Republicans back Clarke, naturally

You probably won't be shocked to hear this, but Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke is raising a lot of money from Republicans.

Spivak and Bice report:

Republicans cutting checks for Clarke include GOP state Party Chairman Richard Graber; Jim Klauser, long the top political confidant to ex-Gov. Tommy Thompson; car dealer and one-time U.S. Senate candidate Russ Darrow; and Margaret Farrow, who was named lieutenant governor by then-Gov. Scott McCallum, the Republican who, coincidentally, appointed Clarke as sheriff.

That should not be surprising, because Clarke basically is a Republican who is still in the closet, running as a Democrat because switching parties would be fatal.

What the Spice Boys forgot to report is that the Milwaukee County Democratic Party has endorsed Clarke's opponent, Vince Bobot. It's unprecedented for the party to endorse in a primary, but it's unusual for a Republican to be running as a Democrat, too.

GOP Chair Rick Graber continues the myth that a Republican could be elected to a partisan office in Milwaukee County, pointing to County Exec Scott Walker. Walker, however, was elected in a non-partisan spring election, without having Republican next to his name. Clarke wouldn't have that luxury if he switched, and no one can remember the last time a Repub won a partisan race in the county.

Clarke was afraid to test Graber's theory -- and he should be.

If you want to read the whole sordid David Clarke story, here's the link to an earlier post, "Tale of two David Clarkes -- 'Independent Dem' is lying Republican." If that's too subtle for you, just skip it.