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TAX DAY:

There was a taxpayer rally at the Capitol today. From a vantage point in the glass bank building I could see the rally. I estimate perhaps 5000 plus participants. How do I get that number?

Look at the rally. Count out a block of 10 people. Then use that size to create a block of 100. Use that block to estimate the crowd. (How many blocks of 100 do you see.)

Try it for yourself, it's fun.

I'm for Hope and Change!

Submit to the New Order!

Why Did Tommy Thompson's Presidential Campaign Go Nowhere?

There are a few reasons that are obvious to all, but here are our less obvious thoughts.

1. Tommy was a bad fundraiser.

'What?' you say, 'Tommy was famous for his campaign's mastery of raking in campaign cash when he was governor!' ... Sure but he had guys for that. Tommy hadn't had to personally ask anyone for money since 1986. He sucked at it. We're in Milwaukee, there are easily a dozen CEOs here who got calls from Tommy. The calls were worse than bad. When an old donor got a call, if the donor hesitated to open their wallets Tommy went batshit. He probably destroyed more relationships in 4 months than he had built in 8 years.

2. He didn't put his own money into it.

'Sure he did, I read it somewhere.' Well you're right he did put his own money in. He put enough in to fund half of a competitive Wisconsin State Senate race, not enough to begin to be credible in a Presidential. And god knows that (according to his presidential financial disclosure forms) he had more than enough to drop in, if he had wanted to.

3. He didn't give up his day job. (Too lucrative)

4. He refused to follow his owns campaign plan.

5. Tommy started too late.

6. He announced too early.

7. He refuses to acknowledge that his hair color is goofy. (O.K. That is an obvious reason, sorry.)

8. He didn't do opposition research on himself, or if he did he didn't figure out what that meant to the viability of his run.