Lazy or inept? Media, do-gooders miss story of Green's out-of-state money

So out-of-state political contributions have suddenly become an issue in Wisconsin?

The "discovery" that Jim Doyle has raised $200,000 from donors outside of Wisconsin in the first half of 2004 has, predictably, alarmed editorial writers.

That $200,000 represents 15% of the total amount raised by Doyle's campaign in the first six months of 2005. The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which did the research, is horrified, of course. Unfortunately, it only looked at this year's contributions, or it might have discovered this fact:

Twenty-seven per cent of every dollar Rep. Mark Green has put into his campaign has come from outside of Wisconsin.

Green has "raised" $1,978,000 in total, including $1.3-million that he transferred from his Congressional campaign to his governor's campaign. Of the $1,978.000 total, more than $528,000 is from non-Wisconsin donors. That's 27% -- nearly twice Doyle's 15%.

When Green transferred that $1.3 million,$505,000 or 39% came from out of state, including $431,489 in special interest political action committee money. There was even a little in there from Texan Tom DeLay, which has caused Green some problems. In other words, one out of every three dollars he transferred in was from an out-of-state special interest.

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, probably because of laziness or ineptitude and not because it is after Doyle, looked only at 2005 contributions, which made it look as though Green had taken only 3.5% in non-Wisconsin contributions and Walker only 2%.

Capitol reporters just wrote from the press release -- "What, us do any original research?" -- and editorial writers, of course, only know what they read in the news columns, so the misleading information has spread far and wide. I don't happen to think there is anything wrong with raising money out-of-state, but if it's an issue, it should be one for the gander, too, and not just the goose.

I don't have all of Scott Walker's reports, or the time to assemble them, but I do know this: That in 2003 Nick Hurtgen, a Walker pal now under indictment for influence peddling and corruption in Illinois, helped to organize a Chicago fundraiser for Walker where out-of-state interests wrote $25,000 worth of checks in a single night. Many, including Hurtgen, had a connection to Bear Stearns, which was trying (successfully) to land a big county contract.

The Journal Sentinel reported in 2004:

[Bear Stearns consultant Robert] Kjellander was one of more than two dozen Illinois contributors to fund-raisers that Walker held last year in Chicago, according to campaign records. Kjellander, of Springfield, Ill., gave Walker $1,000...

[Stuart]Levine and his wife cumulatively gave Walker $5,000, according to campaign finance records. The maximum individual donation the county executive could accept during that election cycle was $3,000. [Levine has been indicted along with Hurtgen.]

[John]Hiller, Walker's campaign treasurer, said Kjellander, Levine and other donors at Walker's Chicago fund-raisers last year give to many political candidates in Illinois and around the country. Their presence was not related to Bear Stearns, he said.

Right.

So there is $25,000 Walker raised outside of Wisconsin in a single night. Presumably, one of these days someone will assemble all of his reports and come up with a total. My guess is is more likely to be the Democrats than the Democracy Campaign, and it certaintly won't be a reporter.

The indicted duo of Levine and Hurtgen are something Walker ands Green have in common. Among the out-of-state individual donors whose money was tranferred into Green's campaign were 10 contributions, totaling $14,012, from Hurtgen, Levine and their wives.