Dear Tom,

Consider this a slap upside your head as I scream at you, "What the hell happened to the recall election?"

Remember the start of this whole thing? Hundreds of thousands of people storm the state capitol. Jesse Jackson shows up. Pete Seeger sings a song. Or was it Arlo Guthrie? Picket signs jousted with parkas for space.

People handed out donuts, pizzas, soda and beer, corned beef sandwiches, chips and guacamole and salsa and hot dogs and brats. It was a giant issue driven, passionate tailgate. MSNBC did the Mr. Ed Show (or is it just the Ed Show?) from Madison.

Remember that Tom? I'm sure you do. I seem to remember that you even went up there for some of it.

Well, if you remember, how come you aren't talking about it now, now that the election is near.

What's happened, Tom, is that you've allowed the governor and his cohorts to hijack the election and make it about what they want it to be about.

Back when those demonstrations riveted the nation, nobody was talking about jobs. They were talking about rights and cutbacks and dangerous changes that threatened the fabric of our lives. Nobody said anything about jobs.

And now you find yourself in a "They say and I say and who says and count these numbers or no, count those numbers" debate about how many jobs Wisconsin has gained or lost.

At best, that argument comes down to a tie in two weeks. And ties go to the incumbent, in this case, Scott Walker.

The way for you to win this election, and I hope it's not too late, is to tap into that tsunami of passion that roiled our state months ago. People were angry then, and they roared to street corners and shopping centers in huge numbers to sign one of those petitions.

The anger now appears to be gone, replaced by a yawn and a powerful yen for a nap while people rest their TV remote fingers.

You don't seem to understand how we feel. There are things in this state more important than taxes and the deregulation of the ability to make money.

We think it's OK to pay for education. Maybe even more than we have been. Certainly not less. Despite the nutty claims from Republicans, just take a look at how much money the Milwaukee Public Schools have lost. The poorest school districts in Wisconsin have been hit the hardest by Walker's state aid cuts. Just the reverse of what it ought to be.

We think paying money that cleans parks and helps poor sick people and old people and mentally disabled people are good expenditures. We think providing financing to people trying to start a business is a good idea.

And we think public employees ought to pay some of the cost of their health care and retirement benefits. And we think they should have the right to collectively bargain.

Tom, please think about what got all of this started. The anger and passion, the tears and the pledges, the speeches and the songs and the picket signs.

Carry on that fight, Tom. Be our battle leader. We'll follow you anywhere, as long as it's in the right direction.

Best,
Dave