Listen to the stories behind the drama of the  recent Wisconsin Republican Convention. Dick Leinenkugel gives conservative commentator Charlie Sykes the reasons for his withdrawal from the Republican primary  as well as why he has thrown his  support to Johnson.  Sykes’s also  interviews Ron Johnson,  now the senatorial candidate officially endorsed by the Republican party. The chairman of the state republican party  and Scott Walker, the republican candidate for governor of Wisconsin also are given mike time by Sykes for their comments on the happenings at the convention and the future of the republican party in the state.

http://media2.620wtmj.com/SykesFullShow/052410_Sykesshow_part1.mp3

Interviewed by Charlie Sykes on WTMJ News Radio, 620AM Radio of Milwaukee, WI

“The weather’s beautiful, I’m sitting here in a nice summer shirt with shorts and flip-flops writing thank-you notes to supporters,’’ Leinenkugel told The Associated Press by phone Monday. “I feel terrific.’’

He didn’t sound terrific Sunday. As he addressed delegates at the state Republican party’s convention in Milwaukee, he spoke somberly of the need to create jobs and limit government interference. He also said Republicans need to unite to defeat U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, the incumbent Democrat.

Then, near the end of his 10-minute speech, he told the audience it’s time to elect a senator who will restore Wisconsin’s conservative values.

“But it is not my time,’’ he said, prompting many delegates to turn to each other in confusion. “It is Ron Johnson’s time.’’

The stunned audience was silent for a moment before breaking into applause. Some people holding signs for Johnson exchanged high-fives while others hugged.

Johnson, an Oshkosh businessman who has been active in the tea party movement, went on to win the party’s endorsement later in the day.

It’s unclear what effect Leinenkugel’s endorsement had on Johnson’s win, but Johnson — without mentioning Leinenkugel by name — said later: “We will appreciate all the support we can get.’’

Leinenkugel had launched his campaign in late April and immediately declared himself the front-runner in what was then a three-person race. Madison-area developer Terrence Wall and Watertown businessman Dave Westlake had already entered the race months earlier.

Leinenkugel’s campaign drew almost immediate criticism. Leinenkugel had resigned weeks earlier after serving 19 months as the state’s commerce secretary under Gov. Jim Doyle. The close association with a Democrat left many wary of Leinenkugel’s conservative credentials.

Wall’s campaign rushed out a news release Sunday suggesting Johnson was tainted by the endorsement of a candidate whose principles are so close to those of Doyle.

Leinenkugel dismissed the news release as “childish’’ and “sour grapes.’’ He also discounted the idea that he dropped out because he couldn’t win.

“We had a path to victory in terms of taking our message to the voters of Wisconsin,’’ he said. “Even this morning my wife was going, ‘Dick, you’re the one that can beat Russ Feingold had you made it through the primary.’’’

Johnson, Wall and Westlake will square off in a Sept. 14 primary. The general election is Nov. 2.

Leinenkugel said he made his decision to drop out on Thursday after consulting with family and advisers. He emphasized that he had zero collaboration with Johnson’s campaign, and said he didn’t inform Johnson until minutes before Leinenkugel took the stage to give his speech.

Leinenkugel didn’t rule out a future run for office.

“Maybe my time will come later,’’ he said.

By DINESH RAMDE | Associated Press Writer, published in the Chippewa Herald|

Dick,

I know your decision to step out of the race and endorse Ron Johnson was not an easy one, but I applaud you for putting the goal of beating Russ Feingold ahead of your own political ambitions. Chippewa Falls is proud to call you its native son! You have faced a lot of unfair criticism from our party since you launched your campaign, but your move today proved your commitment to the principles of the Republican Party. From my many conversations with Jake as he signed paddles in the warehouse of the Leinie Lodge, I know that you come from strong conservative roots. I hope you don’t lose sight of your interest in public service, as I believe you have a strong future in the GOP. You have my full support.

Sincerely,

Ashley King
Former Chairwoman
Chippewa County Republican Party

America’s greatness lies in the heart and spirit of her people. It’s a spirit that Russ Feingold, for all his supposed “listening” has never fully understood or trusted.

But it’s a spirit that has guided me my entire life.

It’s a spirit that guided me to serve this country as a Marine Corps Officer….

It’s a spirit that led me to work as the fifth generation of our family’s business….

It’s a spirit guided by the education of Wisconsin public schools…. and my degree from Marquette University…

It’s a spirit enriched by my Catholic faith which teaches me that the sanctity of human life is to be valued above all.

And it is a spirit that led me to leave my family’s business to go to work for the state – and the people of Wisconsin as Commerce Secretary.

I took the job – not to mention a substantial pay cut – in September of 2008. I took the job as a challenge… as an opportunity to see the public sector first-hand, after spending over 25 years in the private sector.  I learned every day on the job – both the good and the bad. And my management skills were tested by the fire of a deep, painful, national recession.

Certainly, we were able to accomplish some good things: Mercury Marine, Oshkosh, Republic Airways, Ingeteam, tax credit consolidation, increased angel investment tax credits, dairy and meat processing tax credits.

But over my 18 months in the administration, our fundamental differences only grew; about the role of government in people’s lives…. about the best way to spur growth… and about the best way to live up to our state motto of “Forward.”

The issues that face us cross party lines. So I joined to serve, thinking that the solutions could cross them as well.

I joined to serve… thinking I could help sway an administration’s policies.

I left once I learned that doing so simply wasn’t possible.

I left to help enact REAL change. The way only elected officials can.

And the way Russ Feingold never has.

For 18 years, Russ Feingold has failed to help move Wisconsin in the direction that best captures the spirit of its citizens – Forward.

I saw Russ in March at one of his “listening” sessions in Vilas County.  He wasn’t listening.  He was arrogant, tired, and looked like he had no interest in being a true servant leader.

My questions for Russ are these:  If you are truly “listening”, why did you vote twice against the Patriot Act?

Why did you vote to close Guantanamo Bay and why did you vote to give terrorists the same legal rights as Americans?

Why did you vote for the unspeakable costs that will go along with healthcare reform legislation… and why do you actually support an even MORE restrictive and expensive solution in the government option?

Why did you vote for a stimulus package that will bankrupt our nation?

Over the past 18 years Russ Feingold – for all his proclamations of being a maverick – has ALWAYS been on the wrong side of the issues.

Russ has never understood the true meaning behind our state motto of “Forward,” but it’s a meaning most Wisconsinites carry deep in their hearts.

It’s a yearning not only to see what tomorrow will bring, but to help BUILD that tomorrow….. to shape our own destiny…. through our own efforts.

And nowhere is the difference in our attitudes more evident than as they relate to business and jobs.

After all, Wisconsin’s legacy of business success is truly staggering.

Names like Harley-Davidson, Kohler, Evinrude, Cray, Briggs and Stratton, Pierce, Patrick Cudahy, Oscar Mayer, Case, Ariens and Quadracci.

They’re names that demonstrate Wisconsin’s legacy of inventiveness to the nation and the world.

But that shining legacy has been tarnished – by a faltering economy and rising unemployment.

Which is why I believe our top priority should be getting people back to work and growing our economy.

My philosophy is simple – I believe in free enterprise, and that lower taxes are the way to create economic growth.

An economy GROWS when people have more of their own money to spend…when businesses have more of their money to invest and add jobs.

Russ Feingold believes that by borrowing and printing money, the federal government can create jobs.

But I know what you know – that it’s by growing the PRIVATE sector that employment numbers will rise – and financial security will be achieved.

Because Capitalism is not the problem – it’s the solution.

Business is not the villain – it’s the hero.

Individual freedom and personal responsibility are the foundations of hope…. and not “hope” as some vague word that’s been hijacked by the left.

But rather the hope of a better future – and the willingness to build it ourselves. That combination has always been the key to America’s vitality and courage.

Ronald Reagan spoke of America as a shining city on a hill. Russ Feingold and Barack Obama seem determined to DIM the lights of that city. They want to ensure that it shines no more brightly than any other…. because in their view, that simply wouldn’t be “fair.”

Well, I say America’s greatness won’t be diminished by people who’ve never understood what makes her great to begin with.

Individual liberty… self reliance…. those aren’t forgotten ideas. They’re at the heart of the movement we see spreading across this great nation.

They take different forms…. they’re expressed in different ways… but the underlying passion is the same: a deeply-rooted love for this country, and an unwillingness to stand by while the very tenets of its founding are trampled by an administration and a Congress that treat the Constitution as an impediment to their own progress.

But history will not reward tyranny.

No more than the people of Wisconsin should reward inaction and apathy.

Ladies and Gentleman it is time…

It is time to say enough with the emboldening of our enemies….

It is time to say enough with embarrassing and distancing ourselves from our allies….

It is time to stop tearing down this country….

Never has our state – or our country – been in greater need of the principles our party has always stood for.

If we are to grasp and hold a vision of what this country can be, we need a return to the principles that built it in the first place:

The principles that say America is guided by morality – and that our rights are derived from God – not man…

The principles that say it’s the free market that fosters creativity and inventiveness, not government…

That Americans have the right to KEEP the fruit of their own labors… NOT to be taxed into submission by a government that treats them like children….

That we’re a country of laws – and chief among these must be the enforcement of our own borders…

These are the principles that built this country – and to which I’ve devoted a lifetime of service.

And these are the very same principles I share with Ron Johnson.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time to retire Russ Feingold from the United States Senate.  It is time to elect a senator who will restore Wisconsin’s values, conservative values to Washington.

It is not my time.

It IS Ron Johnson’s time and that is why I am endorsing and giving my full support to electing Ron Johnson as the next senator from our great state.

Perhaps my time will come later but it is too critical, too important that at this time in our history we unite in the goal of defeating Russ Feingold.

It is time for action.  It is time to retire Russ Feingold.  It is time to get behind Ron Johnson and elect him as our next senator.

Thank you… and may God continue to bless America, and the great state of Wisconsin.

Given the electorate’s mood, one of the two newest entries into the Republican contest could turn into a serious threat for the 3 term senator, Russ Feingold.

Leinenkugel’s family business, Leinenkugel Brewing Co., has given him some name identification, and his 18 months serving as the state’s commerce secretary gives him an aura of bipartisanship.

My Commander in Chief was right; we have to abide by Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment – Thou shall not speak ill of any fellow Republican.

While it is too late for those candidates already in our Primary, the new challengers should join our commitment. “

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkspQ_oZ9m8&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaC8tHdnEos