{image1} I have to give credit to Wisconsin Democrats, especially those here in the Milwaukee area. While not usually known for their ability to all row in the same direction, they've been displaying an impressive amount of discipline in their coordinated effort to stymie and smear Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker.

As a former political director of the state Republicans, I'm not on the Dem party activists' e-mail lists. So while I didn't get the memo, it seems clear to me that they have begun a concerted effort to thwart Scott Walker at every turn as the popular county executive gets closer to an expected campaign for governor.

On issues from government waste to tax relief to economic development, nearly every left-wing group and area-elected Democrat has bashed Walker in recent months.

When Walker tried to exert some common sense this fall after incompetent city Election Commission executive director Lisa Artison requested the county print nearly one million ballots for what turned out to be less than 300,000 voters, you would have thought Walker was attempting vote fraud on Ukrainian proportions.

Democratic Party front group ACT Wisconsin said Walker was attempting to "quash voter participation." Liberal activist Robert Miranda really lost it, asserting Walker was attempting to "destroy our democracy." Wisconsin Citizen Action Fund director Larry Marx boldly asserted the county executive was trying to "disenfranchise eligible Milwaukee voters."

People for the American Way issued a statement threatening legal action. Democratic State Sen. Spencer Coggs said Walker's move was a "slap in the face to Milwaukee voters." And as her son was allegedly preparing to actually commit a blatant act of political sabotage himself, then-state senator and current Congresswoman Gwen Moore proclaimed Walker was "abusing his power."

Even though these are all completely ridiculous accusations, you have to give the left credit for staying on message. Moreover, the attacks didn't stop at the conclusion of Artison's ballot fiasco.

When Walker exercised prudence and attempted to leverage federal and state monies for the demolition of the dilapidated Courthouse Annex, board chair Lee Holloway (who clearly knows his real estate) railed that despite asbestos in the interior and huge chunks of concrete falling off the exterior, Walker was "unduly alarming people."

As Walker mounted a campaign to prevent an override of his veto on the Park East (an override which would severely hinder efforts to develop the vacant 16-acre parcel in the heart of the city of Milwaukee), Sup. Roger Quindel called Walker's tactics "sleazy."

Also as a result of Walker's veto of the Park East development restrictions, the little brother of ousted former County Board chair Karen Ordinans attempted to publicly challenge Walker to a debate on the issue. (Of course this stunt still merited extensive coverage in the local paper.)

The tone for these attacks was set late in 2003, when Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle saw the looming Walker juggernaut and recruited "Big Thinker" David Riemer from his administration to serve as the whack-taking sacrificial lamb in last spring's election. Riemer, or at least his campaign's hired guns, routinely spewed venomous personal vitriol at Walker.

The result? Walker, who won in 2002 with 55 percent of the vote, sailed to victory, garnering the support of a whopping 58 percent in the previous Democratic stronghold of Milwaukee County.

If it's true that your enemies judge you, Scott Walker is sitting pretty, but the message discipline the Milwaukee-area Democrats are displaying is relatively unheard of. And it bodes well in a way for Doyle. Remember, he won with only 45 percent of the vote in 2002, so he can't have any defections from the traditional Democrat base if he hopes to win re-election in 2006.

Walker has shown discipline by not being drawn off message by the endless barrage of personal attacks. In fact, in recent weeks, the county executive has really begun to turn up the heat on Doyle, particularly on his opposition to the property tax freeze.

So, will he run? With a laser-like focus on taxes as his primary message, it would seem appropriate for Walker to formally tour the state and announce his intentions in mid-April, say April 15, when taxpayer angst is at its annual peak ... even if it means he'll be accused of trying to destroy democracy or some such claptrap.

Brian Fraley is a partner and principal with The Markesan Group, a national business and political consulting firm located in Milwaukee.

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of OnMilwaukee.com, its advertisers or editorial staff.

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