Republican John Gard’s Laughable Campaign For Dummies

For years Wisconsin has had to endure the bumbling special interest game played by our Republican legislators, whose problem solving legacy for taxpayers is non-existent. Now the former leader of the Republican wrecking crew, John Gard, is trying once again to take a seat in Congress, after losing miserably during his first try in a conservative district fed up with his political misdirection plays.

According to John Gard’s election website, he admits he has been a major contributor to the states long term debt and failed social service programs designed to do just that, fail. “Gard is best known for authoring nationally-recognized welfare reform legislation and shepherding the largest tax cut in Wisconsin history into law ... his work to expand the ground-breaking school choice education program.”

These were all failed experiments based solely on ideology. With his failure to run government well and his penchant for catering to business concerns over voter concerns, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that “Gard currently runs the Gard Business Group, a consulting firm that works with businesses to grow their company and create jobs.” Like all the jobs he created in Wisconsin?

His simplistic positions should scare off everyone, even those on the conservative side of the aisle. For instance: “John Gard signed a pledge never to vote for an income tax increase.”

Even though he was elected by the voters of Wisconsin, Gard took a pledge with an out of state conservative think tank and a right wing web site to never raise taxes while in public office. How do you manage the expenses of a state and pay all your bills by not increasing it’s tax base at a time of high inflation? Tax cuts?

And when it comes to the environment, “John Gard will vote to allow drilling in Alaska to help increase oil supply and reduce prices at the pump.” That assumes the oil in Alaska isn’t shipped overseas first, and is magically made available at your gas pump tomorrow, where it will supposedly lower the price per gallon. The predicted 15 to 20 year possible two cent savings is often never brought up by Republicans or the fact that the price at the pump continues to decline due to the commodities market.

John Gard supported the construction of the border fence that now strips property rights from border farm families and will do little to stop the flow of illegal immigrants.

Check this video ad out and see how many errors you can spot.

There are a few problems with Gard's talking point world tour ad:

Gard compares state-owned, nationalized petroleum company prices in Saudi Arabia and Venezuela with our own private for profit monopolies that pretty much set their own prices.

Gard says, "Some in Congress, like Steve Kagan, voted to make it illegal in the U.S. to expand drilling." And some in Congress haven't been there long enough, like Rep. Steve Kagan, to have voted for a ban on off shore drilling, since that was enacted by George H.W. Bush in 1990.

Cuba has sold the rights to drill "on land" to other countries, with no intention of drilling themselves.

When John Gard says it's makes no sense to him, he inadvertently ends his campaign ad with its only certifiable fact.