Tim Michels
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – The GOP primary for governor is a week from today.
Candidate Tim Michels has spent a million dollars a day in political advertising.
His money has been well-spent. No one knew who Michels was until his TV and radio blitz. His ads introduce him as a military veteran and a political outsider. They are slickly produced and appear to be effective. Some polls suggest he’s in a tie with Rebecca Kleefisch for the Republican nomination.
If you’ve heard the ads, you might want to learn more about Michels. And if your curiosity caused you to watch the GOP debate a week ago, you’d have seen that the packaging (the advertising) doesn’t match the product (Michel’s candidacy). Michel’s debate performance was difficult to watch. His responses were punctuated by long, awkward pauses while he was searching for answers to simple questions. He didn’t know what “DACA” was – the Obama-era executive order that allows so-called Dreamers to stay in the country. He eventually stumbled upon the answer that he’d meet with his advisors to formulate a response.
That’s on top of Michel’s obvious shortcomings as a candidate. He is a part-time Wisconsin resident who tracks the number of nights he spends at his mansion in Connecticut. And while he poses as an outsider, his family’s construction company feasts on government contracts.
As for Kleefisch, you’re free to agree or disagree with her on the issues, but she knew her positions and didn’t falter on any of the questions. Even the media coverage of the debate suggested that she was the debate winner, and that Michels struggled.
There’s a lesson in all of this. Advertising is a great way for candidates to gain name recognition. But there also has to be substance. Tim Michels has been packaged like a shiny new sportscar. But when voters look under the hood, the engine is missing.
I’m Chris Conley.
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