Reynolds has a reason to be camera-shy:A bad on-camera experience in his past

There’s been plenty of publicity and political chatter lately over State Sen. Tom Reynolds’ refusal to allow anyone to videotape a public meeting he was holding in a public library.

Watchdog Milwaukee's Jim McGuigan first mentioned it almost a month ago, and Spivak and Bice did a column more recently that really spotlighted what transpired in more detail. You can watch the forbidden footage (the camera kept running) at either link.

But no one has explained what it is that makes Reynolds so camera-shy. He has a good reason, one that dates back to his failed Congressional campaign 10 years ago.

Once bitten, twice shy, they say. And Reynolds was certainly bitten in his 1996 House race against then-Congressman Jerry Kleczka.

Reynolds, an unknown wingnut, gave Kleczka a scare the first time he ran, in 1994, when he got 45% of the vote. Where I come from, 55% and up is a landslide, and Kleczka got 55%. But for a fringe candidate like Reynolds to get 45% against a long-time Congressman in a safe Democratic district was a shocker.

So Reynolds tried again in 1996. But Reynolds wasn’t sneaking up on anyone this time. He had the Kleczka campaign’s full attention.

Despite having run before, Reynolds was not ready for prime time. For that matter, 10 years later, even after being elected to the State Senate, he’s still not ready today, as he proves regularly.

But I digress.

When Reynolds took his show to an appearance before a friendly crowd of College Republicans at Marquette on Sept. 26, 1996, Jeff Gillis, Kleczka’s campaign communications advisor, sent a camera crew.

At the event, Reynolds was asked a whole range of questions on a variety of hot button issues, and answered them all while the camera rolled.

Later in the campaign, a spot entitled “Listen,” produced by Kleczka media consultant Saul Shorr, aired. It was simple, straightforward, direct, and effective. It let Reynolds hang himself, using his own words on the minimum wage, Social Security, and assault weapons. Watch it here.

Reynolds had complained about an earlier Kleczka ad describing Reynolds' positions on health care, claiming it was wrong. But he could hardly dispute what was coming from his own mouth in the "Listen" ad. And he knew the Kleczka campaign had all of the questions and answers on tape. Kleczka won that race 58-42.

So when Reynolds says to someone with a camera that he "wanted to not politicize this event" at the library, you know what he means. He doesn't want to see his answers on TV.

Unless he starts holding all of his events in private places, Reynolds is likely to see more cameras as the campaign unfolds. Although he's in a heavily Republican district, Reynolds is such an embarrassment, with his wackjob positions, that Democrat Jim Sullivan has a chance to beat him in November.