Republican interests

Brian Fraley over at the DailyTakes blog has a post saying that the big bad interests groups are going to beat up poor Rep. Mark Green. Right, only groups that lean Democratic are going to be flush with cash this year and running ads near the election since Republican leaning groups never ever run ads attacking Democrats near the election.

And that ad running on the radio now bashing Governor Doyle about tort reform would be what, a public service message? It's only April and the Republican groups are already bashing Doyle.

I guess Spivak and Bice from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel just made this story up in 2004 about an ad with an older lady afraid she was going to lose her home because State Senator Bob Wirch (D-Kenosha) was going to take it away.

Forget about what the candidates are spending in the state Senate race in Kenosha -- the real action is taking place outside of the two candidates' campaigns.

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the Madison-based business lobby, and the Wisconsin Realtors Association are spending from $200,000 to $250,000 on radio and TV spots blasting Democratic Sen. Bob Wirch, who is being challenged by Republican lawyer Reince Priebus.

That sum far surpasses the amounts raised and spent by either candidate in this highly contested seat.

"Milwaukee media is expensive," WMC spokesman Jim Pugh explained.

Pugh predicted that a number of other special interests would soon enter the fray on behalf of Wirch, who is running for his third term in the Senate. But none has done so thus far.

WMC's radio ads use the voice of a little old lady who's about to lose her house to rip Wirch for voting against the GOP proposal to limit property taxes. The group is running similar radio ads against Democratic Sen. Roger Breske and radio and TV spots in support of an Kapanke, a Republican running for an open Senate seat in the La Crosse area.

Almost half a million dollars on ads for one state senate race to bash a Democrat, but I'm sure they won't even bother with a minor race like the one for governor.