I AM THE FORCE

"Doyle is vulnerable, but I don't see it as an easy pickoff," said Thomas Holbrook, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. "He's not a wildly popular governor. But at the same time he hasn't done much to generate hostility across the state." Journal Sentinel, 1/3/6

There is very little doubt that Jim Doyle is vulnerable in 2006. The sentiment expressed by the professor in the above article is on-target, and representative of the challenge facing Xoff, Susan Goodwin and Jim Doyle in the days ahead. At best, people are lukewarm about Governor Doyle, and his personality and agenda are unlikely to generate any enthusiasm prior to November. Does that mean he's an automatic loser? Of course not. But it means that the political persona of our Governor does little to inspire the middle-roaders who will determine the outcome of this election.

Themes like "NOT HATED" or "DOESN'T COMPLETELY SUCK" would have a heck of a lot more accuracy and staying power than the Kerry Edwards "For a Stronger America" bumper stickers that I keep seeing on embittered cars around town. So maybe you guys should give it a try. The problem, however, is that even this level of relative honesty in a campaign theme may not stand the test of time. After others spend millions to further define our milquetoast Democratic Governor over the next ten months, most people probably won't even find the above themes credible.