Saturday, March 1, 2014

WISGOP Suffer Buyers Remorse With Kramer

In breaking news from Dan Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Republican Assembly Majority Leader Bill Kramer has had serious charges of sexual harassment leveled against him:
Sources said one incident involving Kramer and the women occurred shortly after the fundraising event. Another incident occurred on the Thursday flight back to Wisconsin.

Kramer is accused of groping at least one of the women and making lewd and inappropriate remarks to at least two women.

"Part of it is supposedly verbal and some of it is physical," said a source.
Bice further reports that Assembly Speaker Robin Vos - no puritan himself - is taking swift action and that it is likely that Kramer will lose his leadership position.

It should be noted that the Republicans' dismay over Kramer is more than a bit disingenuous.  They knew about Kramer's behavior problems when they elected him:
Two paragraphs from the Green Bay Press Gazette does a good job of giving us a glimpse of the kind of 
clown prince WISGOP has running the assembly majority:
But he also displayed a testiness bordering on anger over the frequent protests and interruptions from spectators in the gallery, including during the marathon 61-hour filibuster over the collective bargaining bill in 2011. Kramer was a strict enforcer of Assembly rules barring signs, cameras, clapping or other outbursts.

Kramer also said he sometimes carries a concealed handgun onto the floor of the Assembly for his own personal safety.
Yup, Little Big Man Kramer is so afraid that someone might take a picture of his bad side that he won't allow cameras in the gallery, but has no problem packing heat. The fact that he is allowed to have a gun at all, much less conceal carry, is alarming given his general state of inebriation. 

The Press Gazette also has another one of his greater moments:
Kramer was the only lawmaker who applauded a line in Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle’s 2007 budget address mentioning that oil companies had made record profits. Doyle was using the line as part of his reason to raise taxes on the companies, but Kramer said profits were the state’s economic lifeblood.
Oh, the greed is strong in this one!

But the real juicy stuff comes from WisPolitics.com, which gave some very interesting points from the debate on who should be the new majority leader, Kramer or Dean Knudson from Hudson.  Knudson supporter Chris Kapenga (not to be confused with Dale Kooyenga or Captain Kangaroo), leveled some strong charges against Kramer (bold lettering theirs; italics and asterisks mine):
-- Assembly Republicans today elected Rep. Bill Kramer to be the next majority leader despite Rep. Chris Kapenga accusing his GOP colleague of displaying a pattern of inappropriate behavior that made him unfit to hold the No. 2 spot in the chamber.

Kapenga, R-Delafield, made the allegation while giving one of the two nominating speeches for Rep. Dean Knudson for the post. He also charged there was an incident at an American Legislative Exchange Council event last month in Chicago. But he did not provide details in his speech and declined to provide specifics when he was approached by a reporter following the vote.

Kramer, R-Waukesha, shrugged off the allegation, which sent a ripple through the room ahead of today’s vote, saying “Things get said in a campaign.”

“I have heard that something happened at ALEC, and everybody I’ve talked to said they heard something inappropriate happened at ALEC,” Kramer said. “I haven’t run into anybody that saw something inappropriate happen at ALEC.*  Apparently, I had a pretty good time. What that means, I have no idea because the night in question, I was home early.”

Kramer acknowledged concerns about his sense of humor before his selection as speaker pro tempore, a spot he gave up to run for majority leader after Rep. Scott Suder left the post to take a job at the PSC. But Kramer said he proved he could be respectful on the floor and planned to do the same in his new role.

[...]

-- In his nominating speech for Knudson, Kapenga said he has been to numerous events with Kramer stemming from their time in the Waukesha County GOP and said he has noticed a “behavior pattern that is prevalent at every event I can remember.”

He then went on to reference the alleged ALEC incident, saying both Kramer and Knudson were there and “one represented well. One did not represent well.”

“That cannot happen ever,” Kapenga said. “We can’t have sexual innuendos. We can’t have bad language in the public.** I don’t have any concerns with Dean. I don’t. None. I do have those concerns with Bill.”
It should be noted that Vos had supported Kramer's opponent, Dean Knudson, during that election. I wouldn't be surprised if Vos makes a push for Knudson again, although learned people have also said keep an eye on Dale Kooyenga, WISGOP's current golden boy.

18 comments:

  1. He is likely to step down. Oh, because this NEVER happens to the other side of the aisle... get real! Kramer is a pig. But don't make it about partisan politics when the issue is not.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gee, a Republican from the 262 acts like a piggish lout and disrespects women? I'm stunned and amazed.

    Oh wait, no I'm not. As I've constantly found myself saying with the WalkerDocs emails- This is who these people are

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reading how convicted child molester Brian Pierick took charge setting up Walker for Governor websites, how is it that Pierick is not considered one of Walker's aides who was convicted in John Doe I? SEVEN, not six, of Walker's political operatives were convicted.

      Delete
    2. Russell, Rindfleisch, Wink, Kavanaugh, Pierick and Gardner make six.

      Delete
    3. Oops. Thank you Capper for keeping all this straight.

      Delete
    4. I wonder if Kraemer and DA Brad Schmiel were ever driking buddies...?

      Delete
  3. Incredible how the Wisconsin GOP is loaded with scumbags. The Republicans know about the scummy behavior, but they look the other way in electing leaders who lack character. But as soon as they are caught, they are gone. However they first have to be caught publicly. It's not enough that WIS GOP knew about Kramer's disgusting behavior at ALEC (of course Republicans can never get disgusting enough at ALEC for GOP tastes) and elected him Assembly leader. Family Values are empty words to Republicans. I wonder what advice Robin Vos gets from his in-house lobbyist, Michelle Litjens.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess boorsih behavior of male GOP legislators is always tolerated (look at Rivard's "women rape easy" comment tolerated by Robin Vos)...except when the woman assaulted and offended has a personal relationship to a higher-up GOP.

      Delete
  4. I won't vouch for every democrat, but the pattern with the state republicans is that if you toe the party line, we will put up with your behavior. The fact that Kramer was a leader in that party is all you need to know. I've met with and talked to Kramer several times, including taking school groups to meet with him and always, always, he has been highly inappropriate for the situation. I talk to him on my porch when he's campaigning and he will drop FBombs routinely. Pretty much a Dbag and a known drunkard, the repubs knew it and still voted for him. That's all you need to know about where that party is.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Another day, another state GOP loser bites the dust. So same comment as yesterday:

    "But that's where this Republican party is. It simply has no bottom." - Bill Maher

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, he'll step down from his leadership post, for sure. BUT, never forget that no one but no one gets elected to that Assembly position without the approval and/or at the direction of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.

    So, given that, was it Robin Vos himself (or a loyal supporter in the Assembly) who then whispers to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Vos never supported Kramer? Had to be, imho.

    BTW, even if Kramer steps down from his Majority position, he won't resign from the Assembly. He'll get "religion" in a rehab facility most likely, in order to retain that Republican vote. Just watch.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, and Bill Kramer is a devout Catholic to boot, who wants to legislate womens' health decisions that are better left to the privacy of the woman and her doctor.

    But, it seems Billy Boy just loves to get his fingers all over womens' health decisions...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bill Kramer devout Catholic? LOL. Why is it that the religious right are always the biggest violators of the word of God? Drives me nuts...The hypocracy. In Kramer's case he seems like he is so seduced by power that he abuses it. Women are there for his pleasure - for his righteous objectification. Absolutely sickening. The WISGOP is full of ENTITLED dirty old trolls, who can't get a girl via legitimate means. They view women as objects, birthing machines, and secretaries catering to their needs. What pigs...

      Delete
    2. Who are the ENTITLED pigs? Kramer, Walker, Vos (how many wives has he had?), Sykes (Mr I love to cheat on my wife or your wife is my wife), Kleefleish (how can I prostitute my wife), Entitled Fitz Brothers (giving aides rides of a lifetime), Tommy Thompson (is there a woman over 40 who I haven't tried to seduce?), Grothman (I hate my Mother and I'm taking it out on women across WI)...The list goes on. What a bunch of LOSERS.

      Delete
  8. Wiggy weighs in - http://www.wigderson.com/albas-scarlet-letter/

    "Perhaps we could get state Rep. Bill Kramer to introduce the bill to repeal the adultery statute. One of the advantages of a bachelor as Assembly majority leader is that he can’t be accused of cheating on his spouse."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One of the dangers of being a bachelor is that you set your sights on the personal property of another, more powerful, soon-to-be bachelor, if you understand my drift.

      Delete
  9. Now wait just a minute. Something is fishy here. Not that I approve of what Kramer supposedly did, but WHY is Robin Vos judge, jury & executioner? Isn't he supposed to get the police involved so that charges can be brought against Kramer for this behavior? WHO was on the trip to Washington, D.C. WHO were the women making these complaints? Why would Robin Vos not want the police involved? These Republicans don't want this documented by the authorities? They don't want criminal charges brought? What's up with that?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Folks, groping a woman isn't sexual harassment. It's sexual assault. Where are the police in all this?

    ReplyDelete