Kevin Nicholson should be mad at himself

Jay Weber Show transcript 1-27-22 7:10am

Okay- let’s get down to some ‘truth’ surrounding the republican primary race for governor, and the complaints that Kevin Nicholson has been making on the campaign trail-

Let me start, first, by saying that i have tried hard, over the many years that i have been doing serious opinion-based ‘talk’ on this station, to remain neutral and be fair in republican primary races.

I feel no need to -with the democrat’s side-because I don’t agree with their politics and policies and if i can help ‘take down’ some of their worst primary candidates early, I won’t feel bad about it. I’d be doing it for the good of the community, state, or country.

However, since i am a conservative who votes republican, and has a position that has become influential in GOP circles, i decided early on in my talk career to be as balanced and fair as possible to republican primary candidates, and not move to pick a favorite and try to disqualify the others, using my platform.

The ‘outsized’ influence of conservative talk radio on the right, became very apparent to me, decades ago, when I was still doing news. Was a news director. And saw first-hand how powerful mark belling and Charlie Sykes had become on the right, and in right wing circles.

At times, one comment. One ‘hot take’ from them had the power to shift opinion and ‘sour’ or even kill candidacies.

So, I decided to-with rare exception-try to do the best I could stay out of the primary races. I only step in in instances in which i think a candidate is especially bad. Or being dishonest. Or only -pretending-to be a conservative. I’ll point out a scumbag and not feel bad about it.

Which brings us to this governor’s race and a primary that is looking to be a bitter Kleeficsh/Nicholson show down. And it has for many months, and so, last year, when I quietly pondered it, I thought it would be pretty easy to stay ‘above the fray’, and be fair, and let them make their cases to the voters.

And now I’ll be brutally honest: one reason i thought it would be easy is that I wasn’t particularly ‘high’ on either one of them.

And don’t get me wrong: I firmly believe either one of them would be a far better governor than Tony Evers. They are both bright, ambitious people who would surround themselves with good people and run a conservative administration.

I don’t -dislike-either Kleefisch or Nicholson. I’m just not particularly ‘high on’ either one of them.  I questioned whether Kleefisch really had the experience for the job and was really ready for it-and told you all so-

And here’s another admission: i have been quite impressed by how hard she’s worked and the team she had built-and how they have covered every base to try to lock up this nomination before any of the other candidates entered the race.

Kleefisch’s effort has been-quite impressive-and allays some of those questions i have about ‘readiness’.

I still worry that she isn’t ‘connecting’ with voters, because I hear it from average listeners to county chairman to GOP insiders. A lot of insiders are sort of ‘eh’ on Becky.

And again-this is a brutally honest segment-so-those listening who are in the Kleefisch camp-deal with it.

But she-does-really want the job and she-has-been very impressive in her efforts to lock up the nomination for herself and I’ve gone from ‘ambivalent’ on Kleefisch to impressed with her.

And I’ll state this again: she wants the job.

Rebecca Kleefisch has -never pretended- that she didn’t want this job. When Gov Walker lost his third term, she immediately started to plan. She’s been running for a full year already, and we are just getting down to the time when most candidates would declare-

We have an entire republican party in Wisconsin with a lot of great leaders-and when the question was asked: who wants to be governor?

Kleefisch’s hand shot into the air.

No one else did. Not walker again, not Dale Kooyenga or Duey Stroebel or some state lawmaker. Not Reince Priebus or Sean Duffy.

I quietly asked those men: are you sure? Reince? Sean? Are you sure you don’t want to run?

Nope. 

If trump couldn’t move them- I couldn’t either.

Rebecca Kleefisch wants the job. She’s excited to run-and is doing the planning to win. And that means something in this pivotal election year.

And if you are on the edge of your seats-no-no endorsement is coming. I’m going to continue to remain as neutral as possible when Kevin Nicholson enters this race-

But given the events of the last week, and the fact that we have a group of people within the party furious that the state party leaders are getting involved this early and trying to engineer a nomination for Becky- and the fact that Nicholson ‘went off’ on the party leaders at an event this week-

I do feel the need to give you my take on it-as a neutral observer.  Genuinely: give me Kleefisch or Nicholson on the ticket, and I’m okay. I think either can beat Evers, and i have no early investment in either of them-

Which might be why I’m the perfect person to say this: when Robin Vos told Nicholson not to run-I threw the flag. I agree with mark belling and others who are saying that the party apparatus and a few GOP leaders in Madison shouldn’t be rigging a primary in favor of one candidate.

I find that irksome and wrong. 

And I understand why Kevin Nicholson is angry. According to video of a recent event-he slammed the party leaders in the room and hammered on them for playing favorites.

Bottom line? -the nugget of the complaint. The essence of Nicholson’s complaint-I agree with. Anyone should be allowed to run and-no- i don’t think the party leaders should endorse a primary candidate.

That said- these parties-are- private organizations. Voters tend to not know that or forget that. You don’t -have-to belong to the republican party or run under their banner-and so- they can follow any rules they want to-including endorsing in a primary-and only pressure from the voters would stop them from doing so.

I do not support the early effort to have the party endorse Kleefisch at the state convention. But I-understand-it. There is a huge interest among GOP leaders to-not have- the sort of brutal primary that we are going to have when Kevin Nicholson gets in.

I haven’t heard from Kevin Nicholson or his campaign in weeks. It’s been ‘radio silence’ on their end...even as i have allowed a few newsworthy endorsements for Kleefisch to occur on my show- as exclusive firsts- with Sensenbrenner and the WMC.

Even after those endorsements- i heard nothing from the Nicholson camp. No request for ‘equal time’-which is automatically what happens-every time- in every other race.

If I have one candidate on-no exaggeration-the other candidate camps are demanding equal time.

So-I have been expecting to hear from Nicholson. And haven’t. Now. We are nearly at the end of ‘week two’ of Kevin entering ‘any day now’ and he still hasn’t entered.

And so- it has me wondering if he’s going to. And this rant in Manitowoc is revealing to me. Because for a guy who always keeps his cool-this was Nicholson punching back- at his situation.

Here’s what i see as the truth of that rant: it was Nicholson angry as hell-that he waited too long and got out flanked by Kleefisch. She’s got virtually all the big endorsements and a lot of the big-money donors locked up. She’s been at it a year. Nicholson hasn’t even really started-

And why?

Listen to me-

Why? Is Nicholson finding himself so far behind?

Because Rebecca Kleefisch-really wanted the job.

She was planning, campaigning, working for it-as Kevin Nicholson was doing what?

Was waiting for Ron Johnson to decide whether he wanted to run again-because Kevin Nicholson wants to be in Washington. That’s where -his-real interest lies.

When was that question asked two years ago: who wants to be governor? Rebecca’s hand shot up. Remember?

Nicholson’s didn’t. His only other run for office was a run for the US senate. He waited around for a year because he wanted to run-for senate- and take Johnson’s seat.

Folks-I’ve mentioned this a few times: when Nicholson was asked-are you running? He made it clear...if I can’t run for the senate, I’ll run for governor.

As if it was some sort of consolation prize that the voters might give him-or owed him- if he couldn’t serve in Washington DC.

This is where I remind you again- I said this was going to be a brutally honest segment.

I believe Nicholson now realizes that, while he was waiting for Johnson, Kleefisch and her team outflanked him and left him facing a primary race that he might now believe-he cannot win.

And that’s why he’s furious and lashing out.

And yes- the state party leaders should ‘stay out of it’, but in a way, Nicholson left them no choice. For a year-they have had an aggressive candidate in Kleefisch pushing them, and pushing them, and pushing them for early organization and help so she can beat Evers....as Nicholson expressed indifference in the race- at the same time.

Well, hell’s bells: do we want to win back the governor’s chair, or not?   Do we want to plan early for what should be a huge GOP year? Or not?

Do we keep putting off Kleefish who-really-wants this job and has been working hard and being smart?  Just in case Nicholson ‘stoops’ to run for governor?

Clearly all sorts of donors, insiders, and party members said, no. Let’s back the person who -wants-to be governor and organize around her early.

And sorry-that’s on Nicholson.  It is his right to run, and campaign, and I’ll give him equal airtime and be fair to both.I already owe him- one interview-because I’ve had Kleefisch and Johnathan Wickman on once as candidates.

Yes- I do- keep track of these things...and I do play fair. I won’t work to smear or degrade either of them and won’t step in unless I see one of them being highly dishonest or fraudulent.

I’m sticking to my same principals on this.

But after what’s occurred this week, someone has to say it-and say it bluntly-for all of those people who think it’s terrible that state GOP leaders coalesced around Kleefisch this early.

She -wants-to be governor. She’s been campaigning hard and laying the groundwork for a year.She’s locked up donors and endorsements and harped on insiders to get behind her. She did it-so she could be miles ahead of any other republican who wanted to run.

Meanwhile, Nicholson spent a year doing great grassroots events. Good for him. But did nothing to organize or advance a campaign for governor.

Why?

Because he-really-wants to be a u-s senator. He made it clear- if I can’t run for senate, I’ll run for governor.

Well, come on. I don’t think it’s picking sides or playing favorites to say: I’d like a republican candidate who -really-wants the job. I’d like a candidate who will fight to take out Gov Evers, because his or her run wasn’t a ‘second option’.

So- if Nicholson gets into this race: prove to us that you want it. 

End of Jay Weber’s ‘brutally honest theatre’.

photo credit: Fox 6 Milwaukee