In This Issue:
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1. Democrats have
their man.
2. Meet Tom the Taxer
3. Too Liberal for too
long.
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Democrats finally have their man
 Ordinarily, when given more than a year’s notice that the job of Wisconsin governor is available, a small army of contenders would eagerly throw their hat in the political ring. For Democrats, the big 2010 opportunity is about as inviting as the vacancy light at the Bates Motel.
This isn’t hard to understand. After suffering through 8 years of Jim Doyle’s hyper-partisan tax, spend and regulate agenda, voters are ready to unite in opposing another four years of authoritarian rule.
So now that Democrats finally have a candidate to succeed Doyle, how can they distance themselves from his unpopular policies and the resulting loss of 140,000 jobs, including one-eighth of the state’s manufacturing sector, and a $6 billion budget deficit?
It turns out they can’t.
While Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett separates himself from the thuggish aspects of modern Democratic liberalism by being a gentleman, willing to act on decent impulses at clear personal risk, that's where the distinction ends. For decades in elective office, Mayor Barrett has weighed in on the side of expansionist government, higher taxation and more spending.
Meet Tom the Taxer
 First elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1984, Tom Barrett has been around for a while. There are no surprises lurking behind a charismatic persona, waiting to be sprung on an unsuspecting electorate. Barrett’s record is both lengthy and consistent.
As a member of the state Senate in 1991, Tom Barrett voted for the biggest tax increase in Wisconsin history, to raise taxes $856 million back in the days when that was still a big number.
He matched that feat at the federal level in 1993, voting in the House of Representatives for the biggest federal tax increase up to that time, hiking taxes $241 billion.
As if that wasn’t enough to validate his expansionist government credentials, he voted that same year for HillaryCare, an idea so bad it cost Democrats their majority in Congress.
Throughout his congressional career, Tom Barrett consistently opposed efforts to relieve taxes. His career-long love affair with high taxes includes opposition to eliminating the marriage penalty and the death tax.
Since becoming Mayor of Milwaukee in 2004, Barrett has increased taxes and fees in every city budget he has proposed. His most recent budget includes a 4.4 percent increase in Milwaukee’s property tax levy.
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Too Liberal for too long
 A 2001 survey by the National Journal rated then-Congressman Barrett at 87.8% for his consistently liberal positions. Three hundred and ninety-three of the 435 House members were rated less liberal than Barrett. In other words, Tom Barrett was more liberal than 90 percent of his colleagues.
Milwaukeeworld.com reported that when asked if he would “moderate his views” as governor, Barrett declined to use the word. “I wouldn’t say moderate, but I would be fighting for the whole state.” Hmmm…
And just last week, Barrett altered his announcement speech to keep the door open for more taxes and bigger government by changing this line,“Our families and businesses want state tax increases to stop,” to,” Our families and businesses want fair taxes.”
Not surprisingly, the average National Taxpayer Union grade over the course of his congressional career was a D.
With the 2010 race for governor looking as though it could solidify pretty quickly into a year-long contest between Barrett and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, a few pundits have actually suggested statewide interest could slack off. The opposite ought to be true.
Instead of tuning out a race between two “Milwaukee guys” slugging it out for 12 long months, voters across Wisconsin could take advantage of an extended opportunity to comparison-shop between two men in executive positions that, while not identical, certainly involve similar challenges.
They will be able to evaluate Scott Walker’s ideas of greater reliance on the private sector, holding the line on taxation and even trying to roll back some of the obligations government imposes on taxpayers, against Tom Barrett’s lifelong habit of increasing taxes and building a bigger government that has become more intrusive.
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