Toughlove From Dr. No

By Elizabeth Taylor/Madison

Tommy Thompson learned the work ethic while polishing eggs and stacking groceries more than three decades ago at his dad's general store in the town of Elroy (pop. 1,596), 80 miles north of Madison, Wis. Farmers and railroaders would congregate there to talk about the weather, argue about politics, share their views on life. One bit of philosophy that young Tommy picked up from his father Allan was that "if you wanted anything, you worked for it."

That dictum inspired him to save up the money for his first bike at the age of six. Today it underpins the "toughlove" policies he is pursuing as Governor of Wisconsin. "We're glad to say he's a typical Wisconsinite," says Tilmar Roalkvam, 72, a retired Elroy postman who has known Thompson from childhood. "It's them work ethic. Being a good person."

Thompson's welfare reforms, says Milwaukee political analyst Charles Sykes, reflect a "Germanic tradition ((that)) is progressive but based on a bedrock sense of responsibility." As minority floor leader in the state legislature from 1981 to 1986, Thompson was known as "Dr. No" because of his relentless partisanship. He reinforces that hard-nosed image today with a sign on his desk that says NO SNIVELING. A 10-ft.-tall "Governor's Veto Pencil" stands in the corner; he has used the line-item veto more than 1,000 times since taking office.

Thompson, whose grandfather ran unsuccessfully for the state assembly in 1928 and whose father served on the Juneau county board, showed an early flair for politics. In 1966, just out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School, he borrowed $600, bought a 1959 Ford and campaigned successfully for a state-assembly seat. He was just 24. Following a failed 1979 congressional bid, he went on to win the governorship in 1986 and was easily re-elected last November.

Despite the attention generated by his reform ideas, Thompson is no intellectual. (A former state Democratic chairwoman once quipped that his I.Q. was smaller than her bra size.) But the secret of his success lies in his charm and powers of persuasion. "I'm probably one of the most gregarious, outgoing people that you've ever seen," he says. "You know, people have always underestimated me."