Doyle's Campaign Golf Outing: Damage Control

In a stunning turn of events, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Governor Jim Doyle attended a campaign fundraiser golf outing to benefit himself as the state struggled in the face of the historic flooding crisis.

Tucked away in the JS's "Regional News Briefs":

Gov. Jim Doyle spent part of Tuesday at his annual campaign golf outing, while also coordinating state government efforts to fight flooding and get federal aid to help pay for damage.

Doyle spokesman Lee Sensenbrenner said Wednesday that the governor attended part of his campaign's sixth annual golf outing at University Ridge Golf Course in Verona, which had a suggested contribution of $1,250 per golfer.

Sensenbrenner said no response to the flooding was hampered by Doyle's stop to visit his campaign supporters, because the governor talked frequently with National Guard officers, representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and cabinet secretaries, including Natural Resources Secretary Matt Frank.

What's not surprising about the Journal Sentinel's account of this story is that Doyle is given a pass.

He spent a mere "part of Tuesday" raking in money to fill his campaign coffers.

And although he was at the golf course, Doyle was multi-tasking. As he collected cash, he was simultaneously "coordinating state government efforts to fight flooding and get federal aid to help pay for damage."

What concentration! Doyle can golf AND manage Wisconsin during a widespread natural disaster!

The Journal Sentinel repeats that Doyle "attended part of his campaign's sixth annual golf outing."

What does "part" mean? The event was scheduled from 7:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. The media aren't telling us the "part" Doyle attended. That bit of information is a straightforward, simple fact.

Playing 18 holes would take at least four hours. Afterward, did he pose for photos with contributors? Did Doyle only have two drinks after golfing rather than sticking around to down three? Who knows?

The governor wants it known that "no response to the flooding was hampered by Doyle's stop to visit his campaign supporters, because the governor talked frequently with National Guard officers, representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and cabinet secretaries."

Yeah, right. This spin is disgusting.

I can believe that Doyle's fundraiser, $1,250 suggested contribution per golfer, didn't hamper the state government's response to the flooding.

That doesn't mean it was right for Doyle to be on the golf course, raising cash for himself, when so much of Wisconsin is in crisis.

I think Doyle and his campaign realize that going ahead with this fundraiser was an extremely poor decision. That's why they're anxious to get the Doyle spin out there.

This is an obvious attempt to thwart talk radio and the chatter on the Internet from making Doyle out to be detached from the people's suffering.

Actually, I think the excuses and the lib media's complicity make Doyle seem even sleazier.

He's running damage control, worrying about how this golf fundraiser could be a problem for him politically, rather than putting all his efforts into helping the state's flood victims.