WisPolitics Budget Blog

Having served as a field director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, I have a good idea of what is being debated behind conference room doors.

It's a lot of this;

Republican strategist Frank Luntz reminded a group of House members Thursday, "You owe (DeLay) your majority. He's where he is today because he sacrificed himself to gain those extra seats."

Luntz said, "You dance with the one that brought you," adding that making refunds is "ridiculous."

Frank is a friend. When he launched his consulting business back in 1992, we brought him in for State Party training sessions with our legislative incumbents and challengers.

The honor roll from that class of 1992 included current Reps. Kreibich, Owens, and Ward, past Reps. Cliff Otte, Lorraine Seratti, Bob Zuchowski, Bonnie Ladwig and John Dobyns. Former St. Senator Gary Drzewiecki delivered a huge upset over incumbent Jerry Van Sistine. St. Sen. Lazich was a member of that Assembly class to deliver the first net gain for Republicans in over 8 years.

Even Congressman and current gubernatorial candidate Mark Green arrived to state politics that year.

Many of those names attended our candidate training sessions. And among the campaign communication lessons Luntz bestowed upon the class of 1992 was;

You think emotions are more revelatory than the intellect for predicting these decisions? 80 percent of our life is emotion, and only 20 percent is intellect. I am much more interested in how you feel than how you think. I can change how you think, but how you feel is something deeper and stronger, and it's something that's inside you. How you think is on the outside, how you feel is on the inside, so that's what I need to understand.

So I find it curious that Luntz, who consults the NRCC, would advise Republican members against returning DeLay contributions, or as an alternative, donate the amount received to hurricane victims, or school programs, or local charity; anything to get the stink of bad money off the suits of a GOP Congress.

The DeLay story has legs. Or, the emotional appeal for Democrats to exploit is just too sexy to avoid.

Other GOP operatives say it is not a forgone conclusion that DeLay's indictment will taint Republicans next year. Back in April, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll found that 38% had an unfavorable opinion about DeLay. But nearly as many, 35%, had never heard of him or had no opinion of the then-majority leader.

Those numbers are already sliding against us.

DeLay needs to be completely exonerated - and soon - to rescue the slim GOP majority and Members like Mark Green who are seeking higher office by spending monies at least partially provided by an indicted colleague.