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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

In Wisconsin, Conservatives Should Rally for Mark Neumann

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  August 7th, 2012 at 04:46 AM  | 

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I have supported Mark Neumann’s candidacy in the Wisconsin Senate race, but was also somewhat ambivalent about Eric Hovde. Above all else, I did not want to get in a situation where conservatives were divided and Tommy Thompson won.

Goal number one in Wisconsin must be to stop Tommy Thompson.

But it is time to set the ambivalence aside. With one week to go we should not mince words — if Eric Hovde is the nominee it is pretty doggone clear he will be returning home to Washington and dabble too much in the ways of Washington that conservatives are unanimously opposed to.

As this campaign enters its final week, there is no more need for clarity on Eric Hovde. He, like the other candidates, has a record and it is one conservatives should reject in favor of Mark Neumann’s conservative record.

Hovde is a donor to Democratic politicos. He gave money to Jim Doyle, the former liberal Wisconsin governor. He gave money to a left-wing activist turned legislator in the Pennsylvania State House.

Hovde’s business took in stimulus funds from Washington. Hovde advocated for stimulus funds for high speed rail and green energy subsidies. He even said one of the benefits of green energy subsidies would be to combat “global warming.”

Hovde has denied taking TARP money, but his company urged investors to profit off a shift in U.S. tax law. Ironic given he advocates for closing corporate loopholes.

While Hovde says he opposed how TARP was structured, that’s just nuanced bull shiitake mushrooms. Hovde is perfectly comfortable with taxpayer funded bailouts. He just would have done TARP differently. It’s like getting someone pregnant, just not via the missionary position.

It gets worse. Eric Hovde is a person who played Washington to improve his fortunes.

Let’s be clear here — there is nothing wrong with that per se. It is perfectly legal. The problem is both the left and right agree the deck is stacked against small businesses who can no longer compete in Washington, DC for the attention of politicians fixated on businesses too big to fail.

And that is where Eric Hovde is wrong. He shows no willingness to fix the world from which he profited. We don’t need more of the same in Washington, DC and Hovde would be just another pretty face content in the status quo.

Mark Neumann is the only Republican running in Wisconsin who understands that Washington is out of touch with America. He will not succumb to the status quo and, most importantly, won’t be returning home.

Ultimately, Eric Hovde won’t fight Washington because Washington is where he lives and makes his fortune. No man storms and demolishes his own castle, even when that castle is the source of all our ills in this country.

Wisconsin conservatives no longer need be ambivalent. We must stop Tommy Thompson. Mark Neumann is the only choice to stop him.

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COMMENTS

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  • rickbillies

    You’re advocating for a candidate that has never won an overwhelming mandate as a Congressional candidate. He lost to Les Aspin and Peter Barca before edging out Barca by 6/10th of 1%. He then managed a victory against Lydia Spottswood by less than 2%, even though he was the incumbent.

    He lost to Russ Feingold, who was vulnerable, in the 1998 Senate race. In the 2010 Republican primary he was crushed by now-Governor Scott Walker by 20% of the vote! He’s a loser who will only take us down to defeat in November.

    I have no idea who Eric Hovde is but I do know Tommy Thompson. You’re denigrating the most popular governor in the last 100 years. Besides his career in the state legislature where he rose to minority leader.

    He was elected governor four times by the people of Wisconsin. In his last election he received an unheard of 60% of the vote. He lowered taxes and attracted business to the state.

    If we really want that Senate seat, Thompson should be the Republican nominee. If we nominate Neumann, the ultra-liberal Tammy Baldwin, who represents the People’s Republic of Madison, will win and Romney will lose the state and the Presidency.

    Elections are about winning. Mark Neumann will not win the general election, Tommy Thompson will.

  • commonsenseobserver

    I think you confused the proven Republican reformer with the big government liberal called Tammy Baldwin…

  • persisto

    “Number one goal is to stop Tommy Thompson”
    Huh? What did he ever do except win Wisconsin, reform welfare as we knew it, and in general define modern conservatism. Has Eric gone off the rails here? This is a tirade about people I have never heard of for the most petty of reasons. In the meantime, today is a primary election day in Missouri for, among other things, US Senate. Not a word on that. A primary where Sarah Palin has also gone off the rails by endorsing the most pro-labor, pro-trail attorney candidate in the race. I think this site should be called Code Blue instead of Red State.

  • mikeymike143

    and arent we in the business of electing conservatives in primaries?

  • CFPeterson

    While his stances are very conservative, he has led negative campaign after negative campaign after negative campaign, often against other Republicans. This goes against Reagan’s 11 Commandment.

    Also, in alot of those campaigns he lost. He has the stigma as a loser. Yeah, yeah, I know Lincoln lost alot too before becoming POTUS, but still…

    Hovde, to me, feels like a scam artist. I have trouble trusting him, even though he says the right things.

    Tommy, a very moderate Republican, at least we know. There is nothing hiding. I just fear he will become another McCain.

    Fitzgerald really is who I’d like to win. But in this crazy cycle he stands no chance.

  • commonsenseobserver

    Like Neumann, and is generally regarded as a lot more electable, though his supposedly “conservative” primary opponents’ attack ads may have blunted that (and our chances of winning the seat).

    Certainly, his defeat should not be our primary goal.

  • rjwerning

    Let me start off by saying I’ll vote for whichever of the 4 running on the right that wins.. you did know there were 4 candidates, right Eric?

    The very reasons you gave for why I should vote for Neumann are the reasons I have stopped giving to his campaign – I’m sick & tired of the negative campaigning. Stop telling me why the other candidate(s) suck so bad I have no other choice than to vote for you – tell me why I should vote for you over the others.

    Eric, it looks like you got your talking points straight from Neumanns campaign. You seriously want to make an issue of business owner Hovde’s $500 donation to an incumbent governor when he has given over $129,000 in donations to republicans? Please – you sound foolish. Fortunately Southeastern Wisconsin has a very conservative lineup on talk radio and we have been treated to some very fair review of all 4 candidates. You should spend a couple mornings on IHeartRadio and listen to 1130 AM and use that in your research over who to support in WI.

    All 4 candidates have positives, all 4 have negatives, and all 4 are MUCH preferable to Tammy Baldwin. If you really want to support a proven conservative, support Jeff Fitzgerald. If you want to support someone that can hit the ground running and leverage their connections when they get to DC, pick Neumann or Thompson. If you want to shake things up and get another (I believe) Ron Johnson in office, pick Hovde.

  • rjwerning

    My biggest concerns with Tommy are the “moderate”, and his age. I want someone in office who will be there for a long time standing up for conservative issues. Tommy has proven that if the wind blows the other way, he’s more than willing to shift his stance to get along. Neumann and Fitzgerald have proven track records of standing up for their belief.

  • JimmyGee

    Mark Neumann only has himself to blame for his lack of traction. He ran a hyper negative campaign against Scott Walker, and was a whinny little B*t*h when he lost to Walker. Again he only has himself to blame for the contempt many of us hold against him.
    Fitzgerald is a leader that is Scott Walker’s “right-hand-man” throughout the Walker reforms. He is the one that we need to get to Washington. However, I don’t think he has much of a chance, which is too bad.
    I’m not sure why Tommy is running other than he could win. He is old, and he was for Obamacare before he was against it. We don’t need another McCain.
    Hovde, too much of him sounds like a Scott Brown at best. I don’t trust his time in Washington, and Madison.
    So, this is what I think: We put in Tommy for a term (Tommy is 77 years old after all), then we help Fitzgerald with laying the groundwork to be ready when Tommy is done with his term.
    No matter what…Tammy Baldwin must not win. Period! She is more to the left than Obama.

  • fredstl

    Been following this race and where do I even start. First off, Hovde’s company didn’t take stimulus funds. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (the news source referenced in the article linked to) published a correction stating as much.

    Now Neumann’s Solar companies actually did take over $650,000 in stimulus. Check it out.

  • JimmyGee

    Sounds like you have been listening to her? I can’t as I am at work. What is her take on Hovde?

  • Freiheit (ZachV)

    I just could not bring myself to vote for Neumann post the 2010 Gubernatorial race.

  • pirate55

    As a former resident who fled to Florida, I am familiar with the former Governor Thompson and greatly respect him. As a conservative, I believe the Johnson-model of a career businessman and not politician has served Wisconsin well and more is needed. Mr. Hovde seems to be a qualified candidate and Mr. Neumann, though conservative, has been associated to too many failed campaigns. Here in Florida, I am compelled to vote for a longtime politician just to rid Florida of Senator Bill (Rubber Stamp) Nelson.

  • texasref

    I’m waiting

  • texasref

    If you want to defend giving hundreds of dollars to liberals, have fun with that!

  • Freiheit (ZachV)

    … of a real estate company that purchases, develops, and manages real estate properties in and around Madison (the headquarters are one block away from the State Capitol), and thus his company works one-and-one with both state and local government in regards to all manners of zoning, licensing, rental laws/codes and you name it day to day operations.

    What conservative Republican would NOT give $500 bucks to Doyle, unless he was thick in the head?

  • Freiheit (ZachV)

    GOP To Neumann: Stop Attacking Scott Walker – Embedding is disabled for the video.

    Granted the new source is interviewing Jim Klauser, who’s a Madison insider, but Neumann’s dirty campaign went on and on and on and on and on.

    Mark Belling Calls Out Mark Neumann For Lying About Scott Walker
    Neumann staffer busted spreading rumors
    What Scott Walker and Mark Neumann say about each other
    Mark Neumann, the Joe Biden of Wisconsin politics.

    “Mark Neumann, you have already destroyed your credibility amongst conservatives and active informed Republicans. You have become a laughing stock among my conservative friends. Like our gaff-prone VP, Joe Biden, so much of what you say, is a demonstrable lie. With each proven falsehood, you look more and more foolish? instead of Sarah Palin saying to Biden, ?Oh Joe, there you go again,? the rest of Wisconsin is saying, Oh Mark Neumann, there you go again?”

    Mark Neumann an Independent? Jay Weber speaks out – When Neumann threatened to sink Walker by running and an Indie.
    Neumann Creates Fake Controversy

    I forgot about half of these stories. Now I’m 200% certain that I did the right thing by not voting for this man.

  • Freiheit (ZachV)

    This was the interview, but the audio was taken down: http://www.620wtmj.com/blogs/charliesykes/92398064.html

    “Neumann also declined to respond to sharp criticism from Scott Walker campaign manager Keith Gilkes, who wrote in an e-mail yesterday that Neumann has threatened to run as an independent if the Republican grassroots didn?t drop their support of Walker. Gilkes wrote in the letter that Neumann made a similar threat to ?a member of our Congressional delegation,? though the letter does not identify who.

    Neumann denied he made such a threat to either U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan or U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner as Sykes tried to pin him down on whether he?s ever suggested an independent bid in any conversations with GOP officials.”

  • carolina

    If true, I would not vote for him. That is a built in conflict of interest. He would want to protect his bennies by agreeing to support other corp bennies when he ‘horse trades’.
    I’m surprised about this very shakey endorsement. Something doesn’t add up.

  • roscopico

    We have four fine conservative candidates, and I’m afraid this primary has rendered her the strongest of all five. She stinks out loud.

    Fitzgerald gets my vote next Tuesday, and then whoever wins the R nomination gets my vote this November.

    I’ll admit I’ve vacillated between Neumann and Fitz, but the bull crap of the gubernatorial primary when Neumann fought dirty against the beloved Scott Walker remains troubling. Fitz doesn’t have cash, and it’s a shame that Thompson sucked all the air out of the room where those who would have supported Fitz were tapped out.

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    She’s a socialist’s socialist – she makes Feingold look like Goldwater in comparison.

  • commonsenseobserver

    And I’m cool with Akin, Brunner, or Steelman. I like the last most, of course, (http://sarahsteelman.com/pages/solutions) but all of them are excellent Conservatives.

  • http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

    I don’t know if Tommy Thompson is the best candidate for this race. I had a lot of respect for him back in the day when he did state-level welfare reform.

    I do know that we need to elect conservatives, so the take-down of Eric Hovde is helpful.

    … BUT let us not take our eyes off the prize.

    The goal is to win a Senate majority that will enact conservative policies. Wisconsin is not a red state and electability has to taken into consideration – we dont want Ken Buck or Sharron Angle redux, where we get a great conservative winning the primary but losing the general – we want to win. If Tommy Thompson has signed ATR’s pledge, will repeal Obamacare, and will support the Ryan budget, that is 3 things Tammy Baldwin wont do.

    So no, the goal is NOT ‘stopping Tommy Thompson’ but electing Republicans and good conservative to the US Senate.

  • JimmyGee

    That went the “Full Monty.” I said “B*t*H.” I am not sure if you live in Wisconsin, but I do. We had to endure a really negative campaign between two men that we really liked. Scott Walker was working in the den of vipers as Milwaukee County Executive. And he rocked it! Mark Neaumann kept going more and more negative. I repeatedly contacted his campaign (as did friends of mine) begging him to stop and look at the bigger picture. At that time he could have bowed our gracefully and then went for Senator (Ron Johnson’s current seat). But no, there is no grace or class in Mark Neaumann.

  • JimmyGee

    Zach, thanks for the rebuttal. I was at a meeting last night and did not get home until late. You rock! Thanks again!

  • iitywybad

    I will vote for whomever wins the Republican primary. My preference is Eric Hovde, but unfortunately it seems that Red State will be cool with Tammy Baldwin in order to “stop Thompson”.

    Both Thompson and Neumann are long time politicians. Neumann is more conservative and Thompson is moderate. Thompson was for Obamacare before he was against it, and Neumann took stimulus money for his “green” companies and asked for more!

    No bank that Hovde owned took stimulus money – that accusation is a flat out LIE. Any business man with brain cells working will donate to politicians that make decisions regarding his businesses, thus the $500 donation to Doyle. Incidentally, the accusation that he gave to Doyle against Scott Walker is another LIE because Walker NEVER ran against Doyle. Hovde actually ran ads for Scott Walker during the recall elections and has given lots of money to Republicans.

    His father was the highest ranking Wisconsinite in Ronald Reagan’s cabinet. The attacks on Hovde seem to come out of jealousy that he has made “mucho dinero” (a little Spanish lingo there for Rush fans), but that’s a good thing because he’ll have the funds to fight the liberal socialist communist democrat thug machine and beat Tammy Baldwin.

    Unfortunately, a real conservative hero doesn’t have much of a chance in this primary because he doesn’t have the funds for a vigorous campaign. If Fitzgerald should win – I’ll personally stand up and cheer.

  • joyceking

    Regardless of what the other politicians and political consultants are SAYING, Eric Hovde’s record SHOWS that these absurd charges are false.

    Hovde has, first of all, shown that he can WIN for Wisconsin, and secondly, has shown through his work as a politician that he stands behind what he believes in. The fact that Hovde has worked in Washington is not a negative. His record there shows that he does not get sucked in to the stereotypical out-for-his-own-good status quo, and does what is right by the people he is representing.

    If someone is considered “untrustworthy” because they have been in Washington, then the best candidate imaginable, I’m assuming, would lose your esteem as soon as they were elected? I’m not following the logic there.

    Eric Hovde is a good businessman and has been successful, but it has been because of the sweat on his own brow- which makes him all the more eager to help Americans who have similar dreams of success! No bank that Hovde owns or controls has taken a single CENT of TARP money- there is not one shred of evidence to support that accusation. Clients who hold non-control stocks may or may not have taken TARP funds, but that is in no way in Hovde’s control, nor should it in any way reflect poorly on him! Anyone who has the slightest knowledge, or has done any research into his businesses would be fully aware of that fact.

  • texasref

    I didn’t know you were talking about during the campaign. Campaigns do what they have to do, and primaries can be the messiest. Enough “female dogness” to go around. But you literally stated that Neumann was behaving badly “WHEN” he lost, and I’ve seen him be nothing but a gracious loser / winner, as the case may be. He is an authentic conservative, and would make the best senator to serve with Ron Johnson. I was born and raised in Wisconsin.

  • texasref

    Wisconsin is not New Jersey; you don’t have to pay to play…not even when the liberals run the show. I was a state employee in Wisconsin for 3 years; ithe government is as clean as can be expected.

  • Freiheit (ZachV)

    Hovde gave his contribution in 2005-6, right?

    …

    Gambling interests have funneled nearly another $1 million in cash to Doyle, rewarding him for his 180 degree turn on the issue of casino gambling. (MJS 9/27/06)

    At least seven companies who received no-bid contracts from Jim Doyle donated $32,050 to his campaign (AP 2/14/06)

    A company that Jim Doyle gave a no-bid $685,000 contract to create a website donated another $17,684 to his campaign. (MJS 7/24/06) That same company donated $47,000 to Doyle?s coffers before they got the no-bid sweetheart deal. (MJS 11/24/04)

    A member of Jim Doyle?s administration was convicted of two felony counts of steering a bid to a big money campaign donor. Adelman Travel should have lost the bid under the state?s bidding process, but $20,000 in campaign cash seems to have put them over the top. Doyle finally cancelled the bid, but has continued to keep the campaign money. (WSJ 1/25/06)

    An executive from the Hunger Task Force was approached by Doyle?s campaign to give money, right after her agency submitted a grant application to Doyle?s office. She donated and her group received a $50,000 grant from Doyle. (MJS 4/25/02)

    Doyle accepted $236,842 from a group trying to build a casino in Kenosha. Thanks to his vetoes, Doyle remains the sole elected official in Wisconsin who could approve the deal. http://www.wisdc.org/pr071806.php

    A yacht making company donated $5,000 to Doyle?s campaign right around the time it received a $2.1-million state grant. (AP 2/2/06)

    Jim Doyle continues to hang on to as much as $45,000 from an improper fundraiser organized by DOT employees. (MJS 11/10/05)

    Executives at a development firm gave Doyle $8,000 two months before Doyle voted to provide $13.2 million in funding for a project the firm was working on. The loan was the largest the board ever approved. (MJS 8/27/02)

    The Journal Sentinel reported in June that Doyle picked five of the 12 charitable groups that received grants from a $6.3 million lawsuit settlement with vitamin manufacturers instead of relying on the advisory committee he established to make selections. Individuals connected to at least six of the groups chosen made contributions to Doyle’s campaign for governor. (MJS
    10/23/02)

    According to The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Governor Doyle?s administration awarded an $18.4-million contract for work on the Marquette Interchange to Chicago?s CTE Engineers in February of 2005. Shortly after this, the governor holds an out-of-state fundraiser with CTE and three of its partners in the contract, that nets him $20,000. Doyle?s campaign also netted another $12,000 from other Chicago area contributors that same day. The paper pointed out that most of those donors had never donated before. One donor admitted to not even knowing who is the governor of Wisconsin. (MJS 1/28/06)

    On February 10, 2004, Doyle?s chief of staff met with executives of an out-of-state power company that was attempting to buy the Kewaunee nuclear power plant. Doyle?s chief of staff then called a Doyle appointee and key member of the Public Service Commission. Shortly before that meeting, executives from that power company donated $2,000 to Doyle?s reelection campaign. Those officials donated more than $43,000 to Doyle ? the bulk of the cash coming in right around the time of the PSC?s change of heart.

    …

    Do we need to continue on to Doyle’s second term?

  • texasref

    because I don’t recall any impeachment proceedings being brought for criminal actions. Sometimes the appearance of pay for play is just that, an appearance. Having said that, I’m glad Doyle’s gone, obviously.

  • nwbh

    The fact is that Wisconsin conservatives are not at all united. We are split among all four candidates, and an unusual number remain undecided. In my opinion, all four are good candidates. All have pros and cons. Mark Belling commented that he’s receiving calls on the air from supporters of all 4 candidates, and all are giving good reasons for their particular candidate. We’re lucky to have some good candidates, but I’m worried about the very negative tone of this campaign (nit-picking) which could damage the winner for the general election. Scott Walker hasn’t endorsed anybody, but has criticized the nit-picking and negativity. My general thoughts on the candidates:

    Tommy Thompson: Sorry, but I generally like Tommy. He has nearly universal name recognition and was a very popular figure in Wisconsin. My instincts tell me that he has the best chance to beat Baldwin in an election where Obama (unfortunately!) has a good chance of winning Wisconsin (I hope I’m wrong on this one). Tommy appears to genuinely love Wisconsin. I also consider him to be a conservative. Perhaps he’s not quite as conservative as most of us would like, but keep in mind that he has a proven record of reforms for conservative causes! (Welfare reform, school choice, etc.) He laid the groundwork for the eventual conservative wave in Wisconsin. I don’t think his age is a negative, since in the mind of “term limits”, we know he won’t be there for more than a couple terms. I actually would feel more comfortable with Tommy if his libertarian brother Ed was still alive and talking in his ear about fiscal issues, but unfortunately Ed is no longer with us. He is basing his whole campaign on repealing Obamacare, so I find it difficult to believe that he will support it once in the senate. Whether I totally agree with him or not, I know that he has a good knowledge base on health care issues after serving as HHS secretary. I am not certain, but leaning towards voting for Thompson.

    Jeff Fitzgerald: He is probably the most consistent conservative in the race. As the leader of the Assembly, he played a very important role in passing the recent conservative reforms. He’s also not running the negative campaign that the other three candidates are. However, his campaign has not gotten much traction without the money the other candidates have. I think he has a bright future in Wisconsin politics, but it’s not his time yet. Unfortunately, he gave up his seat in the Assembly to run for U.S. Senate. This was probably a major mistake since it seems unlikely that he will win, and he was very effective in the Assembly. He is my second choice.

    Mark Neumann: I think he would be a good senator. He generally seems to be a solid conservative, with a few possible exceptions. I know he wasn’t afraid to buck the party establishment when he was in congress. As others have noted, he has upset a lot of Wisconsin conservatives for his campaign tactics, particularly against our hero Scott Walker.

    Eric Hovde: My gut feeling is that he would be a good senator. But I have reasons to be skeptical of him and therefore he’s the only candidate I can’t see myself voting for in the primary. His strength is that he says the right things and has a great message. He has the money to finance much of his own campaign. But is he sincere? We don’t know. I get the impression that he’s become a carpetbagger trying to buy a senate seat with his wealth. He lived outside Wisconsin for 24 years and seems to only have returned in time to run for senate. He hardly ever voted in elections until recently, and I don’t like that at all. His excuse was that there weren’t conservatives in the ballot in D.C., but I can’t imagine somebody who cares not placing a ballot in elections, even if it’s a symbolic protest vote with a write-in. I don’t know if he’s been properly vetted and wonder if the dems will dig up a bunch of dirt on him. If he wins the primary, I wonder who he owes favors to in D.C. I will certainly strongly support him in the general election against Baldwin if he wins the primary.

    Overall this will be interesting. I don’t think any candidate will be close to 50%, and a plurality is enough to win in Wisconsin, even with 30% or less of the vote (a real possibility in this race). May the best man win, and more importantly, we need to keep Tammy Baldwin out of the senate no matter who the nominee is.