Musser is loss for all of WI; Republicans prefer purity

As I journey around the state (over 2500 miles this year), I find that moderate Republicans are becoming extinct. Part serious, partly joking, I say to Republican business leaders, and fellow Democrats:

As political winds shift, there is emerging a new cadre of Wisconsinites who are disenfranchised. It is not women, people of color, or the poor. It is moderate Republican business leaders. They are committed to infrastructure investment, fair taxation, and especially workforce development and public education. They are generally upper middle class, middle age, white male business leaders. They are not comfortable with Russ Decker and the Senate Democrats; they are just as estranged from Mike Huebsch and the Republican leadership in the Assembly.

Now comes word that Terry Musser, of Jackson County, a moderate Republican, and even rarer, a man with a sense of humor in the legislature, is leaving office. From The Capital Times:  Rep. Musser 'fed up,' will not seek re-election      

Musser told John Colbert of WIBA radio that he is "fed up" with Capitol politics, which Musser said have become more "nasty, vicious and petty..."

...When signing the bill into law earlier this year, Gov. Jim Doyle singled out Musser for praise, to which Musser quipped, "Don't remind my caucus."...

...Musser has been a champion for veterans' rights and chaired the Assembly Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs.

I don't know Musser personally but I really like the guy. Seems that he would be a great companion at a ball game or just sitting around chatting, even though our politics are about 50% out of kilter.

Too bad there are so many Assembly Republicans who have a zero kilter tolerance.

Comments

[Publius]

Do you know how sweet the irony is that you praise Musser for being a moderate willing to cross party lines to work together and bemoan the Republicans for trying to advance a conservative agenda all-the-while having the following quote at the top of your webpage?

"A candid examination of right-wing policies and the Democrats who play along and the horrid liberal policies designed to assuage the moderates but end up irritating everyone. And other stuff."

Does this post count as other stuff or are you really suggesting that ideological purity is good for Dems but bad for Republicans. Wait... Don't answer that. I already know your answer. You'll probably tell us that liberal dogma is inherently correct and benevolent while conservative dogma is inherently wrong and mean-spirited...

You're a one-trick pony, Soglin.

[Paul]

Publius, obvioulsy you do not regularly read these posts. If you did, you would know that I part company with the 'correct left' on issues from using public parks as homeless shelters to the need for new constuction where others perfer empty lots.
But that is besides the point. So do you think it is good that the rigid right wing drove Musser from the GOP?

[Peter]

"They are committed to infrastructure investment, fair taxation, and especially workforce development and public education."

Sounds an awful lot like a Democratic agenda to me. Don't forget sharing the costs of healthcare and trying to drive those costs down. Businesses SHOULD like that - until it gets boogyeman'ed as evil, liberal big government in the form of something so pro-business as Healthy Wisconsin.

"They are generally upper middle class, middle age, white male business leaders."

Here's where the rub is...these upper-middle class, middle age(d), white, male business leaders (UMCWMBLs) are voting like Republicans (yes, they do vote, they're not sitting out elections) and still calling themselves conservatives, reflexively rejecting Democratic and progressive ideas because they're simply the "other" they are not. I offer this up because I'm related to many of these types, come into contact with many of them, and understand at a certain level their malady.

But as it turns out, the GOP is now entirely conservatives. And hard-core, ideologically-pure conservatives at that. Democratic elected officials run the gamut from conservative to moderate to progressive to liberal, all with varying degrees of political, policy, and intellectual sensibilities. The Democratic elected officials of Wisconsin are largely advancing a policy agenda that mirrors the first quotation from above. But while the political identity of these UMCWMBLs remains disaffected Republicans and they don't start considering themselves Democrats, they'll keep getting Republicans like Mike Huebsch and Steve Nass that are wrong on policy because of their ideologically-pure philosophy that government is indeed the source of all problems, economic and otherwise. Except for liberals. They don't like them either.

These UMCWBLs need to get beyond their inherent knee-jerk reactionism to progressive ideas and Democrats in general and help lead in public by calling out Republicans and backing up Democrats when the latter articulates a policy agenda that is right for Wisconsin.