Mary Burke announced her candidacy for Governor of Wisconsin with a splashy video. That is a choice. A safe choice. Apparently, she is choosing a careful, controlled and cautious roll out for her campaign. After all, not much can go wrong with a video that cannot be fixed with a retake. No chance for a glitch or gaff.
Early presence of Mary Burke cautious, careful, tepid...vapid
Granted, Mary Burke did not rise on the wings of a filibuster for women's rights on the floor of the state legislature as did Wendy Davis, who is her counterpart running for governor in Texas, but Wendy might be a good study for Mary. The positive energy and spontaneous humanity of Wendy is a quality that endears her to voters, while thus far, the controlled video presentation of Mary Burke and the tepid word combinations found in her few interviews leave voters scratching their head. Um...what?
A Mary Burke for instance
By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel Oct. 16, 2013
Mary Burke said GOP-backed mining law weakened environmental protections
"What I hear from people in that part of the state is that it wasn't handled in a way that balanced those two....I do firmly believe that we can have a balance between protecting those natural resources for many generations to come and making sure that people have opportunities to have good-paying jobs."
Burke reiterated her support for the ability of public workers to have union bargaining powers that were cut back by Republican Gov. Scott Walker and the GOP-controlled Legislature. But Burke did not spell out what level of collective bargaining she wanted to reinstate and did not say whether government workers should have a chance to fully negotiate their wages and benefits.
Compared to Wendy Davis
Wendy Davis launches bid for Texas governor
Politico KATIE GLUECK | 10/3/13
“Thirty-two years ago, I walked across this stage, the granddaughter of farmers from Muleshoe, Texas who could only afford to rent the land they farmed,” she said. “I had no real idea what the future looked like. Today, I see it pretty clearly. It’s staring right at me. It’s you. It’s all of you. And all of you deserve to have your voices heard. Because our future is brightest when it’s lit by everyone’s star.
The Burke campaign is being sold and branded by the Barrett folks
What do you do when your branded? That is the question being asked by a large group of progressive activists speaking out on social media.
Russ Feingold walked along side Tom Barrett during his campaign before the recall like a dog exercising the owner. How did that work out?
Daily Kos Tue Oct 22, 2013 at 10:56 PM
WI-Gov: Russ Feingold's Group, Progressives United, Backs Mary Burke (D)
In an early sign that liberal activists will coalesce around Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke's candidacy, the organization Progressives United announced Tuesday it will support the Madison School Board member against Gov. Scott Walker.
The organization, founded in 2011 by former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, conducted a poll of members in Wisconsin to determine whether to get in early behind Burke. Of the more than 3,000 responses, more than 75 percent favored backing Burke now.
Angie's list is a branding tool to find a contractor, a plumber, a dog sitter. Emily's list is a branding tool to find a candidate for governor?
By Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel Oct. 24, 2013
EMILY's List, a group that focuses on electing Democratic women who back abortion rights, announced its support for Burke in an email and fundraising appeal to supporters Thursday morning — the second influential liberal group to back Burke this week.
Hold on there Mike
Walker's beleaguered leadership as Governor of Wisconsin has served progressives well in sparking an impressive recall campaign, activating election integrity groups, mining and frac sand awareness activists, women's heath advocates across the social media, and initiating the longest sustained protest action in the history of the state with the Solidarity Singers.
Only a fraction of these energetic and organized voices identify with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin as their standard bearer. It would be a mistake for Mike Tate to assume that his party's pick for a candidate for governor will be welcomed without scrutiny, evaluation, and discussion. Mary Burke may well prove herself as the best candidate to defeat Walker, but not yet. Not by any means. And the best way to alienate some of the most passionate voices, who will work tirelessly to end the reign of Scott Walker, is to push Mary Burke down their throats.
It is Mary Burke who must take control to escape the branding handlers. That would be impressive.