In the unprecedented political situation which we find ourselves today, it is hard
to ignore the parallel plotlines playing out on the state and national level. On the national stage, there is
the fiercely competitive Republican primary, in which Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney seem to be taking
the lead and gearing up for a final showdown. The grand prize, obviously, would be the chance to oust
incumbent Barack Obama.

I think late night legend David Letterman summed up the situation most succinctly when he quipped that Newt Gingrich would be the first president ever to be named Newt, and Mitt Romney would be the first ever named Mitt, and that while Newt is clearly short for Newton, Mitt is clearly short for Mitten. I digress.

Here in Wisconsin, the forces are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. The signatures
are in and the Democratic Party is gearing up for a never-before-seen recall election that threatens to
oust Gov. Scott Walker and numerous members of the state Congress.

Two Democrats have
stepped forward and announced their candidacy for the gubernatorial recall election – Senator Tim
Cullen, D-Janesville and former Dane County Executive Kathleen
Falk. Both of them
have considerable experience in government and public service: Falk as the longest-serving Dane County
executive in the county’s illustrious history and Cullen as a former Senate Majority Leader and secretary
of Health and Human Services.

Falk is a strong environmental advocate, eager to speak out on the controversial mining
legislation that has been passed, and she has a good reputation in Madison. Cullen’s public service
work on the Janesville School Board and the Committee on Education as well as his business background
make him an ideal candidate for the imminent recall election. For the past year, funding cuts for public
schools and teacher bargaining rights have taken center stage in the budget debate, and it is safe to say education will be a prominent issue in the upcoming campaign.

After his stint as a state senator in the 1980s, Cullen spent 20 years in the private sector, which
makes him a strong candidate for an election that will certainly focus on the economy. At the
Capitol, a piece of legislation doesn’t stand a chance in hell of being passed unless it is framed in a “jobs sandwich,” which means the bill is proposed in the following format – “Job Creation, the name of the
bill, Job Creation.”

If the bill is introduced in a proper “job creation sandwich,” the state congressman
or congresswoman who proposed it gets a $20 gift certificate to TGI Fridays and a pat on the
back, and the bill is passed with a chorus of approval – or at least that’s my understanding of the past six months
of Capitol politics. At the Capitol, as former President Bill Clinton said, “It’s the economy, stupid,” and Cullen’s business
experience will allow him to weigh in on matters of job creation during his campaign.

The comic irony, if this election does end in a faceoff between Cullen and Walker, must be the
way Walker described Cullen after the famous Koch prank call. Last February, Buffalo Beast blogger Ian
Murphy impersonated millionaire David Koch and elicited some candid and unseemly comments from
the governor.

During the conversation Walker referred to Cullen as, “one guy that’s actually voted with me on a bunch of things,” and even remarked, “I appreciate his friendship.” However, he went
on to say, “he’s not an ally, he’s just a, he’s just a guy,” and “… he’s not there for political reasons,
he’s just trying to get something done. … He’s not a conservative. He’s just a pragmatist.”

It is unclear whether Walker’s description of Cullen as a collaborator across the aisle will tarnish
the Democratic candidate’s reputation, or work in his favor because it essentially amounts to an
admission on Walker’s part that Cullen is a competent adversary. Some of Walker’s description
of Cullen sounds like a flat-out endorsement. Either way, if the Democrats want to make this recall
election count, they will back Cullen. He’s the only candidate with a serious chance of ousting
Walker.

Besides, it would be a perfectly dramatic finale if Walker’s unwitting endorsement of Cullen
came back to haunt him in the end. It would be the proper Shakespearean end to a Shakespearean year
of Wisconsin politics.

Charles Godfrey ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in math and physics.