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Time for the Guv to morph into Chris Christie (6/28/2011)

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“According to Suder, the regents are essentially a ‘mouthpiece’ for the governor and have gone to great lengths to defend him and his budget. ‘It doesn’t surprise me at all that these partisan Doyle appointees would praise those tax increases. It is a dog-and-pony show to promote or give kudos to the governor.’”

Ooh. Might come across as a bit strident. What wasn’t included by the BH are Rep.Suder’s reflections on the governor’s initiatives – which he recommended UW students examine more closely, i.e., discounted tuition for illegal residents, unions for UW faculty and the high cost of domestic partner benefits. Include in that list the $1.7B in new taxes and fees the governor tacked on to pay for all those new initiatives.

Many strategists believe it’s always easier to play defense than to play offense. Certainly, in a budget situation, the governor is on the offensive – and certainly, very much in control. And then, by definition, that puts the Assembly on the defensive – and perhaps that means not always as effective in getting the job done.

The Republicans have a belief very different from the Democrats – and they’re not shy about expressing it. Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch’s Legislative Agenda for 2007-08 centers on “giving families every opportunity to grow and succeed.” It includes the tried and true commitments to fund education of our children, to reduce the state’s tax and regulatory burden, to move aggressively to affordable health care and personal health care accounts, and to incent investments in Wisconsin’s workforce and economy.

Good stuff – and easily said. The tough part is the legislating, the compromising. But it’s a great place from which to start – and from which to stay on the offensive.

An alternative to defensive words
As a pattern for the tough budget work that’s ahead for many months, I’m hoping Republicans in the Assembly and the Senate can stay on the offensive, repeatedly communicating their strong belief in the people of Wisconsin.

Perhaps staying on the offensive when speaking to UW students might go something like this: “I appreciate the work the Board of Regents has done in focusing their efforts, via their well thought out ‘Growth Agenda.’ Given the very tight parameters of this budget however, some of the elements of ‘The Agenda’ may have to be put on hold; we have much difficult prioritizing to do in the upcoming months. The Republicans in the legislature continue to be committed to education; the choices between fully funding K-12 education and growing UW programs are going to be very difficult.”

It’s more constructive and productive to play offense than to play defense….

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