New low standard for Doyle connections

Most readers probably didn't notice, but the Journal Sentinel set a new low standard this week for "evidence" of some connection between state contracts and political donations, in its story about Silver Oaks, the company that the state hired to help with the procurement contract.

In the first article, low in the text, reporter Patrick Marley acknowledged that Silver Oaks had not given Gov. Jim Doyle any money, nor were there contributions to any other politicians or political entities. So in the second article, Marley reported that the company that bought Silver Oaks more than a year after they received the contract, and was a competitor in the same field, gave Doyle $1,100, gave the Democratic and Republican governors associations money and gave "more than $33,000 to Democratic federal candidates nationally and Democratic-leaning groups."

So here is the new twisted JS standard: Doyle is now being influenced to award a contract by money given to Democratic federal candidates in other states by a different company that later purchases the company that was awarded the contract.

And this is front-page stuff.

Bruce Murphy of Milwaukee Magazine says:

Two days later, the Journal Sentinel ran another front-page story suggesting that Silver Oaks was actually hired because of its campaign donations. The only problem was that the paper had no proof. Reporter Patrick Marley showed us that CGI-AMS, now the parent company of Silver Oaks Solutions, gave some $70,000 in donations split between the Democratic and Republican governors associations. So now any donations to governors count, whether or not they can be traced to Doyle? Moreover, Doyle's folks hired Silver Oaks some 18 months before it was bought by CGI-AMS. So what is the relevance of some donations by a company with no connection to Silver Oaks?

In similar fashion, the story noted that two former "high-level" state officials went to work for CGI-AMS. But once again, this was long after the contract to Silver Oaks was awarded by the Doyle administration. It was also before Silver Oaks was purchased by CGI-AMS. So it's doubly irrelevant.

The paper's smear campaign went further, noting that CGI-AMS employees also donated $33,000 to Democratic federal candidates nationally and Democratic-leaning groups. So now any contributions to any Democrats or fellow travelers in the 50 states can be used to suggest that Doyle is somehow sneakily benefiting? This guy is really well-connected.

The only shred of possible evidence in the story was that since 2001,employees of CGI-AMS gave $1,100 to Doyle. First off, that's chicken feed. Secondly, CGI-AMS didn't own Silver Oaks when the latter was hired, so the donations are irrelevant yet again.

This is such sloppy reporting that you have to ask how it could be published...

Murphy has a theory about that, too.