T-Wall Just Can't Catch a Break (other than the tax kind)

Since Terrence Wall announced his candidacy for the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, his campaign has been nothing short of a long drawn out train wreck. Just consider some of the following that has happened in a very short period of time:

• One Wisconsin Now drew attention to his pretend pumpkin patch and the fact that many of his business entities were essentially located at a Delaware P.O. Box. Both were moves to avoid paying his fair share in Wisconsin.
• Wispolitics reported that Wall paid $0 in net tax to Wisconsin in 12 of the last 15 years.
• Even right wing talkers panned Wall's performance on their shows and on his tax issues.
• Some of the same GOP big-wigs that helped convince him to run were/are actively looking for ANYONE else that can run.
• Wall's first TV ad went up super early and it was a desperately negative one that was described by the AP as misleading.

I'm sure that I may have missed a few items, but that is still quite a list of self-inflicted drama for such a small number of months. Now comes the news that although one of Wall's businesses have between $25-50 million in assets, it paid $0 in state income tax from 1999-2008.

While all of these things are endlessly stacking up against Wall, the least he could do is try to not hurt his own cause with key elements of the right-wing base. Nope, Wall showed just how tone-deaf he is with even his own political party. When recently appearing on fundamentalist Christian media network WVCY, he made a vague reference to the earth being billions of years old. Since much of the demographic that listens/watches WVCY are creationists, it didn't take very long for them to challenge him about the earth not really being billions of years old. Not only did they challenge him on it but it seems that they then questioned him entirely because of what he thought was just a throw away comment. Yeah, like I said, tone-deaf. He may as well have touted Tommy's micro-chip implanting technology on the show.

Even Terrence Wall can't give Terrence Wall a break (other than the tax kind).

Does the RPW Have ADHD?

Life at the Republican Party of Wisconsin must really be a confusing mess right now when it comes to the race for U.S. Senate. They already have two active candidates participating in their primary, yet they still seem to be holding out hope that Tommy Thompson will jump into the already unstable mix. Those desperate hopes were underscored by their rush to Tommy's defense yesterday via press release. In it, they attack One Wisconsin Now because they dared to put some actual numbers around the fact that Tommy has been cashing in on special interest dollars since leaving the public sector. One Wisconsin Now must be on to something, given the quick and disjointed response from RPW. To borrow a famous quote, OWN "must have hit her close to the mark to get her all riled up like that…"

The RPW's response was not only interesting because of its knee jerk nature, but it was also noteworthy for its total inability to stay on the actual subject. If their real problem was OWN reporting the facts surrounding Tommy's new and greatly improved financial status, then they should have made that point and been done with it. Instead they chose to throw together a virtual grab bag of unrelated issues. First, they attacked the wrong U.S. Senator (Herb Kohl), who isn't even up for reelection this year. Then they try to compare his independent wealth earned prior to becoming a public official to that of Tommy's special interest pay day directly afterwards. Apparently they can't even stay focused long enough to understand the point that OWN was actually making. It was clearly not about being wealthy and being a (potential) candidate for something. It was about Tommy Thompson using his past public sector job to fuel his special interest-funded bonanza – while the economy was collapsing no less.

OWN's point seemed pretty clear and focused, unlike the RPW response to it. Apparently the RPW can't stay focused long enough to actually engage in a substantive conversation on the actual subject. If using a past public sector job to cash in with special interests is no big deal to them, then they should have tried to make that case. Instead they chose to bounce all over the place with no real focus, making false comparisons that had very little to do with the actual subject.

The RPW's complete lack of focus is certainly entertaining, but it can hardly strike confidence in the two candidates that are actually running in their primary.

Who Gave Klauser the Reverse-Midas Touch?

Last May I openly asked if Republican big-wig Jim Klauser had lost his influence in his own party. People used to refer to him as everything from a "deputy governor" to a "kingmaker". My question in May came in the context of him getting behind Mark Neumann while most of the (vocal) base was already on the crazy train with Walker. I also asked the question at that time, because many of Walker's disciples said some pretty nasty things about Klauser and that is hardly the way to treat your "kingmaker". Months have passed since I first asked that question and Klauser has since surrendered his "king making" credentials to the most rabid elements of his party.

While Jim Klauser was involved with the Mark Neumann campaign, it was like watching a train wreck. I actually think that they have done better since he abandoned the campaign. Now he is working on the T-Wall campaign, which has led me to ask an entirely new set of questions: Has Jim Klauser traded in his "king making" powers for a reverse Midas touch? If so, how did it happen so quickly? I don't know, but consider some of the following:

• As previously stated, while he was with the Neumann campaign, they were like watching a train wreck. Since he switched sides, they have done better (which admittedly may not be saying much).
  
• T-Wall announced Jim Klauser's involvement in his campaign in November and then the "pumpkins" began to promptly hit the fan. Information about T-Wall's tax issues began to steadily surface to the point that even right wing talkers panned the Klauser-backed candidate.
  
• To add insult to injury, current GOP big-wigs started frantically trying to recruit just about anyone else to run, other than the Klauser-backed candidate.
  

Given all of these rather recent developments, I can't help but wonder if Jim Klauser has developed a kind of reverse-Midas touch. If he has, he can largely thank members of his own party for it. Walker and his disciples certainly played their part in this soap opera. But so did the right wing talkers, who not only attacked him for initially backing Neumann but then panned his current candidate. Word on the street is that there has been bad blood between Walker/talk radio/reactionary types and Klauser for some time. The conflict has apparently taken its toll and it appears to directly transfer all the way down to the individual Klauser-backed candidates.

A Delusional Come-to-Tommy Moment

If it were not already clear that the right wing is not satisfied with U.S. Senate candidate's Terrence Wall and David Westlake, it certainly is now. Not only does Charlie Sykes, a recovering Tommy-hater, want Thompson to get in the race, but he and others on the right wing are all giddy over a questionable poll. The poll from Rasmussen, which doesn't have a great record for accuracy in Wisconsin, tells us that Tommy Thompson's numbers are slightly ahead of those for U.S. Senator Russ Feingold. This latest grasp by the right wing seems to only underscore their obvious desperation in this race.

Given the past comments by Sykes and right wing bloggers regarding Tommy Thompson, it is really remarkable that some of them would be completely seduced by Tommy's latest "will-he-wont-he dance". Their jumping up and down over a poll by a questionable firm is just the latest example of their desperation. Try to think about this logically, for a moment. Would you really rather be up 4 points in a questionable poll with a candidate that isn't even running or would you rather be up $3.65 million to ZERO against a candidate who isn't running? I ask this because just yesterday the Feingold Campaign announced that it has $3.65 million cash on hand and without a real candidate challenging him. Do you really think that this is the time to jump around in excitement over a poll that you can't trust regarding a candidate that you hate, that has raised no money and isn't even in the race? Really?

I thought it was strange that these full blown Tommy-haters were now begging him to get in the race in the first place. But their obvious desperation has officially moved into full blown delusion. One might call this phenomenon a come-to-Tommy moment for the extreme right wing. Sadly, after the seductive "will-he-won't-he dance" is over, they will likely be left disappointed and go right back to their Tommy-hating ways.

Know when to fold ‘em?

Last week WTMJ's Charlie Sykes offered a list of Republican names that he thought would be better choices to run for U.S. Senate this year. He felt the need to offer his suggestions because he had just blasted the current lead candidate Terrence Wall. After interviewing him Sykes said "not great reviews to the debut of Terrance Wall" and that he was "not impressive." Given all of these happenings, it was no surprise that Sykes would start throwing out names of just about anyone else to replace the bumbling Wall. I must admit, however, that I was a little surprised when Charlie Sykes included former governor Tommy Thompson in his list.

Charlie Sykes, and by extension the Republican Party, must really be worried that Terrence Wall is a terrible candidate. How else can you explain Sykes bringing himself to offer Tommy Thompson's name as an alternative? Back in 2006 Charlie Sykes wrote a piece that was targeted directly at Tommy Thompson entitled, "Know when to fold 'em". The subtitle read, "It's time for Brett Farve and Tommy Thompson to face facts". He then goes on to compare Farve and Thompson saying that they are both "waffling prima donnas". Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Sykes piece on how Tommy should "Know when to fold 'em":

"…Thompson revels in the spotlight, clearly relishing the speculation that he might answer the call to return to the governorship, a call that apparently only Thompson is hearing."

"But both these guys have a problem with the ego thing. They are so used to thinking the world revolves around them that they haven't noticed it's not the '90s anymore."

Sykes' 2006 observations on Tommy are not only entertaining but they are also very informative about what the conservative base in Wisconsin really thinks about Tommy. Later in the piece, Sykes apparently gives us a glimpse into a Republican smoke filled room.

"Tommy doesn't realize he's the political version of '80s retro-pop, without the big hair. So he's reportedly on the phone to insiders, trying to reignite the old passions. As gently as they can, they are trying to tell Tommy that the bus has left, the ship has sailed, the train has pulled out of the station, the parade was last week, we just sold the last ticket to that show, the ants got into the picnic basket, and Elvis has definitely left the building."

Sykes goes on to speak about Thompson as if he were a child that won't leave the RPW alone. He sarcastically suggests that maybe if they agree to name something after him, he will go away once and for all. Sykes then ends the piece saying that "there has been a changing of the guard, even if Tommy hasn't yet gotten the memo."

If I were Tommy, I wouldn't only be offended at Sykes words from 2006, but I'd also be very careful about listening to his encouragement now. So which is it Charlie? Do you want me to "go all in" or do you want me to "know when to fold 'em"?

Wall’s Turn to Wear the Tommy-Sized Millstone

Back in early October 2009, before Terrance Wall officially announced that he was running for U.S. Senate, I said that he should talk to Tim Michels before he jumps in the race. At the time, talk was that the national GOP big-wigs were courting him and no doubt promising him the moon and the stars. They did the same thing to Tim Michels and left him high and dry to spend a ton of his own money. Apparently Wall was moved by the national courting and eventually jumped in the race. But now, only a few months later, there are rumblings that some of those same national GOPers are quickly looking for alternatives.

Practically on cue, the old Republican millstone Tommy Thompson has begun his seductive dance with the media. Only a matter of months ago the majority of questions for Tommy were about him trumping Walker Neumann or waging a bruising fight in Elroy. Now Tommy has taken his seduction to the national media and Politico has reported that he is "not saying no" to running for U.S. Senate. It is only a matter of time before the state media feels neglected by Tommy's national flirtation and starts beckoning him to come hither for endless headlines.

As Xoff has already pointed out, apparently Tommy's rusty reading of Massachusetts tea leaves tells him that voters are so angry that they want a rich Washington, DC lobbyist to run for the US Senate in Wisconsin.

If his endless flirtation ever does end, I hope that Tommy will be a little more forthcoming in revealing his financial situation since leaving the Bush administration. During his doomed presidential run, who can forget him having to request multiple extensions in filing his financial disclosure statement? He finally did fulfill the requirement but only after pulling the plug on his candidacy. That filing in 2007 reported him feeding at a special interest trough to the tune of $4.6 million in annual income for 2006. Like any other major DC lobbyist, I'm sure that Tommy has been grabbing every corporate dime that he could find since that time. I would certainly be interested in looking at how much more he has made from special interests in the last couple years. I wonder how those gory details would play with a public that has not had a good look at the newer and richer Tommy.

Whether Tommy Thompson decides to stop seducing the media this time or not, the big loser is Terrance Wall. He apparently put his faith in national GOP leaders that appear to be second guessing him behind closed doors. He has stumbled and bumbled his way out of the gate badly enough that even right wing talkers are giving harsh assessments of his candidacy. Questions abound over his tax issues, business dealings, and even his pretend pumpkin patch. All of this bad news and now Wall must take his turn at wearing the Tommy-sized millstone around his neck.

UPDATE: More bad news for Wall. Conservative blogger David Blaska is not exactly a fan (nor is he a fan of Westlake). Things are apparently so bad, that one right-wing shock jock is trying to convince the other one to become a candidate.

Is Wall Run Just an Emergency Plan B?

Terrence Wall has officially entered the race for U.S. Senate even though his only other runs for office involved his losing twice for Maple Bluff Village Trustee. It just seems odd that Wall couldn't convince those that know him best to elect him. So rather than highlight these pathetic loses, he has made the decision to make this about his development business. In doing so he claims that he is "considered and expert in economic development". But looking beyond the T. Wall press release we find many questions regarding his "expert" claim. Actually some of my recent readings make me wonder if his stock as a businessman is on a steep decline and his run for U.S. Senate is more of an emergency move to save face rather than to serve the public.

On April 30, 2005 the Captial Times gave the details of Wall plans to expand his operation to Arizona and Colorado. The latter never seemed to materialize but according to his website two projects did move forward in Arizona. Unfortunately only the first phase of his Superstition Commerce Park project has been completed. Phase two appears to be on hold while his other Arizona development, the Southern Avenue Marketplace, has apparently not started. An April article in the Arizona Republic entitled "East Mesa office market is overbuilt, analysts say" mentions Wall's project and sheds a bit more light on the subject. A local expert comments in the story that because of the market and the vast amount of square feet in the area of Wall's development it may not become the next big thing for quite a while.

Wall's Arizona projects are apparently not the only expensive endeavors that he is having to sit on for a while. It appears that his Wisconsin-based Bishops Bay development may have been halted as well. This was supposed to be yet another huge development but it seems that investors might not be interested right now.

Not only is Wall having to sit on some of his massive projects but a May 18, 2006 Captial Times story states that "Wall is leveraged to the hilt". That observation was made in 2006 and we all know what has happened to the real estate market since that time. One would imagine that these things plus his stalled projects can't be good for business. So in November 2007 in came the New York based investment fund – Five Arrows Realty, (Rothchild Realty Mangers, LLC), who put some $110 million into T. Wall Properties. They didn't just put money into Wall's company but they also put a couple of their principals on Wall's Board of Directors. Some wonder if New York is now taking over given their transformation of the Wisconsin Trade Center. Besides all of the NY artwork and various corridors named for NY landmarks they are even ditching the Madison themed room names.

An April story in the Wisconsin State Journal reports on the stress in the real estate market. In doing so it reports that Wall laid off six of his 50 employees last year and quotes him lamenting the lousy economy and its negative impact on his business. Add all of this bad news on top of Wall's failed bid to redevelop the downtown library in the City of Madison and it just doesn't paint a great picture.

So if Terrence Wall is really such an "expert in economic development" why would he pick such a bad time to launch a total long-shot run for U.S. Senate? Wouldn't an "expert" want to fully see his business and investors through such a difficult time rather than totally switch his focus? It just seems like really bad priorities and even worse timing if you are really an "expert in economic development". The absurdity of it all really makes you wonder if Wall's choice to switch focus at this time is really his choice in the first place. It really makes you wonder if Wall's run for U.S. Senate is really just a face saving emergency plan B.

T-Wall's Pumpkins Set to Music!

First One Wisconsin Now introduced us to Terrance Wall's 2-acre pumpkin patch and now Blogging Blue has set the story to music in this video:

Before Wall Spends it All, He Should Talk to Tim Michels

There have been numerous reports that Madison area real estate mogul Terrance Wall is seriously considering a run against U.S. Senator Russ Feingold. As soon as that word started to spread people began examining some of Wall's wildly right wing rhetoric. Thanks to some timely research and several blogs that expanded on it, we also know about Wall's questionable business practices, which include trying to shortchange Wisconsin. Now the latest word on the street is that Terrance Wall has been having conversations with national Republicans. People like RNC Chairman Michael Steele and key representatives of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) have apparently been whispering sweet nothings in Wall's ear.

Is Terrance Wall really ready to spend his fortune to try and defeat Senator Russ Feingold? It's pretty clear that the only reason that national Republicans are talking to Wall is because of his status as a zillionaire. I have to wonder if Steele and the NRSC have made the same kind of promises to Wall that they made to Tim Michels in his failed attempt to beat Feingold? If you will recall, in 2004 the NRSC promised Michels that they would help him if he won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. Unfortunately for Michels, he was left high and dry by the national Republicans. The NRSC even went as far as to cancel $1.2 million in TV ads that they had reserved for Michels. Obviously whatever promises the national Republicans made to Michels were broken and he was left to write his own checks for the entire grueling process. Is Wall ready to do the same?

Tim Michel's unfortunate experience with the NRSC came during a year where Wisconsin was considered one of the most targeted states in the country. For 2010, several independent political outlets have consistently ranked Feingold's race in the Safe/Solid Democrat category. These rankings are for good reason, because even a recent poll by a right wing organization confirmed that Senator Feingold is one of the most popular elected officials in the state. Senator Feingold is Wisconsin's top vote getter , gathering some 1,632,562 votes in 2004. That year he actually won 27 counties that George W. Bush won, which is a clear indication of his broad array of support. The bottom line is that Russ Feingold is extremely popular and he clearly knows how to win big in both good and bad years for Democrats.

I would imagine that someone that has amassed as much wealth as Terrance Wall, would have the business sense to properly analyze a situation before blindly acting. Given all of the facts, is Terrance Wall really ready to spend it all? We already know that Steele, the NRSC, and other national Republicans are probably flirting and making all kinds promises to Wall, but no matter what they say Wall should know that this race isn't a real priority to his new friends. Terrance Wall shouldn't be listening to Steele, the NRSC, and DC based consultants, the person that he should be talking to is Tim Michels.