NEWpolitics

Kohl applies full court press

2009-01-15T17:34:00.001-06:00

WASHINGTON - Sen. Herb Kohl injected levity into his otherwise serious questioning Thursday of Attorney General nominee Eric Holder on U.S. interrogation methods and the future of the Guantanamo Bay prison for terrorist suspects.

Kohl, D-Wis., noted that President-elect Barack Obama is an avid basketball player.

"This relates to your ability to operate independently of what the president may or may not like," said Kohl. "You indicated to me when we met in my office that you also are a person of considerable skill. In the event, he invites you to the gym for a little one-on-one, do you promise us and the American people that you will do your everything in your power to beat him as badly as you can?"

Kohl, whose other job is that of owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, seemed to be joking but maybe he was scouting for his 19-22 team.

The audience and Senate Judiciary Committee members roared with laughter.

"Sen. Kohl, he's 10 years younger than me. He plays a lot more frequently than I do," a smiling Holder said.

But Holder said he was a product of New York City's basketball school of hard knocks that produced greats such as Kareem Abdul Jabar.
Still, Holder deferred to Obama.

"I don’t think I'm ever going to be in a position to beat him, nor do I think that would be a wise thing to do," he said.

Kohl considered that a good answer.

"Well said, sir," he said with a laugh.
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Contact Ellyn Ferguson at eferguso(AT)gns.gannett.com

Latest fundraising reports give a sense of deja vu

2008-10-24T17:52:00.001-05:00

WASHINGTON -- Republican John Gard raised more money than incumbent Democrat Steve Kagen the first half of October. Gard also reported a cash cushion nearly three times the size of Kagen's campaign nest egg.

Gard raised $135,358 to Kagen's $58,865 in contributions and reported a cash reserve of $486,918 to Kagen's $193,270 cash cushion. Gard of Suamico and Kagen of Appleton raised their money between Oct. 1 and Oct. 15.

Gard enjoyed a similar lead over Kagen two years ago as they headed into the general election in 2006.

Kagen loaned his campaign $400,000 in the two weeks before the election and edged out Gard to win the 8th Congressional District seat by a margin of nearly 6,000 votes.

Gard spokesman Mark Graul it would be a mistake to compare the close race in 2008 with the close race in 2006.

In 2006, Gard and Kagen were both challengers running for a seat left open by Republican incumbent Mark Green's decision to run for governor.

Now Kagen is the incumbent and should be doing better, Graul said.

"The incumbent congressman was out raised with nearly two weeks to go in a campaign. Momentum is clearly with John Gard," Graul said.

Kagen, who as of Oct. 15 had not loaned his campaign money, shrugged off the money gap.

"John represents the wealthy. He's got a lot of rich friends," Kagen said. "It's not about money. It's about who is on your side."

Kagen has not loaned money to his campaign this time around. Asked if that could change, Kagen said, "That's a good question. It's under review."
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Contact Ellyn Ferguson at eferguso(AT)gns.gannett,com

The truth is out there somewhere

2008-10-23T18:38:00.003-05:00

WASHINGTON - Democrat Steve Kagen and the National Republican Congressional Committee exchanged more punches Thursday as the race for the 8th Congressional District enters the final stretch.

The NRCC released a new television ad accusing Kagen, a first-term Democrat from Appleton, of voting to raise taxes on families, cut Medicare service to the elderly and make it easier for undocumented workers to receive taxpayer-funded health care. These are charges national Republicans have made before in their "Kick out Kagen" ad campaign to aid Republican candidate John Gard.

The ad can be viewed at <>.

This time Kagen fired back with www.factcheckgard.com, a Web site where the House member responds to NRCC and Gard political ads against him.

Both national parties remain interested in Northeastern Wisconsin race. The NRCC, which has raised less money than its Democratic counterpart, has spent $102,912 this week in media, postage and printing directed against Kagen. The committee spent $7,927 in support of Gard.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has spent $121,056 on the district race this week -- $60,528 to blast Gard and $60,528 to aid Kagen.
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Contact Ellyn Ferguson at eferguso(AT)gns.gannett.com

GOP takes on Kagen in TV ad

2008-10-13T22:37:00.002-05:00

WASHINGTON - The National Republican Congressional Committee tries for a one-two punch on Medicare and illegal immigration against Rep. Steve Kagen in a new television ad.

The NRCC accused Kagen, D-Appleton, of trying to push senior citizens off Medicare and to make it easier for illegal immigrants to get health care by voting last summer to expand a children's health insurance program. Kagen and John Gard, a Suamico Republican, are locked in a rematch for the 8th Congressional District seat.

"Steve Kagen likes to claim he is a champion on the issue of health care, but his liberal out-of-touch record really consists of cutting Medicare for seniors while making it easier for illegal immigrants to get access to taxpayer-funded health care benefits,” NRCC spokesman Ken Spain said in a statement.

Congressional Republicans made similar accusations against Democrats at the time of the Aug. 1, 2007, vote on State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). BadgerCare is Wisconsin's version of the program.

House Republicans opposed provisions to pay for the SCHIP expansion by raising federal cigarette taxes and reducing payments to Medicare Advantage plans. The private plans are an alternative to traditional Medicare coverage for 20 percent of elderly and disabled Medicare beneficiaries.

Republicans also said Democrats needed to tighten eligibility provisions to make sure illegal immigrants and their children could not get coverage. Under the bill, states could require SCHIP applicants to produce documentation of citizenship or of eligible immigration status. States also had the option of having applicants sign a sworn statement of citizenship and provide Social Security numbers for themselves and their children. States would have been required to check the numbers against Social Security Administration records.

Republicans said it would create a potential loophole. Democrats said the bill had safeguards.
President Bush vetoed two versions of the SCHIP bill because each would spend more than he had requested. Bush called the bill a costly over expansion of government health insurance that would entice middle class families to give up private insurance to enroll their children in the federal program.

Jake Rubin, Kagen's campaign spokesman, said the ad distorted facts.
"Career politician John Gard and his pals in Washington, D.C. have a profound disrespect for the truth and will say anything just to get elected. Their newest negative attack ad refers to a bill to provide access to health care for children in need - a bill endorsed by the AARP (a national advocacy group for people 50 and older), " Rubin said.

The ad, which airs for a week in the Green Bay television market, cites Roll Call 787. The NRCC also provided a YouTube link where the ad can be viewed, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvNrvRm-EAc

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Contact Ellyn Ferguson at eferguso(AT)gns.gannett.com

Time waits for no one - let's debate that

2008-10-09T18:40:00.002-05:00

WASHINGTON - It's about time. It's about debate. It's about that race in Congressional District 8.

Challenger John Gard has accused incumbent Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Appleton, of giving the public and the Brown County Medical Society short shrift Tuesday by arriving 30 minutes late for the society's health care forum at St. Norbert College.

In a statement released Thursday, Gard said he knows why Kagen was late.

The Democrat was at an event for Assemblyman Jim Soletski and "put raising campaign cash ahead of talking to voters," said Gard.

Gard, a Republican who is trying to get Kagen to commit to a series of debates, said the freshman lawmaker left before the event ended.

Not so fast, Kagen responded on Thursday.

"Apparently John was the only person who knew I was not scheduled to be at the Brown County forum. I was pleased to have an opportunity to stop in," said Kagen, an allergist.

Kagen said he hit three events, including Soletski's, before arriving at St. Norbert.

According to a Green Bay Press-Gazette story, Kagen stayed long enough for both men to highlight their differences on the role of government in health care.

Gard's shot across the bow at Kagen is reminiscent of Wisconsin Democrats' shot at him last month.

Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman Joe Wineke was aghast to discover that Gard, a former speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly, would be the guest at a fundrasier for GOP Assemblyman Phil Montgomery on Sept. 11. Gard, Wineke said, should refrain from all campaigning on the seventh anniversary of terrorist attacks that killed 2,751 people in the United States.

Gard and Montgomey said they planned to honor the dead at morning memorial services on the 11th then have the fundraiser. Montgomery called the attack petty.
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Contact Ellyn Ferguson at eferguso(AT)gns.gannett.com

Debate over who won

2008-09-27T14:15:00.003-05:00

Both presidential campaigns claim its candidate won last night's first presidential debate in which the economy and foreign policy dominated the discussion.

Two national polls – one by CBS News and the other by CNN/Opinion Research Corp. – gave the edge to Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee.

But his opponent, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, claimed victory.

McCain and his vice-presidential running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, issued a joint statement Friday night that said:

"There was one man who was presidential tonight, that man was John McCain. There was another who was political, that was Barack Obama. John McCain won this debate and controlled the dialogue throughout, whether it was the economy, taxes, spending, Iraq or Iran. There was a leadership gap, a judgment gap, and a boldness gap on display tonight, a fact Barack Obama acknowledged when he said John McCain was right at least five times. Tonight's debate showed John McCain in command of the issues and presenting a clear agenda for America's future."

Today, Obama's campaign held a conference call with reporters in key battleground states – including Wisconsin – in which Obama's national campaign manager David Plouffe said Obama was the clear winner.

"I think voters watching at home got a clear sense of where he wanted to take the country in a fundamentally different direction," Plouffe told reporters. "And I think Sen. McCain really was just really offering more of the same and really defending the Bush policies that have hurt us here at home."

To hear a one-minute audio clip of Plouffe’s statements to the news media, click on the link below Plouffe's photo.

David Plouffe/photo by Daylife.com

092708Plouffe.mp3

Check, check, who's got the check?

2008-09-25T17:12:00.003-05:00

WASHINGTON -- Wisconsin Republicans accused Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Appleton, of trying to hide a $1,000 contribution he received in July from the Fannie Mae political action committee.

U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen

But the Federal Election Commission says Kagen's campaign was within in the law in how it handled the donation from the troubled government-chartered company.

Fannie Mae's check arrived the day the House gave final approval to legislation to keep an estimated 400,000 homeowners out of foreclosure and help mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were just starting to feel the effects of bad mortgage debt. Things got worse and this month the Bush administration took over both institutions.

Politicians have been trying to put distance between themselves and the companies since then.
Mark Jefferson, executive director of the Wisconsin Republican Party, tried to link Kagen to the company in a statement the party released Thursday.

"Steve Kagen voted for a bill designed to help Fannie Mae on the same day he received a campaign contribution from the disgraced company," Jefferson said. "Steve Kagen needs to come clean on his relationship with Fannie Mae, and he needs to do it now."

Added party spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski, "It's questionable why a contribution from Fannie Mae, which has obviously been in the news lately, would be the contribution he chose not to report."

Kagen's campaign says it never reported the contribution because it sent the uncashed check back to Fannie Mae. The Fannie Mae PAC notes the returned check in its latest filing with the Federal Election Commission. The political action committee processed the check Aug. 29. The organization issued the check on July 23.

That's not good enough for the Wisconsin Republican Party.

"It's the law that he report contributions no matter where they come from," Kukowski said Thursday.

Well, yes and no.

Mary Brandenberger, a spokeswoman for the Federal Election Commission, said campaigns don't need to report contributions if they reject them immediately.

"They can turn around and just return it. They are in the right to do that," Brandenberger said.
Kagen, who is in a tight race with Republican John Gard, said he decided not to accept the contribution because he saw it as a conflict of interest.

"It was an unsolicited donation and it was rejected immediately. They are a government-sponsored entity and I'm in government," Kagen said.
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Contact Ellyn Ferguson at eferguso(AT)gns.gannett.com

Obey: Secret talks yield results

2008-09-24T15:30:00.003-05:00

WASHINGTON - Dave Obey makes no apology for liking closed-door negotiations.

Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said the talks on a short-term federal spending bill were kept private because "if they'd been public we would never get done."

That led him to reminisce about his days in the Wisconsin Assembly.

U.S Rep. Dave Obey

"We put the entire state budget on the back of a placemat at Burke's (now Mariner's Inn). We spent six months trying to avoid the pontificating by politicians on each side," Obey, D-Wausau, told reporters Tuesday and Wednesday.

For the temporary spending bill, known as a continuing resolution, Obey said there were phone calls and unpublicized meetings with Democratic leaders and the Bush administration.

"We've done this the old-fashioned way, by brokering agreements in order to get things done," he said.

Republicans pummeled Obey Wednesday for going outside "regular" order, but Obey stood his ground.

The House approved the bill Wednesday with a 370-58 vote. The bill would provide 2009 funding for defense, homeland security and military construction and veterans programs and funding through March 2009 for the rest of the federal government.
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Contact Ellyn Ferguson at eferguso(AT)gns.gannett.com

U.S. digging a hole while China builds roads

2008-09-24T14:17:00.008-05:00

WASHINGTON - As a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. Tom Petri is all about roads, bridges, planes and trains.

But Petri, R-Fond du Lac, says the United States is not serious about meeting national infrastructure needs. Certainly not as serious as China, America's emerging rival on the global power stage.

U.S. Rep. Tom Petri

"Our friends in China are spending some 9 percent of their GNP on infrastructure. We here in the United States are spending about 2-and-a-half percent (of gross national product), most of that on maintenance. We're falling behind even on that," Petri noted during floor discussion on a short-term extension to keep the Federal Aviation Administration operating through March.

If a nation's prosperity depends on its roads, railroads and airways, Petri said the United States may be in trouble.

"In 20 years, who is going to be better prepared to conduct a modern economy - someone who is spending 9 percent of their GNP on first-class infrastructure or someone who is barely maintaining what they already have?" Petri asked. --- Contact Ellyn Ferguson at eferguso(AT)gns.gannett.com

McCain outlines plan for financial crisis

2008-09-19T08:30:00.000-05:00

If you were unable to attend Arizona Sen. John McCain's speech this morning in Green Bay, here is a transcript of his remarks released by his Republican presidential campaign (and if Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's Democratic presidential campaign releases a transcript of his upcoming speech in Green Bay on Monday, his remarks will be posted on this blog as well):

Thank you all very much. It's a great pleasure to be introduced by Governor Sarah Palin -- and I can't wait to introduce her to Washington.

If Governor Palin and I are elected in 46 days, we are not going to waste a moment in changing the way Washington does business. And we're going to start where the need for reform is greatest. In short order, we are going to put an end to the reckless conduct, corruption, and unbridled greed that have caused a crisis on Wall Street.

Here and all across our country, people are wondering what exactly is happening on Wall Street. And with good reason, they want to know how their government will meet the crisis. Clear answers are hard to come by in Washington.

As Senator Obama's leader in Congress memorably put it the other day -- and I quote -- "no one knows what to do." Perhaps given that reaction, it shouldn't surprise us that the Congressional leaders of this do-nothing Congress also said that they weren't going to take action until after the election, claiming that it wasn't their fault. I am hopeful that last night's discussions are a sign they have changed their mind and will take action soon. But any action should be designed to keep people in their homes and safe guard the life savings of all Americans by protecting our financial system.

There are certainly plenty of places to point fingers, and it may be hard to pinpoint the original event that set it all in motion. But let me give you an educated guess. The financial crisis we're living through today started with the corruption and manipulation of our home mortgage system. At the center of the problem were the lobbyists, politicians, and bureaucrats who succeeded in persuading Congress and the administration to ignore the festering problems at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

These quasi-public corporations lead our housing system down a path where quick profit was placed before sound finance. They institutionalized a system that rewarded forcing mortgages on people who couldn't afford them, while turning around and selling those bad mortgages to the banks that are now going bankrupt. Using money and influence, they prevented reforms that would have curbed their power and limited their ability to damage our economy. And now, as ever, the American taxpayers are left to pay the price for Washington's failure.

Two years ago, I called for reform of this corruption at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Congress did nothing. The Administration did nothing. Senator Obama did nothing, and actually profited from this system of abuse and scandal. While Fannie and Freddie were working to keep Congress away from their house of cards, Senator Obama was taking their money. He got more, in fact, than any other member of Congress, except for the Democratic chairmen of the committee that oversees them. And while Fannie Mae was betraying the public trust, somehow its former CEO had managed to gain my opponent's trust to the point that Senator Obama actually put him in charge of his vice presidential search.

This CEO, Mr. Johnson, walked off with tens of millions of dollars in salary and bonuses for services rendered to Fannie Mae, even after authorities discovered accounting improprieties that padded his compensation. Another CEO for Fannie Mae, Mr. Raines, has been advising Senator Obama on housing policy. This even after Fannie Mae was found to have committed quote "extensive financial fraud" under his leadership. Like Mr. Johnson, Mr. Raines walked away with tens of millions of dollars.

Senator Obama may be taking their advice and he may be taking their money, but in a McCain-Palin administration, there will be no seat for these people at the policy-making table. They won't even get past the front gate at the White House.

My friends, this is the problem with Washington. People like Senator Obama have been too busy gaming the system and haven't ever done a thing to actually challenge the system.We've heard a lot of words from Senator Obama over the course of this campaign. But maybe just this once he could spare us the lectures, and admit to his own poor judgment in contributing to these problems. The crisis on Wall Street started in the Washington culture of lobbying and influence peddling, and he was square in the middle of it.

The financial services industry -- and there are many honest and honorable people who work in it -- plays a vital role in our economy. Mutual fund companies help Americans save for retirement. Banks and lending companies provide the mortgages that help us buy our homes. Investment firms supply the seed money that helps entrepreneurs create tomorrow's jobs. Insurance companies protect us against unknown risks.

Yet as the financial crisis continues and bailouts and bankruptcies mount, it's clear financial firms have lost the trust of the American people. That trust cannot be regained unless we adopt some fundamental reforms. Government has a clear responsibility to act and to defend the public interest. That is exactly what I intend to do.

First, to deal with the immediate crisis, I will lead in the creation of the Mortgage and Financial Institutions trust -- the MFI. The underlying principle of the MFI or any approach considered by Congress should be to keep people in their homes and safe guard the life savings of all Americans by protecting our financial system and capital markets. This trust will work with the private sector and regulators to identify institutions that are weak and fix them before they become insolvent. The MFI is an early intervention program to help financial institutions avoid bankruptcy, expensive bailouts and damage to their customers. This will get the Treasury and other financial regulatory authorities in a proactive position instead of reacting in a crisis mode to one situation after another.

The MFI will restore investor and market confidence, build sound financial institutions, assist troubled institutions and protect our financial system while minimizing taxpayer exposure. This is an important step, but it is not enough. I will also take the additional actions needed to make sure a crisis like this is never allowed to build and break over the American people again.

Second, I will propose and sign into law reforms to prevent financial firms from concealing their bad practices. An inexcusable lack of financial transparency allowed Wall Street firms to engage in reckless behavior that padded their profits and fattened executive bonuses when times were good, but now imperil the financial security of millions of Americans when their bets turned sour. So much of the damage to our economy could have been avoided if these practices had been exposed to the light of day. Americans have a right to know when their jobs, pensions, IRAs, investments, and our whole economy are being put at risk by the recklessness of Wall Street. And under my reforms for the financial sector, that fundamental right will be protected.

Third, we need regulatory clarity. The lack of transparency in our financial markets went unnoticed by the regulatory agencies scattered throughout Washington charged with protecting the common good. We've got the SEC, the FDIC, the CFTC, the SIPC, the OCC, the Fed. At best, this confusing assortment of regulators and institutions was egregiously lax in carrying out their responsibilities. At worst, they engaged in the old Washington game of guarding their bureaucratic turf, instead of safeguarding the public interest and protecting investors.

Many in the financial services industry also either forgot or neglected their duty to act ethically and honorably. This shortcoming was aided and abetted by the creation of financial instruments that allowed lenders to escape any responsibility for the risk of their loans. In the past, lenders had to pay a price if they made a bad loan. Today, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac worked with Wall Street to bundle together all these dicey subprime loans and then pushed them off on investors who didn't have the tools of transparency needed to assess or even understand the risk.

The current system promotes confusion, encourages bureaucratic infighting and creates incentives for financial firms to cut corners. We need to enhance regulatory clarity by holding the same financial activity to one regulatory standard. We don't need a dozen federal agencies doing the job badly -- we need the best federal agencies to do the job right.

Fourth, we must ensure that consumers and investors are protected. Our regulatory system must protect consumers and investors by punishing individuals who engage in fraud, break contracts, or lie to customers -- like the predatory lenders who know you can't afford an adjustable rate mortgage, but mislead you into signing one. These actions are criminal and the people who commit them should be behind bars. And corporate governance rules will be reformed so that shareholders have a clear say in determining the pay of CEOs and other senior executives. On my watch, the consequences for corporate abuse will not be more enrichment, but more likely an indictment.

Fifth, in cases where failing companies seek taxpayer bailouts, the Treasury Department will follow consistent policies in deciding whether to guarantee loans. It must have well developed remedies for a financial crisis. With billions of dollars in public money at stake, it will not do to keep making it up as we go along.

Finally, the Federal Reserve should get back to its core business of responsibly managing our money supply and inflation. It needs to get out of the business of bailouts. The Fed needs to return to protecting the purchasing power of the dollar. A strong dollar will reduce energy and food prices. It will stimulate sustainable economic growth and get this economy moving again.

All of these measures will calm and help us to avoid future panics and disasters in the financial markets. But to get through this tough time for America, and to come out stronger, we need a strategy of economic growth. And the massive new tax burden that my opponent plans for the American economy is exactly the wrong answer. His tax increase -- along with the enormous new federal programs he proposes -- are the surest way to turn a recession into a depression. In every respect, the Obama tax hikes would make things even worse for the working people of this country.

I have proposed, and will sign into law, an economic recovery plan for working Americans that is directed to the middle class. It will grow this economy, create millions of jobs and bring opportunity back to Americans. You will get a tax policy that creates family prosperity and allows you to save for the future. I will not raise your taxes on income or investments. And we will simplify the tax code so people can understand it and do their tax returns themselves.

I will give every family a $5,000 credit to buy their own health insurance policy and let them chose their own doctor. This will make insurance affordable to every American. I will double the child exemption from $3,500 to $7,000 to help families pay for the rising cost of living.
Under my plan, a married couple with two children making $35,000 will get $5,000 to pay for health insurance and additional medical expenses. This family would get another $1,050 from my child exemption. That adds up to over $6,000. That is a lot more than what any hardworking middle class family, gets under the Obama plan.

Business taxes will be cut from the second highest in the world at 35 percent to 25 percent. Tax incentives will spur investment in new plants and equipment. Research and development incentives will keep companies on the cutting edge of their industries. Healthcare costs will diminish. Companies will stop sending jobs overseas to low-cost, low-tax countries and start creating jobs here in America.

I will expand markets for our goods and services. A one in five of all jobs in this country are linked to world trade. In five states alone Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Colorado over 5 million jobs depend on trade. My economic recovery plan will create millions of jobs in America instead of driving them overseas.

I will adopt an "all of the above" energy policy which expands our use of oil, natural gas, clean coal and nuclear facilities. We will embark on a national mission to build an alternative energy base, creating millions of new jobs. We will create the most diversified energy economy in the world. And, I will return to the American economy the $700 billion dollars we send overseas every year to buy oil.

My opponent offers a very different economic future. He has continuously shifted his position on taxes. At the beginning of this campaign he promised to raise taxes on your savings and investments. He said he won't raise taxes for most people but he has voted 94 times in his short Senate career for tax increases and against tax cuts. He said he would only tax the rich, but he voted this year to raise taxes on those making just $42,000. Senator Obama has simply not given Americans good reason to trust him with your tax dollars.

My opponent is against lowering taxes on businesses which are the second highest in the world. He will impose mandated health insurance on businesses that would cost up to $12,000 per employee. He opposes free trade. He also wants to take away the fundamental right of workers to have a secret ballot when voting to be part of a union.

Now is not the time for these destructive policies that will cripple business growth, destroy jobs and hurt the middle class. Now is the time to take action to address this crisis and take action to put our economy back on a path of growth.

Even though Democratic leaders say they don't know what to do, I believe the deep problems afflicting our financial system won't be solved by one political party. There is only one candidate in this race who has a record of reaching across the aisle to work out the bipartisan solutions needed to move our country forward in times of crisis -- and I will bring that same spirit of bipartisan cooperation to the White House. It took members of both parties to get America into this mess, and it will take all of us, working together, to lead the way out.

Thank you.

McCain would fire SEC chairman, create institutional trust

2008-09-18T18:03:00.005-05:00

Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign responded quickly to questions surrounding the Republican nominee's comment today that he would fire the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission if he were president.

Just hours after McCain told a crowd in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that he would take swift action in the financial crisis on Wall Street, including firing the SEC chairman, the Arizona senator's campaign called a press teleconference with reporters.

"I believe we saw…today an indicator of the kind of manager John McCain intends to be as president," said Doug Holtz-Eakin, senior policy adviser for McCain. "Had he been president, he would immediately demand the resignation of any cabinet agency, particularly the SEC commissioner, who had a track record that did not meet the standards that John McCain felt were appropriate."

Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, who was campaigning in New Mexico, suggested that more than one person in the Bush administration should be fired.

"Don't just get rid of one guy. Get rid of this administration. Get rid of this philosophy. Get rid of the do-nothing approach to our economic problem and put somebody in there who’s going to fight for you," Obama said at a campaign stop in Espanola, N.M., according to the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, were preparing for their campaign visit to Green Bay.

Holtz-Eakin said McCain would disclose more details tomorrow about his plan to address the economic meltdown this week that saw Lehman Brothers investment bank file for bankruptcy, the merger of retail broker Merrill Lynch and Bank of America, and an $85 million government bailout of loan-insurance giant AIG.

McCain said Monday that if he were president he would appoint a blue-ribbon commission to study the crisis.

Holtz-Eakin said today that in addition to the “9-11-style commission,” McCain would create a mortgage and financial institutions trust, or MFI, to manage the troubled companies.

"An MFI is going to enhance both investor and market confidence, it's going to clearly distinguish between sound financial institutions and provide assistance to those that are threatened with becoming unsound, and a process for them to relieve themselves of unworkable liabilities," said Holtz-Eakin.

Although the McCain campaign emphasized the plan to create an institutional trust, reporters' questions trailed back to McCain’s reasoning for firing the SEC chairman Christopher Cox, who was appointed by President Bush in 2005.

When asked whether a sitting President has the authority to fire an SEC chairman, Holtz-Eakin said, "I think we can all agree on the history that when the President asks for someone's resignation, that’s the most effective signal one could send."

Democrats portray McCain as clueless on economy

2008-09-17T15:21:00.010-05:00

Casting Arizona Sen. John McCain as out-of-touch with middle-class Americans, Gov. Jim Doyle said the Republican presidential nominee could get a dose of reality Thursday when he visits Green Bay.

"I hope that in Green Bay he'll get a good picture of what people are really going through in this country," Doyle told reporters today, just one day before McCain and his vice presidential running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, are scheduled to visit Green Bay.

"He's offering four more years of the same and he certainly has no idea of what the change is that this country needs," Doyle said.

Doyle and Democratic Assemblyman Mike Sheridan of Janesville – who support Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for president – criticized McCain’s economic plan, which they linked to President Bush’s "failed" policies.

They also blasted McCain for saying on Monday that the fundamentals of the economy are strong – a statement McCain later clarified by saying he was referring to the American worker as being strong.

"While Americans can barely afford a tank of has, he'll give billions of tax breaks to Big Oil," Sheridan said of McCain. "That’s not change we can afford, and that’s not change at all."

On Monday, the Republican Party of Wisconsin posted on its Web site news stories that scrutinized Obama's economic plan and its possible impacts on the economy. Click here to see the posting.

Doyle said the Green Bay area and the Fox Valley will be critical in the upcoming election, and that Obama will visit the area again before the Nov. 4 election.

As for the McCain-Palin visit, Doyle said the Republican candidates will try to say they represent change, but adds that they would continue many of the Bush policies.

"So as John McCain comes to Green Bay, he can utter the words change all he wants," said Doyle. "The fact is, he has a record that he has to live with."

To hear an audio clip of Doyle from the teleconference, click on the link below.
091708Doyle.mp3

Obama proposes Great Lakes money and plan

2008-09-16T16:08:00.001-05:00

WASHINGTON - The nation's five Great Lakes moved into the presidential spotlight Tuesday with a proposal by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama to create a $5 billion trust fund to restore them.

In a conference call, Obama supporters Gov. Jim Doyle, D-Wis., and Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., praised the plan as a break with President Bush's policies toward the region.

Bush proposed funding cuts in his 2009 budget request for programs affecting the Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior lakes, Stabenow said.

Bush has offered the region "a few nice words" but not the money or the attention needed to improve water quality of the Great Lakes, Doyle said.

Doyle, Klobuchar and Stabenow said Republican presidential nominee John McCain would continue the Bush approach to the region if elected.

McCain has said he supports efforts to revive the lakes but has not offered a specific plan for doing so.

"John McCain supports the Great Lakes Compact," campaign spokeswoman Sarah Lenti said, referring to the eight state agreement on water conservation and protection against large-scale diversion of water from the lakes.

"John McCain has a record of working in a bipartisan manner to enact reform. He will continue to work across the aisle to come up with the best solutions for the Great Lakes," Lenti said.

Obama proposes to use $5 billion generated by ending major tax breaks for oil and natural gas companies for a fund that would provide money over 10 years for Great Lakes projects to clean up toxic hot spots, combat invasive species and control wastewater discharges from aging sewer systems.

"Not only should you be able to catch a lot of fish (in one of the Great Lakes). You should be able to eat them," Doyle said. "You should be able to eat it."

Obama also would designate a coordinator at the Environmental Protection Agency to oversee Great Lakes federal programs. Obama also proposes to work with state and local officials in executing the Great Lakes Compact - which the Senate ratified in July and is pending in the U.S. House.

Klobuchar said the Obama plan would replace the piecemeal way Great Lakes programs are administered with a comprehensive approach.

Although he was not part of the conference call, Jeff Skelding, national campaign director of Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said he hoped the two presidential candidates try "to outdo each other on who is going to stand up for the millions of people, businesses and communities who rely on the Great Lakes 365 days a year."

"Our position has been, and will continue to be, that the next president needs to take decisive action to confront the serious threats facing the Great Lakes before the problems get worse and more costly," Skelding said in a statement.

The coalition, which includes hunting, fishing, environmental and other groups, does not endorse candidates.
--
Contact Ellyn Ferguson at eferguso(AT)gns.gannett.com

9/11 fundraiser leads to partisan dust-up

2008-09-10T17:00:00.003-05:00

By ELLYN FERGUSON
Gannett News Service

WASHINGTON - Wisconsin Democrats and Republicans bashed each other over a GOP assemblyman's fundraiser planned for the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001.

Joe Wineke, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, said Rep. Phil Montgomery and his speaker guest, former Assembly Speaker John Gard, should not hold the event on the anniversary of the terrorist attack.

"At a time when John McCain and Barack Obama have agreed to suspend politics to honor the victims of 9/11, it is telling that John Gard sees it fit to spend the day fundraising for a political campaign," Wineke said.

Montgomery and a campaign spokesman for Gard said the Democrats were petty and caught up in symbolism.

Mark Graul said Democrats could better spend their time "voting for things like terrorist surveillance laws, which Congressman Kagen voted against, to stop another Sept. 11."

Graul, a Gard spokesman, was referring to an electronic surveillance compromise bill that became law during the summer. Kagen, D-Appleton, and three other Wisconsin House Democrats voted against the bill.

At the time, Kagen said intelligence agencies already had the tools they needed to track terrorist suspect and that he worried there weren't enough civil liberty safeguards to protect innocent Americans.

Montgomery, R-Ashwaubenon, mocked Democrats by reworking Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's slogan for change.

"Is this the change the Democrats are talking about -- that they are so petty and spiteful that they sink to this level of questioning," Montgomery said. "It's gotcha politics."

Montgomery said Democrats, especially Kagen, could do more substantive things to honor the memory of 9/11 like funding U.S. troops or backing expanded surveillance of terrorist suspects. Montgomery said he will pay his respects to the dead of 9/11 at a morning memorial service.

Graul also said Gard plans to attend a memorial service. Montgomery said there's no reason to put the $25 per-family fundraiser on hold. He noted that a number of veterans plan to attend and see nothing wrong with it.

Montgomery said he invited Gard to address the event but added that the congressional candidate "isn't making a dime off of it."

Jake Rubin, Kagen's campaign spokesman, took exception to Graul's comments about Kagen's vote.

"It seems like John Gard's campaign does not take a day off for anything," Rubin said.
Rubin said the Kagen campaign would temporarily stop running its television commercial and hold no fundraisers on Thursday.
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Contact Ellyn Ferguson at eferguso(AT)gns.gannett.com

Wisconsin Dems launch 'Republicans for Obama'

2008-09-04T15:56:00.005-05:00

Hours before Arizona Sen. John McCain accepts the Republican nomination for president tonight, two Wisconsin Republicans said they will vote for Democratic nominee Barack Obama on Nov. 4.

Former state Rep. Tom Ourada, R-Antigo, said he decided against supporting McCain when it appeared -- after McCain lost his race for the Republican nominee for president in 2000 -- that McCain was abandoning his maverick style and, instead, aligning himself with the policies of President George W. Bush.

"Our Republican Party used to be the big tent party of Ronald Reagan. There was room to disagree on certain issues while sharing an overarching commitment to responsible economic policy and smart foreign policy," said Ourada, who served in the state Assembly from 1984-1999. "Over the past eight years, though, the Republican Party has increasingly become the party of George W. Bush. And that party doesn’t include room for moderates, or those of us not from the George W. Bush wing of the party."

Ourada made his statements on a conference call with Wisconsin media, sponsored by the Obama campaign in Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, the McCain campaign announced that McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, will be in Cedarburg on Friday. The campaign also said that more than 90 “house parties” in Wisconsin would take place tonight “to celebrate and endorse the McCain-Palin ticket.”

Jennifer Lord-Kouraichi, a Republican who works as the emergency management director in Clark County, will not be hosting or attending a McCain house party. She said she identifies more with Obama's policies than those of McCain.

"I'm a working mom, struggling to balance work and family, worrying about rising prices and falling prices and just trying to make ends meet. John McCain just doesn't seem to get it," said Lord-Kouraichi, describing herself as a lifelong Republican who still considers herself a member of the party.

"As a mother, I feel safer and secure with the leadership of Obama. I know that he has what it takes to make the tough decision when the country is at stake," she said.

Lord-Kouraiochi, a self-described born-again Christian, said she thinks "Obama is a committed Christian and shares the vast majority of my values."

Both Republicans said that while they do not agree with Obama on everything, they appreciate his willingness to find common ground on issues where Democrats and Republicans disagree.

Dan Kanninen, state director for the Obama campaign, said more Republicans across the state are pledging their support for Obama. The campaign had no estimate on the number of GOP supporters, but said they are seeing Republican supporters at many of their 32 campaign offices around the state.

"We want any Republican in this state, who is ready for a new direction and new leadership in this country, to know we will welcome them with open arms," said Kanninen.

To listen to a quote from former Rep. Tom Ourada, click on the link below.
GOP1.mp3

To listen to a quote from Jennifer Lord-Kouraichi, click on the link below.
GOP2.mp3

McCain has an edge, Thompson says

2008-08-28T15:26:00.004-05:00

Arizona Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign is building momentum even as the Democratic Party is meeting this week in Denver, says former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson.

Thompson says that bodes well for McCain to win Wisconsin in the Nov. 4 election, and says the 8th Congressional District will play a big role in the Republican candidate winning the state.

"I think this is the year that John McCain is going to carry Wisconsin," Thompson told reporters in a conference call this afternoon.

"I don’t think Barack Obama's policies of higher taxes and his tremendous liberal positions on pro-choice are going to cover in the 8th congressional district as well as northern Wisconsin and the 3rd district. And I think that's where Republicans have got to do better," said Thompson, who was a presidential candidate against McCain but pulled out early in the race.

He said Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has "not shown much of a bounce" from the Democratic National Convention this week, and that recent polls show Obama going down from 49 percent to 45 percent.

According to the USA TODAY presidential poll tracker, August polls in Wisconsin show Obama leading McCain by 6 percentage points. The Rassmussen poll has Obama at 51 percent and McCain at 44 percent with a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points, and the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute has Obama at 44 percent and McCain at 38 percent with margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

"I think John McCain stands in tremendous position to come out the Republican convention next week on a high,” said Thompson. "I think he'll be leading in the polls and I think he will be getting a tremendous bounce."

Gov. Jim Doyle told reporters today that Obama could win handily in Wisconsin if voter turnout is high.

"Jim Doyle is drinking some kool-aid that is not very relevant to this election,' said Thompson. "I think that it's going to be close, and I think John McCain can win."

Thompson made his comments hours before Obama takes center stage tonight to accept his party's nomination for president. He said he wished him well on the speech.

To hear an audio clip of Thompson, please click on the link below.
082808Thompson.mp3

Area delegates blog at party conventions

2008-08-27T18:32:00.003-05:00

Get a small glimpse of the Democratic National Convention this week through a blog by Preble High School graduate Jamie Stark, a Green Bay delegate.

His blog can be accessed at http://blog.3forobama.com/.

Next week, Sol Grosskopf, chairman of the Wisconsin Federation of College Republicans, will also blog as he participates as a Northeastern Wisconsin delegate to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

Check out the federation's Web site at http://wisconsincrs.org/.

Stealing some thunder

2008-08-26T18:39:00.004-05:00

Shortly after Gov. Jim Doyle spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Denver this evening, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker was scheduled to publicly criticize Doyle for supporting Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for president.

Walker, a Republican, announced today that he would hold a news conference in Milwaukee at 7 p.m. this evening, and issued a statement in which he attacked Doyle and Obama for raising taxes.

“Before the last election, Jim Doyle told the people of Wisconsin in his State of the State address that, ‘We should not – we must not – and I will not – raise taxes.’ After the last election, he introduced a state budget that raised taxes and fees by more than $3 billion,” Walker said in his statement.

“Now he’s pushing Sen. Barack Obama for president. In his three short years in the United States Senate, Sen.Obama has voted against tax cuts and for tax increases 94 times.”

Walker ran for governor in 2006, but pulled out of the race before facing former U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Hobart, in the fall primary.

Doyle made his speech at about 6 p.m. Central time to conventioneers, and to a cheering Wisconsin delegation.

The following is the text of Doyle’s speech from Denver:

When I was a boy in junior high school, millions of young Americans like me were called to the noble patriotism of service by John F. Kennedy.

I felt then – and I know now – that his words were directed at me.

I carried his call in my heart as I joined the Peace Corps, served in Tunisia, and took my first job back home helping some of America’s most desperately poor at an Indian Reservation in Chinle, Arizona.

I carry his call today as I fight for the working families of Wisconsin.

Democrats, this is our time to revive the spirit of Kennedy that brought so many of us into public service and together in this great hall.

We are ready to move past eight years of an economic doctrine that favors the rich and ignores the rest.

We are ready to reject John McCain’s campaign that offers nothing but four years of more of the same.

We are ready to innovate, build and work hard to achieve our dreams.

For the people of my state, hard work is nothing new. We get up every day to face the challenges ahead of us: caring for our families, teaching our children and doing our jobs to the very best of our abilities.

For as long as I can remember, there has been a sort of unwritten rule in America. Some call it the American Dream. It says that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can go as far in life as your talent and dedication will you take you.

In Wisconsin and across our country today, people are working just as hard as ever. They are still playing by the rules. But they are finding their dreams further and further out of reach.

My family, I think, was among the earliest to endorse Barack Obama. I’d say it happened about five minutes into the keynote speech he delivered four years ago.

I have asked all my family members why they support Senator Obama so strongly, but no one said it better than my eight-year-old grandson, Asiah.

He said: “We need a president who will work hard for us.”

That’s the wisdom of a child. In Barack Obama, we will know what it is to have a president who really works hard for us.

And he knows that the best way to get America working again is by investing in the green energy jobs of tomorrow.

Just this month, I was at a small-town factory in northern Wisconsin called Merit Gear, which has a long history of making gearboxes.

Most of them used to go into cars and trucks. But now, their largest and most highly-engineered gears are turning inside the generators of windmills. They say business is booming.

The boom at Merit Gear can happen in factories and towns everywhere.
But that will only happen if we have a President committed to investing in education, job training and low taxes for clean energy innovators.

John McCain stands for more of the same. Barack Obama has a plan to put 5 million Americans to work in well-paying clean energy jobs.

That’s the kind of change we need, and now is our chance to make it happen.

But this victory and this new direction will not come easy. The entrenched powers of the Bush/Cheney years have everything to gain from keeping things just the way they are.

They will pull out all the stops to elect John McCain because they know he’ll keep looking out for them.

But I have news for them: their days are numbered. Our time has come.

I promise to you that I am going to work my heart out for Barack Obama. I’ll do it for my grandson, Asiah – so that he is blessed in his life with the hopeful and determined spirit that John Kennedy gave me.

I’ll work for Barack Obama so that all of our children and grandchildren know what it means to have a president who works for us.

I know Wisconsin will work hard. I know all of you will work hard. And together, we will elect a President as good as the people of our great country.

Thank you, everyone. On, Wisconsin. And God bless America.

A matter of style

2008-08-13T19:08:00.003-05:00

Contrasts between Arizona Sen. John McCain and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama stood out Wednesday, right down to the style in how each plans to win Wisconsin in the Nov. 4 election.

The two presumptive presidential nominees -- Obama for the Democrats and McCain for the Republicans -- picked the same day to unveil their Wisconsin strategy through telephone conference calls with statewide media.

The Obama campaign outlined its "blueprint for victory" with colorful maps and charts on Powerpoint slides. McCain's campaign distributed no visuals or literature, relying on the McCain style of straight-talk.

Obama's campaign spoke of "empowering" volunteers and building on enthusiasm in targeted areas. McCain’s campaign talked of signing up folks at county fairs (among other strategies).

Obama's campaign described a "bottom up approach." The McCain campaign articulated a very structured, top-down model.

The Obama team talked of downloading information and using technology. The McCain team said it would use technology, but didn’t say exactly how.

"This is not the Republican Party of 2006, and the false impression that we don't take advantage of the Internet and social media is exactly that," said Todd Lohenry, northeast regional chair for the McCain campaign in Wisconsin and vice chairman of the Information Technology Committee for Republican Party of Wisconsin. "At the same time, I don’t want to talk about all the things that we're doing internally."

McCain's Wisconsin regional team outlined a top-down strategy that carries the message from regional chairs to county chairs to precinct captains to ward captains – and in rural areas, to township captains.

"My perspective on the grassroots movement is basically to be a good soldier in this process, to take what it is that I receive from campaign management and to be a facilitator to distribute the information that we receive throughout the grassroots organization," said Lohenry.

McCain's team said the network involves nine regional chairs, 72 county chairs, hundreds of municipal chairs, and they plan to recruit "hundreds to thousands" of precinct chairs. The precinct chairs would oversee groups of 10-20 supporters within the network.

"I have the utmost confidence we will have no shortage of volunteers and workers to get the word out on John McCain,” said Mike Duffy, state director for the McCain campaign in Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, the Obama campaign plans to rely heavily on putting together more than 450 teams of volunteers assigned to spread Obama's message across the state. The organizing teams will canvass neighborhoods and run phone banks, do voter registration, recruit more volunteers and organize house meetings. College students who gave strong Obama strong support in Wisconsin's Democratic primary will also be tapped.

Each team of about six people will be responsible for 10 to 15 voting wards. Field staff will work with the teams to set weekly numeric goals for contacting voters, holding campaign events and other outreach.

"Our campaign is not just focusing on TV or paid staff. We're really focusing on a ground-up enthusiasm of our volunteers to be able to lead our efforts here. What we're doing is empowering supporters that we already have to engage them to find more supporters…," said Nicole Derse, Wisconsin field director.

Although their strategies differ, both campaigns say they are building strong networks across the state.

Ellyn Ferguson of Gannett News Service contributed to this posting.

Petri: Private roads lead to nowhere

2008-08-01T10:33:00.001-05:00

WASHINGTON - Wisconsin Rep. Tom Petri got a turn before the cameras this week when he appeared on a segment of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight.

But it had nothing to do with Dobbs' bread and butter issue - illegal immigration.

The topic was states selling rights to private companies to build roads and charge tolls. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters and the Bush administration call it a creative way for states to compensate for inadequate federal funding. As a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Petri is familiar with Peters' proposals.

Petri, R-Fond du Lac, and Dobbs are against the idea, which has been tried in Indiana and Illinois where a foreign company bought multi-decade rights to operate toll roads and control development along the routes.

"People who are elected for four or two-year terms are entering into 20, 40, 80-year contracts, mortgaging a flow of revenue and selling off for a long period of time assets of taxpayers that elected them," Petri said during a pre-recorded interview.

"There's no real value added by people coming in from Australia and other places (to operate toll roads) except to insulate (officials) from the politics of raising tolls on the traveling public," he added.

Dobbs signed off on the segment with a pithy dismissal of privatization.

"The idea that some fool elected to office in any capacity - a congressman, a governor, a state legislator - thinks he or she has the rights to sell American assets - taxpayer assets - this is nuts," Dobbs said.

--
Contact Ellyn Ferguson at eferguso(AT)gns.gannett.com

Catch you on the tube

2008-07-28T16:38:00.002-05:00

WASHINGTON - Wisconsin delegates at next month's Democratic national convention will have to party on without the dean of the state's congressional delegation.

Dave Obey, a Wausau Democrat and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, would rather stay home than spend time in Denver back slapping, glad handing and engaging in other frivolity. He skipped the national convention in 2004 as well.

"I'm not much into cocktail parties. I'm not much into pep sessions. The best way to watch that convention is at home, seeing it the same way that my constituents see it (by television)," Obey said Monday.

The convention runs Aug. 25-28.

Obey said he'd pack his bags if the nomination were on the line or if delegates had something vital to decide.

But Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, whom Obey decided to back after former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards dropped out of the race, has the nomination in hand.

"I don't need to spend thousands of dollars for a four-day clambake," said Obey, a veteran of more than 40 years of state and federal politics.
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Contact Ellyn Ferguson at eferguso(AT)gns.gannett.com

Petri to work on Amtrak bill

2008-07-25T14:20:00.001-05:00

WASHINGTON - Rep. Tom Petri will be one of the House negotiators trying to keep the Amtrak reauthorization bill from derailing.

Petri, R-Fond du Lac, was one of 16 conferees appointed earlier this week from the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. They will be responsible for working with their Senate counterparts to produce a compromise version of a five-year Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act.

Petri said Congress needs to increase investment in Amtrak but that the legislation "can't be considered simply a license to spend. I will be looking for opportunities to make it cost-effective."

The House and Senate have approved different versions of the bill, which would nearly double money for maintenance, service improvement and retiring Amtrak's debt.

Amtrak's popular Milwaukee to Chicago route could benefit from provisions designed to improve on-time performance, said Petri, a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The House version authorizes $500 million a year for a grant program that would provide an 80-cent federal match to states for every 20 cents they spend on establishing or expanding rail service. Another provision would tighten enforcement of federal that requires private freight railroads to give Amtrak preferred access to their tracks.

If Congress passes a final bill, it would mark the first time in 10 years that lawmakers have approved a multi-year Amtrak bill in nearly a decade.

-- Ellen Ferguson, eferguson@greenbaypressgazette.com

Democrats: Kagen 'in fine shape' vs. Gard

2008-07-24T17:28:00.001-05:00

Republican challenger John Gard released a poll last week showing he's within striking distance of Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen, but the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said that doesn't worry him.

The committee's job is to help Democrats hold House seats and to pick up seats from Republicans.

The Public Opinion Strategies poll of 400 likely voters showed 46 percent picking incumbent Kagen and 42 percent picking Gard. The margin of error was 4.9 percent. Public Opinion Strategies called the race a statistical dead heat.

When asked about the Gard poll this week, DCCC chairman Chris Van Hollen said Kagen had been working hard to secure the 8th Congressional District. Kagen, an allergist, was a political newcomer until he won the race against Gard in 2006.

"He's not taking anything for granted. He's been working hard since the day he got here on legislation and in terms of his constituent outreach operations," Van Hollen said.

"This is a rerun. The voters have already passed judgment on Gard and they said they wanted Kagen instead," he said.

Asked whether the DCCC had done any polling, Van Hollen said, "We have, and all our polls show Kagen is in fine shape."

-- Ellyn Ferguson, Press-Gazette Washington bureau, eferguson@greenbaypressgazette.com

Washington works up a sweat

2008-07-24T14:31:00.002-05:00

Wisconsin Rep. Ron Kind found a way to get stiff and staid Capitol Hill to loosen up.

He had exercise evangel Richard Simmons speak at an outdoor press conference in support of Kind's legislation to make physical education as integral to the school curriculum as academics. Public school students in kindergarten through 12th grade also would be given health and nutritional information.

Simmons chucked the suit and tie he wore earlier when he testified before a congressional committee for the bill.

Out on the terrace of the Cannon House Office Building, Simmons wore his trademark sleeveless T-shirt -- embellished with red, blue and white sequins -- and red-stripped shorts, white socks and Nikes.

"At 23, I took my first exercise class and I was bitten by the sweat bug. If you don't exercise, if your self-esteem is low, if you're not eating healthy that leads to stress and depression. And we have to knock that out with our kids," Simmons told the crowd.

He led some wandering tourists and a horde of congressional interns -- most not born when Simmons hit the big time in the 1980s -- twisting and twirling to music from a boom box. A woman standing in the window of an office across the street could be seen clapping in time to the music.

Those who didn't exercise held up camera phones to e-mail the scene to friends far and wide.
Kind originally wanted to tie his bill, H.R. 3257, which has the backing of Wisconsin Reps. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and Steve Kagen, D-Appleton, to the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind law. The reauthorization effort has bogged down and Kind is negotiating to see if the House will pass his legislation as a stand-alone measure.

Kind and several bill cosponsors missed out on the exercise session. They had to run to vote.

-- Ellyn Ferguson/eferguso@gns.gannett.com

McCain energy ad fuels Doyle's ire

2008-07-22T15:48:00.002-05:00

Republican presidential candidate John McCain's new 30-second commercial on gasoline prices has fired up Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat.

The ad, which began airing in the state today, asks voters "Who can you blame for rising prices?" and helpfully answers with a picture of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and a background chant of "Obama, Obama."

The ad signs off with "Don't hope for more energy, vote for it. McCain."

"It's so absurd on its face," Doyle said in a conference call arranged by the Obama campaign.

"I think it's one of those situations where someone has such a poor record over 30 years, 26 of those … in Congress, in failing to act that he sort of has to tell the big lie here to escape the consequences of his own actions," said Doyle, an Obama supporter and defender.

"He has stood in the way of lower gas prices and he has stood in the way of investments in renewable fuels," Doyle was joined on the call by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.

Doyle cited McCain's vote against a 2005 energy bill that included tax breaks to spur investments in renewable energy. Obama voted for the bill.

"I really look forward to the day as governor of Wisconsin that we're going to work with a President Obama who will be working hand in hand with us to help develop a major sector of our economy in Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest that is focused on clean energy production."

-- Ellyn Ferguson, Press-Gazette Washington bureau, eferguson@greenbaypressgazette.com