He drives his bike around town to appear environmentally friendly. He harrasses the kids of his political opponents. He has insinuated that the Dane County Deputies have threatened his life.
With a record like this, one wouldn’t think that Brett Hulsey’s political antics could get any more bizarre. And then there was this:
‘“The Green Party candidate has an unfair advantage over me: He got to cheat by taking a pass on the Democratic primary.”
Four words: Are. You. Kidding. Me?
Never mind that a “third-party” candidate hasn’t been elected to the Wisconsin legislature since 1944. Never mind that most voters in the 77th reflexively mark Democrat on their ballot during every election. Never mind that most high-profile endorsements in this race are assumed to end up going to the Democrat. Never mind that Ben Manski has to overcome a tremendous disadvantage in voter mentality.
No, none of this matters. It’s Manski that’s the frontrunner in this race.
Frankly, this unfortunate outburst was almost as ridiculous as the decision of Hulsey, a former coal lobbyist, to show his face at the Parade for the Planet, an environmentalist rally, over the weekend. With all the “No More Coal” signs at the event, the self-described underdog must have felt more than a little uncomfortable.
If Manski were ever elected to the state legislature, he’d be on the “board of directors” of an organization that owns and operates coal plants. In other words, he’d be in the legislature and the State of Wisconsin owns and operates coal plants.
Ben, will you vote against the state budget because it funds state-owned coal plants?
Ed Blume
Hulsey campaign volunteer
I think Hulsey is a little off…seriously…I mean, to call yourself an “environmentalist” after taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from the coal industry to lobby for a coal plant….you kinda gotta be a little nuts in my opinion.
Ed are you trying to make a funny here? You posted the exact same thing on other blog posts criticizing Hulsey’s record on the county board. Could you please write something original and perhaps even relevant to the piece you are commenting on? Cookie-cutter and poorly conceived talking points like yours are an embarrassment to Hulsey and yourself.
Not that I mind, but you might want to think twice before posting that little blurb again.
Manski supporters must believe that if they repeat a lie often enough it will stick.
Hulsey never lobbied for coal. He advocated for burning biomass.
Hulsey has been fighting for clean air and working with industry to reduce coal emissions for as long as I have known him. He gets the endorsement in this race from the Sierra Club and former DNR honcho George Meyer.
And yes, Manski is getting several passes in this election…
1) He did not have to campaign and spend money in a primary.
2) He continues to align/present himself as a progressive Democrat while supporting the likes of Ralph Nader. Thank Ben for the 8 years of Bush.
3) Manski is a carpet bagger. He claims that because his parents raised him in the District, that he is a native son.
But as an adult,and in at least the last 5 years, he has lived on the East side. He owns property and pays taxes in the East side district. He only moved into the 77th, and rented a place, in September. Classic carpet bagger.
Your rumor filled and inaccurate posting shows me that you really do not know Brett, and that you have not bothered to research his record of accomplishments while he has served on the County Board.
Sam,
I reposted the question because no one seems to want to say whether Ben will vote for funding state coal-plant operations.
Do you know the answer?
If he votes for the budget, wouldn’t he be voting for coal? If he votes against the budget, wouldn’t he be voting against funding for his campaign proposals?
Maybe you could ask Ben to post his answer. He should not be afraid to tell us.
Ed
Sam,
Ben calls himself a “native” of the 77th District and a “Madison original.”
But here’s what his Facebook page says, “Ben Manski was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 16, 1974 to economist Charles Manski and educator Kate Manski. When he was a little over three years old his family moved to Jerusalem, Israel, where he and his sister, today a Palestinian rights advocate, spent their early childhood years.”
Ben’s campaign flyer says that when he moved to Madison from Israel at age 8, he “enrolled in English as a second language.”
Anything odd here?
Ed
Kyle,
You said, “It’s Manski that’s the frontrunner in this race.”
But in a recent fundraising email, Manski made fun of Brett, claiming that Brett said he himself is the underdog.
In other words, you say Bett’s the underdog, and Ben says he isn’t.
One of you is off message.
Ed Blume
Hulsey campaign volunteer
Ed/Barnaby,
I thank you both for your responses in this discussion and I’m hoping that in this debate readers can determine for themselves who is a better representative for the 77th.
With that said, I find it nearly impossible to respond to all of your points because of the frivolity and disingenuous content of your comments. Ed (Hulsey campaign volunteer), perhaps you should re-read this post. Hopefully this time you are able to spot the sarcasm.
Since moving to Madison from Israel at age 8, Ben grew up in the 77th, was educated in this city and lived and worked here as a progressive activist ever since. Hulsey grew up in Oklahoma. Carpetbagger?
Regarding your question on the state budget, I’ll just briefly state that Ben isn’t exactly obligated to troll various message boards responding to every question you pose. I’m sure he’ll get back to via email. Either way, I’m sure he will reply to your inquiring on voting in the negative, but I’ll let him speak for himself.
Finally, it’s really too bad that some people are so blinded by their devotion to Husley/devotion to a political party/hatred of independent progressives that they are so quickly ready to discard the truth and overthrow the principles they claim to uphold. HULSEY WAS A COAL LOBBYIST. To claim that the plant he lobbied on behalf of was anything but an environmental disaster is simply untruthful. But does the truth really matter to you, anyway? Or is winning all that matters.
Mark Redsten, executive director of Clean Wisconsin, elaborates: “Brett focused his comments on the plant’s ability to burn biomass, but our analysis, supported by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission staff, showed that the utility intended to burn all types of coal, and even refinery waste, and only a small amount of biomass,” adding that the proposed plant would generate “significant amounts of nitrous oxide” while spewing “more greenhouse gas emissions than existing coal plants in Wisconsin.”
Again, thank you for your responses. Hulsey was and is an opportunist whose record includes a support for deporting immigrants and even opposition to equal benefits for gay and unmarried couples. So, in this context, your willingness to defend him is, if nothing else, courageous.
One last point. While it’s hard to see how any real progressive would even consider voting for an individual who pocketed almost 200 grand ($192,000 to be exact) to work for big coal, one can’t help but feel that, in a purely human sense, Hulsey is hardly a bad person for lining his pockets with so much dirty money. That’s a hell of a lot of dolla’ to pass up, and I’m betting that a lot of other people in his position would have done the same. Passing up that kind of cash and remaining true to one’s principles is a test that only the Ben Manskis of this world would pass.
Peace!
Kyle,
Does Ben pay his utility bill? If he does, he’s funding coal-fired generation plants, as we all do. I look forward to the day when Ben goes off-grid.
I equally await to hear how Ben might vote on a budget bill, should he ever be elected. I posed the question earlier and he has not yet responded.
Oh, I’m not sure from your response. Is Ben the underdog or is it Brett?
Ed Blume
Hulsey campaign volunteer
Kyle:
By your (really bad) logic, if someone does work for a car company (say on hybrid electrics) that would put them in the pocket of Big Oil. I hope I don’t have to explain why that’s wrong.
Why is it that the only way
Ben Manski, (native of Pittsburgh, not Madison) can run a campaign is by mean-spirited personal attacks and shrill denunciation? Ben Manski is probably not capable of working with people who won’t agree with
(and praise) him.
Example: When Ben Manski ran Ralph Nader’s very failed 2000 campaign in Wisconsin, he led chants of “Al Gore Corporate Whore” and told voters there was no difference between Bush and Gore.
Now, he hides his role on that campaign from the voters.
Ben Manski is a very vain and conceited man, more than the typical politician. And, what’s this “COURAGE!” that he refers to in his campaign materials, anyway?
Pardon me for failing to genuflect to Ben Manski.
Genuflection? Hmmm…that sounds more like the supporters of Hulsey on this site. You see, I support Ben not because I like him personally (which I certainly do), but because he is a stalawart progressive champion. Hulsey obviously is not, so the only way that I can understand your decision to troll around on various boards, Andy, defending your pal is based on – what’s the word? – genuflection.
Oh, and by the way, you will notice that all of the criticisms I and others have made on this site of your dear friend are of a very political nature. The ad hominem doesn’t interest me. Honestly, it seems like Brett is a good family man, for what it’s worth. No, “mean-spirited personal attacks” – like calling someone a “very vain and conceited man” – are not my province as a blogger here on Forward Lookout.
We in the Manski camp prefer to keep to the issues and the principles. In so doing, we believe that our chances of winning only improve, since Ben is stronger on both.
In this context, I’ll adress your fallacious point regarding the difference between coal lobbying and employment. I would have thought that the difference was obvious, but again, political allegiance can do nasty things to one’s sense of reality. The low-level employees of any company are hardly responsible for the nefarious practices of those directing them. Lobbying on behalf of a cause one claims to oppose (environmental degradation, big coal) is obviously quite a different thing. The implication of what you’re saying is that corporate lobbyists should never be held responsible for their actions, even if they claim to oppose the very thing on behalf of which they are working.
By the way, I thought the argument of your crew was that Hulsey was never really lobbying for coal anyway? Well, I guess with that nonsense debunked you have to find a different rationale for your friend’s hypocrisy. Honestly, I think you could do better.
In all seriousness, though, I appreciate your comments and hope you will keep reading.
P.S. Ben pays his utility bill.
When Ben pays his utility bill, he’s paying MGE burn coal. Seems like a man of principle wouldn’t.
Ed
Andy sez: Why is it that the only way
Ben Manski…can run a campaign is by mean-spirited personal attacks and shrill denunciation?
But then Andy sez: Ben Manski is a very vain and conceited man, more than the typical politician
C’mon Andy. You can do better than that…
carpetbagger
n carpetbagger [ˈkaːpitˌbagə, (American ) ˈka:rpitˌbagər]
politician who moves to a place where he/she sees an opportunity to promote his/her career
Again, when did Ben move back into the 77th district?
(Answer= September, 2010)
Until a couple of weeks ago, Ben lived in a condo on Amoth Court on Madison’s near eastside. He moved into the district after the primary election.
“Ben Manski was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 16, 1974 to economist Charles Manski and educator Kate Manski. When he was a little over three years old his family moved to Jerusalem, Israel, where he and his sister, today a Palestinian rights advocate, spent their early childhood years. In 1982, his parents decided to return to the United States, moving to Madison, Wisconsin.”
Kyle,
Clean Wisconsin endorsed Brett, not Ben, Check it out — http://www.brett4us.org/2010/10/clean-wisconsin-action-fund-endorses.html
Ed
It’s truly unfortunate that groups like Clean Wisconsin, which normally have a laudable record, reflexively end up endorsing individuals only because they have a “D” next to their name, even when such individuals are opposed to the progressive agenda for which they fight.
Clean Wisconsin has sharply criticized Hulsey’s coal lobbying in the past – and now they endorse him? That makes little, if any, sense, unless you understand it in the context of the party politics I describe above. If Ben were the Democrat in this race, he would have gotten this endorsement without question. I doubt even you could deny that (though I’m sure you will anyway).
The fact remains that Hulsey is a sellout who received almost 200 grand for his work on behalf of the coal industry. While he was busy lining his politics with corporate cash, Ben was fighting for clean energy alternatives.
It’s fortunate that so many other organizations and individuals normally associated with the Democratic Party – MTI, Peg Lautenschlauger, Fred Wade, etc, etc – have opted for principles above parties and endorsed Ben Manski, the only true environmentalist and progressive in this race.
Speaking of partisan politics. What do Ben Manski and Ron Johnson have in common? They both want to defeat Democrats!
Ed Blume
Hulsey campaign volunteer
Ah, but then what do you say about stalwart Democrats like Lindsay Lee or Ed Garvey endorsing Ben Manski?
I mean, I’ve seen Mr. Lee at a lot of Democratic events over the years..
They’re trying to defeat Democrats too.
Reminds me of a quote from Will Rogers when he was asked whether he was a member of an organized political party. He quickly replied, “No. I’m a member of the Democratic Party.”
Ed Blume
Hulsey campaign volunteer
How do we tell who’s a progressive? Only people who endorse Ben? Is Barrett progessive? Ben says he’s gonna’ vote for Barrett, calling him “the lesser of two evils.”
If Ben votes for a non-progessive candidate, isn’t Ben compromising his principles?
Ed Blume
Hulsey campaign volunteer
Ed Blume
Hulsey campaign volunteer
Ed
Criticizing people for supporting a candidate you support — Tom Barrett — is not the way to win an election.
I wasn’t criticizing Barrett, Ben was when he called Barrett the “lesser evil.” Yet, Ben said he’d vote for Barrett.
You didn’t answer my question. If Ben votes for a non-progessive candidate (a lesser evil) isn’t Ben compromising his principles?
Ed Blume
Hulsey campaign volunteer
Ed Blume
Hulsey campaign volunteer
Ed
Again…very…slow…
1. You want Tom Barrett to win.
2. To win Tom Barrett needs votes.
3. Ben Manski has said he will vote for Tom Barrett and has urged others to do the same.
4. You criticize Ben Manski for this, for helping Tom Barrett get the votes he needs to win.
5. This criticism may alienate Ben Manski or his supporters.
6. This could result in fewer votes for Tom Barrett.
7. This could result in Tom Barrett losing.
In politics, it isn’t smart to criticize people for supporting a candidate you want to win. Would you rather ben Manski and his supporters did not vote for Tom Barrett?
On “compromise,” this seems to be a strange criticism from a campaign that boasts of their candidate’s pragmatism and “creative compromises.” If compromise in all cases is a bad thing then the whole basis of Hulsey’s campaign vanishes.
I think most adults recognize that there are cases where compromise is appropriate and where it isn’t. Voting for Tom Barrett is a worthwhile compromise considering the alternative.
The criticism of Hulsey isn’t that he has compromised, it is that he has been too eager to compromise his claimed ideals, especially when there is money to be earned as a lobbyist or consultant.
This ia about Ben’s claims of being principled. He isn’t any more or less than the next person.
Can Ben explain when it’s okay to vote for a non-progressive and when it’s not?
Ed Blume
Hulsey campaign volunteer
Hulsey defeats Manski —
http://www.brett4us.org/2010/11/brett-hulsey-defeats-ben-manski-for.html