Political fish fry and it’s not even Friday
Are we having fun yet? Cory Liebmann, formerly of the self-described “partisan” organization One Wisconsin Now, has launched another fishing expedition, this time going after Mayor Ed Thompson of Tomah Wisconsin.
“Copies of all email from any email account that you use for official city business from 11/5/08 through 2/5/10 that fit the following search words and names:
“Senate”, “Vinehout”, “Doyle”, “Clinard”, “Kuester”, “Republican”, “Democrat”, “Libertarian”, “Obama”, “Palin”, “911″, “Bush”, “Potter”, “Rudd”, “Connelly”, “Schueman”, “Orr”, “Fuchs”, “Nordberg”, “Hepp”, “Mayo”, “ABC”, “Tommy”, “Arthur”, “Hansen”, “Martin”, “Kleckhefer”, “Googins”, “Donahue”, “Potter”, “RPW”, “DPW”, “September”, “MacIver”, “Americans for Prosperity”, “AFP”, “Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce”, “WMC”, “ALEC”, “American Legislative Exchange Council”, “Tea”, “blog”, “Block”, “Healy”, “Jensen”, “Fraley”, “Sykes”, “Belling”, “Walker”, “Ron Paul”, “abortion”, “marijuana”, “gay”, “Tee Pee”, “Barrett”, “Governor”, “Tax”.
When last we checked in with Cory, he was digging through State Representative Leah Vukmir’s e-mails. When I challenged him because I was included in the probe, he responded (in part),
I am trying to learn about how an elected official uses their state email account. This elected official appears to be engaged with right wing bloggers, so it seems obvious to include some of the prominent ones in my request. If there was a better way to take a look at how an elected official uses a state email account, I would have used it, but there are no real alternatives.
I’m going to suggest that answer now appears to be disingenuous. By an amaaaaaazing coincidence, both Vukmir and Thompson are running for the state senate as Republicans. One could argue that they are the two candidates most likely to defeat Democratic incumbents, flipping control of the state senate from the Democrats to the Republicans. Could be coincidence, could be somebody like the State Senate Democratic Committee is paying for these fishing trips, which would explain why Liebmann has refused to say how many times I’ve been referenced in these open records request.
Maybe we should start a pool: guess which state senate candidate will be the next to be probed by Liebmann?
But, c’mon. Tee pee? Seriously Liebmann? Maybe you should be sending open records requests to Congressman Steve Kagen for this kind of stuff.
James Widgerson, a political operative, is acting surprised that Cory Liebmann, a political operative, is acting like a political operative? Tell us something we don’t know. I don’t think Cory’s answer is “disingenuous”. He told you exactly what he was doing.
I’m still waiting to hear why his open records requests somehow endanger your First Amendment rights, and stranger still, why you think Cory is obligated to tell you how many requests he’s made, and whether they mention James Wigderson.
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James Wigderson Reply:
February 24th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
John, I haven’t been a political operative for years. My “activism” begins and ends where the pen hits the paper. I’m a writer.
As for why I became concerned into Liebmann’s digging into my relationship with sources or potential sources, it’s because it’s not any different than if he were to do the same thing to Bruce Murphy or someone at the Journal Sentinel. Except, I think they would probably cry, “foul!” louder than I did.
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John Foust Reply:
February 24th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Contributing writers to suburban newspapers are somehow special, and their written communications with public officials should be protected from revelation? Is that what you mean by threatening your First Amendment rights?
I’m no Bruce Murphy, but I still don’t get it. Your ability to speak was threatened how? If you don’t want a trace of your communications with your sources, there’s plenty of ways to do that. They are easily discoverable, even if you didn’t go to J-school.
I don’t buy the “just a writer” story. Next thing you know, you’ll be telling me that Fraley is “just a writer”, too. Unless of course by “writer” you actually mean “political operative”.
I think the most interesting angle in this story is that Fraley was writing about Liebmann’s open records request before Vukmir’s office ever bothered to respond to Liebmann. The story was handed to him because he’s a political operative who would carry water, not because he’s the next Woodward or Bernstein.
I think the emails of politicians and their staffers might be a gold mine of stories. I hope there are lots of political operatives and journalists and even bloggers who sniff a story and chase it through this mechanism. Don’t you?
As I ask over at MacGuyver, what does this have to do with free markets?
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James Wigderson Reply:
February 25th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
Yes, John, I am just a writer. And, by the way, I am very special.
I miss Recess Supervisor. He speaks the truth about the aides and the operatives.
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James Wigderson Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Okay, John, how have I not been honest about what I do?
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John Foust Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
I don’t think you are obligated to explain your connections to RPW any more than Liebmann is obligated to explain the whys and whos of what he’s doing. I think you could be plenty more honest and interesting if you put aside the fake indignation and admitted all this is situation normal for partisans on any side to go digging before elections. Recess would do that. I respect him for being honest and often even-handed.
If you want to explain something relevant to the story, again I repeat my main question: Why did Fraley hear about Liebmann’s request before Vukmir’s office even responded to him?
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James Wigderson Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
John, I’m not even a dues-paying member of the RPW. OR the RNC. OR the RNCC. OR the RNSC. Or anything. Sorry to destroy your fantasy of what goes on in my life. And no Republican Party entity is paying me. If one was, Conley Publishing would not pay me for my work or feature me as a regular writer.
As for whether I should admit that partisans would do such data-mining, I doubt that they typically look for media connections without specific cause. But then, such a discussion would require Liebmann would admit that he is a partisan doing data-mining. He has not done so. What’s his agenda?
As for Brian getting the news first, what a shock. He probably bumped into Vukmir somewhere (he lives in her district, they both work in Madison, they attend the same events, etc.). “How’s it going, Leah?” “Hi Brian, you wouldn’t believe the open records request I just got…”
Hey, I’ve started some columns with less.
James Wigderson Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
As for Ryan Gruber (Recess Supervisor), if you think his site is without an agenda or without any personal score-settling, you’re nuts.
BTW, this topic is really a dead horse until Liebmann responds, but then I don’t think he wants to answer any questions.
I don’t think I’ve ever belonged to any party. I’ve contributed to a few campaigns. I don’t think there’s anyone, including Liebmann, who thinks Liebmann is anything other than a partisan doing some opposition research. You need him to “admit” that, and then you’d feel better? We’d all know something we didn’t know?
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James Wigderson Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
It would certainly be contrary to his denials.
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