Seriously? According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the two-time loser for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district hasn't ruled out a third run yet -- and a professor says it might be worth a shot:
Gard won't say whether he'd try for the 8th Congressional District a third time. "That's the farthest thing from my mind," he said Thursday. (Brawler: I don't believe you.)
But his timing could be better in two years should he decide make another run for Congress. The party that takes control of the White House in a presidential year tends to lose congressional seats in the elections that follow.
"In off years, the Republicans are likely to gain seats," said Wendy Scattergood, a political scientist at St. Norbert College in De Pere. "If I were in his shoes, I'd be thinking what's the environment like in two years."
The story goes on to quote Mark "Asshole" Graul:
"It's unfortunate for John that he ran in two years that the headwinds against him for being a Republican were so strong," said campaign spokesman Mark Graul. "It's so discouraging for a candidate to not win or lose based on what he thinks or where he stands, but to be cast as part of a larger problem."
As with many other GOP postmortems, delusion and reality-avoidance seem to be the order of the day. Folks (and reporter Diana Marero, I'm looking at you): Gard sucks as a candidate. He comes across as a tool. His worldview seems to not have matured since he was a teenage Reaganaut. Blaming "headwinds" changes none of that. "Don't get me wrong, Kagen's no prize," opined one Brown County resident the Brawler knows quite well. "But Gard's a dick."
Now, the Brawler would never suggest that Kagen is safe -- though he would suggest as a two-termer Kagen is more entrenched than some Republicans would like to admit. But he is safe if the Republicans can't find a better candidate than Gard.
Oh, but remember, Frank Lassee is now free to spend the next two years campaigning for the seat.
If the "Right Turn, Clyde," wing wrestles control we could be in for a fun primary in the 8th, too.
Posted by: grumps | November 10, 2008 at 03:55 AM
Our friend Graul apparently did one hell of a spin job on Reporter Marero. SpongeJohn GardPants (http://www.wisopinion.com/blogs/2005/07/both-sides-want-gardpants-to-butt-out.html) is a politician whose time has passed. Unless some right wingers want to keep subsidizing him through his "business consulting firm" and paying wife Cate Zeuske through The Taxpayers Network for whatever she supposedly does there, GardPants may have to find a job.
Posted by: xoff | November 10, 2008 at 01:51 PM
What about redistricting after the 2010 census? You can't tell me that they are going to keep Kagen's district alive when we lose a seat in the House, are they?
Posted by: noonan | November 12, 2008 at 07:30 PM
That's an excellent question, Noonan. Don't have an answer.
Posted by: Brew City Brawler | November 12, 2008 at 08:44 PM