Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk is Wisconsin’s Hillary Clinton: a no-nonsense, sagacious female politician with upward political ambition, maligned ceaselessly by right-wing politicos. When I called Falk’s office to ask about a potential gubernatorial run in 2010, her political advisor reiterated a statement to the Wisconsin State Journal: “She’s not hiring campaign staff or forming a campaign committee. But I don’t think she’s closed any doors.”
Well, of course she hasn’t “closed any doors.” She is probably thinking about running; what other explanation is there for such doublespeak? And Falk should know at least one member of The Badger Herald Editorial Board would be enthusiastic about her candidacy.
This has been a tough decade politically for Falk. It began with an ambitious run for governor in 2002, ending in a third-place primary finish. In 2006, Falk successfully challenged incumbent Peg Lautenschlager for the Democratic nomination for attorney general, but lost the general election. Falk’s campaign gained energy from Lautenschlager’s drunk driving arrest, and many blamed Falk for destroying Lautenschlager’s incumbency advantage and causing Republican victory. Finally, over the past 18 months Falk has endured extraordinary criticism over the Dane County 911 Center’s mishandling of the final call from Brittany Zimmermann’s cell phone.
Criticisms of Falk are largely misplaced. On the 2006 attorney general race, I fail to see the illegitimacy in challenging an attorney general pulled over with a BAC of .12, incumbency advantage be damned. As for the Zimmermann saga, I am sick of talking and writing about it. If you still think Falk is responsible for Zimmermann’s death or has not undertaken extraordinary steps to ensure similar call center mistakes are never remade, then I defer to the now classic words of Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.: “Talking to you is like talking to a dining room table.”
Despite political turmoil, Falk has done a masterful job since 1997 managing the county budget to keep property taxes low. Dane County currently maintains a AAA bond rating, a serious accomplishment during the worst economic downturn since 1929. In a year when every Republican will depict Democrats as fiscally irresponsible, it would matter for the Democratic gubernatorial nominee to also be one of the state’s most credible fiscal conservatives.
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker will be the Republican nominee. Period. The Wisconsin State Journal reports that Tarrance Group polling shows Walker neck-and-neck with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, and defeating Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., by eight and 10 points respectively. Midterm elections traditionally favor the “out party,” since midterm voters have had two years to weigh new fears. It’s still the economy, stupid — and Walker talks about the economy better than anyone currently running.
As for Walker’s potential Democratic opponents, Barrett and Lawton: The Barrett surge is entirely explained by his intervention in a “domestic dispute” at the Wisconsin State Fair. And to anyone passionate about Lawton: She cannot be elected governor of Wisconsin. This has nothing to do with Lawton’s actual record — the state S&P bond rating remains at AA, and S&P congratulates Wisconsin for its fiscal management. But give the Walker campaign six months and Lawton will be the pariah of all concerned about government excess. Plus, Doyle was never the most creative or productive of governors. Voters may simply want a new set of faces. And this election will be won by a convincing fiscal conservative who feels like a fresh start.
Falk should be that fiscal conservative. Of the potential Democratic field, she is the only county executive, and thus the only person who can debate Walker in his own language, contrasting their accomplishments using a shared vocabulary. Republicans are bizarrely close to canonizing Walker for refusing to accept federal stimulus dollars; the false magnanimity of this gesture must not propel him to the Governor’s Mansion. Were Falk nominated, she would need to keep going toe-to-toe with Walker on fiscal conservatism, while reminding voters how out of step Walker is on their other priorities — health care reform, reproductive rights, and environmental protection (issue positions which are conspicuously absent from Walker’s website.)
It would hurt Wisconsin if a Republican were swept into office on fiscal issues alone, absent a Democratic nominee to assuage their economic fears. The majority of Wisconsinites still want a Democrat to be elected governor in 2010, and (such is politics) will still have preferred this outcome even if they don’t exactly vote for one. And yet I think people would vote for Falk. With the right campaign team and the right angle, Falk could be formidable. If you also support Falk for governor in 2010, let’s inundate her office with phone calls. Her phone is 608-266-4114; her e-mail [email protected]. On Wisconsin.
Eric Schmidt ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science.
