Nobody ever said that Sheldon Wasserman is stupid --- but he seems to be too clever by half when running for office.
Consider that it seems the Main Theme of his present campaign to unseat Alberta Darling for the State Senate is that he has saved taxpayers Thousands of Dollars by riding the bus to Madison, instead of driving and collecting mileage payments for his travels.
If we take a look at the math --- it would be incredibly dumb for Wasserman to drive to Madison when he can sit back on the bus and do work while being driven to Madison. After all, he is an OB-GYN --- I would imagine his hourly rate would work out well north of $300 per hour ! Why would he collect "chump change" for mileage reimbursement, while he can make hundreds of dollars more, while being driven to work ?
The chutzpah is that Wasserman is pretending that he is taking the bus to save taxpayers money --- while he is doing so to make more money for himself.
I also have to wonder why if Wasserman thinks that Public Transportation is so good --- why he hasn't used his high profile position to help Milwaukee and Wisconsin come into the 21st century with updated transportation, including light rail, high speed rail, and improved bus service.
Another example of relying on the gulliblity of the electorate has been Wasserman's Number One Issue since first running for the Legislature. He has consistently complained that "rich" suburbs such as Shorewood, Fox Point, Whitefish Bay, etc., do not get as much money from the state for their school systems since they are so real estate rich --- while MPS gets (according to Wasserman) more than its fair share, as the property values in Milwaukee are not nearly so high.
Yet at the same time that Wasserman has been trying to change the formula so MPS gets less money, and the suburbs get more -- he made sure that his house is just south of Shorewood, in Milwaukee, so that his wife could keep her job with MPS. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you !!
Perhaps the slickest move that Wasserman has made in his political career, is pretending is to accept donations from his supporters for current and future campaigns, while pocketing the money to repay himself.
In his first election foray, Wasserman put Thousands and Thousands of his own dollars into his campaign to defeat the incumbent. This was perfectly legal, as the US Supreme Court has ruled that a candidate cannot be restrained by election campaign finance laws, as they have a right to "free speech".
Now here comes the Slick part --- in subsequent campaigns, Wasserman took New Donations to his campaign, and put them into his own pocket to "repay" the "loans" that he spent in his first campaign. Of course Wasserman never told the folks giving him their $25 or $100 that their money was not going to help get him re-elected, but was actually going to him for his past expenditures. Oh yes --- perfectly legal --- but ethical and honest ???
Perhaps all of the above could be overlooked if Wasserman was a dynamic figure in Madison, who works tirelessly to improve the lives of his consituents, works to improve schools, and above all, with his being a Medical Doctor, working to make Wisconsin Health Care affordable --- while it is actually one of the most expensive states for medical services.
But in his 14 years in the Legislature, Wasserman can only take credit for 10 bills. And zero credit for using his high profile position to push for Progressive Legislation to enrich the lives of his constituents, especially in Health Care Costs.
On November 4th --- I will be voting a split ticket --- Obama for President, and Alberta Darling for the State Senate.
What do you think ? Your comments are welcome !!
