Sunday, November 8, 2009

Is Tom Barrett Gearing Up For A Gubernatorial Run?

Dan Bice has a piece up on JSOnline discussing the concept of Mayor Tom Barrett, if he were to run for and win the governor's seat, working out of Milwaukee. There are many things brought up that make it sound quite feasible, including the fact that Doyle had set up an office in Milwaukee.

It would also be hard for the Republican candidate snark on the idea, considering that both of them were schmoozing with Sarah Palin on Friday night, and she was well known to run Alaska from her home in Wasilla (probably so she could keep an eye on those pesky Russians from her porch).

Some people in the article bring up concerns about fund raising, but I don't think that that would be too difficult for Barrett. He has statewide name recognition, which is more than can be said about any of the Republican candidates. He also has the hero status yet, for his actions this past August. And he would have the support of Doyle and Obama, which would definitely bring money into his campaign coffers.

But the thing that really caught my eye, and made me think that maybe this is closer to becoming reality than the usual mere speculation, is the swipe that Barrett's Chief of Staff took at Walker:

Along with everything else, Curley said, people need to realize that Barrett really likes his current job.

Never an ideologue, the mayor finds the day-to-day responsibilities both challenging and interesting. Right now, he is fighting to gain control over the Milwaukee Public Schools, a huge initiative for any big-city mayor.

"It's a full-time job," Curley said, before taking a swipe at Walker. "He can't hop on a Harley and ride around the state at taxpayers' expense."

If you ask me, them there's fighting words. Oh, this could be fun!

1 comment:

  1. running for gov.,riding his harley that his wife bought him,bow hunting in western wis.,its almost as if sleepy eyed scotty wants to be known as a manly man; not a chance!

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