Running Out of Patience with Walker’s Supporters

I feel like a lot of people hate the Green Bay Packers not because they actually hate the team itself – but because they hate the fans.  Let’s face it – Packers fans are nauseating.  You know what I’m talking about.  I am one.  Same goes for fans of the vomitous Chicago Cubs.

And the same seems to be true for supporters of Scott Walker.

Sorry to be such a jerk about it, but we still live in a republic, do we not?  We elect our leaders here, do we not?  Last I checked, there are still primary elections to nominate candidates, right?

Of course there are.  But apparently, that bit of news has yet to reach the cult-like followers of the Milwaukee County Executive.

In fact, to suggest to a Walker supporter that you are not yet entirely on board is, to them, tantamount to treason.  If you plan to vote in the Republican primary and discuss openly the fact that you may not support Walker, get ready for an attack on your personal integrity and/or your commitment to conservatism.

Trust me – I’ve had this happen simply for suggesting that Neumann’s business experience and unassailable record in Congress makes him qualified to be Wisconsin governor.

But I can respect dogmatic support for one’s candidate of choice, be it in a primary or a general election.  In fact, I am ashamed to say that I have alienated friends over the years with my own over-the-top advocacy for my chosen candidate.  Back in 2001, I launched a withering e-mail assault on one of my best friends who is a flaming liberal, blaming him and his support for liberal candidates as the reason behind 9/11.  Our relationship has never been the same.  Turns out we actually agreed on the issue – but I was blinded by my own Clinton-hate at the time.

In 2000, I was asked by a liberal friend from high school – who knew I had a passion for politics – why a third party candidate like Ralph Nader couldn’t win election.  I knew she wanted to support him so, instead of answering her question, I attacked Nader and basically suggested that his supporters were ignorant.  That was the end of that friendship until just last year when, thanks to Facebook, I finally got the chance to apologize for being an abrasive, disrespectful moron.

What I can’t respect, however, is rank hypocrisy.  Take, for example, this recent tweet from the good folks over at the ScottforGov blog.

StrongWisconsin.Our Latest Commercial:“Insiders” NOW Neumann is trying to tie Walker to Bailouts, big spending/Stimulus?More negativity!

Big deal, you say.  So Walker’s people are complaining about Neumann’s ad that doesn’t even mention Walker.  He’s “going negative”.  Well, here’s the deal.  Out of one side of their mouth, Walker’s people cry about Neumann going negative (even though Neumann’s ads don’t mention Walker) while, out of the other side, these same people pour out their own constant barrage of petty, unending attacks on Neumann.

Then there’s yet another anonymous blog (yes, I am aware of the irony here) obviously set up to air some expensive opposition research dug up by the Walker campaign on Neumann and his brother.

So, in the end, you have Walker’s supporters pulling out all the stops to trash Neumann and even spending money to do so (that oppo research on WisconsinKnows.com doesn’t come without a price) – yet they whine and wail when Neumann so much as mentions Walker’s name.

Oh, I almost forgot…  Here’s something else that has me near the end of my rope.  Remember all of those conservatives who were so angry when the GOP nominated Bob Dole in 1996 and George Bush in 1988 because they (especially Dole) represented the losing GOP “it’s his turn” mentality?  I was one of those people.  Yet many of the same conservatives are now deliriously angry with Neumann because <gasp> he has the gall to challenge Walker in a primary!  Do any of these people see the hypocrisy here?

I haven’t committed to either of these guys.  I was a fan of Neumann when he was in Congress in the 1990s, and I’ve always had a lot of respect for Walker for what he’s done in Milwaukee County.  Both would be a better governor than the four more years of Jim Doyle that we would get with Tom Barrett.

But the tactics being employed by Walker’s people threaten to send a lot of people like me, who would really like to see these guys debate issues, fleeing into the arms of Mark Neumann – who is actually talking about matters of substance instead of sniveling about his primary opponent.

That’s just me.  Maybe I take stuff like this more personally than the next guy, but I’ve just about had it.