From our files

My advice to Walker, for what it's worth: Concede nothing. You’re not the underdog: You’re the strategic frontrunner. That was a powerful message. Stay on it and run with it over and over again so it breaks through the media clutter. But I figure you already understand the game: You don't reach the primary audience through the Cap Times anyway because GOP primary voters are so disenchanted with the MSM. No, you reach them with your message through the Web, direct mail, talk radio, grassroots organizing, so while you might SEEM like you're in a valley, you're probably not where it matters. Turn the media attacks into a positive: They drive up name recognition and they demonstrate you’re not the underdog: You’re the threat. Because you’re the strategic frontrunner. As for the museum controversy – people will forget about that by the time the race rolls around but take every chance to reform it so the museum ship is standing right side up come November 2006 (and because it's the right thing to do). Time is on your side. But stop saying you’re the underdog. As far as money goes (because there’s no way you caught up to Green’s $1.3 million head start by June 30), remember how much all that free Milwaukee media is worth. You’re a constant presence in the state’s most expensive media market and you get it for free. That’s worth a heckuva lot more than a couple stories from your Harley ride anyway. Whether the stories are negative or positive doesn't matter that much really – people forget the spin once they're in the ballot box for the most part. They just remember your name. Oh, the voters also don’t give a rat’s )(@&% that Mike D’Amato wants you to spend, spend, spend or that the GB Press Gazette is ticked off because you tossed a bunch of freebies to reporters. They are just happy you aren’t raising their taxes come December. Those tax bills landing in their mailboxes will be more advantageous to your campaign than all the Harley Rides combined.

-- Jessica McBride.