Brace Yourself for a Year of Negativity in Politics, Kind Warns

Wisconsin needs someone to bring the state together politically, Congressman Ron Kind said Tuesday, but he stuck by his decision not to offer himself as that person when it comes to running for governor in the recall election expected in the next few months.

“I’ve got a full plate now,” Kind told Mike Gousha, the Law School’s distinguished fellow in law and public policy, at an “On the Issues” session in Eckstein Hall. Kind cited his role on the House Ways and Means Committee, which plays a central role in dealing with issues such as spending and health care, as well as the needs of his family, including two teenage boys.

Kind, a Democrat who represents much of western Wisconsin in the House of Representatives, often has been mentioned as a possible candidate for governor or senator, but has declined to seek those offices.

“What’s desperately needed in our state is some reconciliation,” Kind said, criticizing the way Republican Governor Scott Walker pushed through changes in the state budget and in state law. He called Walker’s approach “unfortunate” and said, “It certainly wasn’t the Wisconsin way” which aims to bring people together.

“I don’t know what it is going to take to restore some comity to our political process,” Kind said.

Kind is often labeled a centrist. He told Gousha that political life, both in Washington and in Madison, has become harder for those in the middle because “more radical voices” have been empowered through changes such as spending by special interests and primary election campaigns in which those further to the left or right have had the upper hand in each party.

Kind discussed a range of major policy issues, including health policy, taxes and spending, and American involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Among those in the audience: Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a friend and often times ally of Kind.

Looking to the coming elections in Wisconsin, including a presidential contest, Senate contest, legislative races, and the expected recall of the governor, Kind said there is going to be a lot of negativity. “We need to brace ourselves,” he said. “This is going to be a pretty ugly political year.”

A video recording of the session can be viewed by clicking here.

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Mark Block: Did a Conspiracy Bring Down Herman Cain’s Presidential Bid?

Maybe it was a conspiracy among powerful figures in Washington that did in Herman Cain’s presidential campaign, his campaign manager suggested Thursday at Marquette University Law School.

Mark Block, the unconventional political operative who became a celebrity himself during Cain’s once-hot run for the Republican nomination, said he fully believed from the earliest days of the campaign that Cain was going to be the next president of the United States.

But after more than a month as a front runner last fall, Cain saw the wheels come off his bid with a series of news stories about alleged inappropriate sexual conduct by Cain and Cain’s bungling of some questions, especially one about Libya asked during a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board meeting.

When Mike Gousha, the Law School’s distinguished fellow in law and public policy, asked Block what happened, Block answered, “I think what happened, this is a little bit of the conspiracy theory in me, he (Cain) scared the hell out of a lot of people in Washington, D.C., and it was time to take him down, take him out.”

Asked by Gousha if he knew who might be involved, Block answered, “Don’t know that, but I can tell you when I find that out, it’ll be a best selling book.”

Asked after the one-hour “On the Issues” session if he could amplify on the subject and whether a conspiracy might have come from the right or the left, Block said he had no evidence and offered no answers.

If not for the events in October, Block said, he was convinced Cain would be well on his way to the Republican nomination now.

Block himself caused a sensation with a campaign ad posted on the Internet last fall in which, after saying how much he believed in Cain, Block took a deep puff on a cigarette and, as the smoke was exhaled, the image dissolved to a photo of Cain. Cain aides estimate the ad has been viewed more than 20 million times. Block said, “It cost us $4 to film that.”

Block provided an introductory video for the Eckstein Hall session which included a taped message from Cain thanking Marquette and Gousha for giving Block a chance to ”share our story.” The video focused mostly on the cigarette ad. The session, including the video, can be viewed by clicking here.

Block, a Wisconsin native, was a long-time and sometimes controversial political operative in Wisconsin. One of the people in audience Thursday was Walt Kelly, who lost a race for Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1997. Block managed the campaign of Kelly’s opponent, Jon Wilcox, and Block was subsequently banned from Wisconsin politics for three years as part of a settlement of charges that he colluded with an independent organization in violation of campaign laws. From the audience, Kelly asked Block whether he was still under investigation for possible collusion with other organizations during the Cain campaign. “Not to my knowledge, Walt,” Block answered.

Asked by Gousha about the interview at the Journal Sentinel in which Cain struggled to come up with an answer when asked what he thought of how President Obama handled Libya, Block said, “In retrospect, what I should have done is cancel that interview.” Cain was exhausted that morning and should have taken a break, Block said.

Block said it is likely the Republican presidential candidate won’t be picked until the national convention this summer. He said candidate Newt Gingrich will pick up a lot of delegates in the Super Tuesday primaries on March 6. Cain has endorsed Gingrich.

Block said Cain would not agree to be the vice presidential candidate and would not accept any Cabinet seat in a Republican administration except possibly secretary of defense. He said Cain remains “extremely upbeat” personally and is working hard to promote the defeat of President Barack Obama this year and to see the “9-9-9” tax plan become law. “He’s on a mission,” Block said.

Block continues to be a big part of that mission – he now has the title of chief of strategic planning and development for Cain’s Solutions Revolution, one of several organizations that Cain has created.

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In Praise of Flip-Floppers

Consider the flip-flopper critique, one of the more common tools of attack in contemporary politics. Ron Paul has used it against Newt Gingrich. Many have used it against Mitt Romney. Some call President Obama the “flip-flopper-in-chief”; others speak similarly of Governor Walker. The term is efficient—in just a few syllables, it suggests that the target is at once unprincipled, untrustworthy, and unpredictable. But “flip-flopper” is often better at obfuscating than revealing. In this post, I want to briefly highlight one problem with the term’s common usage.

And here’s the problem: while flip-flopper denotes a person who has changed positions without justification, political discourse frequently abuses this meaning by failing to engage sufficiently the question of whether any given change is in fact justifiable. The common implication seems to be that all position changes are tactical and Machiavellian, and that the best candidate is the one who will most steadfastly adhere to his initial policy positions. But of course not all flip-flops are created equal. By glossing over potential justifications, standard flip-flopper critiques both encourage criticism of some praiseworthy position changes, and encourage praise of some blameworthy refusals to change course.

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