Monday, June 25, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Holmes: Hacking the vote - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News
Holmes: Hacking the vote - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News
"... here’s one almost no one wants to think about: Will the private companies who build and handle voting machines steal the election?
A few people are trying to sound the alarm. Computer experts warn that touch-screen and optical scan voting systems can be easily hacked. Journalists point to irregularities in past elections. Academics analyze voting tallies and exit polls. Activists probe the policies and the politics of the companies to which America has outsourced its elections.
Here in Massachusetts, Mike Ferriter and Sally Castleman try to get the attention of elected officials, without much luck. They bring videos, expert studies and serious concerns that U.S. elections could be — and may have been — rigged, and get nothing but shrugs.
Conservative Republicans interested in making it harder to vote have money, media, think tanks and lobbyists pushing their solutions through Red State legislatures. The people pushing for an honest, transparent vote-count haven’t even been able to get an appointment with the Massachusetts Secretary of State."
Read more: The MetroWest Daily News
Monday, June 18, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
Facing Facts in Wisconsin » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
Facing Facts in Wisconsin » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
"Obama not only didn’t put in a single visit to Wisconsin during this long recall campaign; he went out of his way to steer well clear of the state, not even dropping in during a visit to Minneapolis a week before the vote, when he was 15 miles from Wisconsin, less than 100 miles from Eau Claire, and less than 300 miles from the capital of Madison, the epicenter of the recall battle.
When asked at a press conference why the president had not weighed in on this epic battle for one of his key constituencies — the labor movement, and in particular the public employee unions — his press secretary lamely said that the president “hoped” that Walker’s Democratic opponent for governor, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, would “prevail.” The president’s other only effort (if it can even be called that) on behalf of the recall campaign was a limp Tweet that didn’t even mention the recall itself or the threat Walker posed to workers. In full, it said, “”It’s Election Day in Wisconsin tomorrow, and I’m standing by Tom Barrett. He’d make an outstanding governor. -bo”
Twitter may have helped to ignite the Arab Spring revolts in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere, but if those Arab Spring Tweets had read like that one, I’m sure Mubarak would still be pulling the fingernails off of and killing dissidents, instead of sitting in a prison hospital cell himself.
"As for the Democratic Party, it did exactly nothing to help progressives and labor unions in Wisconsin in this fight. Sure, the Democratic National Committee will claim that it send money to Wisconsin, but that was money that was equally budgeted to every state for the national election season, not extra money designated to fight the recall battle.
The Obama campaign and the DNC decided long ago that they did not want to get involved in the Walker recall. Partly, they didn’t want to risk being in support of a losing effort. More importantly, they did not want to be identified with union activists. The truth is that the big money supporting both the DNC and the president’s campaign is corporate money, and those people simply don’t like unions. Also, the Obama “brain trust,” if you can really call these people smart after three and a half years of disastrous White House policies favoring the rich and the powerful, has decided that the way to a second term is by ignoring the poor, ignoring minorities, ignoring labor unions, ignoring working people, and instead focusing on “independent” and “undecided” voters." see link above for full article
"Obama not only didn’t put in a single visit to Wisconsin during this long recall campaign; he went out of his way to steer well clear of the state, not even dropping in during a visit to Minneapolis a week before the vote, when he was 15 miles from Wisconsin, less than 100 miles from Eau Claire, and less than 300 miles from the capital of Madison, the epicenter of the recall battle.
When asked at a press conference why the president had not weighed in on this epic battle for one of his key constituencies — the labor movement, and in particular the public employee unions — his press secretary lamely said that the president “hoped” that Walker’s Democratic opponent for governor, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, would “prevail.” The president’s other only effort (if it can even be called that) on behalf of the recall campaign was a limp Tweet that didn’t even mention the recall itself or the threat Walker posed to workers. In full, it said, “”It’s Election Day in Wisconsin tomorrow, and I’m standing by Tom Barrett. He’d make an outstanding governor. -bo”
Twitter may have helped to ignite the Arab Spring revolts in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere, but if those Arab Spring Tweets had read like that one, I’m sure Mubarak would still be pulling the fingernails off of and killing dissidents, instead of sitting in a prison hospital cell himself.
"As for the Democratic Party, it did exactly nothing to help progressives and labor unions in Wisconsin in this fight. Sure, the Democratic National Committee will claim that it send money to Wisconsin, but that was money that was equally budgeted to every state for the national election season, not extra money designated to fight the recall battle.
The Obama campaign and the DNC decided long ago that they did not want to get involved in the Walker recall. Partly, they didn’t want to risk being in support of a losing effort. More importantly, they did not want to be identified with union activists. The truth is that the big money supporting both the DNC and the president’s campaign is corporate money, and those people simply don’t like unions. Also, the Obama “brain trust,” if you can really call these people smart after three and a half years of disastrous White House policies favoring the rich and the powerful, has decided that the way to a second term is by ignoring the poor, ignoring minorities, ignoring labor unions, ignoring working people, and instead focusing on “independent” and “undecided” voters." see link above for full article
Vermont’s Military Mafia » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
Vermont’s Military Mafia » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
by THOMAS H. NAYLOR
Who could have ever imagined that tiny Vermont, the home of “socialist” Bernie Sanders and once considered to be the most left-leaning state in the United States, would now find itself under the political control of five hard-core military superhawks committed to transforming Vermont into the Pentagon’s flagship state for reinvigorating and expanding the military’s presence in the Northeast. But that is exactly what has happened in the Green Mountain State. Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders, Congressman Peter Welch, Governor Peter Shumlin, and Adjutant General Michael Dubie have teamed up to form what is effectively a defacto Vermont Military Mafia for promoting increased defense spending in Vermont and the rest of the Northeast.
by THOMAS H. NAYLOR
Who could have ever imagined that tiny Vermont, the home of “socialist” Bernie Sanders and once considered to be the most left-leaning state in the United States, would now find itself under the political control of five hard-core military superhawks committed to transforming Vermont into the Pentagon’s flagship state for reinvigorating and expanding the military’s presence in the Northeast. But that is exactly what has happened in the Green Mountain State. Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders, Congressman Peter Welch, Governor Peter Shumlin, and Adjutant General Michael Dubie have teamed up to form what is effectively a defacto Vermont Military Mafia for promoting increased defense spending in Vermont and the rest of the Northeast.
Wisconsin and the Left » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
Wisconsin and the Left » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
"Emma Goldman had it right when she stated, “If voting changed anything, they’d make it illegal.” Labor and the left in Wisconsin committed suicide when it demobilized a legitimate grassroots movement and turned it into an electoral campaign. It has been a long, slow death.
Grassroots activists with righteous indignation gave up their agency to do that which was deemed “acceptable” to the powers that be, namely the “Union Bosses” and the Democratic Party apparatchiks. Why was a general strike never considered? Why not creative tactics to “kill the bill,” Act 10, the reason for the “Uprising” and recall to begin with? How’d this all morph into what it’s morphed into?
In the main, the left has failed to understand that what populist right-wing activists hate more than anything else is the Democratic Party and unions, two pillars of what Hedges defines as the “Liberal Class.” Their hatred is justified, given that, as Hedges points out, these institutions abandoned working class people long ago. Thus, the left confused real grassroots power with the Liberal Class and are now paying the consequences." Steven Horn
"Emma Goldman had it right when she stated, “If voting changed anything, they’d make it illegal.” Labor and the left in Wisconsin committed suicide when it demobilized a legitimate grassroots movement and turned it into an electoral campaign. It has been a long, slow death.
Grassroots activists with righteous indignation gave up their agency to do that which was deemed “acceptable” to the powers that be, namely the “Union Bosses” and the Democratic Party apparatchiks. Why was a general strike never considered? Why not creative tactics to “kill the bill,” Act 10, the reason for the “Uprising” and recall to begin with? How’d this all morph into what it’s morphed into?
In the main, the left has failed to understand that what populist right-wing activists hate more than anything else is the Democratic Party and unions, two pillars of what Hedges defines as the “Liberal Class.” Their hatred is justified, given that, as Hedges points out, these institutions abandoned working class people long ago. Thus, the left confused real grassroots power with the Liberal Class and are now paying the consequences." Steven Horn
Thursday, June 7, 2012
http://lbo-news.com/2012/06/06/walkers-victory-un-sugar-coated/
http://lbo-news.com/2012/06/06/walkers-victory-un-sugar-coated/
That means that if unions ever want to turn things around—and I’m old-fashioned enough to believe that we’ll never have a better society without a reborn labor movement—they have to learn to operate in this new reality. Which means learning to act politically, to agitate on behalf of the entire working class and not just a privileged subset with membership cards.
That means that if unions ever want to turn things around—and I’m old-fashioned enough to believe that we’ll never have a better society without a reborn labor movement—they have to learn to operate in this new reality. Which means learning to act politically, to agitate on behalf of the entire working class and not just a privileged subset with membership cards.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
The BRAD BLOG : WALKER, MOST OTHER REPUBS REPORTEDLY SURVIVE WISCONSIN RECALL ELECTIONS
The BRAD BLOG : WALKER, MOST OTHER REPUBS REPORTEDLY SURVIVE WISCONSIN RECALL ELECTIONS
"The early Exit Poll results had reportedly predicted the race between Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett a virtual tie, leading media to plan for a long night tonight. A second round of Exit Polls results, however, were said to have given Walker a broader lead over Barrett. Even so, we were told, the race based on the Exit Poll data alone was still "too close to call." That data was either accurate or it was not.
Of course, the raw, unadjusted Exit Polling data itself is no longer entrusted to us mere mortals. It can only be seen by members of the mainstream media, and we are simply left to trust them to report it all accurately to us or not. And when, after all, have we not been able to rely on the mainstream media to report everything accurately to us?
But never mind the Exit Polls. We've got real polls, real votes, actual ballots now to tell us who won or lost. If only we'd bother to actually count them..."
"The early Exit Poll results had reportedly predicted the race between Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett a virtual tie, leading media to plan for a long night tonight. A second round of Exit Polls results, however, were said to have given Walker a broader lead over Barrett. Even so, we were told, the race based on the Exit Poll data alone was still "too close to call." That data was either accurate or it was not.
Of course, the raw, unadjusted Exit Polling data itself is no longer entrusted to us mere mortals. It can only be seen by members of the mainstream media, and we are simply left to trust them to report it all accurately to us or not. And when, after all, have we not been able to rely on the mainstream media to report everything accurately to us?
But never mind the Exit Polls. We've got real polls, real votes, actual ballots now to tell us who won or lost. If only we'd bother to actually count them..."
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
The Maddow Blog - Voting all the rage in Wisconsin
The Maddow Blog - Voting all the rage in Wisconsin
Turnout in the Wisconsin recalls has been "wild" across the state, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. This morning John Nichols tweeted that there were "lines out the door, 20-minute waits" at polling places on the north side of Milwaukee, way up from recent elections.
That scene in Milwaukee, in particular, is not great news for Governor Walker and company. Last year a group supporting the recall drive held block parties there to help people get registered and vote in the recalls happening then.
For their efforts, the union-affiliated Wisconsin Jobs Now got accused on the right of bribing voters with free BBQ. Prosecutors in Milwaukee cleared Wisconsin Jobs Now. And today election officials in Milwaukee had to call in extra workers to accommodate demand at the polls.
(Image below from 2011 block party, by Peter Rickman.)
Turnout in the Wisconsin recalls has been "wild" across the state, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. This morning John Nichols tweeted that there were "lines out the door, 20-minute waits" at polling places on the north side of Milwaukee, way up from recent elections.
That scene in Milwaukee, in particular, is not great news for Governor Walker and company. Last year a group supporting the recall drive held block parties there to help people get registered and vote in the recalls happening then.
For their efforts, the union-affiliated Wisconsin Jobs Now got accused on the right of bribing voters with free BBQ. Prosecutors in Milwaukee cleared Wisconsin Jobs Now. And today election officials in Milwaukee had to call in extra workers to accommodate demand at the polls.
(Image below from 2011 block party, by Peter Rickman.)
Who's running the election in Waukesha County? - JSOnline
Who's running the election in Waukesha County? - JSOnline
"While Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas and his chief of staff insisted both Monday and Tuesday that County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus is not the one in charge of election duties this recall election, her actions say otherwise.
While Nickolaus has refused to respond to this reporter's questions in her office, turning her back and closing her office door while the reporter waited at a service counter, her deputy, Kelly Yaeger, hasn't responded, either."
"While Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas and his chief of staff insisted both Monday and Tuesday that County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus is not the one in charge of election duties this recall election, her actions say otherwise.
While Nickolaus has refused to respond to this reporter's questions in her office, turning her back and closing her office door while the reporter waited at a service counter, her deputy, Kelly Yaeger, hasn't responded, either."
Exit polls today will answer big questions about Wisconsin's polarized electorate - JSOnline
Exit polls today will answer big questions about Wisconsin's polarized electorate - JSOnline
We’ll begin reporting after 4 pm Milwaukee time on the preliminary exit poll numbers, and what they tell us about the Wisconsin voters who turned out Tuesday: their demographic and political characteristics, their attitudes on key questions, and some of the most striking differences between Walker voters and Barrett voters.
Nothing will be reported before the polls close at 8 pm that attempts to project or characterize the final outcome of the recall race. The exit poll numbers can change over the course of the evening as more polling data comes in from people voting later in the day, so they should be read cautiously.
Below are some highlights from the 2010 exit polls (the first Walker-Barrett race).
We’ll begin reporting after 4 pm Milwaukee time on the preliminary exit poll numbers, and what they tell us about the Wisconsin voters who turned out Tuesday: their demographic and political characteristics, their attitudes on key questions, and some of the most striking differences between Walker voters and Barrett voters.
Nothing will be reported before the polls close at 8 pm that attempts to project or characterize the final outcome of the recall race. The exit poll numbers can change over the course of the evening as more polling data comes in from people voting later in the day, so they should be read cautiously.
Below are some highlights from the 2010 exit polls (the first Walker-Barrett race).
Registering to Vote on Election Day | Mike Quieto for Dane County Clerk
Registering to Vote on Election Day | Mike Quieto for Dane County Clerk
Voters may register at their polling place on Election Day, but the must present “proof of residence.” Note that another voter may no longer “vouch” for someone’s address.
Remember that you now need to have lived at an address for 28 days to register. If you moved less than 28 days ago, you need to vote at your old address and polling place.
When registering, you don’t need to show ID, but you will need to provide your Wisconsin Driver’s License or ID card number (if you have one). Voters without a Wisconsin Driver’s License or ID card must provide the last four digits of their Social Security Number.
Acceptable forms of “proof of residence” are:
Voters may register at their polling place on Election Day, but the must present “proof of residence.” Note that another voter may no longer “vouch” for someone’s address.
Remember that you now need to have lived at an address for 28 days to register. If you moved less than 28 days ago, you need to vote at your old address and polling place.
When registering, you don’t need to show ID, but you will need to provide your Wisconsin Driver’s License or ID card number (if you have one). Voters without a Wisconsin Driver’s License or ID card must provide the last four digits of their Social Security Number.
Acceptable forms of “proof of residence” are:
- A current and valid Wisconsin driver’s license or Wisconsin identification card.
- Any other official identification card or license issued by a Wisconsin governmental body or unit
- An identification card issued by an employer in the normal course of business, which has a photograph of the cardholder, but not a business card.
- A real estate tax bill or receipt for the current year or the year preceding the date of the election.
- A utility bill for the period commencing not earlier than 90 days before the election.
- A tuition bill
- A bank statement.
- A paycheck.
- A check or other document issued by a unit of government.
- a residential lease.
WI Citizens for Election Protection | Jim Mueller
WI Citizens for Election Protection
Urge people to use paper ballots and avoid the touch screen machines that so many small municipalities are pushing people to use. Insist on a paper ballot.
People using the touch screen machines should "write in" (type in) their choices in the write-in section. Everyone should look at the paper trail to see if it is at least recording the vote correctly on the paper (that doesn't mean that the machine recorded the vote properly in its memory but the paper is important for a recount). Voters using touch screen machines should linger at the machine a while after they vote to make sure that the machines does not cancel their vote and print out a new vote on the paper trail.
If a touch screen voting machine flips a vote that is more likely evidence of fraudulent or incorrect programming and adjusting than it is of voter mistake. Filipping incidents should be loudly reported, documented and a request should be made to remove the machine from further usage and sequester it for examination by independent experts.
Report the incident bny phone and in writing to the GAB and to this Facebook page.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Organize a Voter Assembly in your community! | Wisconsin Wave
Organize a Voter Assembly in your community! | Wisconsin Wave
[Note: The Voter Assembly in Madison will take place on June 6th at 5pm on the State Street side of the Capitol. Spread the word of facebook here. For more info on the Wave's No More Stolen Election campaign click here]
Voter Assemblies are pre-planned public forums where voters will gather to respond immediately to election violations. These assemblies are crucial to initiating a timely response to a potential stolen election.
Please make plans to attend, or if need be, to organize a Voter Assembly in your community on the evening of Wednesday, June 6th, the day after the election.
[Note: The Voter Assembly in Madison will take place on June 6th at 5pm on the State Street side of the Capitol. Spread the word of facebook here. For more info on the Wave's No More Stolen Election campaign click here]
Voter Assemblies are pre-planned public forums where voters will gather to respond immediately to election violations. These assemblies are crucial to initiating a timely response to a potential stolen election.
Please make plans to attend, or if need be, to organize a Voter Assembly in your community on the evening of Wednesday, June 6th, the day after the election.
BREAKING: Scott Walker's Closest Aide Revealed in Court as Source of Damaging Leak; Flips on Embattled Governor
BREAKING: Scott Walker's Closest Aide Revealed in Court as Source of Damaging Leak; Flips on Embattled Governor
Tim Russell, who was hired or promoted by Scott Walker even after he was fired for stealing from a state agency, was said in court Monday to have given Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Dan Bice information that showed that, contrary to Walker's claims, Walker was stonewalling investigators all along.
The shocking revelation that Scott Walker's closest aide sought to damage Walker on the eve of Tuesday's historic recall election indicated that Russell was cooperating with a prosecution against Walker himself.
"If Republicans are wondering who is leaking information about crimes that Scott Walker may have committed, they need only look into their own house.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Pro-Life Scott Walker Accused of Abandoning Pregnant Girlfriend in College
Pro-Life Scott Walker Accused of Abandoning Pregnant Girlfriend in College
Here’s what Dr. Gillick heard Scott Walker say that drove her to come forward, “First off, let me be clear, set the stage here … I’ve had a high level of integrity all the way back to my early days as a kid when I earned the rank of Eagle Scout, and have shown that during my time in the State Assembly, as the County Executive, and now as the Governor of the State of Wisconsin. I will continue to have high integrity long after I’m in this position and long after this whole process is complete.”
This most likely won’t be cleared up before the recall election, but in truth, this is just another drop in a bucket of Walker’s unethical behavior. There is enough without this story to determine that giving Scott Walker political power is a bad thing. If it is true, Ruth and her child are just another example of Walker’s ruthless, relentless ambition.
We don’t have the facts; what we have is a seemingly credible witness putting her career on the line to inform the public of something she thinks is relevant to Scott Walker’s career.
Dr. Gillick will be targeted for this, and it will be ugly. I imagine her lawyer verified her story for the sake of protecting her legally, but that won’t stop the dangerous faction of the conservative movement, whose interest in the truth is too often non-existent.
True or not, this wouldn’t compel the pro-life segment to drop their support for Walker, but if it’s true, it would reflect further upon Walker’s integrity.
Here’s what Dr. Gillick heard Scott Walker say that drove her to come forward, “First off, let me be clear, set the stage here … I’ve had a high level of integrity all the way back to my early days as a kid when I earned the rank of Eagle Scout, and have shown that during my time in the State Assembly, as the County Executive, and now as the Governor of the State of Wisconsin. I will continue to have high integrity long after I’m in this position and long after this whole process is complete.”
This most likely won’t be cleared up before the recall election, but in truth, this is just another drop in a bucket of Walker’s unethical behavior. There is enough without this story to determine that giving Scott Walker political power is a bad thing. If it is true, Ruth and her child are just another example of Walker’s ruthless, relentless ambition.
We don’t have the facts; what we have is a seemingly credible witness putting her career on the line to inform the public of something she thinks is relevant to Scott Walker’s career.
Dr. Gillick will be targeted for this, and it will be ugly. I imagine her lawyer verified her story for the sake of protecting her legally, but that won’t stop the dangerous faction of the conservative movement, whose interest in the truth is too often non-existent.
True or not, this wouldn’t compel the pro-life segment to drop their support for Walker, but if it’s true, it would reflect further upon Walker’s integrity.
Barrett says he will ditch 'deer czar' if he wins - JSOnline
Barrett says he will ditch 'deer czar' if he wins - JSOnline
“The tide is turning,” Vinehout told them. “We can feel it. … I swear as the day has gone on the enthusiasm has grown.”
Also present was former Rep. Kristen Dexter, who is running against Sen. Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls) in Tuesday’s recall.
“We’re going to take this state down a whole new path and make it work for all of us, not just a few of us,” Dexter said.
“The tide is turning,” Vinehout told them. “We can feel it. … I swear as the day has gone on the enthusiasm has grown.”
Also present was former Rep. Kristen Dexter, who is running against Sen. Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls) in Tuesday’s recall.
“We’re going to take this state down a whole new path and make it work for all of us, not just a few of us,” Dexter said.
Walker's jobs record an unmitigated disaster - JSOnline
Walker's jobs record an unmitigated disaster - JSOnline
In other words, even using the muddled, misleading and politicized figures released by Walker, his "best-case" data show job growth in Wisconsin at only 57% of the national rate during his first year in office. And this does not even include the first quarter of 2012, when, at least according to CES estimates, Wisconsin's job performance fell off the cliff.
Walker has also attempted to defend his economic record by contrasting it to Mayor Tom Barrett's in Milwaukee. Mayors, of course, have much less power to affect macroeconomic trends than do governors. Nevertheless, put in proper perspective, Barrett's record is far more impressive than Walker's. During Barrett's years as mayor (2004-'11), which included the national Great Recession of 2007-'09, employment in Milwaukee declined by 2.2% (compared to a national decline of .06%). By contrast, in the seven years before Barrett assuming office, employment declined in Milwaukee by 10.8%, while it grew nationally by 7.1%.
Put another way, during Barrett's years as mayor, even as the city endured the Great Recession, the employment curve bent in a positive direction.
By contrast, under Walker, Wisconsin's employment record has diverged, in a negative way, from national trends and, more than ever, lags the national economy.
I have certainly disagreed in the past with Barrett on matters of economic policy; ironically, without my permission, the Walker campaign has actually used a news clip of me in some of its campaign advertising. However, despite the Walker administration's efforts to blur the issue, the employment data are clear: the governor's record is a disaster, and significantly inferior to Tom Barrett's in Milwaukee. In the last analysis, right wing market fundamentalism and austerity policies work no better in Wisconsin than they have in Ireland, Spain or Great Britain.
In other words, even using the muddled, misleading and politicized figures released by Walker, his "best-case" data show job growth in Wisconsin at only 57% of the national rate during his first year in office. And this does not even include the first quarter of 2012, when, at least according to CES estimates, Wisconsin's job performance fell off the cliff.
Walker has also attempted to defend his economic record by contrasting it to Mayor Tom Barrett's in Milwaukee. Mayors, of course, have much less power to affect macroeconomic trends than do governors. Nevertheless, put in proper perspective, Barrett's record is far more impressive than Walker's. During Barrett's years as mayor (2004-'11), which included the national Great Recession of 2007-'09, employment in Milwaukee declined by 2.2% (compared to a national decline of .06%). By contrast, in the seven years before Barrett assuming office, employment declined in Milwaukee by 10.8%, while it grew nationally by 7.1%.
Put another way, during Barrett's years as mayor, even as the city endured the Great Recession, the employment curve bent in a positive direction.
By contrast, under Walker, Wisconsin's employment record has diverged, in a negative way, from national trends and, more than ever, lags the national economy.
I have certainly disagreed in the past with Barrett on matters of economic policy; ironically, without my permission, the Walker campaign has actually used a news clip of me in some of its campaign advertising. However, despite the Walker administration's efforts to blur the issue, the employment data are clear: the governor's record is a disaster, and significantly inferior to Tom Barrett's in Milwaukee. In the last analysis, right wing market fundamentalism and austerity policies work no better in Wisconsin than they have in Ireland, Spain or Great Britain.
Our view: There’s no excuse not to vote : La Crosse Tribune - LaCrosse News Source
Our view: There’s no excuse not to vote : La Crosse Tribune - LaCrosse News Source
The last time Wisconsin residents voted in an election face-off between Scott Walker and Tom Barrett, the voter turnout was a pathetic 49.7 percent.
That means less than half of the eligible voters in this state took the paltry amount of time and effort to vote in our last governor’s race, in November 2010, according to the Government Accountability Board.
The last time Wisconsin residents voted in an election face-off between Scott Walker and Tom Barrett, the voter turnout was a pathetic 49.7 percent.
That means less than half of the eligible voters in this state took the paltry amount of time and effort to vote in our last governor’s race, in November 2010, according to the Government Accountability Board.
"Activists converge on Wisconsin for historic recall vote - CNBC
Activists converge on Wisconsin for historic recall vote - CNBC "It's really about the future of this state," said Bob Peterson, the president of the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association as he grilled hamburgers on Saturday for volunteers who will try to boost the anti-Walker vote.
Civil Rights activists Reverend Jesse Jackson from Chicago and Al Sharpton from New York, both aligned with the Democratic Party, will be in Milwaukee, the state's largest city, to try to spur a strong turnout by black voters.
If he is defeated, Walker would become the third state governor recalled from office during his term, after North Dakota's Lynn Frazier in 1921 and Gray Davis of California in 2003.
Polls show a close race although Walker has held a single-digit lead since the recall date was formally set, and there are almost no undecided voters. The focus is on voter turnout in a state with a history of high voter participation.
REPUBLICAN LUMINARIES
During an appearance Sunday on the CNN's "State of the Union" program, Barrett said a tracking poll he'd seen two nights ago showed him just "one vote behind (Walker). Not one percentage point behind but one vote behind."
“I’ve been reporting on Federal grand juries for twenty years” —including Justice Department probes of former Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker, Monica Lewinsky, Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, and Jack Abramoff—said David Shuster, a former reporter for Fox News and anchor for MSNBC, who now works with Take Action News and as a substitute host for Keith Olbermann on Current TV. In his reporting on FBI involvement in the current probe of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Shuster said he consulted with Justice Department attorneys in the public integrity section and “I got independent confirmation that he’s a target.” Shuster said that he had learned Scott Walker’s attorneys had been seeking to have their client publicly cleared of wrongdoing for the last five or six weeks, in the run-up to the recall election. Prosecutors could not clear him, Shuster said, because Walker is a target.Legal Cloud Gathers Over Walker | The Progressive
Legal Cloud Gathers Over Walker | The Progressive
“I’ve been reporting on Federal grand juries for twenty years” —including Justice Department probes of former Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker, Monica Lewinsky, Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, and Jack Abramoff—said David Shuster, a former reporter for Fox News and anchor for MSNBC, who now works with Take Action News and as a substitute host for Keith Olbermann on Current TV.
In his reporting on FBI involvement in the current probe of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Shuster said he consulted with Justice Department attorneys in the public integrity section and “I got independent confirmation that he’s a target.”
Shuster said that he had learned Scott Walker’s attorneys had been seeking to have their client publicly cleared of wrongdoing for the last five or six weeks, in the run-up to the recall election. Prosecutors could not clear him, Shuster said, because Walker is a target.
“I’ve been reporting on Federal grand juries for twenty years” —including Justice Department probes of former Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker, Monica Lewinsky, Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, and Jack Abramoff—said David Shuster, a former reporter for Fox News and anchor for MSNBC, who now works with Take Action News and as a substitute host for Keith Olbermann on Current TV.
In his reporting on FBI involvement in the current probe of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Shuster said he consulted with Justice Department attorneys in the public integrity section and “I got independent confirmation that he’s a target.”
Shuster said that he had learned Scott Walker’s attorneys had been seeking to have their client publicly cleared of wrongdoing for the last five or six weeks, in the run-up to the recall election. Prosecutors could not clear him, Shuster said, because Walker is a target.
Welcome to MichaelMoore.com
Welcome to MichaelMoore.com
'The Wheel of
"It's time for us to all say 'enough is enough. It's time for us to all join the
'The Wheel of
History Is in Our Hands!'
"It's time for us to all say 'enough is enough. It's time for us to all join the
movement of resistance to social and economic injustice." – Tom Morello
at Madison Labor Temple rally, reading statement of solidarity from Greece
FLASHBACK:
'America Is NOT Broke!'
"Contrary to what those in power would like you to believe so that you'll
give up your pension, cut your wages, and settle for the life your great-
grandparents had, America is not broke. Not by a long shot. The country
is awash in wealth and cash. It's just that it's not in your hands. It has
been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers
and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich."
– Michael Moore, March 5th, 2011
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Sources say Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is Now the Target of Corruption Probe | Wisconsin Politics
Sources say Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is Now the Target of Corruption Probe | Wisconsin Politics
During last Thursday’s debate, Walker buckled under pressure from host Mike Gousha to answer the question as to why he hasn’t been more transparent about the John Doe corruption probe. Scott Walker’s Teflon personality must have worn through when he replied that District Attorney John Chisholm requested he remain silent on the issue.
The answer stunned many of those who are familiar with John Doe investigations because a DA would not request a target to remain silent, as anything they would say opens doors to the investigation. The John Doe judge, however, could issue ‘gag’ orders to targets. Walker’s statement was an off the cuff gaffe that confirmed the very real legal troubles he may be facing. Walker also admitted to a $160,000 transfer into his legal defense fund over the last six weeks. Further, Walker stated the fund was for his defense and not for his former staff and agents who have already been charged in the probe.
During last Thursday’s debate, Walker buckled under pressure from host Mike Gousha to answer the question as to why he hasn’t been more transparent about the John Doe corruption probe. Scott Walker’s Teflon personality must have worn through when he replied that District Attorney John Chisholm requested he remain silent on the issue.
The answer stunned many of those who are familiar with John Doe investigations because a DA would not request a target to remain silent, as anything they would say opens doors to the investigation. The John Doe judge, however, could issue ‘gag’ orders to targets. Walker’s statement was an off the cuff gaffe that confirmed the very real legal troubles he may be facing. Walker also admitted to a $160,000 transfer into his legal defense fund over the last six weeks. Further, Walker stated the fund was for his defense and not for his former staff and agents who have already been charged in the probe.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Barrett Says Walker Would Sign Right to Work Bill, Walker Avoids the Question - YouTube
Barrett Says Walker Would Sign Right to Work Bill, Walker Avoids the Question - YouTube
"Arthur Louis pulled all these clips from last night's debate. In case you missed it, they're really worth watching. Barrett Says Walker Would Sign Right to Work Bill, Walker Avoids the Question" Nicole Desautels Schulte This video clip under 2 minutes. Please Share this with others.
"Arthur Louis pulled all these clips from last night's debate. In case you missed it, they're really worth watching. Barrett Says Walker Would Sign Right to Work Bill, Walker Avoids the Question" Nicole Desautels Schulte This video clip under 2 minutes. Please Share this with others.
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