Wisconsin's next Governor? A conversation with Kathleen Vinehout
http://bloggingblue.com/2013/10/a-conversation-with-kathleen-vinehout/
When I pushed Sen. Vinehout to explain what will be the determining factor on whether or not she runs for governor, Vinehout acknowledged the upstart, grassroots nature of her campaign, saying that her decision to run for governor will be decided by the same grassroots activists who recalled Gov. Scott Walker. “Are the grassroots ready for the campaign of a lifetime?” Vinehout asked, adding that her campaign would not be just about her as the candidate, but more of a movement supported by activists and volunteers. “I’m not running around talking to big donors,” said Vinehout, adding that instead of spending her time running around talking to big donors to ask for money, she’s been spending her time talking to the grassroots activists who will be vital to any successful challenge to Gov. Walker.
As our conversation continued, I asked Sen. Vinehout to clarify her positions on a woman’s right to choose, given that she has come under fire for not being pro-choice. Vinehout was quick to rebut any assertion that she’s not pro-choice, noting that she has a long record as a member of the State Senate of voting to protect a woman’s right to choose. “I believe abortions should be safe, legal, and rare,” Vinehout said, adding that the myth that she isn’t pro-choice started during the Democratic gubernatorial recall primary and was based on one vote she made to allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control based on religious or moral objections. Vinehout explained her vote as a matter of respect for the conscience clause in the state Constitution, as opposed to being indicative of her beliefs in general.
In regards to her votes in favor of the Castle Doctrine and to allow concealed carry in Wisconsin, Vinehout explained that as a gun owner who represents a district that includes a good portion of western Wisconsin, her votes were in keeping with the strong hunting and fishing heritage of many of her constituents. Vinehout added that if Democrats want to win statewide elections, they need to be able to acknowledge the fact that hunting and fishing are a strong part of our state’s heritage.
As we were drawing our conversation to a close, Vinehout exclaimed, “Ask me about Act 10!” before I could even ask her about Act 10, the anti-public employee legislation that rescinded collective bargaining for public employees while also dramatically weakening public employee unions. Prompted to share her thoughts, Vinehout was unambiguous about Act 10, stating, “I despise Act 10; that’s why I went to Illinois,” referring to the time she spent in Illinois with 13 other Democratic State Senators in the aftermath of Gov. Walker “dropping the bomb” that was Act 10. Vinehout acknowledged that there were issues that needed to be addressed in regards to public employees in order to assist the state in getting its fiscal house in order, but Vinehout was clear that she believed – and still believes – that those issues could have been fixed through the collective bargaining process.
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