Wisconsin
updated
8:48 p.m.
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This is ramping up just in time for the recall election of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Gov. Scott Walker has hired two experienced defense attorneys and will meet with Milwaukee County prosecutors about the John Doe investigation into his current and former aides. Walker, a Republican, said he had hired two attorneys, Michael Steinle and [...] ...
Caffeinated Politics - 8:29 p.m. - 4 clicks 
See, now here's where the whole idea of concealed carry escapes me. The main Republican argument for enacting a law allowing Wisconsin residents to pack hidden heat was that criminals would be more uncertain of their chances of getting away with crime. Now comes Speaker Pro Tem Bill Kramer (R-Waukesha, Of Course), who told the Associated Press he carries a concealed, loaded semi-automatic Gl...
Uppity Wisconsin - 6:44 p.m. - 14 clicks
There aren't too many details in the following stories, but like any Friday release, we take what we can get. I guess Scott Walker's two new lawyers were hired for a reason. From Channel3000: Here's more from Ed Schultz and attorney Mike Papantonio: ...
Democurmudgeon - 5:43 p.m. - 35 clicks
Growing up in Wisconsin it was always a big deal to go to the MacKenzie environmental center in Poynette, WI. It was normally a two night field trip in 4th or 5th grade. One of the big treats of going to MacKenzie was getting to go on a field trip within a field trip to the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, WI. As a young child I was fascinated with the long legged, long necked birds th...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - 5:43 p.m. - 9 clicks
A note to friends, relations, and readers from outside the event horizon Washington County. Here's where I live. :^) The self-proclaimed and self-satisfied West Bend Thought Police -- the same krewe of resentful puritanical bigots who brought us international fame as the Book Banning Capital of North America -- speak out against Super Bowl Commercials urging tolerance and civil b...
The Motley Cow - 5:06 p.m. - 25 clicks
That's the how the company describes the gun that Speaker Pro Tem Bill Kramer, (R-Waukesha), told The Journal Sentinel he conceals on the Assembly floor. Other websites refer to it as a "pocket rocket. " ...
The Political Environment - 4:40 p.m. - 17 clicks
Walker's campaign released information today that Scott Walker will be meeting with the Milwaukee DA in conjunction with the John Doe investigation. According to the campaign statement, Walker will be represented by two lawyers. 2/3/2012 Contact: Tom Evenson (608) 441-1641 Madison, Wis. – The Friends of Scott Walker campaign released the following statement today from Gov...
Uppity Wisconsin - 3:06 p.m. - 41 clicks
You just can’t be too careful these days in Wisconsin, especially if you’re a Republican lawmaker. At least that’s what the Associated Press would have us believe. They published a story today about Wisconsin Assembly Representative Bill Kramer of Waukesha (where else?) who talks about the gun he carries onto the Assembly floor. It’s a Glock 26, a subcompact, semi-automatic handgun. The Assemb...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - 3:06 p.m. - 18 clicks
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has hired two lawyers in advance of a meeting with the Milwaukee County district attorney, whose office is conducting investigation into members of Walker's staff. Charges have already been made against four Walker staffers and appointees as part of this investigation. Two former aides were charged with using public resources for Republican political campaig...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - 2:45 p.m. - 27 clicks
The Native Americans say that all peoples are part of the earth just as it's animals and plants. We, along with the earth, are on e complete system. And just as in government, when one element (in this case humans) grows to have more power than is good for the greater balance, all will suffer. It is similar in many ways to the philosophy behind Wing Chung Kung Fu. The yin and the Y...
Wisconsin Confidential - 2:23 p.m. - 17 clicks
Why does this not surprise me? The Menomonee Falls Patch ran a story today about a growing group of Walker supporters that hope to spoil Democrats' recall party by writing in the Republican's name in a potential primary. In the “Wild West” political territory that is the Wisconsin recall elections, it seems anything goes. Therefore, it should probably come as no surprise that some sup...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - 2:22 p.m. - 28 clicks
{ Update: forgot to change the working title. } Wisconsin's state university system is spread out over the state. The 'crown jewel' is the UW-Madison, aka the home of the Badgers. This campus is the school America knows as "Wisconsin" in the Big Ten. But every major region or population center has a large UW campus within a moderate distance. The University of Wisconsin-Parkside is Kenosha...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - 1:26 p.m. - 27 clicks
I thought this reference to business uncertainty was a bit ironic, because it appears a wealthy developer's plans for a section of Madison's State Street is throwing small business owners into limbo. Uncertainty in the market place was once considered normal, but now thanks to the constant drum beat of the political right, that's no longer the case. Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman must be rolling ov...
Democurmudgeon - 12:49 p.m. - 15 clicks
Democratic legislators, debate spectators and State Capitol visitors: lower you voices and avoid eye contact with Assembly presiding officer and President Pro Tem Rep. Bill Kramer, (R-Waukesha). He tells the Journal Sentinel he's carrying a concealed, semi-automatic Glock handgun . The Assembly wrote rules allowing for concealed carry on the floor and in the galleries. Go figure. Video s...
The Political Environment - 12:49 p.m. - 33 clicks
The proposed gray wolf "hunting" bill being rammed through the Wisconsin legislature by Scott Walker's allies is horribly misguided for a number of reasons, but, first and foremost, let me be clear: Hunters provide an invaluable public service to the state by providing control of our wildlife population and hunting is the most environmentally-responsible way to put food on the table. ...
Uppity Wisconsin - 12:29 p.m. - 15 clicks
We learned through the transcript of the prank call between Scott Walker and the fake David Koch that Walker hosted a dinner for the Cabinet right after he watched the Packers in the Super Bowl last year and then went out and "dropped the bomb" on public workers' collective bargaining rights. This is an exciting time. This is — you know, I told my cabinet, I had a dinner the Sunday, or excuse...
The Political Environment - 12:29 p.m. - 19 clicks
Greg Sargent in Plum Line blog on Washington Post: Over the weekend, GOP Rep. Paul Ryan confirmed that the House Republican budget would again contain key elements of his plan to transform Medicare — even though some polls have shown the idea to be deeply unpopular and Dems have vowed to run on it in 2012.The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is set to go on the offensive o...
Uppity Wisconsin - 12:06 p.m. - 15 clicks
Property rights advocates lost a big one when Milwaukee's DA decided not to give a ticket, or fine a store customer, who carried a weapon into a business that did not allow firearms. Basically, some laws take a backseat to others. D.A. John Chisholm just eviscerated a part of the new gun law, and never mentioned the "no guns" sign issue. It's open season now: jsonline: The Aldi...
Democurmudgeon - 10:27 a.m. - 22 clicks
Dave Zweiffel over at the Capital Times has an online commentary on the latest bright idea from the Republican side of the Wisconsin political aisle: Allow Wisconsin hunters to shoot sandhill cranes. This brilliant suggeston comes from Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc), husband of the lieutenant governor and a rocked-rib-meat conservative. Zweiffel noted that the state has already opened n...
Uppity Wisconsin - 10:27 a.m. - 18 clicks
In a breathe-takingly short-sighted, arrogant and corrupt action, The US House of Representatives wants to end long-standing, bi-partisan support for federal support for transit nationwide and turn over the entire federal transportation budget to the road-builders - - which even Scott Walker tried, but failed to get through Wisconsin's GOP-dominated legislature. The US Senate will not suppo...
The Political Environment - 10:27 a.m. - 14 clicks
Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, (R-Horicon), deserves all the blame for his body's 'writing' and approving - - with all its flaws - - a bill to enable the accelerated digging of an iron ore mine in Northern Wisconsin that is: 1. Dead on arrival at the State Senate, though Jeff's brother Scott says he'll "hustle" - - great choice of Freudian verbs, by the way - - to g...
The Political Environment - 10:27 a.m. - 26 clicks
Milwaukee County Supervisor Johnny Thomas, charged by the DA with taking a $500 bribe, has suspended his campaign for Milwaukee city comptroller. DA John Chisholm says he's confident the charge will stick; Thomas's lawyer says he's innocent. What's puzzling is that Thomas was arrested in mid-December but charges were just filed. He knew they were coming; why did he proceed t...
Uppity Wisconsin - 9:29 a.m. - 20 clicks
Neumann Ex-GOP congressman Mark Neumann is running for public office yet again after losing out to Scott Walker in the GOP 2010 gubernatorial primary. This time he's out to replace retiring Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl. But Neumann ought instead to consider taking charge of the US Department of Hypocrisy . You see, Neumann's yet another conservative politician businessman who says one thi...
Uppity Wisconsin - 9:01 a.m. - 11 clicks
Money cake The "let them eat cake" congressman from southern Wisconsin is at it again. At a House Budget Committee hearing yesterday, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-You Kidding) chastised Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke for simultaneously trying to lower inflation and stimulate job growth, even questioning whether it's the Fed's proper mission to worry about jobs (it is, actually). Ryan's puerile st...
Uppity Wisconsin - 7:03 a.m. - 19 clicks
Called out as irresponsible by Ald. Bob Bauman one day, accused by Milwaukee County's Chief Judge of telling a lie on another. If bad things happen in three's, I wonder if there's anything else? Oh, there it is, in another Journal Sentinel story: Clarke drops legal fight over laid-off deputies Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. announced Thursday that he was giving...
The Political Environment - 6:45 a.m. - 20 clicks
The Ashland Current newspaper reports that the US Bureau of Indian affairs is looking into whether the Assembly mining bill's creation by the Wisconsin Legislature on a GOP-led party line vote violated treaty rights. There's been plenty of criticism along these lines, since legislators have acknowledged they wrote the bill among themselves, and with input from the mining company, but withou...
The Political Environment - 3:46 a.m. - 31 clicks
At long last, Scott Walker's nightmare of constantly being hounded about the six months of jobs losses is soon to be finally over. Now we can start hounding him about what looks like will be seven straight months of job losses : Nationally, jobless claims dropped by 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 367,000 in the week ended Jan. 28, the U.S. Labor Department said today. The four-week average ...
Cognitive Dissidence - Thu 10:40 p.m. - 34 clicks
Remember how Scott Walker said that he balanced the budget without raising taxes? Well, he didn't and he did. We already know that the budget isn't balanced , by Walker's own admission . And we already know that he raised taxes, especially among the poorest of the poor . Now we know he is really sticking it to Grandma : Last year, however, Gov. Scott Walker and the Legislature revers...
Cognitive Dissidence - Thu 10:40 p.m. - 38 clicks
"Is that Big Bird on that grill?!" State Representative Joel Kleefisch (R-Back of the minivan) apparently missed the news that Wisconsin is still leaking jobs like a sieve, has a stagnant economy and that people are really suffering. Otherwise, Kleefisch wouldn't be wasting time and taxpayer money to come up with the bird-brained idea of having a hunting season for sandhill cranes ...
Cognitive Dissidence - Thu 9:29 p.m. - 21 clicks
Regardless of which GOP presidential candidate is dumb enough to accept Donald Trump's endorsement today, the principal goal is political oxygen and air time for Sideshow Donald. ...
The Political Environment - Thu 7:10 p.m. - 14 clicks
Scott Walker's getting desperate. When he sends out fundraising letters to the likes of me, you know he's grasping at straws. I haven't diared here before and am an old fart who looks around and comments on other diaries. Yes, I've been angry at Obama, but look below at what Scott Walker's saying. He's trying to tie Obama to his mis guided attacks on Unions. ...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Thu 4:41 p.m. - 94 clicks
In his desperation to stay in office, Governor Scott Walker is throwing huge sums of bad money after more bad money. In fact, the only thing he has going for him is moola, most of it from out of state. Well, that, and a " quirk in state law " that enables a politician being targeted with recall to raise unlimited funds while the signatures are being collected and counted. Walker raised more ...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Thu 2:24 p.m. - 45 clicks
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker announced via twitter late last night that he had meatloaf for dinner. It wasn’t just meatloaf, though. It was really good meatloaf. And it wasn’t just a dinner. It was a late dinner. Walker frequently tweets details about his meals, despite the fact that nobody cares. Revelations about the meatloaf and the late hour of its consumption have raised susp...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Thu 2:08 p.m. - 47 clicks
I launched this blog on February 2, 2007, and all the readership and distribution trends are good. Thanks to people for slogging through the content. Give Scott Walker credit for the spike in blog traffic that began a year ago, and note that his administration's actions and methods keep validating the name I gave the blog by letting industry run the DNR and write bills that will help mining com...
The Political Environment - Thu 1:28 p.m. - 19 clicks
I was miffed when I first heard Tim Cullen was throwing his hat in the ring to run as a recall candidate against Scott Walker. I immediately thought it was a little premature and seemed to lack the structural groundwork necessary to create the stage and social network that will be absolutely crucial to win this enormous battle. On the other hand, I also felt this is precisely the kind of person ...
Rock Netroots - Thu 1:28 p.m. - 49 clicks
In 2005, Scott Walker was in a hotly-contested race with Mark Green for the Republican's governor nomination. Before Walker eventually lost to Green, he gave him a run for his money in soliciting support from the far rightwing electorate that votes in Wisconsin's Republican primaries. Nothing exemplifies this extremist hate mongering than Walker's attempt to attract bigots through a stat...
Uppity Wisconsin - Thu 12:04 p.m. - 31 clicks
I like Wisconsin State Senator Tim Cullen. He is wise, seasoned, and truly interested in public policy and making government work. It is not always easy to get the trains running on time when the political temperature is on a constant boil, but Cullen strives to make a difference, and for that I applaud him. [...] ...
Caffeinated Politics - Thu 11:06 a.m. - 40 clicks
There are those (Fighting Ed Garvey, for one) who suggest that Democrats who run against Scott Walker in the recall shouldn't raise money, but make an issue of how much money Walker has and where it's coming from. (How he/she would communicate that to voters isn't entirely clear,) Those are often the same people who claim TV advertising is overrated, and that negative commercials don't w...
Uppity Wisconsin - Thu 8:20 a.m. - 20 clicks
Not for its condescending crack that Walker supporters are the state's "normal people," but for its claim that Wisconsin "needed to be rescued from bankruptcy." Of course, Wisconsin was never bankrupt. And according to some accounting methods , Wisconsin still has a deficit, and deficits have been passed on by Governors Thompson and McCallum without this sort of hysteria found in the group...
The Political Environment - Thu 8:20 a.m. - 41 clicks
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke' s feat-mongering, as reported by The Milwaukee Journal was unproductive theater to amp up Clarke's budgetary and political battle with Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele. Clarke's goal: reinforce his grandiose view of the Sheriff's Department as a one-person show in which Abele is perhaps an extra. Bombastic, Gingrichian-style rhetoric about the...
The Political Environment - Thu 6:43 a.m. - 19 clicks
They are helping the Governor check recall petitions: Want to check recall petitions yourself? Have they offered this feature for any recalls against Democrats? Hah. Considering the ridiculous amounts of out of state money that Governor Walker is raising, does he really need an assist from the MJS? Although this isn’t too terribly surprising considering [...]...
Forward Our Motto - Thu 5:09 a.m. - 38 clicks
I received the following urgent Wisconsin message via e-mail: URGENT – LIFT THE CAPS BILL STALLED! – ACT NOW! Tell Your Legislator: “Move to Lift the Caps on Family Care and IRIS”! Disability and aging advocates have been telling legislators and the governor since July that the caps placed on long-term care programs like Family Care, IRIS, PACE and Partnership are harmful to people ...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Thu 4:47 a.m. - 27 clicks
Blogger Jed Lounsbury documents the political friendship between then-2010 gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker and then-Lt. Gov. candidate Brett Davis, whose fundraising was being handled via the secret email system set up by a former-and-now-criminally-charged Walker staffer just outside Walker's County Executive Office, according to John Doe prosecutors. Davis' campaign was managed by Cull...
The Political Environment - Wed 11:27 p.m. - 37 clicks
Even after ten years of calling out Scott Walker on his bad policies, his misconduct in office, and his malfeasance, he still has the ability to leave me flabbergasted from time to time. Please let me explain. Just yesterday , I wrote about how Scott Walker blatantly abused the power of his office as Milwaukee County Executive in taking a taxpayer-funded Harley Davidson ride around the state, p...
Cognitive Dissidence - Wed 11:03 p.m. - 81 clicks
What is it with the sudden grab for power by conservative office holders? It's like someone gave the okay to take authoritarianism to the extreme. Who would notice? jsonline : Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. has over thepast month returned 61 inmates to jail who had been released with electronicmonitoring bracelets, under tougher standards … Clarke said he made the changeto put ...
Democurmudgeon - Wed 9:43 p.m. - 28 clicks
Yes, folks, another edition of Wisconsin's favorite game show, "Do You Know Where Your Governor Is?" is coming up. It is programmed for Wednesday, February 8. And just to give you a hint, the secret location of your governor is Naples, FL. But the next question is why would Scott Walker go to Naples, FL? Would it be to visit the jobs he's been chasing out of Wisconsin for the last six mo...
Cognitive Dissidence - Wed 9:43 p.m. - 40 clicks
The Town of Lisbon, Waukesha County, is one place teachers might want to pass right through. And this is only about 6 months after destroying collective bargaining. This isn't about education, it’s about taking public education out, and reducing to something akin to a retail sales clerk. Post-employment benefits for employees of the RichmondSchool District may be no more if a ...
Democurmudgeon - Wed 8:47 p.m. - 43 clicks
The envelope is hard to miss, with its red, white and blue USA stamp and then, in the return address corner, these bold red letters: URGENT RECALL ELECTION. Inside is a letter with "Governor Scott Walker" written in large type on the top left. The letter is addressed to my mother-in-law, who died at age 88 last year from Alzheimer's disease. She was a lifelong Illinois resident who last donated ...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Wed 8:46 p.m. - 49 clicks
I would expect that the Friends of Scott Walker will have to list this as an in-kind contribution unless they want complaints filed against them. ...
Cognitive Dissidence - Wed 8:24 p.m. - 39 clicks
Last night I posted a diary about the anti-union goings-on in Arizona, where ALEC puppet Governor Jan Brewer and her merry band of Republican goons have introduced legislation that will prohibit public sector unions from sitting at the table -- any table: schools, police, social workers, you get the picture. What makes Brewer's proposal "Wisconsin on steroids," as critics have described it...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Wed 6:42 p.m. - 17 clicks
The Scott Walker budget is really in full steam when businesses, big and small, are closing almost daily, laying off even more workers. Now, it's another 100 workers in Madison feeling the hit: Sub-Zero said 100 workers at its Madison plant will lose their jobs by the end of June. The privately owned company, which makes upscale refrigerators and stoves, sent a letter to state and city officia...
Cognitive Dissidence - Wed 6:01 p.m. - 26 clicks
Radio Iowa reporter, O. Kay Henderson, wrote this in her online column last October after RPW spokeswoman Nicole Larson let slip that the statement she was providing Henderson came from the govenor's office and she was only "technically"handling the governors campaign event in Iowa: I had a rather strange exchange with the spokeswoman for the Wisconsin GOP yesterday morning as I trie...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:46 p.m. - 27 clicks
Here in Wisconsin and nationally, Republicans have spent the past three years attacking President Obama and Democrats for not returning the country to the high-flying times that preceded the Big Crash of 2007-'08. Scott Walker, in particular, simultaneously claims he's creating lots of jobs while criticizing the federal government and national economy when people inconveniently point out tha...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:46 p.m. - 19 clicks
Scott + Brett = BFF The picture above was on Scott Walker's facebook page dating all the way back to September 2009. Walker and then State Rep. Brett Davis are pictured yukking it up with Walker saying in the facebook caption: ...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:46 p.m. - 17 clicks
"In respect to state government, Wisconsin has collectively bargained with state employees for 25 years. By working together, we've created a positive atmosphere for state employees and enhanced services to our citizens (and) ensuring excellence in delivering services to our citizens.” -- Then-Gov. Tommy Thompson in 1997 speech to Puerto Rico House of Representatives. The c...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:46 p.m. - 12 clicks
Tim Cullen says he won't run for governor because he can't raise $1 or $2M needed, which is a low estimate. Meanwhile, Tom Barrett reports $414K in the bank, Kathleen Falk $25K and Kathleen Vinehout $24K. Falk's already running and Vinehout sounds like she is. Money isn't everything, but it's way ahead of whatever's in second place. Time for a reality check? Read the section in the M...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:46 p.m. - 11 clicks
Date: Tue, 01/31/2012 - 10:00am Kristen Dexter will be holding a press conference on Tuesday morning to make a special announcement regarding the State Senate recall elections. You are invited to join her. We’re hoping to have a big crowd, so please spread the word. WHO: Kristen Dexter WHAT:...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:46 p.m. - 13 clicks
Richard Nixon had his infamous enemies list. Scott Walker has the petition signatures. Check it out: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/01/30/1060037/-Walkers-Go Goon squad ...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:46 p.m. - 17 clicks
Paul Ryan complains, almost on a daily basis, that it is now more than 1,000 days since the U.S. Senate passed a federal budget. He makes it sound like dereliction of duty, and it plays pretty well with Fox News and other media outlets. He must have been unpleasantly surprised when the Eau Claire Leader Telegram, covering his recent visit to its city, did some homework, and not just stenograph...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:46 p.m. - 12 clicks
Scott Walker,thoughout his political career, has consistently refused to ever take responsibility for anything that's gone wrong. When he was county executive, he blamed it all on the state, and especially the governor. Well, now he's the governor and guess what? Nothing's his fault now, either. Before he caught himself, Walker told host Mike Gousha on his weekend "UpFront" T...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:46 p.m. - 12 clicks
It has the makings of a John LeCarr é thriller: A debilitating, potentially deadly, infectious disease carried by an insect the size of a poppy seed is spreading across the land. The medical establishment insists that everything is under control and that all these “sick” people are slackers or need psychiatric help. A few doctors—just a few—believe the people ...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:46 p.m. - 12 clicks
"In Walker's case, we have learned that the governor has no sense of history, no understanding of economics, and no vision for the state." -- The Capital Times, in an editorial on the State of the State speech, titled, "Walker is lying to himself or to Wisconsin -- or both." ...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:46 p.m. - 13 clicks
Score another point for Republican-friendly goons who promise to harrass the million or so Wisconsin citizens who signed recall petitions against Scott Walker -- and score a second point for Republicans and their think tanks who continue to sow chaos in their effort to discredit the recall elections. Late Monday afternoon the Government Accountability Board unexpectedly issued a statement sa...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:46 p.m. - 14 clicks
Back in 2006, Scott "I never personally attack" Walker called Jim Doyle a "liar" for saying in his State of the State address that the budget was balanced. Walker argued that Doyle's numbers were not done according to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and that if they would have been there would be a deficit. Walker promised that when he became governor, he would only...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:46 p.m. - 12 clicks
Update - Note that at the moment the GAB web site for the recall petitions appears to be buried under traffic and is fairly unresponsive - the main GAB web site has also been slow for the last hour or two, but has remained up. The GAB announced today that they will be putting all of the Scott Walker recall petitions on-line tonight, despite the objections from the ACLU and others about pr...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:46 p.m. - 12 clicks
People I meet ask me “Do we have a deficit?” “Did the state really pay off all its debt?” To understand the numbers, I recently spent time with the Legislature’s financial and auditing experts. I asked them to help explain the financial state of the state. I learned ‘debt’ and ‘deficit’ are frequently confused. Debt is money borrowed by the state and repaid over many years – like a home m...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:46 p.m. - 13 clicks
Have we really given our recall verification duties to We the People of the Republic and the Wisconsin Grandsons of Liberty? Has anyone answered the question; why are outside conservative vigilante groups like Verify the Recall, backed by tea party fringe group We the People of the Republic , allowed to trash our recall process with their biased analysis of signatures? Public rec...
Democurmudgeon - Wed 4:43 p.m. - 40 clicks
In Wisconsin, any political candidate needs to file the form GAB-1 with the Government Accountability Board (GAB) prior to their announcement and fundraising. On January 27, Friday, Senator Vinehout amended her senate GAB-1 (source - Wisconsin State Campaign Finance Information System, cfis.wi.gov): A picture is all the intro you need. Don't be put off by the election date - since the re...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Wed 4:43 p.m. - 20 clicks
Looking for a way to get more headlines than spouse Rebecca who's facing recall as Scott Walker's Lt. Gov., State Rep. Joel Kleefisch, (R-Oconomocow) settles on a proposal to kill sandhill cranes, and who knows, maybe Joel could bag a whooper raised in Baraboo , for an all-Wisconsin sporting two-fer. Besides, he says, Sandhill cranes are flying steaks ready to bagged and cooked. Kl...
The Political Environment - Wed 3:23 p.m. - 22 clicks
Then how is it that SB107/Wisconsin Act 108 which restricts the city and county from having ordinances prohibiting landlords use of monthly household income purportedly negates our section 8 ordinances at the city and county level?...
This Side of Town - Wed 3:06 p.m. - 20 clicks
And you thought Republicans wanted to bring business into the state? No, no, no. They would much rather show those Madison liberals a thing or two. It's another case of projection. For years Republicans have bashed Democrats for being the enemy of business. Well check out the glorious comments posted at trash talker Vicki McKenna's Facebook page in response to the story about Sub-Zero's...
Democurmudgeon - Wed 1:41 p.m. - 43 clicks
The Wisconsin Assembly's poorly-written, one-sided pro-industry mining bill has been shelved in the State Senate, where a separate bill with greater environmental and public-input standards will be written, according to remarks to the Journal Sentinel by State Senate special mining committee's chairman Neal Kedzie, (R-Elkhorn) . He said the Senate will work to balance economic and environmen...
The Political Environment - Wed 12:44 p.m. - 21 clicks
They won! Yet, this merry band of MacIver Institute brownshirts still aren’thappy, what a surprise: WTMJ Radio : A spokesman for a conservative think tank claimed that whenthe Wisconsin Government Accountability Board posted online the signedpetitions to recall Governor Walker, they did it in a way to make it hard forpeople to search through. "They had purposely intended to not make it eas...
Democurmudgeon - Wed 10:24 a.m. - 32 clicks
When Republican Governor Scott Walker's union-busting, power-grabbing "bomb" hit Wisconsin last February, it not only forever changed the state's political landscape, it also transformed people's daily lives. Like many, I reacted first with outrage wrapped in despair. I felt powerless. Isolated. Lost in a society indifferent to justice, or honesty, or compassion. But the broad, roaring respons...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Wed 10:06 a.m. - 40 clicks
By all rights, this diary should be written by Giles Goat Boy, noise of rain or one of our other esteemed, hard-working Wisconsin kossaks. And perhaps one of them will come along and do just that, adding even more insight and depth to the amazing story of how a group of strangers -- driven by a variety of issues, but with a shared purpose -- banded together to convert grassroots energy i...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Wed 10:06 a.m. - 20 clicks
Here's what the recall movement is up against: According to this initial New York Times database, several Presidential SuperPacs raised less money than Scott Walker collected since taking office - - $12.1 million - - less than the $4.5 million Walker collected during Walker's recent and desperate "Save My Bacon" national fund-raising tour. Another sign of Walker's importance to the Right...
The Political Environment - Wed 9:09 a.m. - 32 clicks
It's official, starting next Monday morning at 6 am, I will be filling in for Sly in the Morning the entire week. After many years of radio inactivity, I will once again be able to get a feel for the public's reaction to Scott Walker and the Fitzgerald brothers, the John Doe investigation etc. As Sly himself said about my previous stint in talk: Nobody has endured more ear damage than...
Democurmudgeon - Wed 8:47 a.m. - 26 clicks
If you haven’t seen this, you really should: History, Not “Conspiracy”: Kaleem Caire’s Connections Allen Ruff covers all the conservative help that Kaleem Caire has gotten over the Madison Prep idea: The recent controversy over the Urban League of Greater Madison’s proposal for a Madison Preparatory Academy has been framed primarily as a local story [...]...
Forward Our Motto - Wed 6:47 a.m. - 32 clicks
How does the time that Scott Walker has spent going to out-of-state fund raisers compare to the time the Fab 14 spent in Illinois to buy Wisconsinites time to realize what a bloody mess Walker and company were making of our state? ...
Cognitive Dissidence - Tue 10:41 p.m. - 40 clicks
When Kelly Rindfleisch was arrested and charged last week for illegal politicking, I pointed out the following email from Scott Walker to Tim Russell, which he sent just after Darlene Wink got caught posting comments on JSOnline and other sites: I pointed out that this showed that Walker knew exactly what was happening and what his county staff was doing. It does this b...
Cognitive Dissidence - Tue 10:20 p.m. - 45 clicks
Projection is the name of the game for the far right. For instance, who complains the most about class warfare, all the while creating new versions of it when the opportunity presents itself. WTMJ's Charlie Sykes, that's who. Pushing his "Nation of Moochers" book, projection again, Charlie somehow creates a special class of public union workers who are getting unfairly paid with tax dollars. That...
Democurmudgeon - Tue 10:04 p.m. - 42 clicks
How can you tell when Scott Walker is lying? No, the answer is not the old joke "You can see his lips moving." When he's discussing corruption and illegal activity perpetrated by his closest staff members when he was the Milwaukee County Executive, it's easy to tell when Walker is lying. He starts saying "we" when asked directly about what he knew and when he knew it. He met briefly with r...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Tue 10:04 p.m. - 49 clicks
We don't cotton to other states elbowing in on Arizona's limelight of the crazy, so when Wisconsin and others voted to curb the influence of collective bargaining (and Ohio repealed the same), the dunderheads at the Arizona legislature decided to wipe out public employee unions altogether, writes Channel 12 reporter Brahm Resnik. Wisconsin's collective bargaining law enacted last year made uni...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Tue 6:47 p.m. - 26 clicks
The New York hedge fund that helped force for its upper-income investors the closure of Wausau Paper's historic mill in Brokaw at the cost of 450 jobs reports the $21 million deal is done , but wants even more profit through asset sales in this episode of destructive capitalism by the 1% - - from afar. Interesting, isn't it, that the hedge fund is named Starboard , the nautical term for the ...
The Political Environment - Tue 6:10 p.m. - 36 clicks
Another hit for low-income women: The Susan G. Komen For The Cure, a leading funder of breast cancer treatment and research, is knuckling under to pressures from the Right and pulling its support for Planned Parenthood. A tragedy for poor women - - compounded in Wisconsin by Scott Walker's ideological attack on Planned Parenthood's role in women's health services - - and a foolish pol...
The Political Environment - Tue 5:40 p.m. - 11 clicks
Take a look at the video footage in this report. Are the Republican hacks checking the recall signatures, completely insane, marking up the meticulously accumulated recall petitions. I guess it's okay to drag the most partisan critics in to pour over and trash signatures for what...penmanship? Ethan Shuh, of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, even started the rumor (where's the proof) that a dead...
Democurmudgeon - Tue 4:23 p.m. - 59 clicks
With the debate going on about whether to post the recall petition names online, I think public notice would be best served by erecting a wall monument to the Recall Petitioners and also a reading out loud of names every day at noon for one hour on the Capital steps until Scott Walker is finally deposed. As they say, not everyone owns a computer. ...
Rock Netroots - Tue 4:23 p.m. - 14 clicks
A flurry of Democrats announced their challenges today to the sitting radical Republican recalled senators. From the Patch : Former State Sen. John Lehman, of Racine, has announced hewill challenge Sen. Van Wanggaard to retake the state senate seat he lost inNovember 2010. "In 2010, Mr. Wanggaard never once agreed to debate oranswer questions about what he would do in Madison," Lehman ...
Democurmudgeon - Tue 4:02 p.m. - 20 clicks
madtowntj Wisconsin Democrats have announced three of the four candidates who will carry the party banner in the upcoming state Senate recall elections: The lineup is largely as expected: Former Sen. John Lehman will run against Sen. Van Wanggaard of Racine; Rep. Donna Seidel will run against Sen. Pam Galloway of Wausau; and former Rep. Kristen Dexter will run against Sen. Terry Moult...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Tue 3:46 p.m.
Mining Scott Walker's campaign websites offers another wonderful nugget of historical irony- - this time worth a read in light of Walker's ongoing efforts to obstruct and otherwise muddy the recall signature review process: In 2002, Scott answered the call to lead the reform movement after the pension scandal in Milwaukee County was uncovered. He was the first person to rise and commi...
The Political Environment - Tue 3:01 p.m. - 43 clicks
The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board is delaying the release of Scott Walker recall petitions online after hearing privacy concerns from some of those who signed them. The state Government Accountability Board provided copies of the petitions against Gov. Scott Walker to Walker's campaign on Friday and had said that it planned to post copies of them on its website Monday. But agenc...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Tue 2:25 p.m. - 22 clicks
“Walkergate” is unfolding into a masterwork in American conspiracy as the complaint explaining the charges against two of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s former staff members includes an email that may prove Walker had knowledge of the illegal activities happening around him. The charges have also implicated current chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, and his ties ...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Tue 2:25 p.m. - 37 clicks
The photo to the right comes from “freeze frame” of a video interview done by WISN TV, as Walker makes his first public comment regarding the John Doe Investigation indictments. Can freeze frames provide a portrait of a split second which might prove to be as effective as a visual lie detector test? It is [...]...
FREE Wisconsin - Tue 11:29 a.m. - 58 clicks
Well, learn how to do it yourself! As “management” I probably shouldn’t be encouraging this . . . but it would be awesome to have budding unions all over Madison! And those that have recently be destroyed by Walker need help too! Madison IWW – Organizer Training Sat. & Sun. – February 11-12, 2012 Having [...]...
This Side of Town - Tue 6:27 a.m. - 43 clicks
About ten days ago, there was a " Scott Walker Appreciation " rally in Wauwatosa's Hart Park. The event was attended by thousands hundreds dozens of people. As near as I can tell, the number of people that were there were pretty evenly divided by politicians, event organizers, police, moles and actual attendees. Perhaps their attendance would have been higher if they picked the...
Cognitive Dissidence - Mon 11:45 p.m. - 92 clicks
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has uncovered some "new" angle on the Walkergate story. There "breaking news" was that Tim Russell, who is facing embezzlement charges stemming from that investigation and seems to be mired in every aspect of the investigation so far, was fired for using a state credit card for personal use : A former aide to Gov. Scott Walker accused of stealing from a fund for...
Cognitive Dissidence - Mon 10:04 p.m. - 44 clicks
No, it's not one my photoshops. The Faux News cable crew celebrated the moneyed politician's birthday on Sunday with a cake decorated with a giant dollar sign! How appropos! What? No Chateau d'Yquem? Hee-hee. Video of celebration here Speaking of noble rot, in defense of vulture capitalism Ryan suggested that anything corporations do is moral as long as they follow the law. "We need to ...
Rock Netroots - Mon 10:03 p.m. - 25 clicks
Maybe it's a psychic (or perhaps psychotic) event but Scott Walker is channeling Richard Nixon as reported in the Isthmus : "With new arrests every week, the FBI probe of Scott Walker's closest aides and supporters is continually uncovering stories that would be front-page news in any other political era.How strained are things around the governor's mansion, where Walker's own spokesman...
Lost Continents - Mon 9:23 p.m. - 37 clicks
I'm sure by now the gentle reader knows that, thanks to Scott Walker's budget, there is less spending money going around for the hard-working people of the state. And as people have less money to spend, the first thing that gets cut is discretionary and luxury spending, like eating out or staying in a hotel. And, as usual, I am again proven correct : Clearwaters Hotel and Convention Center's o...
Cognitive Dissidence - Mon 8:45 p.m. - 29 clicks
Did you see this headline in the Washington Post last week? Scott Walker Leads in Wisconsin Recall Poll I bet I wasn't the only one who felt slightly sick upon reading that. The article mentions in passing that "the Democratic race has yet to really heat up." Ya think? The signatures are still being counted! There isn't an actual race yet, but this poll pits the one known candidate, our...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Mon 6:07 p.m. - 35 clicks
Here are some pictures I took during the protests at the Wisconsin State Capitol last winter. I am hoping they will remind people of how awesome and inspiring it was. Forward! ...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Mon 6:07 p.m. - 12 clicks
Last week, I wrote on Daily Kos that I was running for the Wisconsin State Assembly. I shared that with the community because some of you supported my mayoral campaign. While I came in last of the eight candidates, I have a very real chance of winning the State Assembly seat. But I need your help today. ...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Mon 3:02 p.m. - 30 clicks
Willl they find them? Bwahahahahaha! GOP volunteers are reviewing recall petitions now that they have been sorted and scanned by the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. In addition, the GAB is posting the petitions online today. So far, only the 4 Republican State Senators recall petitions are online. They must be accessed one page at a time. Walker recall pet...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Mon 1:02 p.m. - 47 clicks
If you ever had any doubts Republicans are out to destroy, like an aggressive cancer, this will convince you. I thought unaccountable taxpayer dollars going to voucher schools was irresponsible, as suggested by Gov. Scott Walker, but you should see this. In New Hampshire-- if you don’t like what your kid islearning about-- just pull them out of class. A contributor for SeaCoast...
Democurmudgeon - Mon 12:20 p.m. - 33 clicks
Why does Walker attract and surround himself with such a shady bunch of aides and associates? Pictured above in Wisconsin’s State Capital (adorned with New York and Italian marble, Wisconsin oak furniture, a thirty-foot skylight and an Edwin Blashfield mural symbolizing Wisconsin’s past, present and future) are some of the faces of those thus far [...]...
FREE Wisconsin - Mon 10:47 a.m. - 38 clicks
His per diem alone provides a bigger income than 14% of his neighbors? And what do they get for this? ...that's the question. Breaking Down Scott Fitzgerald’s $18,128 in 2011 Per Diems | Wisconsin Factcheck Any way you look at it, $18,128 goes a long way. According to this map from the New York Times , a household in non-metropolitan areas of Wisconsin (like Dodge Coun...
The Motley Cow - Mon 9:23 a.m. - 43 clicks
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