Jim Doyle: The Better Choice

This is how The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Saturday editorial, "Looking for Mr. Clean," began:

Editor's note: This is one in a series of editorials analyzing the gubernatorial candidates' positions on specific issues. On Sunday, we will end the series with an editorial recommending one of the candidates.

The "Mr. Clean" editorial went through an amusing series of contortions to arrive at the conclusion that the hopelessly corrupt Jim Doyle would actually do a better job of cleaning up the hopelessly corrupt state government that he currently oversees than Mark Green.

As promised the JS has an editorial "recommending one of the candidates" in its Sunday edition.

You'll never guess which candidate the JS endorsed.

The editorial board chose Jim Doyle as the better man for the job.

What a shocker!

"He has earned a second term" attempts to convince readers that Doyle does, in fact, deserve to be reelected.

It's difficult to pick this nugget out from the detritus of a gubernatorial campaign hugely predicated on each side caricaturizing how slimy the other is, but there is one essential fact voters should be able to recognize if they sift objectively through the facts.

Gov. Jim Doyle has, by most measures, had a successful first term. He has also been a necessary check against the excesses of the state Legislature, both houses of which have been controlled by his opposite party.

But it is largely on his record that we recommend Doyle for a second term.

What a joke!

The board really struggled with its choice. Sure.

What's funny is that the board touts Doyle's record as reason to give him a second term.

The way I see it, Doyle's record is reason to boot him from office, and the sooner the better.

Other highlights from the editorial:

The common rap against Doyle is that he has had ethical lapses. And there is genuine appearance of this. But Green has some of these, too. Sadly, both operate in a system that pretty much guarantees that something given comes with at least the expectation that something is returned.

The person, however, most apt to sign reform that would clean up this mess in this state is Doyle, not Green.

It's disgusting the way the editorial board glosses over Doyle's "ethical lapses."

Actually, it makes the board members look like utterly foolish partisan hacks.

...As a check against legislative overreach, Doyle's veto has been invaluable. On concealed carry, on legislation that would have had pharmacists' personal views trump what a doctor prescribes for a patient, on voter ID - whose true intent is voter suppression - and on legislation that threatened embryonic stem cell research.

Doyle's veto is one of the reasons that he should not be reelected.

He's blocked legislation that Wisconsinites want and deserve.

That fact that he wants to maintain Wisconsin's status as a haven for voter fraud is a disgrace.

The intent of a photo ID law isn't voter suppression. It's to ensure that every person's vote counts by safeguarding the integrity of elections.

Furthermore, pro-clone Doyle has flat out lied throughout this campaign about Mark Green's support for stem cell research.

Green is anti-abortion. Doyle is for a woman's right to choose.

TRANSLATION: Green respects life and will protect it. Doyle is for a woman's right to kill her baby via the most barbaric means, partial birth abortion. He's even against parental notification. He is not in step with Wisconsinites. He cares about pandering to his fringe Leftist base.

Green is against government funding of pioneering embryonic stem cell research. Doyle is for it.

TRANSLATION: Green is against increasing the use of tax dollars to destroy human life. Doyle, on the other hand, has no problem with destroying embryos, genetically complete human beings.

Green favors a taxpayer protection amendment that would limit, through the constitution, local spending. Doyle, forcing a freeze on local governments to accomplish much the same thing, is against it.

My taxes have skyrocketed since Doyle took office.

And the sky's the limit when it comes to Doyle raking in taxes.

Tax payers need relief. Doyle refuses to give it.

Doyle is the better choice.

I guess it's fair to consider Doyle to be the better choice.

Doyle is the better choice if you believe in killing unborn children.

Doyle is the better choice if you have no qualms about considering human life to be raw material for experimentation and destroying it in the process.

He's the better choice if you want to prevent parents from choosing the schools that their children attend.

Doyle is the better choice if you want Wisconsin government to be a "pay to play" paradise.

Doyle is the better choice if you want special interests and casino money to determine Wisconsin's future.

He's the better choice if you want illegal immigrants to get in-state tuition for the UW system.

He's the better choice if you think taxpayers should subsidize home loans for illegal immigrants.

Doyle is the better choice if you want businesses to be discouraged from locating or expanding in Wisconsin.

Doyle is the better choice if you don't mind election fraud.

He's the better choice if you want your taxes to increase.

So, I guess Doyle is the better choice if you're on board with all those things.

I'm not.

That's why I'm voting for Mark Green.