Cheap tricks from a cheap governor

Today is Friday and that, of course, means that Governor Doyle is off vetoing another piece of valuable legislation.

Mr. Doyle has, of course, issued the customary low-profile press release to accompany his mind-numbing dismissal of a valuable concealed carry statute:

The bill does not create a single job, help a single Wisconsin citizen afford health care, or improve schools for a single Wisconsin child. The Legislature should spend more time trying to get jobs into our communities instead of more guns. It is time for them to start addressing the priorities of hardworking Wisconsin families - like making heath care and heating bills more affordable, ensuring every student who is willing to work for it can attend college, and creating good, family-supporting jobs.

And Mr. Doyle is correct – this is not a jobs, health care or education bill. This is an impressive observation on his part – proof that he is indeed literate. But at last check, the legislation wasn't being pitched as any of these things.

Rather, concealed carry is a crime bill. It is a noble attempt to simultaneously install a powerful deterrent against armed criminals and give citizens the comfort of mind that comes in knowing you have the ability to protect yourself should you so elect. As I have discussed before, this is an essential piece of legislation.

Now I often criticize Mr. Doyle for his Friday vetoes. This is because it is an age-old, cheap political tactic (and, yes, it remains cheap when used by any politician – conservative or liberal). The press release announcing this veto found its way into the my e-mail account at 4:13 PM this afternoon – 47 minutes before the close of business on a day when more than a few people tend to head home a touch early.

Saturday newspapers generally enjoy the lowest readership of the weak; Friday night newscasts are often skipped by regular viewers in the name of an evening on the town and with the late-afternoon announcement of this devastating veto, there is always the hope that at least a few journalists will have headed home for the weekend a touch early and not get around to this story until Monday morning, when it has lost timeliness.

And so the question is begged: if Mr. Doyle truly believes he is serving the interests of the entire state of Wisconsin, why does he hide behind his actions with such political maneuvers? This certainly isn't his first Friday veto and, sadly, I doubt it will be his last.

Indeed, Mr. Doyle would stand to learn a valuable lesson from former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis: “Sunshine is the best disinfectant.”