Is a schism looming between Wisconsin big business and southeastern Wisconsin movement conservatives? The Brawler poses that as an actual, not a rhetorical, question. And the answer could, in fact, be no. But it's a question motivated by a few observations over the past week.
- The fact that Barack Obama is leading the presidential field in fundraising among Wisconsin business executives and that the three leading Ds are ahead of Rudy Giuliani(Milwaukee Business Journal, subscription only.) True, this is not a powerful indicator as it no doubt reflects some GOP biz leaders trying to figure out where to park their bucks now that Tommy! is out of the race (though one would have to question the investment decisions of execs who contributed to Tommy!). And of course it's early and the cash money could (will?) move to the bad guys quickly and in overwhelming force, etc. But, still: interesting.
- The fact that the business community appears to support a sales tax to revive the KRM -- something that Charlie Sykes was griping about on Friday. (Again, the Biz Journal.)
- And, of course, the fact that leaders of some of the state's biggest businesses are calling for universal health coverage financed through payroll taxes -- a move that outraged Ol Lady Owen Robinson, among others.
In the past, Cory Liebmann and Paul Soglin (and the Brawler) have pointed out dubious strategic decisions of the WMC and suggested its ideological zealotry was driving a wedge between it and the everyday concerns of its constituents. Are these contradictions heightening?
Dunno. But it's an iron law of journalism that three data points make a trend. And we got three data points here.
Again, observation #1 could change, almost literally overnight. And, to be sure, the right likes to periodically take issue with the machinations of big business, particulary (and correctly) on issues such as subsidies, etc. But Nos. 2 and 3 are, it seems to the Brawler (and he could be mistaken) examples where the muckity mucks are taking positions that are more at variance than usual with some deeply held positions of the movement right.
Is more to come?
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