Ed Garvey for governor

Doesn't it sound like Ed Garvey will not be happy with any of the other Democratic candidates? While his candidacy would be former Democratic consultant Bill Christofferson's worst nightmare, just think how fun a Garvey campaign would be.

May I suggest a campaign slogan? Ed Garvey, a candidate the Cap Times can be proud of!

Preview of Walker vs Neumann

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker is announcing his candidacy for governor on Tuesday. Likely to join him in the Republican Primary is former Congressman Mark Neumann. In the Waukesha Freeman today (still just 50 cents), I previewed the race between the two Republicans for the opportunity to take on Governor Doyle.

Neumann has strengths as a candidate. He’s a credible budget cutter. He appeals to social conservatives. And as a former congressman he should have some ability to match the Democrats in fundraising.

Neumann is not from Milwaukee. It would be foolish not to recognize the amount of appeal that has to people from out-state.

Neumann’s undeclared candidacy was also recently boosted by former Department of Administration Secretary Jim Klauser, who was former Governor Thompson’s Cardinal Richelieu. Klauser’s assessment of Neumann’s candidacy should be taken as seriously as a Henry Kissinger pronouncement on foreign policy.

On the other hand, Neumann’s narrow loss to Feingold came in the same year Governor Thompson thumped Ed Garvey 59 percent to 39 percent. If you can’t win when the Democrats are led by the lawyer who caused the NFL players to go on strike, Republicans should have legitimate concern about Neumann’s appeal.

Meanwhile, while Walker may be hurt with the out-state voters because he is from Milwaukee County, it’s hard to imagine any Republican winning without making a dent in either the Democratic margins in Milwaukee or Dane County. Walker actually wins in Milwaukee County. The challenge for Walker will be whether he can transfer that success from the lower turnout nonpartisan spring election into a November victory.

Walker will need to minimize his mistakes in Milwaukee. Fortunately for Walker, the state’s takeover of one county agency suddenly became less of a liability when it was learned that the state will spend more than Walker’s administration did. And after fumbling the message on refusing the stimulus, Doyle’s misuse of the stimulus to temporarily plug holes in the state budget gets Walker off the hook.

Ed Garvey asks a good question. No, really.

Madison lefty celeb Ed Garvey comments at the GarveyBlog*:

You know the rest. Cops approached, checked his car, found two bags of marijuana, arrested him, and gave black eye to Dem majority in the Assembly. Whoa Nelly! Gotta wonder if he got his $88 per diem.

* see the things I do for you people?

Natives are getting restless already

Ed Garvey is looking for "change" and not seeing any.

But if friends don't let friends drive while drunk or vote Republican, then FOO--Friends of Obama--must, at a minimum, ask what the hell is happening on Iraq and the new quagmire Afghanistan?

Haven't heard boo about either unwinnable war or have we? Hillary "Hawk" Clinton at State, Gates to stay on for a year at least, Rahm "Super Hawk" Emanuel as Chief of staff. And, no real changes at CIA or NSA.

Peace advocates complained with good reason that W.wouldn't listen to our stop the war rallies. Is it time for FOO to find out if the president-elect is listening?

Note that Garvey and the like will not be happy until the War on Terror is abandoned entirely, including in Afghanistan. I expect Garvey's disappointment is just beginning.

Hussein and Israel

Okay, Ed Garvey makes a funny observation.

Candidate Obama joked at the Al Smith dinner that whoever "gave me my middle name (Hussein) wasn't thinking about my candidacy."

Lots of bigots tried to swift boat Barack on Ayers, socialists, Saul Alinsky and his middle name. None of it stuck. In the last desperate weeks of the campaign, John McCain came unglued about a videotape supposedly held by the L.A. Times showing a speech by Obama praising a Palestinian scholar--OMG!

Obviously the McCainsters were playing to Jewish voters in Florida to support a steady friend of Israel, McCain, not some guy with that name and possible hidden anti-Israeli sentiments. Will we ever forget the "Who is Barack Obama" postcards and TV spots?

Fast forward. Obama's first appointment is, I'm not making this up, a guy whose middle name will settle any argument. Rahm Israel Emanuel. Talk about your middle names.

Garvey then goes on to criticize Rahm Israel Emanuel for being too much of a political moderate. Does that make Garvey an anti-Semite?

As a descendant of Israel Wigderson, I take any criticism of Israel personally.

When in doubt, thump Garvey

When Disney did Fantasia II, the creators of the Donald Duck/Noah's Ark sequence claimed that they operated with the plan: when in doubt, thump Donald.

Bloggers have Ed Garvey.

My latest post is up over at FoxPolitics, and I "thump" Ed Garvey over his silly assertion that we're on trial in the eyes of a ten-year-old girl.

Technorati Tags: Ed Garvey, Disney, Donald Duck, Fantasia II, Barack Obama, race

Must they go in Muskego?

In this week's column for the Waukesha Freeman, I looked into the fun debate surrounding a new Super Wal-Mart in Muskego. I talked to the players involved and rendered my verdict on whether a recall campaign is warranted.

Look, for 50 cents you could have bought the newspaper when you bought your coffee and donut at the local gas station, and you would already know what I think of the recall effort.

No blindfold needed

We should declare Ed Garvey off-limits as a subject of commentary to local conservatives. After all, taking a poke at Garvey is too easy, as Pat McIlheran again demonstrates.

On the other hand, the Left still takes ol' Ed seriously. They give him awards and they'll attend his Fighting Bob Fest.

So I guess if they're going to continually hoist the political pinata, who can blame us for grabbing the stick?

Who are you to argue with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel?

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has once again picked my humble little efforts as the weekly Best of the Blogs. Perhaps it was because I took a jab at one of their competitors.

End of the line
Saturday (April 26) was the last day for the regularly printed version of the Capital Times. From here on out, Madison's Progressive newspaper will be pixels and bytes. Ed Garvey will miss it. After all, they gave him a lifetime achievement award. Ann Althouse will not, having been the target of its tolerance of low-minded conspiracy theorists.

I miss the loss of almost any newspaper, and so I guess I'm sorry to see Madison reduced to one daily liberal newspaper. Perhaps if the company that ran both newspapers hadn't let the Wisconsin State Journal drift leftward there would have been room for two newspapers. But when the choices are left and left-er, something's gotta give.

James Wigderson
Wigderson Library & Pub
wigdersonlibrarypub.blogspot.com

Red rag bytes dust

Saturday* was the last day for the regularly printed version of the Capital Times. From here on out Madison's Progressive newspaper will be pixels and bytes. Ed Garvey will miss it. After all, they gave him a lifetime achievement award. Ann Althouse will not, having been the target of its tolerance of low-minded conspiracy theorists.

I miss the loss of almost any newspaper, and so I guess I'm sorry to see Madison reduced to one daily liberal newspaper. Perhaps if the company that ran both newspapers hadn't let the Wisconsin State Journal drift leftward there would have been room for two newspapers. But when the choices are left and left-er, something's gotta give, especially in an era of declining newspaper readership.

As the French Communists discovered in coalition with Francois Mitterrand, it sucks to be at the extreme end.

* Yep, I was two days behind, too.

Are they new to politics?

I am just stunned at the latest New York Times editorial. Actually stunned in two parts.

Let’s start with the politics:

The Pennsylvania campaign, which produced yet another inconclusive result on Tuesday, was even meaner, more vacuous, more desperate, and more filled with pandering than the mean, vacuous, desperate, pander-filled contests that preceded it.
Voters are getting tired of it; it is demeaning the political process; and it does not work. It is past time for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to acknowledge that the negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election.

If nothing else, self interest should push her in that direction. Mrs. Clinton did not get the big win in Pennsylvania that she needed to challenge the calculus of the Democratic race. It is true that Senator Barack Obama outspent her 2-to-1. But Mrs. Clinton and her advisers should mainly blame themselves, because, as the political operatives say, they went heavily negative and ended up squandering a good part of what was once a 20-point lead.

On the eve of this crucial primary, Mrs. Clinton became the first Democratic candidate to wave the bloody shirt of 9/11. A Clinton television ad — torn right from Karl Rove’s playbook — evoked the 1929 stock market crash, Pearl Harbor, the Cuban missile crisis, the cold war and the 9/11 attacks, complete with video of Osama bin Laden. “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,” the narrator intoned.

Does the New York Times really think the questions raised by Hillary Clinton are off-limits? She’s asking the voters to decide whether or not they think Barack Obama is ready to be president. A little rough-and-tumble politics (not nearly as rough as the Republicans will be) that raise honest questions about Obama’s qualifications is a small price to pay* to select a Commander-in-Chief.

As for her supposed “20-point lead,” did they really expect it to hold up? Seriously? Are the editors new to politics? Winning an election 60% to 40% usually only happens when someone is running against Ed Garvey in Wisconsin. Do the editors have such a low opinion of Barack Obama that they think even Dennis Kucinich should have been able to beat Obama in Pennsylvania? Obama outspent Clinton 3 to 1. If he doesn’t get within 10 points, he should consider dropping out of the race.

He should consider it anyway.

* yes, I'm still channeling Jeff Mayers. I get to use it three more times and then it's mine without attribution.

As seen on internet TV

Brian Fraley mixes it up with Ed Garvey. Once again, Garvey loses in every county.

Don't pick on Ed Garvey

Sure he sounds absolutely unhinged this morning. Sure he's lashing out at the voters. But let's face it. If Ed Garvey had any faith in the will of voters, he'd have to have an awfully low opinion of himself.

(ht: Brian Fraley)

Election predictions

Take them for what their worth. My track record on predictions is not pretty, although I do well on races I take an intense interest in. I don't make formal endorsements at the Wigderson Library & Pub, although my preferences are often obvious.

Gableman vs. Butler

I don't think Gableman established the "law and order" narrative he needed to oust Butler. Butler as the incumbent was always going to be difficult to be beat, and his side outspent the challenger's side. I also think the Gableman campaign really did hurt itself with the ad that misstated Justice Butler's role in the defense and eventual release of a sex offender who re-offended after serving his term.

Ironically, if Gableman had taken the high road and kept the race to a discussion of judicial philosophy and particular rulings by the court, I think Gableman would have won. I also think the Butler campaign could've scored real points on Gableman's refusal to prosecute left-wing domestic terrorists who attacked the Project ELF facility, just after the 9-11 attacks.

Butler wins 55%-45%.

Constitutional Amendment on the Frankenstein Veto

Despite the Capital Times contortions to protect the governor's powers, there was no organized effort to stop this amendment. The only fear for amendment supporters is that this was too far "under the radar" and too many Wisconsinites will vote no on principle. Even Doyle isn't out there trying to protect his veto power. I suspect passage by "beating Ed Garvey"-like margins here.

Gleisner vs. Neubauer

If you had asked me a week ago, I would've said Gleisner in a landslide. Then Gleisner's mental health became an issue and that's never good for a candidate. Sykes and Belling both objected to Gleisner calling himself a conservative. On the flip side, Gleisner has has strong support from Waukesha conservatives and made a case that he is pro-life. Now it's a squeaker either way. I'm predicting Neubauer 52%-48%, although I'm not sure what the Gleisner camp could have done differently.

Locally:

Waukesha County Board:
I'm betting Hutton over Marchese in district 3, Kolb over Mitchell in district 24. In District 22 Peter Gundrum (inc.) over Paul Lincoln Scheuble, and Patton loses to Wimmer in District 19.

Other races:
Schumann wins re-election in Delafield as mayor. Ken Harenda keeps his seat on the New Berlin Common Council. Bill Moore loses to JJ Blonien. In Waukesha District 3, Christopher Hernandez out-worked Lori Howe. Menomonee Falls Village Board Seat 1, Jefferson Davis will lose to Sharon Ellis and misfile his paperwork. New Berlin School Board the winners will be Art Marquardt (inc.) and David Maxey. Hartford's school referendum will lose while Elmbrook's will pass this time.

Great minds think alike

Archie Bunker: "Feldman,Salvatore,and Smith. A Jew,an Italian,and a regular American. Now thats what I call a balanced ticket!"

Ed Garvey: We have an African American, a woman and a Hispanic running for president. Jesse Jackson started the "Rainbow Coalition" and now we can see it up close and personal.


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I wish he was on strike now

Former NFL Players Association Executive Director Ed Garvey attempted to resurrect the spirit of Vince Lombardi to bash State Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.

Only one question was asked before Coach Lombardi left the room in disgust. The question came from a goof, Dick Young, and it was, "Coach, are you afraid the referees will be 'homers' because you are playing the Giants in New York?" Lombardi snapped, "That is the dumbest question I have ever heard. This news conference is over!"

To Lombardi, the idea of a referee favoring the home team was sacrilege. Everyone in sports knows the referee, umpire, or field judge must be above all that. If the fans think the calls are wrong for an undisclosed reason, there will be no fans. Simple as that.

Let's remind Garvey just how little he and the late Vince Lombardi were alike:
1) Lombardi was a winner.
2) Lombardi traded a player when he brought an agent in to negotiate his contract.
3) Lombardi's players would never have gone on strike.

Now let's look at what Lombardi and Garvey have in common:
1) Garvey's career highlights are mostly in black & white, too.

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Maybe ATT should have asked for state id

Ed Garvey, former Madison Mayor Paul Soglin, and others are upset at finding their names on a petition to support AT&T's plan to dominate Wisconsin the way Standard Oil dominated America before the Sherman Act. (Correction: AT&T just wants to sell television programming to compete with cable and satellite without too much government hassle.)

Oddly enough, Garvey and Soglin are not backers of AT&T, and Ed Garvey is even planning on abandoning electricty to protest AT&T's takeover of the Democratic Party. (Apparently under Governor Jim Doyle the Democrats are now publicly traded.)

The question they're asking, how did their names end up on the petition that was given to State Senator Fred Risser (D-Mesopotamia)?

Wait a sec, does it matter? After all, if AT&T had asked the petition signers for any sort of identification, it would have disenfranchised the elderly and the minorities that don't have proper identitification. No ID, no signing, even the homeless would not be able to register their support for AT&T. The horror, the horror.

These might be merely cases of illegal aliens (undocumented workers) merely trying to use white male identities in a desparate effort to participate in the Democratic process (white male power structure) so they could watch the Univision Network with a better picture and sound quality at a cheaper price.

Surely Garvey and Soglin would agree that one or two cases of petition fraud are not enough to justify draconian, mean-spirited and possibly racist requirements to ask for some sort of identification before signing a petition. After all, it could've been worse.

Somebody could have used their names and voted in an election.

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Over six years of Bush-Cheney oppression will make anyone depressed

Our fellow blogger Jay Bullock of folkbum's rambles and rants celebrated his fourth* blogging anniversary by sounding like AJ Soprano right before he went for a swim with a cinder block tied to his ankle.

So I've been at this four years, today. Woo.

I'm in one of my periodic what's-the-point-of-blogging slumps, which is a big part of why this space has been quiet for a few days. That, and work in and out of the house, car shopping, quality time with my charcoal grill . . .

But it's also Memorial Day, and it's mind-boggling to me that, since this day last year, we have nearly 1000 new American dead to remember. How can a blogoversary compare to that?

This week my column in the Waukesha Freeman looked at Bullock and Cindy Sheehan calling it quits and what I detected as a general depression among the left-wing at recent blogging conferences. I concluded,

...the political left has made great gains since November. Obsessing over the negative results in politics will only convince them that their own sincerity and righteousness make them morally superior over those who manage to get on with their daily lives without an overwhelming desire for self-immolation.

There’s no comfort in that level of moral smugness, only sadness and alienation. That can only lead to contempt for those who believe differently. Perhaps there we can find the roots of the left’s rage against President Bush.

I think I would rather lose an election and be happy.

My biggest regret is that I didn't just save the topic for a larger look at the Left's alternating rage and depression as 700 words doesn't really give the chance to explore other examples. Lacking more examples was probably the source of Bullock's comment, "...not only am I featured in Wiggy's column (where I co-star with Cindy Sheehan, of all people)..."

I did offer Bullock a chance to respond, but he politely declined my offer, writing,

Where you're off, perhaps, is in implying such close connections between Sheehan, et al, and folkbum, et al. The serious leftroots--and most respectable Democrats--wrote her off long before she realized she'd been written off. To me, her "goodbye, cruel world" was, more than anything else, a cry for help, not some bold statement poxing everyone's houses.

I think that was exactly her complaint, even as it was news to those of us on the political right. But given that as of today Ed Garvey is still hoping she'll show at Fighting Bob Fest, I'll have to ask Bullock if that means Ed Garvey can no longer be taken seriously or if no respectable Democrat would be caught dead at Fighting Bob Fest.

*Note: in my article I incorrectly noted Bullock's blog is five years old. It is four. I apologize for aging Jay Bullock prematurely.

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Election 2006 predictions

I will not hold myself accountable at all for these predictions. After all, the analysts for every sports department for every newspaper, television network and cable television network spend 40 hours per week or more watching NFL game film trying to predict next week's winners, and they get many of the games wrong every week. Yet the following week the pundits are back at it making the bold predictions that'll make them look stupid.

Therefore I will make my election predictions without fear.

This year promises to be like 1986, a very bad year for Republicans nationwide but not so bad for Republicans in Wisconsin. In 1986 Wisconsin Senator Bob Kasten held on to win in one of the nastiest political campaigns in history. His opponent was former NFL Player Association Counsel Ed Garvey who ran on the slogan, "A senator we can be proud of." Garvey lost because his slogan ended with a preposition. Kasten was the only Republican Senator up for re-election that won nationwide.

1986 was also the year the Man from Elroy, Tommy Thompson, defeated the hapless Tony Earl in another very close race.

Wisconsin Governor
Congressman Mark Green in a squeaker. 51%-48%. The late breaking undecideds will not break for the incumbent. Exit polls will show taxes, corruption to be the key issues. The black vote in Milwaukee will not turn out like they did in 2004. Heck, given the violence on the streets of Milwaukee, it might be safer for them to stay home.

Congress
Kagen's self-destruction will be complete Tuesday, and Democrats in the 8th Congressional District will be stuck wondering at "what could've been." Gard wins handily. The RNC and the RNCC will be vindicated for picking Gard over McCormick. COnservatives should be grateful the RNC and the RNCC picked the more conservative candidate for once.

Closer to home, Bryan Kennedy loses big to Sensenbrenner. Kennedy will file for unemployment on Wednesday, as nobody will donate money to a candidate to pay himself and his child's nanny three losing campaigns in a row. This scam ends by the same margin as the last time Kennedy ran.

The rest of the Congressional delegation will remain unchanged. Dave Magnum may do better than expected against Tammy Baldwin, but that still makes his race a loser.

On the national level, the Republicans lose control by just 2-5 seats.

US Senate
Burns in Montana, Allen in Virginia and Corker in Tennessee all win, holding the Republican majority. Steele wins in Maryland, the upset shocker of the year. Talent loses in Missouri in a race that gets contested for days. The polls in St Louis will not close on time. Lost in the controversies will be the discovery Michael J Fox voted in St. Louis - twice.

Senator Kohl's Milwaukee Bucks will lose to the Chicago Bulls Monday night. Kohl will have his cookies and flavored milk (Tuesday night is Root Beer night) and be in bed by 8:30pm. He's still confused why Congressman Ron Kind got him the subscription to the AARP Bulletin.

State Senate
Republicans will lose one, State Senator Tom Reynolds. It's a seat they shouldn't lose. While the road builders will claim credit for taking Reynolds out, it will be the strange antics and bad advice that will have taken Reynolds down.

Republican McReynolds in Racine County will win handily. Lehman was a really bad candidate.

State Senator Dave Zien will hold on to win. Zien continuing to serve in the State Senate while Tom Reynolds loses should bother someone's conscience in Madison - but it won't.

Unfortunately, Senator Dale Schultz will continue as majority leader.

State Assembly
Kramer, Zipperer, Vukmir and Newcomer will all win easily. Republicans will hold their majority easily despite the Democrats Howard Dean-like effort to recruit candidates for as many districts as possible.

State Attorney General
Van Hollen will defeat Falk 53% to 46%. I wouldn't be shocked if the margin ends up wider. I fully expect a press release from Brian Fraley tomorrow e-mailed to me from a cranberry bog saying they've found the terrorists and guess what? They're illegal aliens! My response will be, "Your Blackberry can send a message from there? I'm impressed."

Referendums
Despite a desperate attempt by Fair Wisconsin to confuse the issue, voters will have been sufficiently disturbed by what happened in New Jersey and will vote yes. Because of Fair Wisconsin's deceptive campaign, the margin will be closer than would be expected. I think the amendment passes with 55% of the vote. If Fair Wisconsin had fought the battle stating their real purpose in their advertising instead of pretending that a vote "No" is a vote against gay marriage, I think the Vote Yes side would get 65% of the vote.

Unfortunately, I think the death penalty referendum also passes. The margin will be padded as a result of the irrelevant addition of the DNA requirement. Irrelevant, because as I pointed out in the Waukesha Freeman,

...the evidence is only as good as the prosecution that argues it, the police that gather it, the lab that processes it and the jury's understanding of it. As much as we may be intimidated by the science of the evidence, we can at least appreciate the potential of failure from the human component of the evidentiary chain.

Look for the death penalty referendum to pass with 65% of the vote, minimum. Afterwards, there will be no movement in the state legislature on the issue.

Election breakdowns
I suppose we should count ourselves fortunate Senator Santorum will lose by a wide enough margin that we won't have to suffer through a Seattle-like recount in Philadelphia. Unfortunately the same can't be said in Missouri. St. Louis could be a real mess and a real partisan battleground before the week is out.

Closer to home, if the Green-Doyle race comes down to less than 1 or 2 percent we could see lawyers fighting it out in Milwaukee, Waukesha and Racine counties. Unfortunately for Green, as we've seen with the state elections board, Doyle controls the playing field and has no scruples about using his power for personal advantage.

And finally, there was some speculation that Mark Green would use the decision by the state elections board to strip his campaign of over $400,000 to contest the election. Given Green's statement the other day that he could effectively campaign without the money I would say that it would be tough to make a challenge. However, Cory Liebman is not convinced that Republicans won't try.

It's Tuesday and Sobran is still an anti-Semite

Continuing our discussion concerning the invitation to Joseph Sobran to speak Thursday night at the Milwaukee Athletic Club by the pro-business organization Wisconsin Forum, I thought I would share the reactions I’ve received from a few of the Wisconsin Forum Advisory Board members.

Sobran, you may remember, was a former senior editor of National Review before he was forced out when it was determined his writing was anti-Semitic. William F. Buckley Jr made Sobran the opening subject of his “In Search of Anti-Semitism,” an examination of anti-Semitism in politics. Buckley determined that his long-time colleague’s writings were anti-Semitic “in context.”

Since Sobran’s departure from National Review, he has become even more strident in his writing, accusing “Zionists” and “neoconservatives” (i.e. Jews) of “hijacking” the conservative movement to serve Israel. He has also become cozy with Holocaust deniers. (see previous post) Coincidentally, the subject of his proposed speech is, “The Hijacking of the Conservative Movement.”

I have called upon Wisconsin Forum to withdraw their invitation to Sobran. By sponsoring his speech and giving him a platform, they lend legitimacy to his claim to be a part of the conservative movement, and they damage the reputation and the reach of the conservative movement in Wisconsin.

Board member Tim Peterson was the first to respond. Peterson, a Libertarian running for state treasurer, e-mailed,

James,

This is the first I have heard of this. I will look into it.
Sincerely,

Tim Peterson
Libertarian For WI State http://www.timpeterson.com/

I’ll take him at his word, although it concerns me Wisconsin Forum’s “Board of Advisors” seems to be as out of the loop as the Milwaukee Public Museum board of directors.

This profession of ignorance continued in the next e-mail, this time from James T. Barry III (President, Colliers Barry), the chair of the Advisory Board. He takes a moral relativist approach to the news his organization is sponsoring an anti-Semite at the same time washing his hands of any responsibility.

Sir --

I had no role in selecting Mr. Sobran as a speaker. Nor am I in a position to cancel his speech. My understanding is that Mr. Sobran is speaking on the nature of conservatism -- not about the Holocaust or anti-Semitism. The Wisconsin Forum has a tradition of inviting provacative speakers from all points of view, many of whom I strongly disagree with. The fact that we have a controversial speaker does not mean that any of the advisors endorse that person's point of view. It does mean that our members are interested in hearing a wide range of opinions and, when necessary, challenging those opinions. In any event, I will pass your concern on to those who arranged this event for their consideration.

Jim Barry

Barry does not define what limits he would impose (if any) on speakers he would personally disagree with but be interested in hearing what they have to say. Would he oppose the sponsorship of a 9/11 conspiracy theorist? A member of the Communist Party? Ed Garvey? Or is Barry only relativistic about dinner speech topics when it concerns pernicious Jews? I responded accordingly.

Mr. Barry:
As the Chair of the Board of Advisors, shouldn't you advise? You have a responsibility to advise those who made the decision that inviting an anti-Semite is unacceptable. And should they not accept your advice, I would advise you to resign publicly, stating the reasons why. Because from this point forward, your name is atop the masthead of an organization that sponsored a speech by an anti-Semite. It's your reputation and your conscience. I don't know what the organizers of the event are telling you, but Sobran believes (and has written) "Zionists" and Neo-Conservatives "hijacked" the conservative movement. Surely that should make you a little uncomfortable given his declared topic. Decent men have a responsibility not to turn a blind eye to evil. The organization which bears your name at the top has chosen to sponsor evil. Will you live up to the motto of the organization, "Ideas have consequences" or will allow your name and reputation to be sullied by an acquiescence to bigotry?

Sincerely,

James Wigderson

Finally, one other board member has responded to my challenge, Robert E. Solsrud, the Treasurer of the Wisconsin Forum Advisory Board.

Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will look into it.
Regards, Bob

I would assume Solsrud might be responsible for writing the check for Sobran’s honorarium, given Solsrud’s organizational title. I would hope he would seriously consider resigning his position rather than so affront his conscience. Given the day’s publicity, I would say there are no more advisory board members ignorant of the moral choice facing them. Each of them are fully responsible for allowing Wisconsin Forum to sponsor an anti-Semitic writer’s trip to Wisconsin and his speech. It’s on their conscience, and it’s their reputations.