...The State Journal has never liked Progressive Dane, a political grouping that supports social and economic justice goals that are at odds with the agenda of the newspaper's allies in the corporate sector...

But the State Journal's attack on Progressive Dane was not a joke, at least not an intentional one. The editorial condemning Progressive Dane suggests that the election of the party's candidates to local offices would create a nightmare world in which crimes are not punished, rents are not paid to landlords, businesses are run out of town and even pavement is taxed. To foster this fantasy, the State Journal's editors interpret Progressive Dane's platform with a casual disregard for truth not seen since the newspaper was making the "case" that Saddam Hussein's Iraq was in possession of great stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.

The broadside against Progressive Dane was remarkable in that it came so early in the local political season - before the deadline for City Council and School Board candidates to file their nominating petitions. It is obvious that the State Journal has identified its goal for 2005 - to do everything in its power to discredit Progressive Dane and its candidates...

It might be daunting for some Progressive Dane activists to think that their party, which relies on volunteers and grass-roots campaign work rather than pricey media campaigns to do politics, has been targeted for defeat by a newspaper that is willing to stretch the truth to the breaking point in order to defeat it...

The likelihood is that, when the ballots are counted in next April's local elections, Madison voters will again have proven themselves capable of seeing through the media smoke screen and voting for candidates who best reflect their values and their hopes for the community. If that is the case, Progressive Dane and its candidates have little to fear from the latest attack.

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