If At First You Don't Succeed, Tantrum, Tantrum Again!

A couple of weeks ago, City of Milwaukee Alderman Bob Donovan tried to hold a press conference to bash his mayor, Tom Barrett, in a thinly veiled attempt to start a talking point for Scott Walker's campaign.  The subject of the press conference was that Donovan wanted to make a stink about the City of Milwaukee's plan to use $65 million in federal funds for a street car system.  The street car has been a favorite attacking point for the right since Barrett took the funding for it from right under Walker's nose.

Unfortunately for Donovan, Alderman Bob Bauman interjected himself to point out that Donovan's tantrum was for naught, since federal rules said that money couldn't be used for road repair like Donovan was advocating.   Bauman also pointed out that Donovan had a chance to bring it up for referendum, but couldn't get any support for it.  

Donovan had one helluva temper tantrum, pounding the podium, screaming, spewing spittle and acting like a frustrated two year old.

Unthwarted by the truth or reality or a sense of decorum, Donovan chose to have yet another temper tantrum about the street car a week later.  It didn't have the same impact because Donovan's attempt to smear the mayor isn't anything new or newsworthy, and his tantrum when mostly unnoticed.

On Friday, things went from tantrum to tedious when Donovan, giving up on the theatrics, simply sent out a press release, using a "report" (read propaganda piece) by the MacIver Institute, as supposed proof that the street car is a boondoggle.  

I'm sure that the MacIver report is very reliable too.  After all, just because its president, Brett Healy has a personal agenda against the street car and just because they are know to be wrong more often than right, what's there not to trust, right?

Here's an idea for Donovan: Next time he feels the overwhelming urge to hold a press conference about a boondoggle, maybe he could talk about his shady charity groups.