Tammy Baldwin

In an August meeting with the Journal Sentinel, Tommy Thompson was asked if he supported Eric Hovde's plan to extend the solvency of Social Security by cutting benefits for the wealthy, (AKA means testing).  Thompson responded, "I'm not ready to go into means testing Social Security," but that he would be willing to cut the benefits of the lower and middle class wage earners by changing the Social Security indexing to actual earnings:   

In a heated exchange at an August Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board meeting, reporter Dan Bice told U.S. Senatorial candidate Tommy Thompson that he had devolved from a "pragmatist" to an "ideologue" and asked when he made the change: 

A few quick notes on today:

• Early in-person voting starts today in Wisconsin.  You might want to think about trooping on down to your local office (details at http://gab.wi.gov/voters/absentee on the whole process).  Early Voting parties sprung up around the state this morning as people went out to be among the first to vote.
• Last night a twit-storm broke out as #wiright trolls gleefully posted that the shooter in yesterday's mall mass murder had signed the Walker recall petition. Even as someone who believes all things are in essence political, I'm ashamed to share the state with people who will attempt to politicize the actions of a sick individual, and the deaths and injuries of multiple innocent victims.

A group called CitizenLink is up with an internet ad that coyly asks "Why doesn't Tammy Baldwin support the sanctity of marriage?"

A not so subtle reminder that Baldwin reallllllllly supports gay marriage... cuz, well, you know.

CitizenLink, which is an affiliate of James Dobson's Focus on the Family, apparently didn't get the memo that the last thing that Tommy Thompson wants to talk about is the sanctity of marriage.

Road to perditionJeff Fitzgerald is only the latest example of the old maxim that one man's trash is another man's treasure. The measure in this case being legislative success.

Fitzgerald, Wisconsin Assembly Speaker and candidate for the GOP's US senate nomination, last month dissed Tammy Baldwin, the Democratic nominee for Senate. He said that over her seven terms as a member of Congress, she "only" sponsored 105 bills, with just three of those enacted into law.

Tammy Baldwin has hired an experienced campaign manager with good national connections.

The best news in the Roll Call story may be this:

Karin Johanson is taking leave from her position as a principal at the Dewey Square Group and is headed to Milwaukee as soon as she lines up office space in the area.

That's a smart decision. Statewide campaigns based in Milwaukee have a different feel and different view of the state. For Democrats, it is where the votes and money are. For Madison-based Baldwin, setting up shop in the city is a good first step.

I ain't Art Kumbalek, but I told you so.