This is positively Shakespearean. What a wild ride of a governor’s race. You have Gov. Tony Evers as the aging King Lear, who fatally miscalculated when deciding how to divide his kingdom upon retirement, possibly pushing a guy who already quit back into the race over his former lieutenant governor, Mandela Barnes.
King Lear faced a complicated family dynamic and he picked wrong. He chose his two sycophantic, insincere daughters over Cordelia, the actually loyal one who didn’t just tell him what he wants to hear. Of course, in the end, the daughters who offered false flattery turned on Lear with great treachery, and he ended up losing his crown and mind and aimlessly wandering around the heath. Focus on actions, not words, they say.
And here sits Evers, the aging governor Democrat king, already the victim of inter-party treachery over the failed surplus deal, and wanting desperately to preserve his legacy – and just be listened to again doggone-it. In case you missed it, the lieutenant governor he despised enough to not endorse (Sara Rodriguez) flamboyantly dropped out of the race Friday after a spectacular campaign explosion. Even the ending was confused. Her original video sounded like Rodriguez was quitting but didn’t directly say it; but then a follow-up post did. Sara, briefly the Democratic establishment elite’s Great Socialist Hunter hope, is done.
Democratic Party elites then leaked a trial balloon to a series of legacy media reporters (starting with WISN’s Matt Smith) that power brokers were trying to engineer a back room deal to coax Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley back into the race with Evers’ endorsement (which apparently is the deal breaker for Crowley.) It was funny watching the liberal reporters (and blogger Dan Shafer) running around like chickens with their heads cut off, posting “sources told me the same thing!” Sorry guys. Matt Smith scooped you. Us as well, but our Democrat sources aren’t as strong for obvious reasons (although we do have some surprisingly interesting ones.) Shafer seems peeved at us lately by the way. He must not be enjoying these columns.
Who Is Cordelia?
Who is Cordelia in this Wisconsin palace intrigue, the one Evers should pick? Hard to say. Several candidates in this insane primary might qualify.
There’s Barnes, Evers’ former number 2, who stood steadfastly at his side as their administration helped incite the Kenosha riots and after its appointee freed sadistic killers. With BFFs like this, who needs enemies. He’s number two in the polls and the only candidate in striking distance to defeat anti-capitalist Fran Hong and, despite his baggage, he ALMOST defeated Ron Johnson in a better cycle for Republicans, so shouldn’t he be the go-to guy? But no.
There’s poor Kelda Roys, who just can’t get picked for the Democrat prom no matter what she does (even almost getting run over by a van in a TV ad didn’t work.) That’s despite some social media buzz lately and WEAC’s endorsement. Nah, King Lear isn’t interested (confused what they have against nutty Kelda, from a Democrat perspective lol.) 
Even more curious, there’s amiable Joel Brennan, Evers’ former cabinet secretary no less, and, on paper, the Democrats’ best general election candidate by far because he’s actually possibly a moderate and not just playing one on TV. I don’t get this one. I guess he’s a white guy so he doesn’t count.
To boil it down, Evers may be considering backing the guy who almost quit and was way behind in the polls (Crowley) over his former lieutenant governor and secretary of administration. And Kelda. After all she’s done for the party. Ouch.
Yes, Crowley was deceived out of the race by the dastardly Rodriguez, who already knew her campaign was in trouble but didn’t tell him when he endorsed her and left the race, but he also was a non-starter who couldn’t get more than 5% in the polls.
On top of it, his stewardship of the county has been a mess. The transit system is a mess, sheriff’s staffing is a mess, the healthcare bungle was ridiculous, and he needed a bail out from the state. And although he has a reasonable streak, he lacks Barnes’ charisma and Roys’ electability statewide. Being from Milwaukee can be a tough sell outside the Madison/Milwaukee bubble.
Is the Trial Balloon a Lead Balloon?
The trial balloon was going over like a lead balloon within Democrat circles online, however. Some people were going downright ballistic over it, seeing the maneuver as a sure way to tank the race for anyone not Hong. After all, what if Crowley just cuts into Barnes’ numbers, ensuring a Hong primary victory? After all, they’re both Milwaukeeans.
So it’s possible none of this happens and Democrats end up back at square one, with baggage-ridden Mandela Barnes as the only chance to stop Hong.
It seems the only way to make this work is to get Barnes, Roys, and Brennan to drop out. What could they offer them? I suppose Barnes might need a job. But they’re competitors, and I’ve never sensed that Barnes and Crowley get along. “That changes things,” a startled Barnes proclaimed when told during a TV interview that Rodriguez had dropped out. Meanwhile, the steely Hong whispered deceptively on television (she’s very soft-spoken) that she’s not really that worried about it, forging ahead.
By mid-afternoon, the Crowley-Evers scheme was looking more likely, the criticism aside (when have Democratic Party power brokers ever cared what the people want?): “Sources close to David Crowley tell me unless something dramatic changes, He’ll re-launch campaign tomorrow,” wrote radio host John Mercure. “His team believes this is ‘picture perfect’ scenario for him to come in & win. HUGE endorsement ‘expected.’ His camp also trying to convince Mandela Barnes to drop out.” Gee, I wonder who the big endorsement is.
To which, a comment writer noted, “Mandela, I know you got 30% in the last poll, but you gotta drop out for me. The guy who topped out at 6%”
Actually, I think it was 5%.
And: “Does the establishment really hate Kelda that much?”
“Why do Dems hate letting voters choose their candidate?” asked another, remembering how the establishment axed Bernie and Biden, and look where that got them.
I don’t feel sorry for the elite Democrats. They planted the seeds for the Hong movement. All of the hate the rich, trash the police blather has come back to roost. The inmates are running the asylum, but they handed them the keys.
Hysterically, without Barnes dropping, if Evers and the elites pull this off primary musical chairs, it’s likely Hong or Barnes wins the primary anyway, shrinking the elites’ power more. Maybe Evers wandering crown less on the heath isn’t far-fetched after all, and Devin Remiker can join him. If Hong wins and this palace intrigue fails, there won’t be a Democratic Party in Wisconsin anymore. Hong isn’t a Democrat, not really. Her loyalty is to DSA and its virulent vision of abolishing the Senate, presidency, police, prisons and the U.S. Constitution. If Barnes wins, why would he honor a party that is actively trying to knife him?
Democratic elites were freaking out so badly today that they even made the mistake of telling Matt Smith that, if Hong is the nominee, she “will not win” a general and Barnes’ internals are allegedly weak against Tom Tiffany (I’ve heard conflicting reports on that.)
Thanks for letting us know. State dad Tom Tiffany is waiting with an old-fashioned to take us all on a calm wilderness cruise at sunset to forget this nonsense.
The best part of all of this is that the Crowley plot is a dumb idea anyway. Here’s why:
The speculation stops the race in its tracks with a few weeks to go, preventing Kelda Roys, Joel Brennan and even Barnes from solidifying the support needed to take out Hong.
As with Trump, Hong’s constituency isn’t predicated on elite endorsements. She’s building a base among the disenfranchised, who aren’t going to care who old Tony picks but might be galvanized to vote for her even more because establishment elites are treating her like Anne Boleyn. Storm the Bastille.
I am sure something else crazy will happen in a few hours, but I’m going to dinner and a play so this will have to do.
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