Members of Gov. Jim Doyle's campaign and UW-Madison College Democrats are using Mark Green's record of voting with President Bush to attract moderate voters who disapprove of the president's performance. Green, the Republican congressman from Green Bay, has not attempted to distance himself from the president, whose approval rating currently is estimated to be as low as 35 to 45 percent.
The previously disputed figure that Green voted with Bush 92 percent of the time while in Congress is based upon a study by the Congressional Observer, though other studies estimate that figure to be between 83 and 93 percent.
""By looking at all that evidence, Congressman Green stands with George Bush at least that much,"" said Doyle's deputy spokesperson Anne Lupardus with regards to the 92 percent figure. ""Congressman Green's values are George Bush's values, and right now not a lot of people in Wisconsin agree with that.""
The College Democrats are making Green's voting record a key aspect of their campaign against Green in the Nov. 7 election.
""There is no doubt that Congressman Green would bring his Washington values and the failed policies of the Bush administration to Wisconsin, and his record of voting with the president 92 percent of the time shows that,"" said College Democrats chair and UW-Madison junior Eli Lewien in a statement. ""We don't need a Bush clone as our governor.""
Green campaign spokesperson Luke Punzenberger said Green's voting in accordance with Bush's agenda does not mean he would govern in the same manner as the president.
""President Bush isn't running for governor of Wisconsin. Mark Green is,"" Punzenberger said. ""This is just an attempt by the governor's campaign to distract voters from the real issue, which is Jim Doyle's failed record as Wisconsin's governor. It is a record of high taxes, job loss and high tuition.""
Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause Wisconsin, a non-partisan group that promotes honesty in state politics, said this connection might impact moderate voters.
""I don't think [Green's support for Bush] is necessarily a plus in this election year. It's certainly not going to help him with more independent-minded voters and certainly not with Democrats,"" said Heck, who maintains that Green's party loyalty will not affect his base supporters.
Erica Christenson, UW-Madison senior and College Republicans chair, said, ""I don't think it's shocking that Republicans agree 92 percent of the time,"" and called Doyle's strategy ""a non-creative attempt to try to make Green look bad.""
Though she remains confident about Green's chances in the election, Christenson said, ""A candidate that allies himself strongly with Bush is going at an uphill battle in Madison.""
Heck said the tone and direction of both campaigns as a whole is more significant than the issue of Green's support of Bush's values. He expects the negative campaign to lower voter turnout.
""Keep in mind this is an incredibly negative campaign and I don't think the voters are served well at all. Both of these candidates ought to fire their campaign consultants and begin to talk about issues that people care about.""
