Another Dem Blocks the Schoolhouse Door

In general, I don't like to generalize. However, when a pattern becomes apparent, it's an appropriate thing to do.

Generalization:

LIBERALS ARE INTELLECTUALLY IMPOTENT.

I don't mean to offend or be disrespectful to those with liberal views. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule; so if you're a lib and reading this, assume you're an exception.

Still, generally speaking, I maintain that libs do tend to lapse into emotional rants rather than rely on reason when arguing points.

There is no better illustration of this liberal inefficacy than Bill Christofferson's discussion of Wisconsin's school choice program and its supporters.

On his blog, The Xoff Files, liberal mouthpiece Christofferson not only attacks school choice, but declares freedom of speech to be illegal.

Isn't it ironic that the libs whine about the erosion of our civil liberties under the Bush Administration while they simultaneously attempt to undermine the very freedoms that they claim are at risk?

Xoff, as he likes to be called, tries to defend Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle's stance on school choice. I can't really blame Xoff's ineffectiveness on his liberal intellectual impotence. The blame in this case falls on Doyle's affliction, John Kerry Disease. "He was for school choice, before he acted against it."

Doyle tries to ride the fence on the issue. That brings up a chicken and the egg situation. Is riding the fence the cause of the impotence of Doyle and his lib counterparts, or does their intellectual impotence make them inclined to ride the fence?

In terms of background, it's important to understand that Doyle, like most Dems, is a puppet of the teachers' union. The powerful union is firmly anti-choice, feeling threatened by any program that directs taxpayer dollars away from the public school system.

Does Doyle want Wisconsin children to receive the best eduction possible? Not if the best education is at odds with what the union wants.

At the forefront of the current debate in Wisconsin is a rationing plan that puts a cap on the number of students that can benefit from the voucher program. If officials stick to the plan, thousands of children could be displaced.

From a January 18, 2006, editorial in the Beloit Daily News:

In a full-page advertisement published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, many of Milwaukee's most prominent business leaders spoke out. The ad was titled, “Don't Cap Wisconsin's Future, Governor Doyle.”

The message read, in part: “As employers of tens of thousands of area residents our businesses depend on local schools for an educated workforce. Our ability to create jobs here will be limited severely if our schools can't graduate more students with competitive skills. The business community has spent tens of millions of dollars to support Milwaukee Public Schools as they strive to improve ... much more must be done to improve high school graduation rates that remain among the worst in the nation.

“Thanks to school choice, the education picture in Milwaukee has grown brighter ... (but gains) are threatened by the state-imposed cap on enrollment in the choice program ... Please, Governor Doyle, fix this problem once and for all.”

The message is signed by Milwaukee's most prominent business leaders, including the chief executives of Harley-Davidson, Marshall & Ilsley Corporation, Midwest Airlines, Manpower Inc., A.O. Smith Corp., Briggs & Stratton, the Marcus Corporation and several other highly recognizable names.

THE GOVERNOR FINDS himself in a political squeeze. For the most part, Doyle has governed from the center with a solid emphasis on economic development and business-friendly policies. But, like most Democrats, Doyle depends on the state teachers' union as one of the strongest parts of his political base. Siding with the business/choice crowd against the advocacy of the Milwaukee Public Schools would be politically treacherous.

So Doyle has tried to straddle the fence, by not interfering with the choice experiment but endorsing strict enrollment caps to stop the bleeding of students - and voucher dollars - from MPS.

As we see it, after cutting through all the politics, this issue is about the kids and their parents. Arbitrary caps which hold kids hostage in schools they want to leave, are indefensible. The message being sent by Milwaukee's leading businesses needs to be heard in Madison.



That's an excellent summary of the situation.

Not surprisingly, Xoff huffs and puffs, arguing that Doyle is not trying to end the school choice program. To that I say, "Duh!"

Of course, he's not trying to end it. Doyle may be stupid, but he's not that stupid.

Doyle is trying to prevent the overwhelmingly successful school choice program from being offered to all families wishing to participate. Appeasing union members without alienating too many other people is the goal of Doyle and his gang. What's so despicable is that in the process of achieving that goal, he is willing to block the futures of thousands of Wisconsin children.

As displayed in the Beloit editorial, the battle is heating up. Influential business leaders are speaking out. WTMJ talk radio host Charlie Sykes and others are also fighting the good fight.

Available on Sykes Writes, is a spot that Charlie put together with Mikel Holt, Jim Gilles and students from Messmer High School.

Click Here for the audio.

Read the script here.

It's a powerful piece, which explains why Xoff got so ticked off about it. His panic manifests itself on his blog, where he charges that the spot is illegal. Yes, illegal!

Xoff writes:


Republican radio host Charlie Sykes is quite proud of himself for producing and airing an ad comparing Gov. Jim Doyle to two racist former Southern governors George Wallace and Orville Faubus, on the issue of school choice.

He's talking freely about how he and a WTMJ radio production person, Jim Gilles, produced the spot. Sykes is airing it on his program. He's posted the script and audio on his weblog.

It has no disclaimer, because, he tells WisPolitics, no one is paying for it.

Actually, that's not true. Journal Communications, and its Journal Broadcast Group, which owns WTMJ radio, is paying for it.

It is a corporation running free issue advertising on a bill that is in the legislature.


By that reasoning, Journal Communications is paying for issue advertising about every single topic discussed on the talk radio station.

Why is Xoff deciding to go off the deep end over this particular spot?

Obviously, it's because it's so good.

I wonder if Xoff listens to Air America. Would he consider that to be an example of a corporation running free issue advertising?

It's a ridiculous argument.

If that sounds illegal, it's because it is. State law does not allow corporations to run issue or political advertising, although in some instances it allows them to contribute to groups that do, like Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.

Sykes says the commercial is simply "an element of my show."

But it's not, and it's not the same as parody commercials Sykes or Mark Belling have run making fun of Tom Ament or other elected officials.

This one is a real, honest-to-goodness issue ad that is trying to affect legislation and -- not incidentally -- do some damage to Gov. Jim Doyle, whom Sykes despises and wants out of office. The campaign for governor is already underway, which is a relevant fact as well.

Of course it's an element of the Sykes show. Apparently, Xoff hasn't listened to talk radio very much.

If the Sykes spot is illegal, then all of talk radio is illegal. Editorials must be illegal, too. Whenever the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel endorses a candidate or throws its support to an issue, the law is being broken in Xoff's world.

Moreover, what makes Xoff think that biting parody commercials are incapable of doing damage to elected officials and swaying the public on issues?

Commentary is the stuff that fuels talk radio, whether it's delivered in a serious or a humorous fashion.

It's not illegal to put together a segment for a show that runs on opinions. Accordingly, it's not illegal for the Journal Sentinel to shill for Doyle.

Deal with it, Xoff.

Do you think Journal Broadcast lawyers reviewed and signed off on this spot? I would be amazed if they did, since the station is running an issue ad for free on taxpayer-owned airwaves. The Journal Broadcast Group does not own the airwaves; it is licensed by the government to use them.

WTMJ-AM is the biggest station in Wisconsin. This week, a spot on Sykes' show would cost an issue advertiser $520 if it ran before 10 a.m. and $320 between 10 and noon. There is a dollar value as well as a poliltical value to what Sykes and his corporate bosses are doing.

So, when a caller on Sykes' show says that Doyle is a doofus, should that individual have to pay for the air time?

I'm not a lawyer and not in the business of filing lawsuits or complaints. But someone who is should take a close look at this and consider filing complaints with both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the State Elections Board, for starters.

Maybe someone should also take a look at Xoff's blog. Does it have political value? Who's paying for it?

Technically, a corporation is giving Xoff a forum for free issue advertising.

Someone call a lawyer.

If Sykes can do this now, what's to prevent him, Jeff Wagner, Mark Belling and whoever to produce and run their own negative issue commercials right through the coming campaign and up to election day? Does that sound legal? If not, then what Sykes and Journal Broadcast are doing right now isn't legal either.

Listen to him.

Xoff is having a hissy fit. The guy is arguing to throw out the Bill of Rights. He needs to take a few deep breaths, calm down, and delete that blog entry.

It's an embarrassment. It smacks of desperation, and reminds me of Governor George Wallace standing in the schoolhouse door.