Ongoing investigations reveal that several of Gov. Scott Walker’s aides were doing campaign work while on the clock at the Milwaukee County Executive’s office. Kelly Rindfleisch, 43, has been charged with four felony counts of misconduct in office, and Darlene Wink, 61, has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of political solicitation by a public employee. The charges state that the two aides sent thousands of emails for political purposes while working on former Rep. Brett Davis’ campaign for lieutenant governor in 2010 and made use of personal laptops and a “secret email system.” 

The allegations have been framed as a scandal by the media and the Democratic Party. To be sure, working on a political campaign while being paid taxpayer dollars is illegal. However, these revelations of political misconduct within Walker’s office in Milwaukee, before he was governor, are clearly being used to tarnish his reputation. This is hardly surprising; Walker has been the target of smear campaigns since he took office last year. 

According to Graeme Zielinski, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, “This was a shadow government meant to further the political career of Scott Walker. All of them knew what was right and what was wrong, and they chose the crooked path.” 

Zielinski makes these allegations sound like the tip of the iceberg in a vast Walker conspiracy and also seems to be calling Walker and associates sinners for intentionally choosing to do wrong, as if he were about to launch into a fire and brimstone sermon. 

It’s hard to see how he got the idea of a shadow government out of a “secret email system” at the Milwaukee County Executive office. If that’s a shadow government, I’m not scared. It is worth mentioning that the campaign work in question was not related to Walker’s campaign for governor, but the lieutenant governor campaign that Brett Davis lost to current Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch. This makes these crimes relevant only from a moral point of view.

As a hockey player, I will take this opportunity to invoke a scene from the movie “Miracle.” In one emotionally-charged scene, Olympic coach Herb Brooks tells team captain Mike Eruzione: “You worry about your own game. There’s plenty there to keep you busy!”

I think the Democratic Party of Wisconsin could take this message to heart. They are in the position of Eruzione, about to face off against a powerful opponent, although I hesitate to compare Walker to something as communist as the Soviet hockey team.  

It isn’t enough for the Democratic Party to convince every Wisconsinite that Scott Walker is a bad person. Nor is it sufficient to collect one million recall signatures and set the recall process in motion. If the Democratic Party truly wants to succeed, then they must organize around a strong candidate that has a significant chance of beating Scott Walker in a recall election. If Democrats can’t put forward a strong gubernatorial candidate, then the petition drive was a grand waste of time and money.  

So far, the Democrats have failed to find their strongest candidate. Sen. Tim Cullen, D-Janesville, had announced his intention to run, but he is hardly the Democratic hero that fed-up Wisconsinites are looking for. In fact, in the notorious prank call in which Ian Murphy, a liberal blogger impersonating millionaire David Koch who recorded numerous candid and unseemly Walker comments, Walker refers to Cullen as “one guy that’s actually voted with me on a bunch of things,” and even remarked, “I appreciate his friendship.” Kathleen Falk, a former Dane County executive, is also running, but her track record as a Madison liberal and her recent unsuccessful attempts to run for governor and state attorney general make it unlikely that she would make a strong showing across the state. 

The most noticeable no-show in the Democratic field is progressive fan favorite Russ Feingold. Feingold is a household name and seemed the logical choice for a big name liberal candidate that would have a serious chance of beating Walker in a recall showdown. Unfortunately, Feingold has maintained that he has no intentions of running for governor, saying, “There will be a new governor in a few months, but it won’t be me.” Having a star player sitting on the bench is not improving Democratic chances in the upcoming recall election. 

With all of the Democrats’ worries in mind, when I see comments like Zielinski’s assertion that there is a “shadow government” meant to further Scott Walker’s career, it sounds like a desperate attempt to put blame on Walker and draw attention away from problems on the Democratic home front. Really, Wisconsin Democrats need to work on their own game – there’s plenty there to keep them busy.  

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