WisPolitics Budget Blog

Tommy Thompson often said reelections are won in the third year of a governor’s 4-year term. For historians and political operatives, the state budgets of 1989, 1993, and 1997 prove to be the yardstick to predict future success. During budget sessions, TGT was a master at picking his battles and stroking his adversaries.

The 2001 budget was essentially the 3rd year of interim governor Scott McCallum’s brief 22-month tenure. It would be hard to image a more ham-handed effort at crafting a budget and building themes his Party’s legislators could champion during the coming election. Didn’t matter though. Assembly Republicans added to their majority, and Senate Republicans recaptured the majority in their chamber. McCallum is now a college, shot-drinking trivia question.

Today, 2005, the budget game is being played again, and the stakes are high. Democrat Jim Doyle is roughly 50% through his third year as governor. The reelection clock is ticking.

So, how does a Republican operative grade-out Jim Doyle? Well, the short answer is, he’s no Tommy Thompson, which is good for Republicans. But he’s also no Scott McCallum, which is bad for Republicans.

The difference that serves as an unseen brake to Team Doyle is the two announced GOP candidates for governor; Congressman Mark Green and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker.

Both Republican candidates are former state legislators. The collegiality between the Republican majorities in both chambers and either Green or Walker is stifling Doyle’s image-making budget session.

Contrast Green or Walker’s legislative friendships with the dynamics of Tommy’s first reelection opponent, Assembly Speaker Tom Loftus. Loftus was a predictable Madison Democrat. Loftus’s colleagues, such as out-state senators like Chippewa Falls’ Marv Roshell and Kenosha’s Joe Andrea, shared more common-sense politics with Elroy Republican Tommy Thompson than the academic Loftus.

Four years later, Madison’s own struck again with the nomination of Senator Chuck Chvala. Same deal.

And four years after that, Madison Democrats reached new heights of absurdity with Ed Garvey’s scorched-earth effort to keep Tommy from a 4th term.

Because Democrats sent Loftus, Chvala and Garvey to carry their Party’s campaign banner, legislative Democrats are in the minority in both chambers, by a handsome margin to boot, leaving Jim Doyle too few allies among his Party to matter, and no one on the GOP side willing to trade budget votes against the hope of Green or Walker winning next year.