Will Scandal-Plagued Election Clerk Supervise Walker Recall in Key County? | Mother Jones
Kelly Steele, a spokesman for the labor-backed We Are Wisconsin group, says it would be "criminal" to allow Nickolaus to have any role in the county's June 5 election. "After Kathy Nickolaus earned her reputation as the most incompetent or corrupt election clerk in America, Waukesha County assured the world she would no longer administer elections," Steele says. "All evidence from the May primary suggests she's fully in charge and reporting out results to the world."
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board has also demanded Nickolaus' resignation. "How can the citizens of Waukesha have any confidence that something else won't go wrong in the next election; something that will call into question the results?" the board asked in April. "They can't as long as Nickolaus remains in office." But although Nickolaus has said she won't run for reelection, she remains in her job—and, if the May 5 primary is any indication, she's still supervising elections.
Nickolaus, Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas, and Waukesha GOP director Cathy Waller did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story. Read Full Story Here | Andy Kroll | Mother Jones
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Ed Shultz features Senators Risser and Taylor commenting on Voter ID bill - YouTube
Ed Shultz features Senators Risser and Taylor commenting on Voter ID bill - YouTube
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bLqZvxFGgDo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bLqZvxFGgDo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bLqZvxFGgDo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bLqZvxFGgDo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Obama’s Wisconsin Betrayal » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
Obama’s Wisconsin Betrayal » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
Obama needs the people who enthused over him four years ago to enthuse over him again; that’s where the votes are. And so we can count on him trying to reel the base back in. Therefore expect more of what we got two weeks ago on gay marriage: encouraging words. Some of those words may even come packaged in a vaguely populist register.
And why not? There is no percentage, after all, in pissing potential voters off or in offending labor leaders, especially when they are prepared, as always, to mobilize their members to do yeomen’s work in behalf of Democratic candidates. Obama needs the active support of the old lib-lab coalition; he knows that without it Democrats will get “shellacked” again, and he along with them.
But the last thing he or Wasserman Schultz or any other national Democrat wants is for the people to call the shots. It’s not just that they want to run the goings on from the top down as in 2008. More than that, they want to make sure that popular mobilizations don’t get out of control – to the point that they threaten the interests of the fraction of the one-percent whose favor Obama and the DNC assiduously court. Read Full Article Here | Counterpunch:
Obama needs the people who enthused over him four years ago to enthuse over him again; that’s where the votes are. And so we can count on him trying to reel the base back in. Therefore expect more of what we got two weeks ago on gay marriage: encouraging words. Some of those words may even come packaged in a vaguely populist register.
And why not? There is no percentage, after all, in pissing potential voters off or in offending labor leaders, especially when they are prepared, as always, to mobilize their members to do yeomen’s work in behalf of Democratic candidates. Obama needs the active support of the old lib-lab coalition; he knows that without it Democrats will get “shellacked” again, and he along with them.
But the last thing he or Wasserman Schultz or any other national Democrat wants is for the people to call the shots. It’s not just that they want to run the goings on from the top down as in 2008. More than that, they want to make sure that popular mobilizations don’t get out of control – to the point that they threaten the interests of the fraction of the one-percent whose favor Obama and the DNC assiduously court. Read Full Article Here | Counterpunch:
Dem poll: Walker recall battle is a dead heat - The Plum Line - The Washington Post
Dem poll: Walker recall battle is a dead heat - The Plum Line - The Washington Post
"Today’s poll — like polling released by the other side — should be evaluated as part of the ongoing spin war over the course of the recall campaign, which is designed to help influence the outcome, or at least to prevent public polling from creating premature impressions that the race is over.
Indeed, even neutral Wisconsin political observers believe that public polling of this race may not be predictive, since turnout in a mid-year gubernatorial recall election is impossible to anticipate. What’s more, in this case turnout is expected to be far higher than in the 2010 election that installed Walker in power in the first place."
"Today’s poll — like polling released by the other side — should be evaluated as part of the ongoing spin war over the course of the recall campaign, which is designed to help influence the outcome, or at least to prevent public polling from creating premature impressions that the race is over.
Indeed, even neutral Wisconsin political observers believe that public polling of this race may not be predictive, since turnout in a mid-year gubernatorial recall election is impossible to anticipate. What’s more, in this case turnout is expected to be far higher than in the 2010 election that installed Walker in power in the first place."
Author outlines 'John Doe' investigation - The Lakeland Times - Minocqua, Wisc.
Author outlines 'John Doe' investigation - The Lakeland Times - Minocqua, Wisc.
Now if just one Walker associate was charged, then I might think, "OK, that's too bad." If two were charged I might think, "Interesting, but it could happen." If three were charged then I might think, "That's an interesting coincidence." But when six people who were hired, appointed or directly associated with Scott Walker and his campaign are charged and two are already convicted, then it is no longer a coincidence. It is a reflection of the kind of corrupt culture Walker was fostering in his administration. It begs the question, what did Walker know about all these shenanigans? If he is so oblivious to these disreputable and dishonest activities going on around him, as close as 25 feet from his office, what kind of an administrator is he?
Now if just one Walker associate was charged, then I might think, "OK, that's too bad." If two were charged I might think, "Interesting, but it could happen." If three were charged then I might think, "That's an interesting coincidence." But when six people who were hired, appointed or directly associated with Scott Walker and his campaign are charged and two are already convicted, then it is no longer a coincidence. It is a reflection of the kind of corrupt culture Walker was fostering in his administration. It begs the question, what did Walker know about all these shenanigans? If he is so oblivious to these disreputable and dishonest activities going on around him, as close as 25 feet from his office, what kind of an administrator is he?
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
We Are Wisconsin » Volunteer
We Are Wisconsin » Volunteer
If you live in Wisconsin, then sign up here or click on the Google Map below to see a list of offices where you can help recall Scott Walker!
(If you live outside Wisconsin or are not near any of the offices below, you can still help – sign up here to make phone calls from home!)
If you live in Wisconsin, then sign up here or click on the Google Map below to see a list of offices where you can help recall Scott Walker!
(If you live outside Wisconsin or are not near any of the offices below, you can still help – sign up here to make phone calls from home!)
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Wisconsin recall election: Scott Walker’s fate will have November implications - The Washington Post
Wisconsin recall election: Scott Walker’s fate will have November implications - The Washington Post
Bruce Colburn, a vice president of the Wisconsin chapter of the Service Employees International Union, said those from outside Wisconsin do not fully understand the dynamic at work in the state, which he said is unlike any he has seen over many years. He said the petition drive alone, which produced 900,000 signatures when only 600,000 were needed, should have proved to doubters the power at the grass roots.
“This is really beyond a party, beyond a national leader, beyond any union,” he said. “This really has been a movement to resist the direction that Walker and the rest of his regime were trying to take the state of Wisconsin. . . . We’re living in a Wisconsin that’s been made over the last 18 months.”
What he describes is a Wisconsin so divided over Walker that friends and family members find themselves on opposite sides of battle and no longer talking to one another. It is a Wisconsin where small call centers, such as the one where Bradtke spends part of his week, are populated with people on both sides who feel passionately about the outcome and its implications.
Bruce Colburn, a vice president of the Wisconsin chapter of the Service Employees International Union, said those from outside Wisconsin do not fully understand the dynamic at work in the state, which he said is unlike any he has seen over many years. He said the petition drive alone, which produced 900,000 signatures when only 600,000 were needed, should have proved to doubters the power at the grass roots.
“This is really beyond a party, beyond a national leader, beyond any union,” he said. “This really has been a movement to resist the direction that Walker and the rest of his regime were trying to take the state of Wisconsin. . . . We’re living in a Wisconsin that’s been made over the last 18 months.”
What he describes is a Wisconsin so divided over Walker that friends and family members find themselves on opposite sides of battle and no longer talking to one another. It is a Wisconsin where small call centers, such as the one where Bradtke spends part of his week, are populated with people on both sides who feel passionately about the outcome and its implications.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Walker Crawls into Shell after Anemic Debate Performance | Wisconsin Politics
Walker Crawls into Shell after Anemic Debate Performance | Wisconsin Politics
After the debate, Walker dodged reporters and quickly left the venue, leaving spokeswoman Ciara Mathews to deal with the aftermath. It seemed as for the first time, the mainstream media did their job and not laydown for Scott Walker when they repeatedly grilled her on the question of whether or not Scott Walker will release his schedule from the past year, in which he met with billionaire donors, gave speeches and attended out of state fundraisers before the June 5th election. A recent investigative report showed Walker traveling around the country, using personal time far more than he was in state working or meeting with citizens.
Mathews appeared to resemble a deer caught in the headlights when asked 3 or 4 times on the subject, and each time she evaded answering the question, until finally acknowledging there will be no information forthcoming.
Those on the right are claiming Walker played it safe, but in truth, that’s all Walker had and when he ran out of talking points, tried to end the debate early by skipping the last question. This debate put Scott Walker’s character on display for all to see that he cannot be trusted to be honest or forthcoming with the citizens, and that his loyalty is not to the state, but special interests.
After the debate, Walker dodged reporters and quickly left the venue, leaving spokeswoman Ciara Mathews to deal with the aftermath. It seemed as for the first time, the mainstream media did their job and not laydown for Scott Walker when they repeatedly grilled her on the question of whether or not Scott Walker will release his schedule from the past year, in which he met with billionaire donors, gave speeches and attended out of state fundraisers before the June 5th election. A recent investigative report showed Walker traveling around the country, using personal time far more than he was in state working or meeting with citizens.
Mathews appeared to resemble a deer caught in the headlights when asked 3 or 4 times on the subject, and each time she evaded answering the question, until finally acknowledging there will be no information forthcoming.
Those on the right are claiming Walker played it safe, but in truth, that’s all Walker had and when he ran out of talking points, tried to end the debate early by skipping the last question. This debate put Scott Walker’s character on display for all to see that he cannot be trusted to be honest or forthcoming with the citizens, and that his loyalty is not to the state, but special interests.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Conservatives used to care about community. What happened? - E.J. Dionne Jr. | The Washington Post
Conservatives used to care about community. What happened? - The Washington Post
"For much of our history, Americans — even in our most quarrelsome moments — have avoided the kind of polarized politics we have now. We did so because we understood that it is when we balance our individualism with a sense of communal obligation that we are most ourselves as Americans. The 20th century was built on this balance, and we will once again prove the prophets of U.S. decline wrong if we can refresh and build upon that tradition. But doing so will require conservatives to abandon untempered individualism, which betrays what conservatism has been and should be." E.J. Dionne Jr.
Read More Here | The Washington Post
"For much of our history, Americans — even in our most quarrelsome moments — have avoided the kind of polarized politics we have now. We did so because we understood that it is when we balance our individualism with a sense of communal obligation that we are most ourselves as Americans. The 20th century was built on this balance, and we will once again prove the prophets of U.S. decline wrong if we can refresh and build upon that tradition. But doing so will require conservatives to abandon untempered individualism, which betrays what conservatism has been and should be." E.J. Dionne Jr.
Read More Here | The Washington Post
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Amazing video of Wisconsin protests - YouTube
Amazing video of Wisconsin protests - YouTube
Uploaded by RTAmerica
on Feb 16, 2011
Over 13,000 angry union supporters
gathered at the capital building in Madison, Wisconsin for a 17-hour
public hearing on the issue. The protestors are calling for opposition
to the bill, and an end to Walker's governorship as a whole. YouTube
Link to other historic Wisconsin Protest Videos....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XlUsoM4ruQ&feature=fvwrel
Link to other historic Wisconsin Protest Videos....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XlUsoM4ruQ&feature=fvwrel
New Hampshire Proposes To Hand Off Its Male Prison Population To A Private Prison Company | ThinkProgress
New Hampshire Proposes To Hand Off Its Male Prison Population To A Private Prison Company | ThinkProgress
"Although corporate-run prison systems are often touted as an effective way to cut costs, prison privatization — which has negative effects on prisoners and their families and impedes criminal justice reform as a whole — doesn’t actually end up saving taxpayers money. And, as ThinkProgress has reported, when companies profit by incarcerating people, they often spend millions on lobbying legislatures to put more people in jail simply to increase their profits.
Florida also recently proposed to expand its private prisons, a measure that was voted down in the state senate earlier this year. Unless New Hampshire also decides against their new for-profit prison plan, the state may be about to go down on the wrong side of history."
"Although corporate-run prison systems are often touted as an effective way to cut costs, prison privatization — which has negative effects on prisoners and their families and impedes criminal justice reform as a whole — doesn’t actually end up saving taxpayers money. And, as ThinkProgress has reported, when companies profit by incarcerating people, they often spend millions on lobbying legislatures to put more people in jail simply to increase their profits.
Florida also recently proposed to expand its private prisons, a measure that was voted down in the state senate earlier this year. Unless New Hampshire also decides against their new for-profit prison plan, the state may be about to go down on the wrong side of history."
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