WisPolitics Budget Blog

It’s not the stuff that determines election winners, but the voter fraud headlines in every daily newspaper will serve Republicans well.

Come fall, 2006, no one will remember the nuances of what the content said, whether the fraud debate was more “errors of record-keeping,” or a systematic scheme to steal an election.

Rather, the hit to Governor Doyle is one of simple math; Republicans have repeatedly claimed fraud, and passed bills requiring a photo ID to vote. Doyle’s response has been disbelief and cited his mother’s lack of a driver’s license as his justification in vetoing those same bills. Republicans played the values card -- identifying our reverence for honest elections. Doyle played the emotion card -- we all love moms.

The math, perhaps, was a draw until newspapers placed fraud and elections in the same headline.

Headlines served to confirm the Republican claims, and bet voters will be reminded that Doyle was one the wrong side of our Wisconsin values.