Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Rumor has it that Rep. Frank Lasee (R-Green Bay) is eyeing a run for the 8th Congressional seat

This would be interesting.

Rumor has it that Rep. Frank Lasee (R-Green Bay) is eyeing a run for the 8th Congressional seat against other possible-runs (former Assembly Speaker) John Gard and (former Green Bay Mayor) Paul Jadin. Lasee has touched on the news as he probes for support in the upcoming campaign cycle from influential political types throughout the region.

In addition to Gard and Jadin, Representative Steve Wieckert (R-Appleton) is known to be eyeing the job, as he did two years ago, yielding of course, to Gard. Wieckert and Lasee shared an apartment in Madison for years and know each other well; it might be a good assumption that Wieckert will be part of the Lasee decision as summer months wane.

It’s no secret that Lasee has had his eye on that seat for some time.

(9) Comments
Posted by Owen at 2102 hrs
Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

  1. I live in the 8th district and know Frank - he’s a good guy.  Frank is no RINO.  Don’t know Steve, but have heard good things about him.  I hope John Gard does not run again, the last campaign was just too painful.  And Paul Jadin - pleazzzzze - Paul keep your day job we don’t need you in Washington.  Died in the wool RINO if I ever say one.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 03, 2007 at 2123 hrs


  2. John had his chance, it did not work. He did not connect with the voters in the 8th. If Frank runs, the voters would at least have a real choice with two very different candidates.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 03, 2007 at 2303 hrs


  3. Run Frank run.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 03, 2007 at 2335 hrs


  4. We’ll keep this simple.  Besides, it’s so early it’s hard to speculate.

    Lasee is almost certainly too strident and partisan for a district that continues to trend white collar in its urban areas.  Much of the suburban growth in and around Appleton and Green Bay are younger families with children who aren’t nearly as partisan as the old coots that are dying out up there.  Lasee’s reputation as a legislative extremist won’t help him with the part of the electorate that’s growing the fastest.  I don’t care about Frank’s personal life but for the social conservatives, there are certainly some potential issues there - issues that could make Steve Kagen, with the wife and beautiful family, look like Mr. Morals.

    Wieckert’s biggest mistake was yielding to Gard last year.  Had he run in the primary, he likely would’ve beaten Gard.  Let’s face it - not even Republicans were all that hot on John, and Wieckert had no negatives to speak of.  Now, he’ll have to decide how much of his own money he’s willing to potentially flush down the toilet to beat someone who literally lives a mile down the road from him.

    Gard doesn’t have a chance, but his ego could end up effing this whole primary up for the GOP.

    And for all some people seem to want to crack on Paul Jadin, he’s got name ID, low negatives, and was extremely well-liked and well-respected during his time as mayor.  He managed to squeeze fee money out of the Oneidas for the services provided them by the city, was a huge proponent of government consolidation, and kept each of his budgets at or around the rate of inflation.  Jadin’s got a better record on fiscal conservatism than Lasee.  All Lasee does is flap his gums - he’s been in the Legislature for ages and hasn’t gotten a damn thing done.  Jadin actually proved he could be responsible with tax dollars, and hasn’t had to take votes on a bunch of bad issues like concealed carry that don’t play well with independent and moderate voters.

    Oh yeah, and anyone who’s been downtown in Green Bay and remembers what it looked like 20 years ago can thank Jadin for cleaning that up as well.

    Some people have the false impression that WI-8 is rabidly conservative, and truth is, it’s just not anymore.  It’s not WI-5.  The GOP should win WI-8, but it can only do it with “nice guy” conservatism - someone with proven credentials and a non-inflammatory approach to social issues.  Someone who doesn’t have to prattle on about family values because the pictures with the wife and kids tell voters all they need to know.

    In other words, the GOP wins that district with a guy like Mark Green.  And for now, the closest thing the GOP has to Mark Green up there is Paul Jadin.  The GOP needs to think long and hard about who can actually win that seat, because if they screw it up again, Kagen’s there for life.

    Posted by Recess Supervisor on July 04, 2007 at 0121 hrs


  5. RS,

    Since you seem to have it down to a science, why don’t you put the French Horn down, head back home from Europe, and run a campaign.

    Put your money where your keyboard is.

    Posted by Kevin Binversie on July 04, 2007 at 0625 hrs


  6. Gard won’t be able to raise the kind of money he did as speaker.  He’s been out of the news for nearly a year.  He failed to get a job in the private sector which would have negated the reality that he’s never had anything other than a political job in his adult life.  He strongarmed Wieckert out of the race, threatening to kill all his bills.  He had terrible staff.  He never distanced himself from Bush/Cheney/Rove, and in 08 that stench will be worse than it was in 06.  He has nothing to offer young voters at UWGB, and the special interests who once bankrolled him have deserted him.  His temper gets the best of him, and he’s getting bashed by former Assembly colleagues all the time now that he’s gone.  Lasee, or Wieckert will defeat Gard in a primary, and for Lasee, that will be sweet revenge after years of mistreatment from Gard. Even the Roadbuilders won’t come to Gard’s rescue.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 04, 2007 at 0757 hrs


  7. RS has the part about Gard right, although Seth really nailed it.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 05, 2007 at 0836 hrs


  8. The best possible candidate last time was Terry Mccormick, but she was too independent for some of the leadership.  Her positives outweighed her negatives while Gard was just the opposite.
      Frank Lasee stands for something.  There is not any difference between Mark Green’s philosophy and Frank Lasee’s and that horrbile extremist Ronald Reagan.
      Some people just throw these labels around willy nilly and they mean nothing. For decades I have heard from those that say you just can’t win if you’re a conservative, you must be like Nelson Rockefeller and that is not true.  Now everyone claims to be the next Ronald Reagan.
      Gard and the other assemblymen that lost last time were tied up in the scandals.  Their record in the leigislature was putrid, they never stand for anything.

      Read some of those discussions from the brillaint Capitol insider like recess supervisor and it reminds me of what lee Dreyfus said:  Madison is a few sqaure miles surroundd by relaity”.  Little of value comes from them and they seldom ever are right.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 05, 2007 at 1059 hrs


  9. It’s funny, Bob.  RS seems to have a better track record than you do.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 05, 2007 at 1253 hrs


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