The deal has been sealed. The cat is out of the bag. The chickens are roosting.
Choose whatever finale-themed cliche you wish. With Sam Stevenson’s article today in the Badger Herald, the argument over Brett Hulsey’s progressive credentials is over. Simply put, there really aren’t any.
Let me be clear. I am a Manski supporter because I believe that, Green or not, he is a rare example of candor, courage and principle in politics. He’s also an unabashed progressive. Nonetheless, I know countless others, including many good Democrats, who have flocked to his side because Hulsey, his chief opponent, is a terrifically awful candidate.
Had Fred Wade won the primary, the Manski campaign would have had a harder time distinguishing itself from that of his Democratic opponent. But with Hulsey the victor, the contrast is about as clear as can be.
Naturally, Hulsey is doing his best to position himself as a man of the left in an attempt to rally the progressive voters of the fighting 77th. It’s too bad for him that his record says something very different.
As Stevenson states, despite Hulsey’s environmentalist pretensions, in recent years his private sector work earned him $200,000 in fees from Alliant Energy, “playing a major role in a multi-million dollar campaign to build a coal power plant in Cassville, WI.” The proposed plant would have been a disaster for Wisconsin air and fortunately hasn’t been built.
As a Supervisor, Hulsey has sided with Sheriff Mahoney in his ICE notification policy, probably resulting in the deportation of some of the residents of his district. He recently spoke against the establishment of a citizen panel to investigate the treatment of non-human primates in UW facilities, arguing the university could be trusted to oversee its own multi-million dollar enterprise. He even stalled on the Domestic Partner’s Equal Benefits Ordinance passed in 2008, arguing it “too controversial.”
Many of Hulsey’s current and past progressive colleagues on the County Board have described his behavior and politics as essentially opportunistic. Ashok Kumar, former District 8 Supervisor, has stated that he’s a progressive only when convenient and popular. His time on the Board is marked by no acts of courage on any policy issue. No wonder the Wisconsin State Journal endorsed him.
So, if you’re a progressive voter in Spencer Black’s district, don’t worry – you won’t have to think very hard about this one.
