Saturday, April 23, 2016

What's Wrong With the WISDEMS? Gordon Hintz!

By Jeff Simpson

If you want to know why the Democratic Party has went from controlling the legislature and the Governors office to being irrelevant in the state, I can sum it up in two words.

Gordon Hintz.

I am not talking about when he threatened Michelle Litjens with violence, thus allowing the Republicans to switch the debate from the horrors of ACT10 to the violence of the Dems.   I am also not talking about the fact that he likes to drive without license or insurance.  I am not even talking about the fact that in a state where sexual trafficing is a major problem was arrested for visiting prostitutes.  I mean come on, in Wisconsin even Robin Vos can get dates(they are usually married but still dates) without paying.  

I am actually referring to his latest hot headed rant.

It seems that someone has decided that they want to perform their civic duty in America and run for office.  Apparently, they did not get the permission of Mr. Hintz and it does not sit well with him.

From Jessie Opoien and the Cap Times:

This is such a distraction," said Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh. "Think about this. Hopefully all 35 of us (Democrats in the Assembly) are going to come out strongly for Robb. Every dollar and every door that we do for our colleague is another dollar and another door that we’re not doing in a Republican district that we can win. When we pick up a seat or two fewer in the fall, I’m going to think about these so-called progressive hypocrites that went after this unnecessary seat to make themselves happy or to high-five their friends at the co-op."
Let's take a look at this statement:

There are 35(out of 99 seats) in the assembly that are democrats,  That means they have lost 64 seats to Republicans.  I am not sure how many doors and dollars they have spent trying to win some of the 64 Republican seats but it is not working.

*  "Progressive Hypocrites" like the vast majority of elected Democratic elected officials who came out strong for Hillary Clinton despite her poor record on Human rights and middle class job?  

*  He has managed so far to completely rip on the part of the Democratic base that belongs to Co-Ops.   Now we know why they voted for Nader.  

There is more:

Hintz, who has served in the Assembly since 2007, called Anderson's move shortsighted.
He also noted that Anderson's campaign is staffed by current and former members of the League of Conservation Voters and Fair Wisconsin, groups that have endorsed Republicans as recently as 2014.
 
* why stop at Co-Ops, now Hintz has offended the League of Conservation Voters AND Fair Wisconsin

There is even more: 

  Hintz said he generally has mixed feelings about primary challenges in safe districts, adding that it's not enough for the incumbent to have voted with the party. Kahl, he said, has been a team player who works to get Democrats elected throughout the state.That's the kind of attitude progressives should want in a candidate, Hintz argued.
"I'm in the business of trying to elect more Democrats, not trying to increase the size of the Solidarity Singers," Hintz said.
*  As for the working to get more Democrats elected, see above.  there are 35/99.   They are not working that hard.  

*   So now Mr. Hintz has made fun of the Solidarity Singers.   The only people who Hintz seems not have ripped on as part of the Democratic base are a few lobbyists.  

But wait there is so much more:, Robb Kahl jumps in:

The incumbent, Kahl, hasn't decided whether he'll seek re-election — but he talks like a candidate looking toward a future campaign.
Kahl said the delay is more personal than anything — he and his family are moving to a new home and haven't had much time to discuss it together. He said he'll make his decision known within the next few weeks out of courtesy to anyone else who might be considering a run.
The deadline to turn in signatures is June 1.  It is the end of APril, if Mr, Kahl decides to not run and lets us know that "in a few weeks" who can turn it around in a few days?   

In response to Anderson's suggestions that Kahl isn't representing the interests of his party or his constituents, Kahl challenged him to point to a vote demonstrating that.
Anderson cited a 2013 bill that prohibits people from trafficking food stamp benefits. The measure, signed into law by Walker in July 2013,passed the Assembly on a bipartisan 73-24 vote. Kahl was one of 13 Democrats to support it.
He also cited a bill that would have made it easier for private, out-of-state companies to buy municipal water systems. That bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote, which means no roll call was taken. The Senate did not take it up.
Challenge offered and Challenge accepted.  Unfortunately there is more:

"He (Anderson), like a lot of, frankly, extremists on the far end of the spectrum, cannot seem to get past this fascination or obsession with Scott Walker," Kahl said.
So true, except for the fact that our schools have been devastated, major companies have closed down, we have record debt, hundreds of thousands of workers have taken majkor pay cuts,  and we have given millions to donors via the scam of WEDC,  Except for that one would hardly know that Scott Walker was Governor.  Move along nothing to see here.   
"This whole fascination with whether or not I’ve been a Democrat since birth is frankly nauseating, and the voters are sick of it, too," Kahl said. "My journey here has not been a straight line, but I also do not apologize for that fact ... I think the majority of voters in this state don’t simply live by this strict ideology of politics that is really only being dictated to us by the extremists on both sides."

"People like Jimmy Anderson don’t understand that reality," Kahl said. "It’s clear he just wants to come out and take this hard stance on the far end of the spectrum. That’s his prerogative, but I can assure you, if he is elected, the people of the 47th will not be served, because he will get nothing done."

Nobody works as hard as the current group of Dems, I mean without them we would not have been able to give the billionaire Bucks owners 500 million dollars of our money to build a new arena.   When you have a solid record like the current Wisdems, it makes sense that you would speculate as to how hard others would work.    '

Also nothing drives up turnout on election day like sitting legislators rip[ping on their base.  

Besides the person who these two are skewering for wanting to be involved in our democracy?

Jimmie Anderson:

Anderson said his desire to serve in public office stems from personal tragedy. In 2010, he and his family were hit by a drunk driver in California. The crash left Anderson paralyzed from the chest down and killed his parents and younger brother.
A California native, Anderson and his wife decided to stay in Dane County after finishing their law and veterinary degrees in Madison. He founded a nonprofit, Drive Clear, aimed at preventing drunk driving and helping its victims. With that organization established, Anderson started looking for his next move.
Having benefited from the highly politicized Affordable Care Act in the treatment of his injuries, Anderson was inspired to run for office. The provision of the law prohibiting health insurance policies from placing lifetime limits on most benefits kicked in just as Anderson had learned he was close to reaching his plan's lifetime limit.
"It was a wake-up call," he said. "I had been kind of cynical about politics, and it made me realize I needed to do something."

The nerve of Mr. Anderson surviving a horrible tragedy and wanting to give back to the public with his life that has been forever changed.  

Gordon Hintz owes Mr. Anderson and the Democratic base an apology.   

He owes it immediately and publicly.    





8 comments:

  1. Maybe Gordon Hintz just needs to find someone to give him a legal happy ending. Then he'll learn to not be such an uptight prick.

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  2. This post is out of bounds. You spend day after day complaining about the WisDems not going after Walker enough, and that they're too timid, and that they don't stand up for Dem values.

    And then you go and rip a guy who stood as strong as anyone while serving on the Joint Finance Committee during this horrendous 2015-17 budget, and someone who gave an amazing speech defending public service and public employees during the Act 10 debate in the Assembly. This is also the same guy who ripped the daylights out of Debbie Wasserman-Schultz on Facebook for associating with payday loan scumbags.

    But because Gordon said something you didn't like, you decide to dump a bunch of right-wing talking points and related slant jobs against him in a blog post. Brilliant move, Jeff.

    Look, I think Hintz's comment criticizing Anderson for primarying a Dem in a safe seat is out of line, especially when he goes into what seems to be reflexive party-backing and hippie-punching ("Solidarity Singer" and "co-op" smack is really weak sauce). As someone who has met Rep. Hintz personally on a few occasions and is a big fan of the guy, I don't know where those comments came from, I find them very disappointing, and I think it doesn't help the Party or Rep. Hintz's image and future.

    But Jeff, you manage to make nearly every post and Facebook comment about how badly the DPW and most incumbents suck and you go out of your way to rip them and never learn to be constructive about it. I'm someone who's hammered the Party and certain insiders at times, but even I find your act tired at this point, you've pretty much gone over the shark at this point.

    Jeff, I'm not saying you should "clap harder", but I am saying you might want to take it above a high school level. As we all should (Gordon included, by the way)

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    Replies
    1. Everything Jake said. I concur.

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    2. Jake, I have found that to be a common problem in the 6CD and was hit pretty hard myself by 6CD chair Kerry Trask with almost the same verbiage when I took a stand against DINO Jim Brey and his ilk. In private it was much worse having endured a series of long and obscenity filled phone calls explaining why my ridicule of the Act-10 supporting candidate was not the act of a "Team player". Maybe this is a 6CD problem and maybe not but it certainly is a serious one and should not be taken lightly. That is before you consider the other well documented behaviors.
      Mr. Hintz is pretty lucky he is in a well gerrymandered district isolating Liberals. Of course the down side on that is that Liberals dont like to be insulted and marginalized. This is after all, an era of revolution in which the needlessly arrogant might well lose their heads.

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    3. I don't disagree with what you're saying Bernie, and that it seems far too many Dems are willing to "play ball" rather than fight foe change and improvement.

      What I am saying is that Gordon Hintz has done both, and I'm seeing a tendency for people like Jeff to childishly throw everyone overboard that gets one iota out of line in one incident.

      I also don't like sellout Dems and we need to strengthen the party from the left, and that the smug consultants need to be diminished if not purged. But that doesn't mean we should get rid of all people who decide to play the game, because many do beliece in the right things, and some even act on them. And going off on a legit progressive like Gordon is childish and not the way to get that change done.

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    4. Jake, there is "playing the game" and then there is just being an A-hole.
      One represents a different approach to tactics which is another discussion.
      The latter is self destruction.

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  3. Sorry guys I respect you but I disagree here. How do we plan on winning anything when we have elected reps so disconnected with the electorate?


    I wish I didn't have so many complaints with the party but all I see if business's as usual and the same people doing the same things over and over.

    This election is too important to pass it away to protect the establishment.


    I think it's very important that hintz apologize for needlessly ripping on so many groups that have nothing to do with the whole process of a guy wants to run.

    Speaking of right wing talking points how long until they use his comments ripping on the base?

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  4. Charles Koch is getting behind Hillary Clinton!

    http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/04/24/charles-koch-says-he-could-possibly-support-hillary-clinton/

    Is this a great party or what! You can lay total republican control of Wisconsin directly at the feet of the democratic party of Wisconsin.

    And now, at a national level, they are preparing to run the Koch candidate!

    ReplyDelete