With a stunning victory in the Kentucky Derby, jockey Calvin Borel and Mine That Bird may have affected the next Wisconsin gubernatorial race.

How is that, you ask?

Prior to the race, which Mine That Bird won as a 50-to-1 long shot, local talk radio host and racing insider Mark Belling of NewsTalk 1130 WISN wrote this on his blog:

#8 MINE THAT BIRD -- If this horse wins, I'll never bet on another race and will vote for Jim Doyle for reelection.

In response to Belling's boast, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin sent the following missive:

Mr. Belling:

Thank you for your pledge to vote Democratic in the upcoming gubernatorial election. (How about that Kentucky Derby upset?)

I just wanted to let you know that unlike the other side, we are a big tent party that welcomes people of all political leanings - and we are glad to have you. Attached is a DPW membership form. It will cost you $25 to join, but you won't regret it. We sent Arlen Specter a similar card.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Sincerely,
Joe Wineke, DPW Chair

To this, Belling replied:

Dear Mr. Wineke (aka Joe),

In 2003, Governor Jim Doyle said:

"My mind will be open to every solution except one. We should not, we must not, and I will not raise taxes."

I fully intend to honor my commitment to vote for Governor Doyle if he honors his. If Governor Doyle withdraws his support for: the oil franchise tax, the landfill tax, the income tax hike, the RTA taxes, the cigarette tax, the digital download tax, the 911 phone tax, and vetoes any increase in the gasoline tax or the sales taxes and cancels the new hospital tax and the new combined reporting tax and imposes no new tax of any kind between now and the next election, I will indeed vote for Governor Doyle for reelection.

If he does not honor his commitment, I will not honor mine. If that makes me a liar, I will be in the company of the governor of the State of Wisconsin.

It is, however, nice to know that the party of Bill "I did not have sexual relations with that woman....." Clinton and Jim "I am opposed to all expansion of gambling" Doyle has suddenly reversed decades of course and is now in support of telling the truth.

Regards,

Mark Belling

ps---If Doyle actually does kill all his taxes, I'll even donate to his campaign.

Enough about the sideshow -- here is a video of the stunning upset: