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Kevin Fischer is a veteran broadcaster, the recipient of over 150 major journalism awards from the Milwaukee Press Club, the Wisconsin Associated Press, the Northwest Broadcast News Association, the Wisconsin Bar Association, and others. He has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for over three decades. A longtime aide to state Senate Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature, Kevin can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, "InterCHANGE," on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10, and heard filling in on Newstalk 1130 WISN. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their lovely baby daughter, Kyla Audrey, in Franklin.
Franklin blogger lies about Senator Lazich
For several weeks now, former FranklinNOW blogger Fred Keller has been making personal, vicious, nasty attacks against state Senator Mary Lazich on his BULLSEYE blog. He and a handful of sometimes anonymous individuals have also made it a point to pounce on every blog she writes, even simple, harmless informational entries. They apparently have a total disregard for the Senator’s long history of being a fighter for conservative values and ideals and fiscal responsibility.
Tonight, Keller went too far. He gleefully told his readers to read the comments posted on the Senator’s blog reacting to Governor Doyle’s budget address. One of those comments was from Keller himself, blasting a Lazich supporter:
GENO53151,
"
The "good Sen. Mary Lazich" VOTED AGAINST TABOR! Yeah, Mary, "keep up the good work!" Flip-flopper!
There’s a major problem with Keller’s comment. It is blatantly false. Worse yet, Keller knows it’s false, but he made the comment anyway.
Last year, Keller posted a blog about Senator Lazich’s stance on the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) that was considered in the Legislature a few years ago. I found Keller's blog to be grossly unfair and incomplete so I politely sent him the following e-mails.
The first was at 7:14 a.m. on 8/13/08:
Fred, I read your blog on TABOR. Initially Senator Lazich had some reservations based on early numbers she received from the Fiscal Bureau. She then became one of the staunch proponents of the measure. Please see some of her columns on the issue:
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/senate/sen28/news/Press/2006/col2005-004.htm
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/senate/sen28/news/Press/2006/col2005-010.htm
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/senate/sen28/news/Press/2006/col2005-015.htm
Then I sent Keller a second e-mail the same day at 7:23 a.m. with Senator Lazich’s recorded vote on TABOR and a Journal Sentinel article about her vote:
The roll call
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2005/data/votes/sv0672.pdf
The story
http://www.pahouse.com/trap/documents/050806%20TRAP/Milwaukee%20Journal%20Sentinel%20-%20GOP%20Wisc%20Senate%20Rejects%20Budget%20Cap%20-%205.5.06.htm
Fred Keller has known since last August that Senator Lazich voted in favor of TABOR. But tonight, he chose to submit a comment he knew was false.
Fred Keller, a man my wife and I showed hospitality to, a man I responded to when he reached out to me asking for blogging advice, a man I considered a friend has sadly resorted to these kinds of tactics for reasons I’m not entirely sure of other than they are petty and personal.
Reasonable and fair criticisms of any elected official are acceptable in our democracy that enjoys free speech. Publishing an outright lie is not. Fred Keller’s motivation is clear. I left my own comment on Senator Lazich’s blog in response to Keller’s:
Fred, your comment that Senator Mary Lazich voted against TABOR is false and you know it. Several months ago, after you printed an inaccurate attack on your blog about the Senator and the TABOR issue, I respectfully sent you the actual voting record on TABOR. Senator Lazich has always voted in favor of TABOR.
Your above comment could not be ignored. In your zealous and reckless effort to smear the good name and hard work of an individual, you have gone too far.
I would advise everyone that Fred Keller is on a personal crusade to tar and feather Senator Lazich and to do so will print anything and everything, whether he has the facts to back it up or not.
I challenge Fred Keller or anyone else to produce documentation that Senator Lazich voted against TABOR. No such documentation exists. Therefore, Fred Keller's credibility on past vicious attacks against Senator Lazich and any other blogs or comments he chooses to make about Senator Lazich in the future should seriously be taken into question or rejected outright.
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