Post Election Notes: What Didn't Work

Schools Now takes note of two campaigns that apparently did not work in the recent election:

1. Ads from WEAC (the state teacher's union) accusing Republicans of favoring Milwaukee for supporting charter schools. Of the eight seats targeted by WEAC, Schools Now counts only one Democratic victory. This seemed like a strikingly stupid campaign for many reasons, but satisfaction about its failure is tempered by the increasing Republican monopoly in the legislature. Schools Now can only hope that the results might finally jolt the Democrats into thinking about developing a compelling vision for Wisconsin.

2. The ads paid for by at least one pro school choice group and run on black-oriented radio stations. The only likely effect is to increase antagonism among legislators who, by rights, should be the strongest supporters of school choice. Schools Now suggests that the folks sponsoring these ads should also take a long break to think about how to win friends and influence people.