we're left with a bunch of second-rate politicians that are the Republican version of Jerry Klezcka. Take orders, do nothing and stay in office. Meanwhile, the future of the State is decided somewhere between Sun Prairie and Pestigo. The County is still conservative enough that you can throw an empty suit in an election and win it. The City, however, is apparently not.
2. History does repeat itself. Is this really that big of a suprise? When was the last time a conservative was Mayor of Waukesha? Carol Lombardi is certainly no conservative and probably leans more left than anything. Carol Opel was clearly a Democrat. Even the irrepressible Paul Vrakas seemed to me to be much more moderate than his son. It's been 20 years, folks. Why did we expect anything different?
1. In the end, it had to be the bookmarks...
10. Larry Nelson is a fantastic and tireless campaigner. His enthusiasm and optimistic view of Waukesha even impressed Dean at Musings.
9. Nelson absolutely destroyed Nischke in the forums. Even the presence of Jeff Wagner couldn't level the playing field.
8. The campaign turned in the last ten days and Nischke had spent all her money. As James Wigderson pointed out, while the editorials for Nelson rolled in and the publicity stunts (live sign-holders) started working, Nischke's campaign was in debt.
7. Nischke was constantly on the defensive. Her flip-flop on the size of the council never really ended, with her last few mailings still touting the idea. Her strongest lit piece was on Nelson's aldermanic record but she never really explained what her vision for Waukesha was.
6. The teacher variable. With 30 years of teaching under his belt, one can only guess at how many voters have sat in Mr. Nelson's classroom or met with him at conferences. His ability to speak in front of a crowd was a real benefit as well.
5. Waukesha hasn't had an outsider elected Mayor in at least 15 years. Lombardi, Opal, Vrakas and LaPorte all came from the Aldermanic ranks.
4. The conservative base stayed home. Others have suggested that they took the win for granted. I disagree. I'm not so sure that Ann has rock solid support from the base. There are rumblings from her time at the Waukesha YMCA. Some question her leadership at the Chamber. It wasn't passiveness, it was apathy.
3. The Waukesha County Republican Party has lost it's political power in Wisconsin. I'll wait while you get over your laughing fit... but it is true. Schober, Davis, Engeleiter... Farrow, Huelsman, Rosensweig... Dreyfus...These names, to the politically astute, bring memories of control, effectiveness and independence. They were leaders in their time who helped shape the direction of our State. The resignation of Scott Jensen brought an end to that era. We are now represented by the many faces of John Gard and Charley Sykes. Do what the bosses say even if it isn't in the best interest of your district. Show an independent streak and you'll find yourself in a primary (Rosensweig) or simply harrassed out of office (Huelsman). Now we're left with a bunch of second-rate politicians that are the Republican version of Jerry Klezcka. Take orders, do nothing and stay in office. Meanwhile, the future of the State is decided somewhere between Sun Prairie and Pestigo. The County is still conservative enough that you can throw an empty suit in an election and win it. The City, however, is apparently not.
2. History does repeat itself. Is this really that big of a suprise? When was the last time a conservative was Mayor of Waukesha? Carol Lombardi is certainly no conservative and probably leans more left than anything. Carol Opel was clearly a Democrat. Even the irrepressible Paul Vrakas seemed to me to be much more moderate than his son. It's been 20 years, folks. Why did we expect anything different?
1. In the end, it had to be the bookmarks...
posted by jyd at 1:38 AM
1 Comments:
it had to be the bookmarks...
Definitely.
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