Politics, Hats and Houses
06/06/12 05:28
Politics is a bitter topic in Wisconsin. Yesterday’s failed attempt to recall Governor Scott Walker did little to change that fact. As passionate as people were before the election, their feelings won’t quickly subside. The side that lost the election garnered 44% of the vote. That means that there are a whole lot of unhappy people. The same would have been true had the vote gone the other way. Pundits will be re-hashing the election for generations it seems. Wisconsin voters are waking up to something we in South Dakota have been experiencing for many years: the winners are those who raise most of their money out of state. To put it in other words, out of state interests have a lot, and sometimes more influence than locals. To put it even more bluntly, elections are bought and sold by out-of-state interests.
The monies raised by the campaigns are only part of the picture. Independent expenditure groups spent an estimated $29 million on advertisements, over $22 million in support of Governor Walker. Not all of Barrett’s money was spent on the general election as he had an opponent in the primary.
This is all legal. Economic times may be tough. Candidates may be making speeches about fiscal responsibility, austerity measures, and cutbacks. But when it comes to getting elected, apparently a 70% increase in the amount spent on the election over the 2010 race between the same two candidates is an acceptable figure. Cutting taxes is so lucrative for the nation’s most wealthy citizens that they are willing to spend millions to keep from having to pay more taxes. It seems to them to be a good investment.
You can’t help but wonder what $63.5 million might have done for Wisconsin if it had been available to invest in education, highways, law enforcement and other priorities of state government.
The era of unlimited funding for elections seems to be upon us. There are plenty of candidates who say they want to cut the cost of government, but none who are trying to cut the cost of elections.
The system is inherently unfair. And Americans are pretty conscious about fairness. I suspect that we will find ways to restore fairness to our tax codes and to our electoral processes, but it might take quite a bit of time.
In the meantime, talking about politics in Wisconsin means encountering a large amount of anger. The state is sadly divided and the divide is bitter.
If I were in Wisconsin today, I think I’d try to change the subject to hats. The United Kingdom has just finished several days of celebration of the diamond jubilee anniversary of the queen. And those Brits certainly do like their hats. Some of the hats are iconic and make you think of Britain, like the distinctive helmet of a bobby.
The queen herself is well known for her hats. She sported several different hats during the festivities, choosing a white number for the barge float down the River Thames, a blue one for other activities, and a pink hat for still different events. One never gets the impression that the queen is having a bad hair day. Then of course, the queen doesn’t have to take her hat off for anyone, so there aren’t that many people who have seen her without a hat.
The Duchess of Cambridge is already becoming known for her hats, though she seems to try to avoid upstaging the queen.
There were some hats, however, that were a lot more elaborate. Sported on the streets of London during the jubilee were a lot of hats that featured flags and the red, white and blue of the union jack.
And there were plenty of hats with images of the queen in celebration of her 60 years as reigning monarch.
Some people got carried away.
The hats the Brits wore for the jubilee paled, however, in comparison with the hat that Princess Beatrice wore to the royal wedding. Now that was a hat to remember. It was, without a doubt, a fashion statement that never needs to be repeated.
Folks in Wisconsin might do well to talk about hats this morning. Whether they are pleased or dismayed with the election results, it is unlikely that they will have any impact on the thinking of their opponents. And the task for folks in Wisconsin today is learning to live with each other once again. The state is deeply divided. Passions are high. People are angry. And they have to learn to live with one another. How they deal with the aftermath of this divisive election may be a model for the rest of us.
In a deeply polarized political environment, it is likely that we will face political divisions that pit family member against family member and neighbor against neighbor. It is too easy to forget that we are all in this together. We need each other.
Maybe it would be best if the folks of Wisconsin don’t speak of politics for a few days. Sometimes the deepest divisions are not healed by words. So after my silly suggestion for Wisconsin citizens, here is a serious one.
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County, UW-Madison Habitat for Humanity, and Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity are all in need of volunteers for home construction in Wisconsin. There are probably dozens of other affiliates of Habitat for Humanity International across the state. Imagine what would happen if one person who voted for Barrett identified a person who voted for Walker to join them for a day of volunteering this Saturday. They could spend the day working side-by-side and shoulder-to-shoulder on a worthwhile project. They would end the day tired and dirty and feeling like they had accomplished something.
Imagine what would happen if hundreds of people who had worked against each other in the election worked together for just one day. It won’t be a top-down effort. Don’t expect the governor’s candidates to be seen in public together. If it is going to happen, it will happen in neighborhoods and families.
The advice is good for us all. Perhaps each of us needs to think of a person with whom we have had deep disagreements and invite that person to share a day of volunteer service.
We could do more to change the tone of politics in our communities than the millions of dollars that out of state interests are willing to spend. There are plenty of things that are worth more than money when it comes to building our future together.
The monies raised by the campaigns are only part of the picture. Independent expenditure groups spent an estimated $29 million on advertisements, over $22 million in support of Governor Walker. Not all of Barrett’s money was spent on the general election as he had an opponent in the primary.
This is all legal. Economic times may be tough. Candidates may be making speeches about fiscal responsibility, austerity measures, and cutbacks. But when it comes to getting elected, apparently a 70% increase in the amount spent on the election over the 2010 race between the same two candidates is an acceptable figure. Cutting taxes is so lucrative for the nation’s most wealthy citizens that they are willing to spend millions to keep from having to pay more taxes. It seems to them to be a good investment.
You can’t help but wonder what $63.5 million might have done for Wisconsin if it had been available to invest in education, highways, law enforcement and other priorities of state government.
The era of unlimited funding for elections seems to be upon us. There are plenty of candidates who say they want to cut the cost of government, but none who are trying to cut the cost of elections.
The system is inherently unfair. And Americans are pretty conscious about fairness. I suspect that we will find ways to restore fairness to our tax codes and to our electoral processes, but it might take quite a bit of time.
In the meantime, talking about politics in Wisconsin means encountering a large amount of anger. The state is sadly divided and the divide is bitter.
There were some hats, however, that were a lot more elaborate. Sported on the streets of London during the jubilee were a lot of hats that featured flags and the red, white and blue of the union jack.
And there were plenty of hats with images of the queen in celebration of her 60 years as reigning monarch.
Some people got carried away.
Folks in Wisconsin might do well to talk about hats this morning. Whether they are pleased or dismayed with the election results, it is unlikely that they will have any impact on the thinking of their opponents. And the task for folks in Wisconsin today is learning to live with each other once again. The state is deeply divided. Passions are high. People are angry. And they have to learn to live with one another. How they deal with the aftermath of this divisive election may be a model for the rest of us.
In a deeply polarized political environment, it is likely that we will face political divisions that pit family member against family member and neighbor against neighbor. It is too easy to forget that we are all in this together. We need each other.
Maybe it would be best if the folks of Wisconsin don’t speak of politics for a few days. Sometimes the deepest divisions are not healed by words. So after my silly suggestion for Wisconsin citizens, here is a serious one.
Habitat for Humanity of Dane County, UW-Madison Habitat for Humanity, and Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity are all in need of volunteers for home construction in Wisconsin. There are probably dozens of other affiliates of Habitat for Humanity International across the state. Imagine what would happen if one person who voted for Barrett identified a person who voted for Walker to join them for a day of volunteering this Saturday. They could spend the day working side-by-side and shoulder-to-shoulder on a worthwhile project. They would end the day tired and dirty and feeling like they had accomplished something.
Imagine what would happen if hundreds of people who had worked against each other in the election worked together for just one day. It won’t be a top-down effort. Don’t expect the governor’s candidates to be seen in public together. If it is going to happen, it will happen in neighborhoods and families.
The advice is good for us all. Perhaps each of us needs to think of a person with whom we have had deep disagreements and invite that person to share a day of volunteer service.
We could do more to change the tone of politics in our communities than the millions of dollars that out of state interests are willing to spend. There are plenty of things that are worth more than money when it comes to building our future together.