Tattling, lying and temper tantrums. These behaviors are the kind you would expect from small children out on the playground.

I am appalled to say these are exactly the behaviors people across the state of Wisconsin have been reading about in the newspaper and hearing about on the news. These behaviors are those of grown men, elected to be the political voice. Sadly, voters were not aware they were electing bickering children to their Senate.

I am talking about none other than the Senate Democrats Chuck Chvala and now-ex-gubernatorial candidate Gary George.

For those of you not fully aware of the problems between these two men, let me explain. The saga began in 1997 when, after the 1996 election, Democrats held a slim 17-16 majority in the Senate. Newly-elected Senate majority leader Chvala passed over George for re-appointment as co-chair of the joint finance committee.

In response, George threw a temper tantrum over the loss of his position and threatened to vote in a Republican majority leader. Since then, the two men have not been on good terms, showing that neither is a team player.

That brings us to the present and the new scandal brought to the attention of the public regarding Chvala and George. The forging of signatures and falsification of campaign materials by the George campaign is not legal and should not be forgiven by Wisconsin voters.

However, I find the most damaging aspect of the illegal activity is that it was not just any person who brought the illegal George campaign activities to light — it was Chvala, another Democrat.

I have heard of a candidate sabotaging his opponent in order to get that opponent kicked out of the race. However, when Chvala, a non-contender, sets out to bring down the George campaign, there is reason to believe Chvala did not act for purely altruistic reasons; this sabotage was done out of spite.

Based on the past relationship between George and Chvala, you can bet that Chvala enjoyed finding a way to bring down George.

What does all this childish behavior do? It makes the Democrats look bad.

This problem of in-party fighting divides the united front the Democrats want to portray. They are simply not supportive of their cause or each other.

This scandal does another very important thing. It makes the Republican Party and the Republican candidates look stronger. There is no mention in the news of Republicans fighting amongst themselves.

Whatever differences Republicans have, they choose to keep quiet, presenting a united front and increasing their chances of winning races this fall. Republicans can forge ahead without the worry that members of their own party will set out to ruin them.

I would like to thank you, Gary George and Chuck Chvala, for showing the people of Wisconsin the type of behavior we can expect from the Democrats. Keep up the good work, gentlemen; Gov. McCallum is just that much closer to victory.

Susie Strzelec ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in psychology.