Wisconsin GOP attacks its own candidates

How do you know when you're getting some traction on a political charge?

One sure sign is when your opponents start to bring up their own negatives -- which is just what the Republican Party of Wisconsin did this week.

The GOP did some self-inflicted damage in an unusual press release that accused Democrats of "smear tactics" but actually did a pretty good smear job on a couple of Republican candidates themselves.

The release started by citing a poll showing Doyle in a close race with GOP challengers, saying that is why Dems have been attacking Repub gov wannabes Scott Walker and Mark Green. It continues:

State Dems and Doyle have been on the prowl in the past few weeks, pouncing on the Green and Walker campaigns. This week, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is asking Green to return campaign contributions received from U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay. A few months ago, the State Elections Board (SEB), on a complaint filed by two county board supervisors who were represented by Doyle’s attorney, slapped the Walker campaign with a $5,000 fine for inadvertently failing to include a disclaimer for automated calls to residents that were made on behalf of the campaign, even though the Walker campaign pointed out the omission of the disclosure to the SEB in advance of the complaint. It was the largest fine the SEB has levied since 2001.

They offer no defense of Green's refusal to return DeLay's dirty money, and don't really defend Walker's failure to follow the election law. They simply repeat the Democratic charges.

Maybe it made Rick Wiley, the GOP's executive director, feel better to blow off a little steam. I'm sure it made the Democratic Party staff feel better, seeing the evidence that some punches are landing . They're clearly getting under the GOP's skin, and have the Rs off-message.

My guess is the Dems will keep right on "pouncing" on the Walker and Green campaigns -- isn't that what political parties do? -- unless the Repubs decide to keep doing it for them.

By the way, although Charlie Sykes credits me, I had nothing to do with the Dem Party's latest, a Dirty Green website on Mark Green's connections to Tom DeLay and his refusal to return $30,000 in contributions from DeLay's committee. Wish I could take credit, but I don't work for the Democratic Party. Like Jesse James, I get blamed for a lot of things that happened even when I wasn't involved. I guess I should take it as a compliment.