http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_23dc8768-d827-11e1-a457-001a4bcf887a.html#ixzz21s7B6Opc
Tim Cullen is back in the Democratic fold apparently, even after not getting a leadership role in any of the committees that he originally wanted. Here is the article announcing his rejoining from the State Journal. It's not quite a "Friday news dump" but these are Dem's we're talking about.
This whole thing just seems odd to me. Cullen says he's "very pleased with these committee assignments" but just a few days earlier left the caucus because he didn't get leadership on either the "Healthcare or Education" committees? (Maybe it's just me, but I see Bob Jauch's having helped this resolution.) Either way, I'm very glad to see that Democrats & particularly Majority Leader Mark Miller were willing to not let things get too far out of control.
The entire incident reminded me of the days I filmed with Tim during the standoff between Walker and the Dems. I was in Illinois with him and he wasn’t with the caucus. He was focused on a deal and pretty much ignored all of the drama around him. You see a little bit of this in our film, AS GOES JANESVILLE, which will be released starting at the end of August. I think you can trace tension between Mark and Tim at least back to the collective bargaining standoff because Tim was convinced that they stayed in Illinois too long and that there could have been a deal. Some call him a pragmatist. Some call him a sell-out. I think, frankly, it makes our movie all that more interesting. You can see the trailer at http://asgoesjanesville.com and join our facebook page for updates: https://www.facebook.com/AsGoesJanesville.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the post! Those of us who have seen the little "tid-bits" that have been posted already are quite interested in your film!
DeleteIn the past, I have been someone who thinks that being pragmatic is usually the most effective approach to solving problems. However, how the entire saga of February/March in 2011 went down, a lot of my thinking has changed, considering pragmatism really is only effective if both sides practice it. I think you are right, the Dem's have had some issues within their caucus for some time now, but ultimately, that's what makes them Democrats. They aren't organized and believe in healthy debate. Which is sadly so often why they lose.