State Rep. Glenn Grothman, conservative candidate opposing Sen Mary Panzer, at a recent appearance by First Lady Laura Bush in Grafton, Wisconsin, stops to chat with a Cedarburg resident.
Posted on 08/14/2004 8:28:11 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
Assemblyman criticizes Panzer fund-raising letter
By STEVEN WALTERS
swalters@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 13, 2004
Madison - Another Assembly member who represents the same area as Senate Majority Leader Mary Panzer (R-West Bend) on Friday endorsed Republican Rep. Glenn Grothman, her Sept. 14 primary opponent.
In a statement, Rep. Mark Gottlieb (R-Port Washington) said he was moved to back Grothman because of an Aug. 10 fund-raising letter Panzer wrote - a letter Gottlieb said was full of "innuendo, half-truth and false charges."
In that letter, Panzer said "outside special interests" are funding and advising Grothman. She also took credit for trying to get the Senate to pass a constitutional amendment to limit state and local spending and accused Grothman of doing "nothing" to pass such an amendment.
Gottlieb called Panzer's charge that Grothman did nothing to get the amendment through the Legislature "self-serving nonsense" and accused Panzer of campaign "mudslinging."
Calling Grothman someone with "honesty and conviction," Gottlieb added, "He is the last person in the Capitol that I would accuse of being a tool of outside special interests."
Panzer's 20th Senate District is made up of districts represented by Grothman, also of West Bend, Gottlieb and Rep. Daniel LeMahieu (R-Oostburg). LeMahieu endorsed Grothman last month.
An attack campaign
Panzer and Grothman have each accused the other of being pawns of special-interest groups in their fund-raising appeals.
For example, Grothman said in a "dear friend" letter this month to potential contributors:
"Mary has proven over the past several years that she cares more for lobbyists with big money than she does for her constituents. . . . She will have the (campaign) help of special-interest groups who want more and and more of our money for programs we do not support."
In interviews Friday, each accused the other of being the first to personally criticize the opponent.
"I just think she's making this stuff up," Grothman said, referring to Panzer's charge that he did nothing to help pass a constitutional amendment that would limit public spending.
"I was one of the people who helped (Assembly Speaker) John Gard get votes the second time around" - a reference to the failed move in the Legislature in July to pass the amendment, Grothman said.
Asked about Panzer's charge that he is being controlled by "outside special interests," Grothman said, "That's not true; I run my own campaign."
Responding, Panzer named an offshoot of Citizens for Responsible Government, which has led the efforts to recall several Milwaukee-area officials, as one of the "outside special interests" backing Grothman.
Chris Kliesmet, spokesman for CRG Network, confirmed Friday that it is helping Grothman's campaign.
Panzer, who said her campaign for re-election was going "very well," said Grothman has "been practicing negativism from day one" of the campaign.
Panzer said Grothman had accused her of not being a true Republican Party leader. In his fund-raising letter, Grothman said the party should not be "another arm of the Democrat Party."
In her Aug. 10 letter, Panzer called herself "the only candidate who has shown effective leadership, conservative values and proven experience."
She also said she "kept her word" to try and pass a constitutional amendment to limit government spending in July, even though she fell short of the 17-vote majority needed to pass it in the Senate.
From the Aug. 14, 2004, editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
This endorsement means that ALL of the State Reps in Sen. Panzer's district have endorsed her opponent. There is still a lot of work to be done, however, and Glenn needs donations from the whole state to get his message out. He also needs a good turn out in Washington, Sheboygan, Ozaukee Counties for the Primary September 14 to topple Mary. Call Friends of Grothman at 262-365-0131.
Endorsing a Gottlieb?!
It all smells a little fishy if you ask me.
I am one of those "outside special interests" that the story spoke of. I am interested in having conservative representatives in the Wisconsin state Senate who are more beholden to their constituents than the teachers union. As a Milwaukee County resident, I find Grothman the kind of senator I would love to have. (Perhaps Alberta Darling will learn something.) My small contribution to Glen's campaign was gratefully acknowledge via a card yesterday. I expect nothing more from Rep. Grothman, except to stick by the principles he has espoused.
No, no, no -- It's Gottlieb endorsing Grothman. Gottlieb has come out AGAINST Panzer. Makes all the difference.
(you must be alluding to something that needs translation for the Teutonic challenged -- please enlighten us)
Thank you for your support for Glenn Grothman. If he is elected, it will benefit all of Wisconsin, no matter what district you live in.
Fie on Mary panzer and her "outside" interests. Her outside interests are the teacher's union and every municipality's greediness for our tax $$$, rather than the taxpayers, or the residents of her district.
A thousand pardons.
To make up for it, I'm alerting some other cheeseheads to this momentous news.
-good times, G.J.P. (Jr.)
State Rep. Glenn Grothman, conservative candidate opposing Sen Mary Panzer, at a recent appearance by First Lady Laura Bush in Grafton, Wisconsin, stops to chat with a Cedarburg resident.
Panzer is a joke. I sent a check to Glen and got a nice note back, too.
Perhaps it is time for another check.
Thanks for the post, AFTR
I am voting for Peg Lauetenschlager (DUI-Wisconsin) for Attorney General next time she comes up for re-election. She has that Wisco can-do attitude toward drinking and driving that is so admired in these here parts.
My Polish grandma always said, "None of us speaks German, but we all understand it." The fact that she was born and raised in Milwaukee doesn't bother me. I use the line shamelessly. Her only legacy.
BTW, all the Babelfish-type services I have bookmarked say that "bastard" is the same in English and German. Do they pronounce it differently?
My personal favorite is dumkopf.
I know that my old, high school astronomy teacher loved to revert to that phrase whenever he had elicited a response that was not exactly earth-shattering in its brilliance.
Of course, it's no Hey Einstein!
*eyes squinch suspiciously*
Have you been talking to my dad again? (Well, he's dead, too, but I always had my suspicions where you're concerned....)
I never mock the dearly departed.
Unless they happen to be Kennedys.
-good times, G.J.P. (Jr.)
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