Initially, the only attention Gov. Jim Doyle created with his speech during last week's Democratic National Convention in Denver was to make a David Letterman top 10 list.
No. 5 on the list of "Things Overheard at the Democratic National Convention" was "Shut up! I'm trying to listen to Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle."
Doyle didn't get the joke, telling the Associated Press "Nobody seemed to understand the joke and nobody laughed at it."
The Doyle camp certainly isn't laughing today, as the speech again is making news.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel on Wednesday reported that Doyle's speech was written by his state spokesman. The potential problem with that is that Lee Sensenbrunner's salary is paid by state taxpayers rather than campaign donors.
Jonathan Becker, director of the state Government Accountability Board's ethics division said the governor may have violated a state law prohibiting the use of state resources for private gain. He didn't say whether the GAB was investigating the matter. Becker also said it wouldn't be a violation if the speech focused on state issues and policies rather than partisanship.
Right. At a political party's convention.
In Doyle's 729-word speech, his references to Wisconsin are limited to lauding the hard-working spirit of its workforce, and to tout the conversion of the Merit Gear factory in Antigo from making gearboxes for cars and trucks to making them for windmills. But even that mention was turned into a case for voting for Barack Obama.
Oh, and Doyle closed his speech by saying "On, Wisconsin."
Sensenbrunner and Doyle both said they thought it was permissible for the aide to write the speech because Doyle had an opportunity to promote Wisconsin on a national stage.
He didn't promote Wisconsin. He promoted Barack Obama. That was the purpose of the speech.
If the GAB is investigating this, and it should, it should find that Doyle violated the law, and the governor should be reprimanded and forced to repay the state from his campaign fund.
No. 5 on the list of "Things Overheard at the Democratic National Convention" was "Shut up! I'm trying to listen to Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle."
Doyle didn't get the joke, telling the Associated Press "Nobody seemed to understand the joke and nobody laughed at it."
The Doyle camp certainly isn't laughing today, as the speech again is making news.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel on Wednesday reported that Doyle's speech was written by his state spokesman. The potential problem with that is that Lee Sensenbrunner's salary is paid by state taxpayers rather than campaign donors.
Jonathan Becker, director of the state Government Accountability Board's ethics division said the governor may have violated a state law prohibiting the use of state resources for private gain. He didn't say whether the GAB was investigating the matter. Becker also said it wouldn't be a violation if the speech focused on state issues and policies rather than partisanship.
Right. At a political party's convention.
In Doyle's 729-word speech, his references to Wisconsin are limited to lauding the hard-working spirit of its workforce, and to tout the conversion of the Merit Gear factory in Antigo from making gearboxes for cars and trucks to making them for windmills. But even that mention was turned into a case for voting for Barack Obama.
Oh, and Doyle closed his speech by saying "On, Wisconsin."
Sensenbrunner and Doyle both said they thought it was permissible for the aide to write the speech because Doyle had an opportunity to promote Wisconsin on a national stage.
He didn't promote Wisconsin. He promoted Barack Obama. That was the purpose of the speech.
If the GAB is investigating this, and it should, it should find that Doyle violated the law, and the governor should be reprimanded and forced to repay the state from his campaign fund.
