Tommy Thompson blames his lucrative lobbying career on his shopping-addicted wife

Tommy Thompson explains why he had to go off and make millions as a lobbyist. The little woman made him do it.

So I left. I left the government after four years, after George Bush got elected the second time. And my wife likes to shop. Okay? And she said, "you know, Tommy, you have been in politics for 38 years. Why don't you go out and see if you can make some decent money so I can go shopping without having to put everything on a credit card.

Isn't that special. Cuz, you know, us women, it's all about the shopping. Harping on and on about he needs to go out and make some money so we can buy more shoes. Welcome to 1952. Sue Ann Thompson, by the way, worked for 34 years as a public school teacher. Chances are pretty good she didn't really need her shopping budget supplemented to the tune of at least $13 million.

Maybe instead Thompson had to take on the lobbying jobs to pay for his real estate habit. But, hey, why take responsibility for his own greed, for his own desire to cash in on his government connections, when he can blame it on the wife?

Thompson is a walking anachronism, the guy who came up with the no exceptions GOP party platform when he was George W. Bush's "idea man" back in 2000. That makes him a perfect Republican candidate, but a nightmare of a senator for the rest of us.

Please help Tammy Baldwin win this.