A parable for those that need a little help understanding

It's been a while since I've submitted anything. Life and all that. However, there’s something I've been wanting to share, and now feels like the appropriate time to share it. A while ago, I bought a wine bar. I know, "What does this have to do with CogDis?" Let me share the story with you and I think you'll understand.


For a long time, I was a regular at a long established wine bar. Probably the oldest, if not the top wine bar in the state. It was well run, and grew quickly. I became a regular. I got to know the other patrons there. Most were from the neighborhood. After a while, I noticed more and more clientele from outside of the area coming in. Now, this bothered a lot of the regular patrons. They were coming from areas that weren’t as nice as this. What if they were criminals? Would these new patrons rob the place? Steal from the regulars? These outside areas weren’t sending their best. Many of the regular patrons were afraid. Additionally, these new patrons never had any money to spend and only wanted to freeload off of the existing clientele. They would beg and mooch, use the bathrooms for free, eat the complimentary cheese, etc. Impossibly though, the other patrons said that these new people would also always take the best wines so there wasn’t any for them to drink. I don’t know how that worked actually, being that they also didn’t have money and would freeload but they said it, so it must be true. Now, even more than this though, they intimated to me that they were uncomfortable with these new patrons. These new patrons sounded different, they dressed differently, they acted strange, and looked different than us. A lot of the regular patrons were beginning to worry that the wine bar would change what it was that they loved about it; that they’d lose their wine bar. The wine bar we loved was changing, and we didn't think in a positive way. We wanted our wine bar back!


So, I made a decision. I would make the wine bar great again! I bought the place. Now, a change of ownership alone wouldn’t fix the perceived issues. So, I made a few terrific, beautiful changes. I made it into a private club. The people that lived in the community, they automatically became members. For everyone else though, there was an application process. It was a $1000 application fee with no guarantee of membership, an intensive vetting process including a credit and background check, and a two year waiting period to prove that prospective members were serious. This may seem extensive, but you have to understand; this is the premier wine club in all of the state. Everyone wanted to be a member so we had to have stringent criteria for membership. We do everything right, and want to make sure our members are committed to maintaining that level of quality. How else could we make sure prospective members were worthy? So far, it’s been an amazing success!


Well, you may not realize this, but the weather has been kind of crappy here lately, and getting worse. There was an F4 tornado that touched down right near our club. Don’t worry, we were all fine. As I mentioned, this club is the best! Steel and concrete construction that can withstand any force of nature. Outside though, well, that was another story. Dangerous would be an understatement. Anyway, during that tornado, a family that was driving by got caught up in it. They were from one of those crappy neighborhoods outside the area. They tried to get away from the danger of the tornado by coming into our club! Can you imagine the audacity? A husband and wife with their two kids. All of them in soaked, dripping clothing and wind blown hair. They looked absolutely appalling in our beautiful club! Worse yet, NONE of them were members, they just strolled right in thinking that they could take shelter in our private club that we’d worked so hard to build into this sanctuary!


Well, needless to say I wasn’t having it. I told them that they aren’t members and they don’t belong; they had to leave immediately. The father started trying to argue about how there was an F4 tornado outside and his family could die. The wife chimed in too. They were resisting my very polite, and reasonable instructions to leave. So, my hand was forced. They broke the rules. I kicked the shit out of him and his wife. How could I not? This made their children cry. I realized then, that they too were breaking the rules. This infuriated me. Why would their parents be so selfish? Why would they be so irresponsible? Why wouldn't they make better choices? Why would they put me in this position? I had no choice. I had to slap the children around a bit too. Now, of course I reassured the children that everything was going to be okay as I did it. It was a very careful, humane, (but strong, always strong) beating. I even gave them coloring books and candy as I threw them out the door into the waiting gale.


Now, I’m not a monster. I didn’t want to do this you see. I hated having to. It was their parents who were so irresponsible for bringing them along while they broke rules. Why didn’t they just apply for membership like everyone else? How would it have been fair to everyone that followed the rules and applied like they were supposed to if I just let this family in? It obviously wouldn’t. No, my hands were clean of any wrongdoing. The parents are the ones at fault, they made me have to do it. I hated having to.


Also, if I'm being totally honest here, it really is the city that tied my hands on this. I mean, they’re the ones that made the ordinance saying that private establishments have the right to refuse to let non-members in. I had to kick the shit out of them as a result of that law. I mean, it is the law, and we’re a law abiding establishment in a community that always follows the laws. The city could stop this at any time by changing that law. I really wish they would so I don't have to do this in the future. So, while this may have seemed harsh, it really was compassionate. We have to look out for our members that follow the rules or we will lose our club and what makes it great.
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For the Trump supporters out there... No, I don’t really own a wine club. Yes, your justifications for tearing children from their parents arms sound exactly that fucking hollow and stupid. Be better human beings. If you're even capable at this point.

Special Special Election Tomorrow

By Jeff Simpson

Tomorrow there are some special special elections.  It is a special special election because Scott Walker needed to be sued to follow the law and declare the elections.  After an incredible waste of taxpayer money by Scott Walker, the elections were called(as we all knew they would be) and tomorrow they will actually happen.   

The first election is Senate District 1 where Republican Andre Jacque, the candidate of Julainne Appling, will face Caleb Frostman, the former Door County Economic Development Executive Director and Democratic challenger. 

The race has come down to Jacque - a current Aseemblyman, who has waged a war against women's healthcare and access to birth control:

Over the years, André Jacque has made it his mission to eliminate women’s health-care options, taking stances so extreme it even caused fellow Republicans to distance themselves from him. As a state representative, Jacque introduced a constitutional amendment to make all abortions illegal with no exceptions for victims of rape and incest or women whose life was at a risk. He’s even voted to curb women’s access to birth control, going so far as seeking to ban all forms of hormonal contraception.
Jacque’s attacks on women’s health care options extend beyond a woman’s right to choose. Jacque introduced a bill last year that would have exacerbated Wisconsin’s ob-gyn shortage by causing the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s ob-gyn program to lose accreditation. According to the American Medical Society, 20 counties in Wisconsin do not have even one ob-gyn doctor, forcing women to    travel and miss work for essential services like routine exams, prenatal care and cancer screenings.
Jacque even went so far as to author legislation that would have ended life-saving research being done in Wisconsin. Groundbreaking research on cancer, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, blindness and diabetes could have ground to a halt under Jacque’s anti-stem cell bill. And Wisconsin’s biotech industry, including the many jobs it supplies, would have been decimated.  A UW dean said the bill would make these researchers “criminals” and their “research would be shut down. It’s quite chilling.”

It would seem that being against, birth control, healthcare for women and research for debilitating diseases, would not completely mesh with being anti-abortion but no one ever accused Andre of being the brightest bulb on the tree. 

Caleb Frostman has other priorities:

What are the most important issues you would work on if elected?
Making sure that jobs pay a living wage; adequate job training for people entering the workforce and also those seeking to advance their careers; public education; groundwater quality.

The choice in SD1 is very clear, do you want someone that treats women as second class citizens and property or do you want someone who wants to advance the career of everyone in his district! 

The other race is AD 42:

In AD-42, Republican Jon Plumer is running against Democrat Ann Groves Lloyd. 

Plumer is a newcomer,  who for some reason has decided to run one of the most unethical ridiculous campaigns in recent history, is known for one thing....fighting with his wife and daughter. 

According to police reports, Plumer and his family were living in Sun Prairie in October 1997 when Plumer kicked his 18-year-old daughter, Jennifer, out of the house during a family argument.

Neighbor Darwin Dobson told police that the teenager showed up on his doorstep and told him that Plumer had physically pushed her out of the house. She said he tore a phone off the wall and pushed her mother, Christine Plumer, to the floor.
Dobson told police he went over to the Plumer house to check on Christine Plumer. When she opened the door, her eyes were red and puffy from crying, Dobson said.
She said she was all right, but Dobson said Jon Plumer then confronted him in the driveway to accuse him of prying. He said Plumer challenged him to step closer so Dobson could see what he was really like. Dobson told police he went home, noting that Plumer was a black belt in karate.

Interesting candidate the Republicans have decided to run.    Robin Vos has personally decided that Plumer is the one person that should represent the 42nd, and cleared the field for him.   

I guess the campaign slogan Plumer has decided on really appealed to Robin:

If I can fight my wife and daughter, I can fight for you!  

His opponent Ann Groves Lloyd however, contrasts well with her uneducated opponent while Ms. Lloyd has her PhD from UW- Madison.  Ms. Lloyd grew up on the farm and has been working hard to represent her constituents in Madison. 

The Assembly district 42 has been unrepresented for so long the good people there deserve to finally be represented in our Government!

Please vote for Ann Grove Lloyd tomorrow! 

PS:   I will not tell you to take ten friends to the polls, but I will say, call one person and remind them to vote tomorrow.   This June election, turn out will be key!   

The Silly Season Has Begun & The GOP Thinks You Are Dumb

By Jeff Simpson

Now that both the D and R conventions are over, the silly season of political campaigns has officially begun.  This year starts out a bit differently because there are two races (June 12) right off the bat. 

It also reminds me instantly of one of my biggest pet peeves.  When pundist/politicians/media etc... tell us that candidates "want to get their issues out"  or after an election when the winner says " the voters agreed with our issues".  An issues based campaign these days, is as rare as a true statement from The Donald. 

There is no better example than the special election between Ann Grove Lloyd (D) and Jon Plumer (R) in the 42nd District.

The Repubs are running what might be the worst written and acted TV Commercial ever (Guiness is reviewing it) where the whole idea, as far as anyone can tell, is that Plumer's opponent is a socialist who wished she lived in North Korea.

"She's really extreme, said she's a socialist and that she thinks that the United States are terrorist and that we're like North Korea," a woman pictured in the RACC ad says to a friend. 

The proof that Lloyd has a poster up of Kim Jung Un, is based on Ms. Lloyd supposedly liking a tweet by John Nichols(true story).   The problem with that is her tweets are protected, and as someone who is "friended" by her on Twitter, I can not find the tweet referenced in the ad. 

For those of you scoring at home, the ad that Republican Plumer kicked off his campaign with, is an ad to make us fear  his opponent that is based off of a tweet she supposedly 'liked' but there is no evidence that that actually happened. 

Yes anyone who votes for Plumer really agrees with him on the issues. 

But wait there is more.  A GOP dark money group has been running ads for Republican Kevin Nicholson, who wants to take on Tammy Baldwin.   

The theme they are running is that some of the most respected people in GOP history have switched from Democratic affiliation to Republican(Nicholson was a Democrat in college).  The ad mentions Ronald Reagan, and then the Governor of Missouri. 

Quick aside as to who the Governor of Missouri, Eric Greitens is.   Greitens switched from Democrat to Republican because

“All of those things made me a conservative, not by birth but by conviction.”

Speaking of conviction:

 ST. LOUIS, MO — St. Louis prosecutors on Friday charged Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens with a felony for using a charity donor list for his 2016 political campaign, adding to the woes of the first-term Republican governor who responded by calling it another effort to "smear" him.
The charge of tampering with computer data is in addition to an earlier charge alleging Greitens took and transmitted a nonconsensual photo of a partially nude woman with whom he had an extramarital affair in 2015. The new charge accuses Greitens of obtaining the donor list without permission from The Mission Continues, a St. Louis-based charity that Greitens founded. He previously paid a small fine to the state Ethics Commission for failing to report the list as a campaign contribution.

It is actually a good comparison for Nicholson, because Scott Walker's good friend Eric Greitens recently resigned.  Like Greitens, Nicholson is not an elected official and never will be.   

 But wait....there is more! 

Back to Jon Plumer.  The Republicans just sent a mailing to everyone in his district, with the tired old line(forgetting actual issues again) of Ann Groves Lloyd will take your guns. 

 

When you have tea and krumpets with The Un's on a regular basis, of course you do not believe in the Constitution.  Luckily Ms. Groves has a voter list, so she knows where to go to confiscate everyones guns. 

Anyway, if anyone actually reads this garbage mailing, they will be sure to vote on June 15. 

The election is June 12. 

The Republican Assembly Campaign Committee is run by Jenny Toftness.   You can forgive Ms. Toftness for this glaring and blatant mistake, it is not like she has held major jobs in the past or is an English major. 

D'oh:

Toftness used to be chief of staff for Speaker Robin Vos(checking to see if her husband made her leave the clutches of Robin Vos and his penchant for married women)  and graduated in 2002 from UW- Madison with an English major.    

The Republicans lack of any effort for facts, or even clarity shows how little they respect their voters.  They know that if they can just show you that the Democrats are the enemy you will run to the polls in fear and keep them in charge. 

Maybe it is time if you are an R voter to take a look in the mirror and demand respect and accountability from your elected officials! 

Edit note:  In Assembly District 42, both candidates are from Lodi, WI - population 3050.  Together, they have spent over $200,000 to try and win this seat that pays about $50,000/yr. 

In a small town in WI, that recently passed a five year operating referendum for $1.7 million/yr, this kind of money would make a huge difference in communities like theirs. 

We really need to get money out of politics! 

PSS:  In light of all of this, PLEASE vote for Ann Groves Lloyd on June 12! 

Scott Walker - Standing Up For The Children(Finally)!

By Jeff Simpson

The 2018 Democratic Convention was this weekend, and except for a handful of political junkies and some consultants looking to cash in, the person in WI watching this the closest was Scott Walker. 

Walker knows that his re-election this year is anything but certain, and is desperate to attack the Democrats ruthlessly to keep people from focusing on himself.   

After a weekend of speeches etc.... This is the one thing Scott Walker was able to find to pull and try and make some hay with and this is what he came up with:

Scott Walker3 hrs · It’s pathetic seeing what has become of Madison bureaucrat Tony Evers since he became a candidate for governor. He used the Lord’s name in vain this weekend during his speech to the liberal activists at the state party convention this weekend. What a horrible example for children, coming from a man who is responsible for educating students all across Wisconsin. Apparently this is part of his appeal to the far Left that controls the primary process and wants to hear rhetoric driven by anger and hatred.

For those of you scoring at home, "Madison Bureaucrat Tony Evers" = Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers, who in his Constitutionally mandated position has won statewide election numerous times.

It is nice that this guy now worries about examples to children.  In case you didnt know, his good friend who let him sit in his seat and play President, had this to say:

Trump: I did try and fuck her. She was married.Trump: I moved on her like a bitch. But I couldn’t get there. And she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything. She’s totally changed her look.
  Trump: Look at you, you are a pussy. Trump: Yeah, that’s her. With the gold. I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.

That was locker room talk to Scott Walker, as he has never denounced that or worried about the example it set for the children. 

Scott Walker also recently was a main speaker, and only elected official, that spoke at a white power conference for Turning Point USA, in Florida. 

In case you have not heard of Turning Point USA, this picture describes them well. 

Seems they do not like colleges having "safe spaces" so they decided to drop their pants and show everyone who they are.  GOP Senator David Vitter would be proud. 

Hmmm I bet they had some great parties after Walkers Speech.   I am sure they know he likes to drink! 

However, we are not without empathy.  I would like to give Scott Walker the benefit of the doubt.  Since Walker's blind ambition has gotten in the way of raising his sons, he wants to make amends.   It is important to him that the good folks of WI do not also raise a son, who grow up to steal vans!   

Just remember, while he may have failed as a father, and has definitely failed while handling money, because he ran through the tunnels during the protests of 2011, ISIS fears him.   

I want a commander-in-chief who will do everything in their power to ensure that the threat from radical Islamic terrorists does not wash up on American soil. We will have someone who leads and ultimately we’ll send a message that not only will we protect American soil, but do not, do not take this upon freedom-loving people anywhere else in the world. We need a leader with that kind of confidence. If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world. Scott Walker.  

 

There's Meeting The People And There's Meeting The People

The conservative Racine Journal Times ran a story about an event Cathy Myers held in the Racine area.  She didn't hesitate to take a few more false swipes at the front runner in the primary, Randy "IronStache" Bryce:

Hononegah High School in Rockton, Ill., is out for the summer, and so is one of its teachers who also happens to be a Democratic congressional candidate in Wisconsin’s 1st District.

That candidate, Cathy Myers of Janesville, held a meet-and-greet session Tuesday with about a dozen potential voters at The Branch, 1501 Washington Ave., during which she gave a speech and answered questions on a broad swath of issues. It is one of many such events that Myers said she has planned for the summer.

[...]

During the speech, Myers, who serves on the Janesville School Board, highlighted her upbringing, past political involvement and 24-year history as a teacher. She also emphasized her focus on meeting with voters and listening to their issues.

“So many campaigns are just about inundating people with ads and flyers — which is a component, definitely — but they avoid the conversation with voters,” Myers told The Journal Times before the speech.

[...]


Bryce has been running an aggressive campaign that has included television commercials.

Still, Myers said she is undeterred.

“If money was the only factor, I guess I would consider myself an underdog,” Myers said. “Money is important to a campaign —of course it is — but I wasn’t afraid of Paul Ryan’s money, so why should I be afraid of Randy Bryce’s money?”

The gentle reader should note that Myers was implying that Bryce doesn't meet with the voters like she does so that means she has a chance to win.

There would be a certain validity to that argument - if it was true.

But for the sake of discussion, let's compare the people factor then, using a couple of pictures shared on Twitter by James Livesey.

Here is a picture of the Myers event covered in the paper:

Methinks the paper was being generous by saying there were a dozen people there.  Still, it's better than a book signing event by Charlie Sykes.

Now, compare that to a Bryce event that was also held in the Racine area:

Oops! Looks like Myers is going to have to rely on something other than money or talking to a handful of voters. I don' know. She might want to try running an honest and positive campaign for a change.

CD1 - Quote of the Day

By Jeff Simpson

From the Journal Times on the Race to replace Paul Ryan(emphasis mine):

 “Republicans stand ready to support and elect another bold conservative reformer who will continue to carry-on Paul Ryan’s legacy of getting things done for hard-working Wisconsin families,” said Alec Zimmerman, spokesman for the Republican Party of Wisconsin. “Our candidates stand in stark contrast to the out-of-touch Democrats running on an extreme agenda.”

Speaking of their candidate:

Yes Alec your candidates do stand in stark contrast to the Democrats running. 

PS:  I know a select few have publicly denounced Nehlen(mostly for criticizing Paul Ryan) but things in private are much different.

I wonder where the extremism started??

8 Things To Look For At WisDems Convention

By Jeff Simpson

This weekend is the Wisconsin Democratic Convention, in this important election year, there are many storylines that need to be followed. 

The senior producer for WisconsinEye, came up with 6 questions that the Democrats need to answer, to see if the Democrats can have a successful election season.

The problem is there are actual real questions to be asked.   Let's take a look.

1.   Have the wounds of 2016 healed? 
We all know that there are two Democratic parties in Wisconsin, the one that supported Hillary for President and the one that supported Bernie. 
Many party insiders jumped on the HRC express early on, and many people who supported Bernie were grassroots members on the ground who do not belong to the party. 
Both sides need each other but I have not personally seen anything that says the wounds have healed.   Team HRC think they are the star bellied sneetches, and paying their $25 makes them part of a private club that automatically knows more about politics than anyone in the state.   Team Bernie, has no trust of the members of Team HRC thus no trust of the Dem party.  They can totally overblow the riff and have trouble distinguishing between full blown support for HRC and those who voted for her in Nov as the lesser of two evils.
Neither side can win alone.  So it is important that a leader steps up to bridge the gap and pull these two sides together.

2.  What is the number one priority - Being a member of an exclusive club or being part of the party in charge? 

With just over 1000 total members, and many less attending the convention this weekend will the convention be portrayed as the pulse of what is happening in WI or will it people more accurately understand that this is a nice weekend for free publicity and a way to introduce ourselves to people of WI and the unofficial kick off of election season.

Will Mike McCabe and his supporters be treated as lepers because he did not pay the $25?  Will Kelda be treated as royalty because this closed group is her people?  Will Mahlon getting endorsed by AFSCME propel him to the top or hurt him the way it did Kathleen Falk? Will Matt Flynn's role as lawyer for the Catholic church be resurrected yet again?  Will Kathleen Falk get the cold shoulder from the party faithful that she has always gotten?  Has Andy Gronik changed his position on public education from one that Scott Jensen would be proud of, to one that could get him elected as a Democrat?  Will anyone know who Dana Wachs is?   Does Paul Soglin even know or care that there is a Democratic Convention this weekend?  Will Josh Pade wear his name tag at all times and a very bright colored tie so people can see him? 

3.  With Ten Candidates for Governor Speaking, who will emerge and how? 

This is a very important question.  Everyone has their favorite(s) and every candidate appeals to different subsections of voters.  As stated earlier, a couple hundred loyal party members will have a straw poll and that will show who the hard core party members favor.  Nothing else.

It will take about 1.3 million votes, throughout the state of WI, to beat Scott Walker.   It is vitally important that every candidate, and every candidates supporters, feel that they have gotten a fair chance so they will get behind, whatever candidate comes through the August Primary. 

As we get closer to the primary, the dirty tricks(which have already started) will get more and more and more intense.  My recommendation is, before you start with some faux outrage towards a candidate, spreading a rumour or a whisper campaign against someone, ask your
self if you would like the same things said about the candidate you support.

4.  The Year of the Women.

There have been a very high number of women filing to run for office, and two running for Governor.  We have never had a female Governor before in WI and we are desperately in need of more diversity within our legislature.   I look very much forward to brand new faces being sworn in to office, January 2019. 

What are we doing to promote the diversity?  My suggestion would be to get a group picture of every single Democrat on the August 14th ballot as a Democrat up and down the state.  Show the diversity and the amount of women we are welcoming to our party.   Then I would challenge the GOP to do the same, knowing there is no real diversity on their side. 

5.   Up and Down The Ballot.

While it is imperative that we change faces in the Governor's office, it is just as imperative that we pick up enough seats to make a difference within the Senate and Assembly.   We have to treat every single race as winnable and we have to treat every single seat of the utmost importance.

That starts with Martha Laning this weekend and ends with the last voter to the polls at 8pm on November 6th.  Every vote matters in every single race.   What are the plans to reach them, and make our presence known all over WI? 

I would highly recommend that the ADCC and the SSDC, stay as far away from candidates in close elections as humanly possible.   I would also recommend showing up at events, working your free social media hard(use your social media not only to push your campaign but to be a community resource), get letters to the editor in your local paper.  When you do doors, scrap the VAN and just go talk to people.   

6.  Will the Media Continue as Stenographers for the GOP?

One of the questions that Steven Walters asks is "Will Democrats justify GOP's "angry,haters" label.  The problem with that question is that nothing justifies repeating that ridiculous claim by Scott Walker.   Yet the media repeats it over and over, while ignoring reality.   Scott Walker headlined a white power conference in Florida, his son stole a state van and there is over a billion dollar structural deficit coming and yet he has never been asked anything about any of this. 

When the GOP refuse comment, then put out a press release, and the press runs it, they are just an arm of the GOP public relations campaign.   If they continue to be at the behest of the WISGOP then what are the plans of the Dems to reach the public?

My recommendation is to have people pick different reporters and follow them on facebook and twitter, and everytime they write an article that is not fair, balanced or truthful, call them out on social media.  It is called "working the refs" the WISGOP have been doing it so long that it is second nature to them, while the WISDEMS just complain to each other. 

7.  What About Scott Walker? 
The easy thing to say is "we can not just be against Scott Walker, we have to be for something."   The reality is we have to be both.  The Burke campaign, while run as badly as the Hillary campaign in WI, was never against Scott Walker and rarely actually for anything.   

America is on the verge of a Blue Wave (tm), Wisconsin has serious Scott Walker fatigue and desperately want to move on.  Scott Walker, will have a blank check, to rewrite history and tell us all of the amazing things he thinks he has been doing. 

It is important to point out what a failure he has been, and how we will do things differently.  With a billion dollar structural deficit, each budget larger than the last, and record setting borrowing any idea/policy the Democrats have will be spending less money than the GOP have. 

My suggestion, do not secede ANY issue to Scott Walker.  He has not been successful in any area or any issue since he has been Governor. 
* He added more money to education, yet it is still not even close to what he cut and we are sharing the smaller pie with voucher schools. 
*  Unemployment is low, yet wages are down, and he still has not accomplished his 250,000 job promise.  We have a serious brain drain, with our young college graduates leaving town after graduation and to counter that he is spending millions advertising on high speed rail in Chicago to get people to move back here. 
You get the idea. 

Another thing is we need to stop caring who and where voted for Trump.  Trump came to WI and really played up his outsider status.  The actual economy is not doing very well for people all over WI.    There is no way that the career politician who has presided over WI for so long should receive their votes! 

8. Money Changes Everything. 

Breaking news:  Scott Walker and the WISGOP are going to be much more well funded than the Democrats.   Hell, America's Pac has probably already spent more on ads for Kevin Nicholson than the Dem candidate for Governor will raise. 

That being said stop obsessing over money.  We start out losing the money game, so when we look at the worth of a candidate strictly by dollar signs, we are setting ourselves up for failure. 

Work hard, be aggressive, kick ass, be personable, talk to everyone.....the money will come.
 

Week In Walker - American Flag Edition

By Jeff Simpson

This week in Walker, Scott tried to let us know how much he loves the flag!  As is typical of Scott Walker, what he says and what he actually does, are always two completely different things. 

The Blue Wave can not get here soon enough!   

*  The NFL implemented a new policy that said if any players kneel during the National Anthem, their respective clubs will be fined.

Scott Walker ran to his taxpayer funded cell phone to let the world know how much he "supports the troops" and despises black athletes. 

It’s about time! Glad to see the @NFL stopping the disrespect of our flag and those who have fought to defend our country. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/CVYTZLHzMd

— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) May 23, 2018

The protests were never about the flag or disrespecting it, but Scott Walker has never been the brandy on the top shelf. 



Yet, the exact thing that the players were protesting, the inequality in America, was happening under Scott Walker's nose.   Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown, had a quick stop at a local Walgreen's this winter that did not go very well. 

Not much disrespects the flag more than treating fellow American citizens like this. 

Well maybe this:

But I digress. 

The disgusting display that happened to Mr. Brown, upset Scott Walker so much he took to twitter....ok no he didn't.    He did tweet this a couple days later though:

 @GovWalker The involvement of Milwaukee Police officers and Sterling Brown is an example of exactly why body cameras are so important to our legal system. They are good for both the public and law enforcement.
3:57 PM - 24 May 2018 from Wisconsin, USA 

That is what everyone took out of the Sterling Brown tapes, thank goodness for Body Cams.   Not sure that dense is a strong enough word. 

While Scott Walker could not tweet fast enough to let everyone know he was more patriotic than the NFL players, one tweet that he never sent in supporting the troops was this one.

@GovWalker  It's about time!  Glad to see the Justice System finally put Tim Russell, in jail who has spent years stealing from the veterans in WI.   The thug will not be able to do that anymore.   

Of course, Russell was Scott Walker's right hand man, and used the money to help get Scott Walker elected, which in Scott Walker's mind is the most patriotic thing anyone can do.   

Howie Klein On Democratic Primary in WI-CD 1

Ever since Randy "IronStache" Bryce came out with his introductory video, the nation has been abuzz about the race to win Wisconsin's First Congressional District.  Would Bryce be able to actually "repeal and replace" the long time seat holder, Paul Ryan?  Given the way Bryce's campaign skyrocketed, it seemed to become more real every day.

Then Ryan turned tail and ran like the coward he is.  Rather than work hard and face possible defeat, Ryan chose to retire.  The buzz became deafening.

Unable to gain a fraction of the attention or money that Bryce has earned, one of his opponents, Cathy Myers, chose to run one of the most vile, negative campaigns seen in a primary.  This could be explained in a great part by her choice of campaign manager. Instead of picking a seasoned manager with a winning history, Myers chose to pick someone with no experience and a losing record.  Her campaign manager is so bereft of knowledge and skill that many days he chooses to troll Bryce and his supporters on social media rather than bolster support for his candidate.

And it hasn't escaped national attention either.

Howie Klein is known for his keen insight into progressive politics and is an experienced campaigner.  He is the head of Blue America and blogs at Down With Tyranny.

To say that Klein knows his stuff would be a gross understatement.

And he has been paying attention to the race in Southeast Wisconsin and how the media is treating it.  Here is his spot on analysis summed up in a few paragraphs:

See that word, "bankrupted?" A lot of people know what that is from first-hand experience. Media elites tend not to... though they've heard of it as something that happens to other people. Randy has the most valuable brand-- @IronStache-- of any candidate running for Congress. He had 271,000 followers on Twitter. He has 200,000 Facebook likes. His first video had 4 million social media views. Members of Congress have asked him to come to their districts to campaign for them. I've never heard of that before. It's usually the other way-- members of Congress campaign for candidates. The first member of Congress who came to Randy's district, aside from his immediate neighbors Mark Pocan and Gwen Moore, was Bernie Sanders to announce that he had endorsed Randy.

A lot of people are jealous. And a lot of media folks would like to enhance their own reputations by knocking Randy down a peg or two. Some journalist who can dig up some dirt can make a name for himself.

Randy has a couple of primary opponents and one lies about him all the time. A Hillary supporter when Randy was stumping with Bernie in 2016 she's persuaded her followers that she was the Berniecrat instead. Every time she's throwing her bullshit I want to write about it. Randy has asked me not to. He doesn't believe in negative campaigning against other Democrats ever and he asked me to try changing my behavior as well. "Let's save the negativity for Ryan or Nehlen or for whoever the GOP nominates he told me one time."

But... her campaign operative-- a consultant who she pays $6,000 a month-- has been going to members of the media bad-mouthing Randy and trying to get made up stories going about him from when he was struggling in poverty. The working people Randy appeals to don't pay any of the bullshit much heed. The same stories could be told about them or their families or their friends. But not about the media elites who gobble it up....

Cathy Myers - Tax Cheat

Early in her campaign, Cathy Myers had to float a loan of $30,000 to herself to keep her campaign's finances above water.  When this was revealed in her campaign finance report, I, among many others, thought it must be nice to have that much money laying around to squander it like that.

But now we have learned how she could afford to do it.

She is a tax cheat.

Myers is constantly pointing out that she is a teacher, something that she should be proud of.  But what she doesn't tell people is that she is a teacher in Illinois, where she used to live and still owned a house for a few years after moving to Wisconsin.

And it is that house in Illinois that has people raising their eyebrows in alarm.  Even though she no longer lived there - or in the state - she was taking a $6,000 a year tax deduction on it, apparently illegally (emphasis mine):

Myers, a Janesville School Board member, moved to Wisconsin by 2009 and began voting here in the spring election that year. She contributed to the state Democratic Party two years later, listing Janesville as her home.

An owner-occupied exemption, also known as a general homestead exemption, is meant for someone who owns and occupies a property as a primary residence as of Jan. 1 of the tax year in question, according to the website for the Rockford Township Illinois Office of the Assessor.

Property taxes are a major source of funding for schools, municipal and county governments, technical colleges and sewerage districts.

Thomas J. Walsh, supervisor of assessments for Winnebago County, Ill., said his review of the records confirmed that Myers took the tax break from 2009 to 2012.

Property owners can receive the exemption if they submit a valid lease agreement with a renter at the beginning of each tax year. He said Myers did not do this in 2011 or 2012. Records for previous years, he said, have been disposed of.

Myers is saying she filed her taxes based on the advice of an unnamed tax attorney. Somehow, I sincerely doubt that said attorney, if there was indeed one, had told her that she did not need to file the required forms in order to take this generous tax break.

One of the things that really stands out is the fact that these taxes she cheated on would have gone to pay for the things she holds near and dear to her heart, like schools and teachers' salaries.

But what makes this whole affair especially appalling is that Myers had the audacity to constantly attack Randy "IronStache" Bryce by poor-shaming him due to money troubles he had when his medical bills pushed him into bankruptcy.  The thing is, even though he did have money problems, like so many of us have had at one time or another, he kept his word and made good on his debts.

That's more than Myers can say.

Wi Politics - Recycle, Rinse, Repeat

By Jeff Simpson

Time to clear out my open tabs and catch up on sme news stories that might be flying under the radar a bit. 

* Politifact Jumped The Shark: 

Randy Bryce, candidate for the 1st CD, recently said:

McKinnon: So you're not a politician?
Bryce: No, and I think that's what people like. But I mean, people voted for Trump because he was seen as a non-establishment type guy.

One thing our WImedia does not like, is anyone talking bad about the Golden Boy - Paul Ryan,   Bryce has done that,  so Politifact decided to "test" Bryce's statement that he is not a politician. 

Their findings - because he has run for previous elected positions, that saying he was not a politician was mostly false! 

Bryce, a single father who has lost every election he has ran in, is considered a politician?  I researched politifact and Tom Kertscher, and find them to be a right wing leaning political tool. 

This is the same outfit that said it was false that Scott Walker cut a billion dollars from education and "fact checked" his claim that he paid $1 for a shirt from Kohl's and gave it a "True" rating without any evidence of seeing a receipt or the actual price tag of the sweater.    Perpetually protecting the right wing in Wisconsin. 

Recycle, Rinse, Repeat! 

*  Hariah Hutkowski, proud Walker supporter, former alderman from Sun Prairie and long time political staffer(for Jeremy Thiesfeldt), was recently fired - for being creep. 

"A Republican legislative staffer was fired amid harassment concerns this month — the same day an open records request was filed asking for information about complaints against the aide. Hariah Hutkowski, a staffer for state Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac), was dismissed May 3, Assembly Chief Clerk Patrick Fuller said. That was the day the Journal Sentinel filed an open records request for employee complaints against Hutkowski as well as documents from investigations prompted by any complaints.   

Another long time Republican and predator, was kept on until his actions became public then was thrown under the bus.   
 
Recycle, Rinse, Repeat! 

Who is this long time "conservative" player in WISGOP politics?  Exactly who you would expect him to be.

 council member Hariah Hutkowski stands out for his far-right agenda. He has a degree in political management from the Pat Robertson School of Government at Regent University in Virginia and works as a legislative aide to Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac), who led the charge to repeal the state's comprehensive sex education law. Hutkowski worked previously for Wisconsin Family Action, the socially conservative group that championed Wisconsin's constitutional gay marriage ban and is currently fighting to overturn the state's domestic partner registry.

*  An almost daily headline that does not make anyone even blink anymore:

White supremacist on probation for assaulting a woman at a Trump rally headed to jail for attacking his wife 

I would say that headline is all you need to see, but as we say:

There is more, there's always more! 

Louisville, Kentucky’s WDRB reported Tuesday that white nationalist Matthew Heimbach will serve 38 days in jail after he attacked his wife in front of their two small children over a bizarre love triangle with the TWP’s other co-founder.
The TWP dissolved after a March incident in which Heimbach attacked his own wife after Matt Parrott, the group’s co-founder (who was also his son-in-law), found out he’d been having an affair with his wife. Parrot’s wife is the mother of Heimbach’s wife, and when their affair was discovered, the soon-to-be-jailed white nationalist attacked his co-founder.

#MAGA  #itsafamilyaffair  #recyclerinserepeat #wonderiftheyarerelatedtothepalins

*   Another school shooting, this time in Texas where a junior, killed 10 people and injured another 10.   The tone deafness of the media in our country is on full display here. 

From the story: 

The teen had no previous criminal history and there were no warning signs of the attack, he said.

Also from the same story 

  -  There also is a search warrant out for Pagourtzis' vehicle. He had written in journals and on his computer that he wanted to commit the shooting and commit suicide afterward, Abbott said.     -  Pagourtzis, a junior, shared photographs on a now-defunct Facebook page of a T-shirt that said "born to kill" and clothes adorned with German nationalist iconography.

I know we have gotten to the point where we think, white nationalists are "very fine people" and that they have a right to speak in any platform they want without repercussions, heck we even legislated that in WI(thanks Robin Vos).   
It would seem simple enough to me that if someone is worshipping German Nationalist, you would know what their intentions are.
However, since 1/3 of Americans do not believe 6 million Jews were slaughtered during the Holocaust, we see that the Republican attacks on education are having a real effect on our country and it is not a positive one. 

Recycle, Rines, Repeat!

*  As I have stated numerous times, hate talk radio and far right TV Stations, and even the Donald, squawking 24/7 about how the Democrats are the enemy and coming to take our freedoms and guns away is having deadly consequences. 

As the Las Vegas Shooter was reported to have said:

Less than a month before he killed 58 people and injured hundreds more at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas, Stephen Paddock ranted to a new friend about a supposed government plot to confiscate guns from the American public. The man, whose statement is among many released by investigators this week, told authorities that he met Paddock just weeks before the massacre after the 58-year-old answered an online ad for “schematics to convert semi-automatic guns to fire automatically,” the AP reports.
The man, whose identity is redacted, spoke to authorities in a jailhouse interview after getting arrested on a “possession charge.” He told police during the interview that he was an unemployed chef who’d become desperate for cash after his trust fund ran dry.
The man said in their conversations Paddock ranted about a popular right-wing conspiracy theory that claims FEMA’s actions after Hurricane Katrina were “a dry run for law enforcement and military to start kickin’ down doors and … confiscating guns.”
“Somebody has to wake up the American public and get them to arm themselves,” Paddock said, according to the man. “Sometimes sacrifices have to be made.”

The only thing that has been sacrificed, with the takeover of public airwaves by Republican Hate Talk, is the truth and logic. 

Recycle, Rinse Repeat!   

* Everytime that you skip a rock on the water, you are speeding up our demise! 

"What about erosion?" Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), offered during the exchange. He added: "Every time you have that soil or rock, whatever it is, that is deposited into the seas, that forces the sea levels to rise because now you've got less space in those oceans because the bottom is moving up.

It has nothing at all to do with Global Climate Chang but everything to do with the waves crashing into the shore and rocks being brought back into the water. 

It is incredible that the country that was first to the moon.  The Country that stepped up when our President challenged us:

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

We met the challenge to be the first one on the moon, now we elect people who ridicule NASA and send the least smartest people in the state to Congress and have them decide the career paths of our most brilliant.   

Recycle, Rinse, Repeat! 

To be fair though, in case 97% of the Scientists are all wrong and this guy is right, I will be starting a letter writing campaign to make peeing in waterways illegal.   #dontpeeinthewater

* Finally, just to show that this is bipartisan(even if heavily weighted to the right), the Democrats are working hard to snatch defeats from the jaws of victory. 

Running against Sean Duffy, is Margaret Engebretson. Engebretson is a solid progressive, great on the issues and everything that is good about the Democratic Party. 

Then she announces that she has hired Kristen Hansen:

Margaret Engebretson for Congress is with Joel Sipress.
May 14 at 7:35am ·
We are pleased to announce that Kristin Hansen has joined Margaret's campaign in the role of Campaign Director. Kristin is a veteran of Wisconsin politics who has served in a multitude of campaigns for congressional, senate, and presidential candidates. She will be developing strategies for voter engagement, fundraising, and volunteer action for Margaret's campaign. Please join us in welcoming Kristin on board!

Whis Kristen Hansen, this pillar of Democratic politics in WI?  She used to be the WISDEMS chair of the 5th CD and took to twitter, when Bernie Sanders won the Wisconsin Primary:

 - Can we get hair and makeup into this Sanders event? Thanks.
-  There's only 1 Democrat running for POTUS -  @HillaryClinton. I'm done pretending this is a primary. It's a hostile takeover. #fightback
-  Things I am no longer doing: pretending the Dem race isn't over, being nice to Bernie Bros, nod and smile at misogynists. #emancipation
- You know why we have superdelegates? Because people who are NOT Democrats and don't give a shit about the party can run AS Dems and fuck us.
 - Dear Sen Sanders: I will not let you destroy our party. You were never with us: 'It will be a contested convention'  Ok

Nothing like hiring someone to develop strategies to reach out to voters with that kind of record.   "Hello, I know i told you to FOFF after the primary and liked to ridicule you but would love to sit down and have a conversation about how we can work together to fix the state". 

Not sure that is the best pitch.   At least there is always Bon Iver:

If you want to win elections as a progressive, stop recycling the same people that have been largely responsible for the Democrats demise. 

Recycle, Rinse Repeat! 

 

  

WISGOP Sends Mixed Messages About Trump

The Republican Party of Wisconsin (RPW) held their statewide convention this weekend - yeah, because nothing says like respecting the women in your life like leaving them at home while you go off to plot how to attack women's rights next.

They tried to present an upbeat message and show defiance to the Blue Wave that is sweeping the nation but lost the message by pissing themselves every time a new story or poll about their hand-picked president comes out.

The convention started with RPW chair Brad Courtney advising the loyal establishment voters to vote for the candidate, like Scott Walker, and their abysmal records and not based on Trump and his even more abysmal record:

Dems also see the Trump’s poll numbers as one reason to believe a blue wave is headed to Wisconsin this fall.

Courtney, though, argued Walker’s record, not Trump’s, will be on the ballot in November for Republicans to run on.

Still, he said the president needs to do a better job of selling the benefits of the GOP tax overhaul. Courtney, the president of Courtney Industrial Battery, said he signs 31 individual paychecks and with the overtime many hourly employees make, they aren’t necessarily noticing the impact of the tax cut.

“There is obviously frustration in Washington,” Courtney said. “But we’ve done a lot of good things in Wisconsin over the last eight years, and we’ve delivered on really everything that Gov. Walker has ran on.”

Not all Republican leaders must have got that memo, since many of the electeds spent their time singing Trump's praises. Most notable was when Lyin' Paul Ryan broke out his kneepads:

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) called President Trump an asset in the upcoming 2018 midterm elections, saying he has resonated with voters in key states.

"The president is strong in these states," Ryan said on Saturday at the Wisconsin Republican convention, according to The Associated Press.

"He's an asset...Whether I'm running around southern Wisconsin or America, nobody is talking about Stormy Daniels. Nobody is talking about Russia. They're talking about their lives and their problems. They're talking about their communities, they're talking about jobs, they're talking about the economy, they're talking about national security," he continued.

In other words, who cares about Trump's womanizing, adultery, overt racism, ties to Russia or scandal plagued administration - as long as the rich get their massive tax breaks and we get to kick millions off of Medicare, life is good!

What I really don't understand is that they've seen for the past year dozens of Trump-loving Republicans get swept away, yet they're still clinging to him. It's like tying yourself to the railing on the Titanic as its going under. It just makes no damn sense.

The Gales Of November Are Coming

By Jeff Simpson

Milwaukee County Sheriff:
*  Earnell Lucas (Democrat) 

Wisconsin State Assembly:
* Marisabel Cabrera (D) Assembly District 9 (Josh Zepnick Incumbent) @votemarisabel
* Representative David Bowen (D) - Assembly District 10 @davidfbowen
* Chris Rockwood (D) -Assembly District 14 (open seat) @RockwoodforWI
*  Robyn Vining (D) - Assembly District 14 (open seat) @RobynforWI
* Lillian Cheeseman (D) - Assembly District 15 (Joe Sanfelippo - Incumbent) @WIlikescheese
* Representative David Crowley - Incumbent - 17th Assembly District.  @RepDavidCrowley
* Representative Evan Goyke - Incumbent - 18th. 
* Representative Jonathon Brostoff - Assembly District 19 @RepBrostoff

* Emily Siegrist (D) - Assembly District 24 (Dan Knodl- Incumbent) @Siegrist4WI
* Brittany Keyes (D) - Assembly District 31 (Amy Loudenbeck - incumbent) 
* Dr. Katherine Gaulke (D) -Assembly District 32 (Tyler August - Incumbent) @Gaulke4assembly
* Brandon White (D) - Assembly District 33 (Cody Horlacher - Incumbent)
*  Charisse Daniels (D) - Assembly District 37 (John Jagler - Incumbent)   @voteforcharisse
*  Elisha Barudin (D) - Assembly District 39 (Mark Born - Incumbent)  @ElishaforWi 
* Tyler Raley (D) - Assembly District 42 (open seat) @raley4WIAssembly
* Representative Mark Spreitzer - Assembly District 45  @markforassembly
* Gary Hebl - Incumbent - 46th Assembly District
* Representative Jimmy Anderson - 47th Assembly District @jimmyforassembly
* Melissa Sargent - Incumbent - Assembly District 48 @Repsargent
* Mike Mooney (D) - 49th Assembly District (Travis Tranel - Incumbent) 
* Jeffrey Wright (D) -51st Assembly District (Todd Novak - Incumbent) @wrightforassembly
* Representative Gordon Hintz - 54th Assembly District @GordonHintz
* Representative Amanda Stuck - 57th Assembly District @RepStuckWI
* Dennis Degenhardt (D) - 58th Assembly District (Rick Gundrum - incumbent) @Degenhardtforassembly
* Chris Rahlf (D) - Assembly District 60 (Rob Brooks - Incumbent) @ChrisforWI
* Gina Walkington (D) - Assembly District 61 (Samantha Kerkman - Incumbent) @ginawalkington
* Representative Chris Taylor (D) Assembly District 76 @Christaylorwi
* Sheila Stubbs (D) - Assembly District 77 (Open seat) @sheilastubbsforassembly
* Representative Dianne Hesselbein - Assembly District 79 @rephesselbein
*Representative Dave Considine - Assembly District 81
* Erica Case (D) -Assembly District 84 (Mike Kuglitsch - incumbent) @Flynn4WI
*  Alyson Leahy (D) - Assembly District 85 (Patrick Snyder - Incumbent) @alysonforwisco
*  Elizabeth Riley (D) - Assembly District 87 (Jimmy Boy Edming - Incumbent) @Hellingaround

Wisconsin State Senate:  
* Kyle Whelton (D) Senate District 9 (Devin LaMahieu -incumbent) @Kylewhelton *  Kriss Marion (D) - Senate District 17 (Howard Marklein - Incumbent) @Krissforwisconsinstatesenate
*  Lee Snodgrass (D) Senate District 19 ( Roger Roth - Incumbent) 
* Lori Hawkins (D) Senate District 21 (Van Wannggard - incumbent) @hawkinsforwi
* Jeff Smith (D) Senate District 31(open seat) 

Wisconsin Gubernatorial Primary: 

*  Michael Crute @Cruteforwi
*  Tony Evers   @tony4wi
*  Matt Flynn @ForwardWFlynn
* Mahlon Mitchell @MahlonMitchell 
*  Jeff Rumbaugh  @JeffRumbaugh 
* Kathleen Vinehout  @VinehoutK
*  Mike McCabe @BlueJensGov
* Andy Gronik @AndyGronik

US Senate:

*  Tammy Baldwin @TammyBaldwin

The primary in Wisconsin is August 14th, and election day is November 6th.   

Here is a partial list of people running to save the great State of WI.  If you are not on here and are an incumbent or running against someone from the Fitzwalkerstan party, it means I was unable to find your name and information in a quick search (hint hint), so please either email me your info(jeff_simpson7@yahoo.com) or leave it in the comments, and I will continue to update this post. 

For everyone else, I have tried to include links to the candidates facebook page, website and their twitter handle.  Please add them/like them on social media, tell all your friends in their districts about them and possibly, pick one or two and send them a couple bucks. 

We need a heavy dose of change in WI! 

Forward!