CLINTON CAMPAIGN HITS ROCK BOTTOM HERE

Special to the readers of milwaukeeworld

By Michael Horne

Even before the first votes were counted, it was clear from the crowd that the Clinton campaign event at Rock Bottom Brewery was not a victory party. It was, I guess, a gathering of sorts, numbering just a couple of dozen folks at 7:30 p.m. Among them, in fact about the only recognizable face, was Matt Flynn, who usually only goes to losing events when they're his own.
One fellow, talking on his cellphone long distance said, "there are only 13 people down here, and it's cold." Hanging up, he turned to his companion and said, "you know who that was? That was the Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee!" The two degrees of separation from the great man was just about the same as the temperature outdoors. The basement room was outfitted with steam tables, suitable for a treat that had not yet been served. Otherwise, the room was bare, without a single sign or even a solitary balloon. The Clinton folks were not even going to pretend the evening was fun for them; it sure wasn't for the rest of us there. ... Over at City Hall the Election Commission workers were dressed in their finery, and had already put in a14-hour day by the time the polls closed, with hours yet to go. A few official looking men were in the back of the commission offices. Police? Federal Agents? It was hard to tell. Ald. Bob Bauman was in the house, just to keep an eye on things, as was Democratic Party of Milwaukee County Chair Martha Love and attorney Michael Maistelman. Sen. Spencer Coggs was also there, to check on the votes in the 6th Aldermanic District where his kin Milele Coggs was running against jailed Ald. Michael McGee. Mayoral Chief of Staff Pat Curley popped in, looking very casual. Long after the television screens began flashing Wisconsin vote totals to the public, it was clear that the first Milwaukee votes had yet to be counted, since none had appeared on the official computer screen in the commission office. While the technicians fiddled away, I, desperate for some -- any -- return, dashed down to the adjacent Frank Zeidler Municipal Building to see how the count was going for the two wards (58 and 59) that voted there. The clerks had just wrapped up business, Obama was doing very well, and those wards proved a harbinger for the entire city once actual results began to pour in around 9:30 p.m.. I told Coggs that McGee would have done much better than his weak first-place finish if he had attended more fundraisers and knocked on more doors. Oh, we all had a good chuckle over that one! Even Martha lost it for a minute, and she's all business. Bidding adieu to The Great Hall of the People, it was off to Bar Louie where loudspeakers in the empty beer garden boomed forth with the voice of Mayor Tom Barrett, cheering on the crowd that had assembled for what clearly was a victory party, unlike the Clinton one. He was joined by Rep. Gwen Moore who seemed in good spirits and fine form. Common Council President Willie Hines (was that man born in a suit?) and Ald. Ashanti Hamilton were among the faces in the audience; a wall of television cameras was focused on the event, primed for the 10 p.m. news. The mayor and I chatted up developments in the common council races. The third place finish of Sam McGovern-Rowen in the 3rd District surprised neither of us. There were terribly many variables. Since Sam had been so intimately associated with the incumbent alderman, he couldn't escape connection with Mike D'Amato, whether you thought that was good or bad. A heavy turnout of UWM voters may have complicated matters as well, since D'Amato was not popular among students for cutting down on their keg parties, disorderly conduct, parking spaces and nuisance landlords -- all vital components of an urban postsecondary education these days. Patrick Flaherty had superior organization and union support, it was clear, while second place finisher Nik Kovac also worked the district heavily. Earlier that morning, for example, his father stood on the corner of N. Van Buren and E. Brady streets waving a Kovac sign at the end of a 12-foot pole to capture the attention of traffic on the Holton Viaduct. By such a little step is history made, even if it looks a little ridiculous at the time.

BROWN COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY UPDATE

Q. What ever happened to former Brown County Republican Party Chairman Donald J. Fleischman? You haven't written about him since the gay teen sex charges against him were dropped.
--Concerned Citizen


A. Dear Citizen:
Glad you asked! The Brown County District Attorney re-filed charges against former county Republican party leader Donald Fleischman February 15th, 2008, on two felony and three misdemeanor counts of scandalous gay activities with teen boy runaways. The charges were dismissed last year when one of the youths could not be persuaded to testify against Sugar Daddy Fleischman, who made his home and grandpaw's cabin a hangout for juveniles from an adjacent youth correctional facility. According to the charges in the case, the boys were blowing positive for marijuana, alcohol and perhaps more. The youth has been convinced his testimony is necessary in the case, and he will cooperate, according to the D.A.
-- Michael Horne