Money isn't everything-but it counts a lot.

Scott Milfred contends in Sunday's Wisconsin State Journal , explaining the losses of Linda Clifford in the Supreme Court race and Kathleen Falk in the Attorney General campaign, that:

Money isn't everything -- experience still counts

Or in real terms, if you want to become a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, it sure would help if you've been a judge. If you seek the office of Wisconsin's top cop, you better have substantial law enforcement experience.

This seems like an obvious point. Yet it's one that Democrats don't seem to want to acknowledge. Instead, they're blaming their two biggest defeats in the last two statewide elections on money.

Undeniably, money is a huge and troubling factor in major Wisconsin political campaigns...

Elections are won and lost by a myriad of factors, some that explain shifts by 1% of the vote, others that explain shifts as large as 10% of the vote. Milfred believes that while money is a major factor in most campaigns, it was not the deciding factor in the Clifford and Falk losses. He racks it up to their inexperience.

Wrong.

Very Wrong.

There are far more important factors that contributed to their losses. Milfred contends that Democrats are wrong in arguing that money determined the outcome. Democrats will compound their mistakes if they listen to Milfred as they prepare for the 2008 elections.

• Clifford's campaign was doomed from the start with a flawed strategy to remain quiet until after the primary.
• The Clifford campaign, once Ziegler was exposed for her horrendous ethical lapses, failed to effectively portray Clifford in a positive manner.
• Falk's campaign was off to a shaky start once she entered the race. Her challenge to a popular incumbent offended many Democratic and moderate voters in Dane County who never supported Falk post-primary.

These and other decisions affected the outcome of the election.

None, however was as determinative as what happened outside of both campaigns. The outcomes were determined by the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce's Issue Mobilization Council who combined the following:

• Effective fundrasiing from sources that could not be identified ,who contributed enormous quantities of cash to release sleazy television ads.
• The production of sleazy, but very effective negative TV ads attacking Clifford and Falk, keeping their campaigns off balance and the real issues obfuscated.

Comments

[Geoff]

Mike Nichols' column in the MJS has a good take on this issue. Fairly surprising from him as he usually slants to the right.

[Jess]

Her challenge to a popular incumbent offended many Democratic and moderate voters in Dane County

Absolutely spot on. Peg didn't fight hard enough in the primary, but if she had, I think she could have been re-elected. I have never liked Falk. I think she just wants bigger more prestigious offices, and she keeps losing them.

[Joe Packer]

I guess then it was okay for our Governor to use sleazy ads and to take outside money in order for him to win the election. I laugh out loud when I hear people complain about the WMC, but then I did not hear these same people complaining about WEAC, Trial lawyers Association or the Tribes contributing money to Doyle and to all the 527 attack ads against Mark Green. As an independent, I am sick of all this. The Democrats complain when they lose, and blame outside factors, as do the Republicans. This State and well and this Country is way to polarized. Why cant we just elect moderates, either Republicans or Democrats. Members of both parties have good ideas, but politicians are so scared to vote with the competing party, if fear of allenating themseleves. It seems that all votes are on party lines, I am sick of it. Sorry for the rant.

[C.M. Barons]

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