Michelle Wolf Did Not Fail Us, Everyone Else In The Room Did!

By Jeff Simpson

The White House Correspondents Dinner was held this weekend and they hired Comedienne Michelle Wolf to be the headline entertainment.  Ms. Wolf did exactly what she was paid to do, 20 minutes of on point, funny, political commentary. 

I personally have always had a problem with the White House Correspondent Dinner.   They use this night to show the world that, while they all pretend to have and do their different jobs, its all just one little club of people who need to be seen and want to be liked. It reminds me way too much of this:

The Donald, who can not stay away from anyone who criticizes him, had this to say:

 On Sunday, he called comedian Michelle Wolf -- who ripped into Trump and his aides on national television -- "filthy" and suggested that the organization "put Dinner to rest, or start over!"

Coming from this guy that is rich:

The White House Correspondents Association, while under pressure from many of the inside club to apologize, did what most "leaders" do in these situations - parsed her words to save her ass. 

 the association’s president expressing regret that Wolf’s monologue did not live up to the “spirit” of the dinner’s mission, which is “not to divide people.”

Sorry that ship has sailed:

The reality is that there should be a wall between the press and politicians that they cover, not a wall keeping people from seeing them partying together. 

The reality is, if this is the worst thing that Sarah Sanders has had to deal with in Washington D.C, after things like this, there is no real press in D.C. 

The reality is, if a comedian telling jokes laced in truth, makes you uncomfortable, then you have never asked a tough question of the people in power. 

The reality is if you think that you do not deserve any criticism and anyone who would dare is "elite" than you are the problem!

Matt Schlapp @MSchlapp‏Verified accou @mschlappMoreMy wife @mercedesschlapp and I walked out early from the wh correspondents dinner. Enough of elites mocking all of us.

Who is Matt Schlapp and what the hell does he mean by "all of us"?

Let me introduce you to Matt Schlapp:

Matthew Aaron "Matt" Schlapp (born December 18, 1967) is an American political figure who is chairman of the American Conservative Union,[2] the oldest conservative lobbying organization in the country. Schlapp also serves as principal at Cove Strategies, a government and public affairs firm based in Alexandria, Virginia. Previously he served as vice president of federal affairs at Koch Companies Public Sector, LLC. He also served as George W. Bush’s deputy assistant and political director.[3] He is also a FOX political contributor.

 By "all of us" he means anyone who just wants to cash in on America and not be called out for it. 

A true Snowflake!

Let us help the Donald finally be right about a promise and end this silly event.

Until the members of the media realize that they are not on the same team as the elected officials, that they are there to bring us unvarnished truth, no matter who it makes uncomfortable, then we will continue to be in this mess and it will not matter how many times we change the faces of Congress. 

It is much more important to our children's future that we know everything going on in Washington D.C., than it is that Mike Brezinski, Andrea Mitchell(a walking conflict of interest) and Brit Hume get invited to the private parties so they can have free bacon wrapped scallops and 18 year old Scotch.

We must demand they build that wall, our Democratic Republic depends on it!

Flint STILL doesn't have clean water! 

Neither does Milwaukee! 

 

Paul Ryan Fires House Chaplain

News is out that the Cowardly Lyin' Paul Ryan has shoved the House Chaplain, Father Patrick Conroy, out the door. But as with all things Ryan, his compulsive lying has muddied the waters for those seeking the truth.

Ryan, through his spokeswoman, at first denied having fired Conroy. Then he admitted it but tried to blame Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for it:

But Ryan’s spokeswoman, AshLee Strong, forcefully denied those allegations and said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) could have stopped Conroy’s ouster.

“The speaker is a proud, deeply Catholic person and this charge is not only false but outrageous,” Strong said in a statement. “The speaker told Leader Pelosi that he would not move forward with the decision if she objected and she chose not to.”

Strong did not provide a reason why Ryan wanted Conroy to step down.

A Pelosi aide confirmed she was given advance notice by Ryan but disputes that she could have prevented Conroy's resignation. Pelosi made clear to Ryan she disagreed with the decision and told the speaker she had heard only positive feedback from members about Conroy, according to the aide.

Strong later walked back the assertion that Pelosi could have prevented Conroy’s firing. “The speaker consulted with the minority leader, but the decision was his. He remains grateful for Father Conroy’s service,” she said in a statement late Thursday.

There's no doubt that Ryan fired Conroy, especially given the fact that Conroy started his resignation letter with "At your request..."

When it comes to the why Ryan would do such a reprehensible thing, the first time in U.S. history that the House Chaplain was fired, the waters even get murkier with a lot of speculations and Ryan doing nothing to explain himself.

One of the possible reasons is that Conroy had had invited a Muslim cleric to give the blessing prayer:

Earlier today, I heard the news that House Chaplain Father Conroy was forced to resign by Speaker Ryan. Here is my statement: pic.twitter.com/qUgYEKuLEP

— Sr. Simone Campbell (@sr_simone) April 26, 2018

The main consensus, however, appears to be that Ryan was upset when Conroy reminded the representatives that they needed to think of the poor while debating the GOP tax scam bill:

“As legislation on taxes continues to be debated this week and next, may all Members be mindful that the institutions and structures of our great nation guarantee the opportunities that have allowed some to achieve great success, while others continue to struggle,” Conroy said in the prayer.

“May their efforts these days guarantee that there are not winners and losers under new tax laws, but benefits balanced and shared by all Americans.”

This would be more believable, as such a prayer is in direct conflict with Ryan's true beliefs, as learned from the High Priestess Ayn Rand of the Church of the Almighty Dollar.

But perhaps the most striking aspect of this story is the fact that Ryan has spent the last two years studiously avoiding from offering the least bit of criticism of Trump - whether it be for his womanizing, his bragging of sexually assaulting women, his overt racism or his repeated endangerment of national security. But let a priest remind him about his responsibility to help the poor, - why them there's fighting words! And apparently just cause, in Ryan's zombie eyes anyway, for termination.

;Cross posted from Crooks and Liars

Representative Sargent Deals With NRA Death Threats!

By Jeff Simpson 

A couple months ago, someone posted a threat on Scott Walker's facebook page and the guilty person was immediately called out in the press and charged.   

A Menomonee Falls firefighter has been charged with making online threats against Gov. Scott Walker earlier this month. 
Nicholas Hager, 45, of Lannon was charged with disorderly conduct and using a computer message to threaten injury or harm, according to the criminal complaint filed March 19 in Waukesha County Circuit Court. Both charges are misdemeanors. 
 The post allegedly mentioned taking guns to the governor's home, according to the complaint.
"I suggest we take all our firearms to the governor's mansion and execute the parasite," Hager allegedly wrote. 

A random facebook comment, is call to get the media in Wisconsin scrambling and it also gives cover to Scott Walker to push his latest talking points:

Walker, who is up for a third term in November, made the charge against Democrats on Twitter the night a liberal-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court trounced her conservative opponent. Walker has repeated it many times in the week since, as he also sounds an alarm about Wisconsin being hit by a "blue wave" in November.
"Their rhetoric is increasingly not just liberal, but filled with hatred and anger towards me, towards the president, towards Republicans in general," Walker said on the "Fox and Friends" show broadcast nationwide Monday.

As one would expect, what the right wing accuses the left of doing, they are doing but turn up the vitriol to 11.

However the difference is, do not expect these thugs to be charged, ticketed, questioned, written about in the media or even mentioned by Walker. 

As my friend, Assembly Rep Melissa Sargent found out tonight.  If you have a D tacked on to your last name you are open game and no one cares. 

Rep. Sargent posted that she proudly would accept no money from the terrorist group AKA the NRA.   Then the positive things that the Walker told us the WISGOP stand for, showed up:

Josh Muth Traitor.
You will hang with the rest of your ilk once found GUILTY.
He wants to hang Democrats and we will see today if anyone cares in the press or the police.   next thing you know White Supremacists like Josh Muth, who are empowered by the Donald, will be shooting up a waffle house or blowing themselves up making bombs.  Yet the poor Republicans will continue to play the victim and the reality, as always is something completely different.    

#CruteforWisconsin

By Jeff Simpson

Local entrepreneur and owner of the only progressive radio show/station in the state - Michael Crute - has thrown his hat in the ring for Governor.

Lets let him tell his own story:



Crute took a look at the field and so no one who had the fire and was seriously campaigning.   He felt they needed bold so he stepped up. 

Again more from Crute:

Liberal talk radio host Mike Crute announced on his Devil's Advocates radio show that he intended to run, saying anyone who doesn't take him seriously does so "at their own peril." Crute has used the show to promote liberal causes and give a platform to Democratic candidates and office holders since its debut in 2012.
"You've never seen bold like I'm about to bring down on the state of Wisconsin," Crute said. His campaign slogan is "We're all Badgers."

You know that he has already turned some heads because it took all of one day for the righty hack from the Journal Sentinel to write a column lying about him(remember when newspapers had credibility?). 

One has to give Crute credit for sheer audacity. To date, he has cajoled other Democrats to spend $10,000 in advertising on his liberal station to promote their own campaigns — money that he could indirectly use to subsidize his own campaign.

As Crute says:

@cruteforwi
 2h2 hours ago
More
Hey Christian @Schneider_CM, realize you do columns, not journalism. BUT, you could verify facts you don’t comprehend, right? Candidate spending on my station is public-FCC file, go look! The Dem field hasn’t spent $10k in TOTAL on #WRRD.

Go look?  Like actually do work and try and bring facts to your column? Ha!  Crute must not have read Schneider much or he would not have wasted his time giving him facts or asking him to do research. 

But wait there is more, there is always more:

Schneider sends out a coded signal to the businesses around town they had better stay away from advertising on Crute's radio station:

perhaps more people will have heard of his station in the short-term, but what advertiser is going to spend money on his airwaves knowing they’re simply contributing to his campaign? Will any of the area’s businesses fork over their cash to subsidize the Mike Crute vanity reality show? 

Of course he fails to look in the mirror and ask why would anyone advertise in the Journal Sentinel when all they are doing is feeding this clown who then turns around and writes ridiculous bile.   Also why would anyone buy popcorn from RoJo's popcorn, when what they consume is just going to fund the ALEC agenda in WI? 

However I digress, thinking that Schneider is there to actually bring something worthwhile to the public debate.

I am all in for Crute!  If you are, or want to take a look - visit:

Crute for Wisconsin!

Also help him get some signatures!

We are all Badgers and now we have someone who will actually fight for us! 

Vote Crute!

This Week in Fitzwalkerstan

By Jeff Simpson

Now that the Spring elections are over, its time to catch up on all we have been missing.   Here are some stories that have not gotten any, or at least real, coverage in the news.

1.  Scott Walker, desperately tried not to hold special elections for two seats that were open, because of he appointed some fellow Republicans to cushy state jobs to pad their pensions. 

One of the reasons Walker held off on filling the seat of Frank Lasee, was because he knew the end result would not be pretty for the WISGOP again.    He knew that Andre Jacque would then run for the Senate seat opening.

Andre Jacque was first elected in the right wing wave of 2010 and has been a solid player in the cuckoo caucus of Wisconsin Republicans ever since.  While he has a solid layer of support amongst the far right Appling contingent.

Jacque however, has zero support amongst the ALEC/WMC employees who treated him like a circus clown who performed for them when they needed his vote.

Now that Walker was forced to call a special election, and Jacque is running for the Senate District 1 seat, all of the people that work with Jacque are supporting a no name "business" man who refuses to ask or answer questions. 

The GOP have nothing but true disdain for the far right "evangelicals", especially when they start straying from the reservation and want to actually set the agenda and pass legislation.

Here, the lady that hit a cop, gives the wisgop a forum to hammer on Jacque(starts around 17 minutes in).

Jacque and Walker exposed that fact, we will see if Julianne and her friends can see that.

*  In Racine County, our valuable Wisconsin taxpayer dollars are being spent to kick Wisconsin Citizens out of their new homes because they are "blighted".

On the evening of March 20 a full room of Racine County residents assembled to make and hear public statements before the board of the Community Development Authority of Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin. One item was on the agenda: the board’s first step in the designation of some 3,000 acres of agricultural land, farm houses and scattered, neatly maintained single-family homes as “blighted.” It would be the final step for the local authorities — vital cogs in the Foxconn-booster leadership chain that runs from local Tea Party officials, to Governor Scott Walker, and all the way up to President Donald Trump — to fulfill the promise to Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn to obtain and then turn over the land for their proposed industrial complex. 

The WisGop used to at least pretend to care about smaller government and local control! 

If you are upset that the Government is taking away beautiful dream homes at pennies on the dollar, just "Go Suck Lemons!"

*  Kentucky Governor Matt Blevins, is following the Walker public education plan and gutting it.   The teachers took the day to head to the Capitol to protest and make their voices be heard.   Bloviating Blevins had this to say:

"I guarantee you today, somewhere in Kentucky today, a child was sexually assaulted that was left home because there was nobody there to watch them," Bevin told reporters on Friday, April 13.

 The Governor, feels that teachers are babysitters and not teachers and while he thinks they are the first line defense for child molesters he still does not think that that warrants a fair days wage.

By the way if you want more words of wisdom from Mr. Blevins, he will be the keynote speaker this year at the Wisconsin Republican Convention.  Let's hope no child gets sexually assaulted while the parents are busy watching him give a brilliant speech. 

*  As the WisGOP continue to deny reality, one thing many of the far right nuts were complaining about was that the multi arrested Screnock did not hit Rebecca Dallet enough for giving a speech in San Francisco.

However, these same nonpartisan, impartial watchdogs, have been and continue to be extremely quiet about their hero, Scott Walker, traveling the country and begging for money from some of the worst people in the world.

One of those disgusting people, that Walker runs to often to kiss his rings, is the old fossil from Vegas Sheldon Adelson.

LAS VEGAS — Republicans made their annual sojourn to the lavish Venetian hotel here this weekend to kiss the ring of a benefactor they need more than ever: casino mogul Sheldon Adelson.Confronting the potential loss of one or both chambers of Congress in the midterms, and struggling to raise money against an energized Democratic base, the party is desperate for Adelson’s millions. So the praise at the annual Republican Jewish Coalition conference he hosts overflowed, even though the billionaire, attending the funeral of a close friend in Israel, wasn’t on hand.

The disgusting Adelson, will not be mentioned on our friends from the right wing's blogs between now and the election.

*  Scott Walker's good friend and all around horrible guy - Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, who has been indicted for blackmailing a woman he had an affair with to keep quiet, has now filed a restraining order to keep his Attorney General away from him. 

If these two do not define "Conservative reforms", no one does. 

* Finally we will leave you with this quote from our current Republican President, that will go down in history as one of the most inspiring:

Are we ready for another few years of a ridiculous circus act or will we vote adults in charge in November?   

Schimel: Voter ID Gave Trump Win In State

Wisconsin Attorney General was on the air with a right wing squawker, bragging about the damaging effects of the state's draconian Voter ID law:

Election officials and Democrats in Wisconsin have repeatedly argued that the state’s strict voter ID law allowed Donald Trump to win the state in 2016 by keeping thousands of voters—predominantly in Democratic-leaning areas—from the polls. Now a top Republican official in the state is saying the same thing.

“We battled to get voter ID on the ballot for the November ’16 election,” Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, who defended the law in court, told conservative radio host Vicki McKenna on April 12. “How many of your listeners really honestly are sure that Sen. [Ron] Johnson was going to win reelection or President Trump was going to win Wisconsin if we didn’t have voter ID to keep Wisconsin’s elections clean and honest and have integrity?”

Of course, when sued, Schimel couldn't identify one case of voter fraud where voter ID would have stopped it.. Not one.

But it has been proven time and time again that the law did keep tens of thousands of Wisconsinites from the polls:

I don't know that this is the best thing for Schimel to brag about, especially when he's up for reelection this fall. Then again, he's been too busy being the top attorney for the Republicans and buying scads of swag to actually do his job, much less do it well. Otherwise, the state wouldn't be facing a backlog of thousands of untested rape kits.

Fortunately, he does have a very qualified opponent this year - Josh Kaul. Kaul is the son of the late former Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager and the lead attorneywho's been taking it to Schimel regarding the Voter ID laws:

Kaul's lawsuit challenged a broad swath of voting rules. In July 2016, a federal judge kept in place the requirement to show ID at the polls, but struck down a number of other laws, including restrictions on when and where early voting could occur.

Judge James Peterson found Wisconsin's voting laws discriminated against minorities and labeled the voter ID law "a cure worse than the disease" that tried to address "mostly phantom voter fraud." His ruling forced the state to make changes to the system it uses to issue IDs to those who have the most difficulty obtaining them, such as people who don't have birth certificates or Social Security numbers.

It's as they say, when people vote, Republicans lose. Schimel just verified that.

The Crisis of our Democracy

By Tony Evers

As I travel across this state, meeting Wisconsinites of all ages and from all walks of life, I have never been more optimistic for our future.

From researchers at UW-Madison who are one step closer to finding a cure for cancer to family farmers who are using innovation, creativity and technology to change the course of small-scale agriculture in Wisconsin – I continue to be amazed by the strength, ingenuity and determination of our people.

We have a growing problem though, one that threatens the very opportunities and unlimited potential we hold as a state.  The foundation of our democracy is in crisis.

Those in power seek to wield more power, rather than use the power they have to do the most good.  While they benefit, the rest of us don’t.

Our system has been rigged by those in power.  Scott Walker and legislative Republicans have changed our laws so millionaires and billionaires, with their deep pockets, have even more influence.  We have more money being spent on our elections than ever before.  But it doesn’t end there.  During redistricting, they gerrymandered our legislative districts so badly and so lop-sided, the US Supreme Court is now contemplating intervening to restore balance.  We even have a candidate for our State Supreme court, supported by Scott Walker, that is refusing to recuse himself from cases involving major campaign donors.

Unlike the rest of us who are expected to follow the rules, if Scott Walker and the majority party don’t like the law, they just change it.  They’ve exempted themselves from political corruption investigations.  They’re on the cusp of changing our special elections laws after leaving two legislative districts without representation for months, silencing 200,000 Wisconsinites, simply because they’re afraid of losing seats to Democrats.  Speaking of rule changes, let’s not forget when Scott Walker attempted to destroy Wisconsin’s open records laws during his campaign for President!

Folks, this isn’t ok.  The majority party has lost touch with the values of public service – it’s about serving the public, not serving ourselves.  Too many of our politicians in Madison and Washington DC are tone-deaf.  They’re not listening and frankly, they don’t want to.  We’ve reached such a tipping point that our kids, who are not even old enough to vote, are stepping up and leading a national conversation on gun safety.  It’s extraordinary.

Our country was founded on a system of checks and balances, commonsense, and on principles of fairness and equality.  We cannot grow and thrive as a state, if the foundation of our government is crumbling around us.

As Governor, I will restore this much-needed balance and I’ll do it immediately.  I’ll make it easier to vote, not harder.  I won’t hide from open records requests and public inquiries.  My priorities include non-partisan redistricting and overturning Citizen’s United.  I’ll restore integrity to our elections – protecting us against Russian aggression and ensuring decisions around our elections are based on what’s right not what’s politically advantageous.  It’s time we return power to the people.

Who Is Randy Bryce - by Tracey Sperko

The following is from a Facebook post written by Tracey Sperko, as the title implies.  I am reproducing it here with her full permission and edited only to fit the format of the site.

The first time I met Randy Bryce was on a cloudy, windy morning when he rode up on his Harley. He was going to meet Mayor Barrett of Milwaukee, who had come out to send a group of us off to a protest Governor Walker in Madison. Can you hear Us Roar was a protest of thousands of motorcycles around the capitol and I was connected to Randy to do outreach from Southeast WI. The event went well except for the fact there was a misunderstanding with Madison and I was left with $2000 bill for union bug t-shirts. When Randy heard this, he called me up and met me to take the shirts to an Iron workers’ meeting and sell some. With Randy’s help, I was able to break even on the t-shirts. You see, I didn’t know him, but he called me sister. We were both in the military. He also discovered my WWII dad was an iron worker also. That is my experience with Randy Bryce. He is the kind of man that he would help someone he barely knew, unasked.

When I was working with homeless veterans in Milwaukee, Randy would drive up with donations. He checked in with me. Randy was this quieter guy who always came through. He was knowledgeable about veterans issues and supportive of their needs with his own money and his own time. I came to think of Randy as gentle giant who would come through in a pinch. He didn’t have an ego in the room, but asked where help was needed.

I was deeply involved in veteran issues and it was everything that I was with a blurring of lines. At the height of my good work one of those dramatic betrayals by folks I thought were friends happened. I will always remember Randy’s support. I was wounded. People didn’t know how bad it affected me, but it changed me. I had a position as Chair of the Veterans Caucus for the Democratic Party and I didn’t feel or want to do anything with veterans anymore, but I had to find someone who cared as much as I did. I had to recruit someone who had a heart. I had to find someone who would advocate for veterans issues. It was really simple, I called Randy Bryce. His name was the only name I had on my list to take over from me. Sadly, on my part I couldn’t handle things for a while and didn’t keep my promise to transition it for him. I left him hanging. Randy, being Randy, kept on doing. I have never apologized to him, but I do here. He has always been decent to me, respectful and kind, but sadly I don’t know that I was to him.

I support Randy Bryce for the man he is and the walk he does. If you want someone who has empathy, who is real, and who will listen, then it clear to me who you need to vote for- the Gentle Giant who is the Ironstache. You are my brother Randy and I will be comforted when you are in Washington D.C.

Lyin' Ryan Takes The Money And Runs

By now, the gentle reader assuredly knows that Lyin' Ryan has become Runaway Ryan, announcing he's not going to run for reelection.

It was to be expected. Ryan was in a untenable position.

He was hanging on to the speaker position by a thread, with different factions positioning themselves to oust and replace Ryan. His grand plan of running on his tax cuts for the rich was going over like a lead balloon. He was tied to a poop-flinging orang for a president and left with the daunting and impossible task of trying to defend the indefensible. Even his own constituents were turning on him due to his lack of contact, unresponsiveness and indifference to them. And he also faced the first real challenger in the form of the mustachioed juggernaut, Randy Bryce, who's surfing on an I-beam atop of the Blue Wave.

So he grabbed all the graft that he got from the millionaires and billionaires and fled. Oh, don't worry about Runway Ryan, he's probably got his choice of cushy jobs from different boards and think tanks that will pay him just to have his name on their roster.

But in his wake, he's left one helluva mess, especially for his fellow Republicans.

Nationally, he opened the floodgates for even more Republicans to join the exodus and decide to retire for 'more family time." By announcing his departure, he's become a lame duck and will be lucky to get his fellow Republicans to even agree on what color the sky is. Forget about any more of his agenda being completed.

In his own district, the top runner for the Republican is the white nationalist nut job, Paul Nehlen, who is too damn crazy and extreme for even Steve Bannon and got himself kicked off of an alt-right website.

The Republicans are scrambling around to try to find a more palatable candidate but without any real luck so far. And every time a new name is floated, their growing desperation becomes even more apparent.

And Ryan's bail is being felt around the state in a ever larger ripple effect. Scott Walker, already in a panic mode, is going to need Xanax soon at the rate he's going. Other members of the Greedy Old Perverts are canceling plans of running for a higher seat and others yet are deciding that they too need "more family time."

However, with all that said, Ryan's departure is not bad news at all, for the country or the state.

Without doubt, the person with biggest grin on his face is Randy "IronStache" Bryce, who woke up Wednesday to find himself suddenly the front runner for that seat. Furthermore, Randy has become the golden standard for all other Republicans, who are cheering him on and/or saying that they want to "repeal and replace" their Republican opponents. I even got an fundraiser email from a Democrat in Georgia who said as much in her missive.

But by no means should the Democrats start getting cocky. Yes, Ryan's departure is glorious news, but like a cornered animal, the Republicans are going to get more desperate and start pulling every dirty trick they can think of and the dark money groups are going to flood every state with their ill-gotten loot in order to maintain in control. There's still a lot of work to do between now and November and beyond. While it's OK to be happy for today, get ready to get back to work tomorrow and never stop moving forward.

Myers Campaign Takes Cheap Shot, Hits Self In Foot

By now, one should be used to Cathy Myers, one of the Democrats vying to run against Lyin' Paul Ryan, making unforced errors, telling lies and smearing the front runner, Randy "IronStache" Bryce.

But just when you think Myers has hit rock bottom, she finds a way to keep digging.

Her latest stunt, however, goes way beyond the pale.

On Friday, her campaign issues this press release:

Tomorrow, Cathy Myers will attend the Town Hall for Our Lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which has been organized by local high school students as part of the nationwide March for Our Lives movement.

The event will take place at the UW-Parkside Student Center Cinema (900 Wood Rd) in Kenosha from 10 AM – Noon CT.

The student organizers sent a letter inviting Paul Ryan to attend the event last Friday, but did not receive a response. Ryan’s Democratic challengers, Cathy Myers and Randy Bryce, were also invited to the event on Friday and were invited to speak on Monday afternoon. Myers accepted, but Bryce declined despite chastising Speaker Ryan for avoiding town halls since last Summer.

Cathy Myers responded, “I’m excited to support these incredible student organizers who are leading this movement in our district. March for Our Lives has done more to enact commonsense gun safety laws in a few weeks than Paul Ryan has done over his two decades in Congress.”

“I’m disappointed that Paul Ryan and Randy Bryce are choosing to ignore the voices of students in Kenosha and hide from the tough questions that need to be answered by anyone who seeks to represent our community in Congress,” she continued.

Oooh, concern troll much, Cathy?

But there are some very key facts missing from this press release that sheds in a completely different light.

First off, the event she is attending is being hosted by the daughter of Angie Aker, a paid consultant for Myers' campaign. I'm sure that is purely coincidental and that the event is not really a campaign stunt, right? Right?

Secondly, a fact that Myers is fully aware of, Bryce will be attending a town hall event in Janesville, along with Rep. Mark Pocan. This town hall is affiliated with the March For Our Lives movement:

Unbelievable in its irony and hypocrisy, Myers accuses the Janesville event of being a staged event for Bryce.  One of the organizers had to publicly call her out on that lie:

With all due respect, as one of the students who is hosting the event, I want to make it known that the event is hosted by students and we invited Rep. Pocan and Randy Bryce. We are not having “pre-selected questions” and will allow any question

— Susanna (@susanna4change) April 5, 2018

Furthermore, the Janesville event is ultimately much more important and timely, given that the Janesville Police Union, in a show of alarming insensitivity and tone deafness, is raffling off an AR15:
The Janesville police union’s decision to raffle off an AR-15 rifle, the same gun used in the recent Florida high school shooting, is getting some criticism. The raffle is part of a fundraiser and Professional Police Association President Justin Stubbendick says they have raffled off a handguns in the past and were successful in raising funds. He says a handgun was raffled last year for a child with cancer. Stubbendick says he respects people’s opinions — but if they don’t agree with the fundraiser they don’t have to take part. The drawing for the A-R-15 is May 12th.
But wait, there's more. There's always more.

The third point is that Myers is also claiming that this is the first town hall event being attended by a candidate in the district in two and a half years.  Gee, he must have forgotten about the town hall event she attended, along with Bryce, just two months ago.

Not only is she a liar, she's not a very good one.

The most egregious part of this whole fiasco is that Myers, a public school teacher and school board member, is exploiting these kids and the March For Our Lives movement for a cheap political point.  That's something you'd expect from Lyin' Ryan, not someone who claims to be the best choice in the race.

Myers owes Bryce, and more importantly, the March For Our Lives movement, especially the victims and survivors of the Parkland shooting, a public apology and to end her campaign immediately.  It's the only thing she could do if she had even a shred of decency left, which I find doubtful.

WISGOP Unleashed A Predator On WI

By Jeff Simpson

Leah Vukmir (running for Senate) and Scott Walker (running for re-election yet again) have teamed up for their November races, while it is not very wonderful, they have formed sort of a Malodorous Twins and their first activation is an over $500k ad buy by the dark money group Wisconsin Next PAC(WNPAC).

WNPAC turns out, is just a place for Diane Hendricks to dump some of the money she is saving by not paying taxes.  Diane Hendricks funds this PAC and Scott Walker's old campaign treasurer Kate Lind runs the PAC. 

Now let's take a look at the ad and then break it down.

The spot opens with video from the 2011 protests at the state Capitol as the narrator says “Union thugs stormed the Capitol, making threats, trying to bully Wisconsin conservatives.”

The Capitol is a public building which means the public is welcome they do not "storm" it.   Secondly, the "union thugs" were firefighters, police, teachers, librarians, families, children senior citizens, minorities, college kids, hardly a group of dangerous people.   I also took my family which consisted of my four year old daughter and 7 year old son at the time.   There was never any sense of danger or never was there ever even a hint of violence.   

I thought Scott Walker had learned his lesson but it seems like he is incapable of learning lessons:

The narrator then says Vukmir and Walker “would not be intimidated” and Vukmir “led the fight and passed Walker’s bold plan to rein in the unions.”
The narrator then says in the Wisconsin state Senate, Vukmir is “consistent, conservative, 100 percent pro-life, a spending hawk” before noting Walker called her “a great leader.”

We should rewrite that. 

Vukmir and Walker, were very intimidated.  So much so that they actually tried to get the Senators who left WI arrested and stopped free speech in the peoples house.   Vukmir was key in the middle of the night vote to pass Scott Walker's forced pay cut that he refused to campaign on, that punished the strongest opposition to Republican election plans. 

Ok so it's just your normal political clap trap that we have seen from Scott Walker for over twenty years now.     

However, let's get to the real truth behind this era in WI and how incredibly insensitive and tone deaf that this ad and these politicians are. 

While Scott Walker and his minions were calling their constituents "thugs" they had a true criminal speaking for the Republican Party and Scott Walker - Ben Sparks! 

 He's a former spokesperson for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, and a new report out of Las Vegas says political adviser Benjamin Sparks, beat his ex-fiance and pressured her to be a sex slave.
The victim, 46, provided the Review-Journal with copies of emails, text messages and a signed contract “laying out her duties” as a “slave in training” to Benjamin Sparks. According to those documents, “Sparks and his ex-fiancée signed a five-page contract stating that she would be his slave and property,” the paper is reporting. 

While the Republicans, Scott Walker and even Ben Sparks himself, were talking about how horrible Wisconsin firemen and librarians are, this guy was the face of the GOP:

 According to emails, documents and text messages obtained by the Review-Journal, Sparks and his ex-fiancée signed a five-page contract stating that she would be his “slave and property.” Under the contract, the woman was forced to kneel and look down when she entered his presence, be nude at all times, have sexual relations with him whenever he wanted and wear a collar in private.“He was very demanding and did not take no for an answer,” Sparks’ ex-fiancée said. “Over the last month it escalated into very rough sex where he’d actually hurt me. He back-handed me … and forced himself on me.”  

I wonder if Benjamin Sparks left any victims of his sick obsession behind in WI?  The one thing we know for certain, is that the WISGOP, will not tell people when they know about a sexual predator in their party, no matter how much harm they are causing. 

 “Leah Vukmir for U.S. Senate, proven defender of sexual predators.”

 

Ways to Ensure a Blue Wave

By Jeff Simpson

Capper pointed out that the Spring Elections of 2018 turned into a major win for for the liberals, progressives and center left Wisconsinites and sent Scott Walker into a Twitter trepidation.

However in politics, nothing is for sure, and the 8 months or so remaining before the November vote is an eternity. 

So let's take a look at the weather forecast for the possible #bluewave coming. 

Urban Milwaukee gave their take here on what happened, but I think you need to dig deeper into the ground to really see.

1.  The Supreme Court race, finally a Democratically backed candidate beat a GOP backed candidate.  While that is great news for all in WI, there is more here than a #bluewave.  Many people I talked to, liked Ms. Dallet, but were far from inspired by her.  Her attacking Tim Burns for being a Democrat, then switched that up with attacking her opponent Screnock for being a Republican and not being afraid to admit she is a Democrat showed that opportunism is alive and well. 

Turnout was high, but it was not necessarily because of this Supreme Court Race(we will cover why later).   Ms. Dallet's opponent, Mike Screnock,  was probably less qualified to be on the Supreme Court than anyone in WI not named Mike Gableman. 

Screnock was not only unqualified, but appeared uninterested also.   He knew that the GOP, who put him up, would do all of the work and he would deliver them favorable rulings.

They ran into a roadblock though when a majority of WI voters decided they had enough of a stacked court and decided to send the Baraboo Clown back to Circus World. 

The next day, we found out that the voters of Wisconsin made the right choice when Right Wisconsin called the voters stupid. 

UM said that Dallet "laid out a template and how to win".  Running basically a single statewide race on the ballot, against a true dunce, who had about as much ambition to work hard as Patience, perform mediocre in a debate and ride the wave. 

I am glad that Dallet won the race over Screnock, but she was basically an uninspiring candidate whose "blue print" would not translate to a statewide Gubernatorial election.

2.  Scott Walker's twitter tirade, was not a moment of weakness, but a leopard showing his spots.   These past 8 years in WI, have brought us mass shootings, horrible car crashes, fires, staple business closings, massive protests, police officers murdered, long term debt, sexual predator Republican majority leaders, lost his house, etc... and the one time he panics online is when he sees for the first time he might lose his job.

The only thing that you can take from a career politician, with more ambition than intelligence, is his power.   Like a Pro Football Player who retires, then come July misses the camaraderie, Scott Walker will miss being paid  by the taxpayers of WI, $150k/yr + full benefits, to travel the country and keep raising his national profile.   He can not be President if he loses his Governor seat and just gets a high paying lobbyist gig. 

3.  It is still too early to call Tammy's race one or the other, but all signs are pointing to Yes.    On the one hand, like Dallet, Tammy will be running against a horrendous candidate who will have a hard time stringing two sentences together and has a third grade understanding of actual Government and what it takes to represent the people of WI.

On the other hand, Ms. Baldwin is an incumbent and things are not looking well for incumbents

Typically, when one party takes control of all three branches, the next midterm election, does not bode well for the party in charge.   The pendulum is always swinging.  However, things in politics are no longer "typical" and as bad as some Presidents have been, none have been as soulless, anti-intellectual, egotistical sub humans as the Donald. 

That all being said, the Democrats are in the drivers seat of the coming blue wave.   It is not however, a sure thing, even if the momentum is favoring the blue team.   

Let's take a look at three steps to be taken to help ensure that November is a successful month in electoral Wisconsin.

1.  The best and only way to capitalize on the blue wave, is to allow everyone a chance to vote out their Republican rep.   The Dems MUST run a candidate in every. single. district.

2.  There has to be a consistent message.  There will be important and popular races, up and down the ballot.  In order for them not to get lost in the shuffle, especially down ballot races, the people have to know what they are voting FOR. 

People do not have time to spend scouring the internet to find their positions or information about them.  They have to know who they are voting for and what they stand for. 

3.  As pointed out earlier, there is no longer such a thing as "typical" in electoral politics anymore.    The person with the most money will not necessarily win.  The candidate who hits the most doors will not necessarily win either. 

I have seen more money spent, and way more doors and work done  by candidates who finished last and candidates who did not work hard at all win their elections. 

Incumbency used to be a blessing but now in many instances, it can be a curse.

How do we counter the Politics For Dummies book being flipped on its head?   That is simple do a little bit of everything but do not do the conventional thing only. 

*  Old School Tactics:

I still believe that doors, volunteers, yard signs, calls, are all important but have to be targeted and just one of the ingredients.  I personally would take the VAN and turn it on its head.   I think to only target "strong dems" or "prior voters" you are doing yourself, your campaign and your community a disservice.

The "Strong Dems" are going to be with you.  They are going to know there is an election and are probably the ones doing the doors. 

Understand that in today's world, more and more people are paying attention.  More and more people are voting and more and more people are getting disgusted by the day by The Donald.   Time to capitalize on that and realize everyone can/should be a voter. 

*  Turnout: 

Everyone likes to say after each election that they win - when our voters turn out we win.  The problem with that is it assumes that America/Wisconsin is divided between two equal parts - Democrats (blue team)  and Republicans (red team) and whoever can get the most people of their team to show up on election day is the team that wins.

The flaw in that is, we know that there are people, who have voted Obama/Walker/Trump/Tammy etc... While it seems a bit quadpolar to do so there really is a reason and it is not that hard to figure out. 

There are millions of people in our nation that the American Dream just really is not working for.   Both sides when they are in power speak of how amazing they are doing while in office, and yet people of all stripes and colors live their daily life where they are walking a tightrope.  Knowing they are one small disaster away from losing everything.   Maybe a family member is sick and they are going broke trying to cover the medical bills, or the local plant has closed and they can not find a new job that does not include a $30/k paycut, or they have limited savings and the check engine light is on in their car that they need to drive the 35 miles one way to the job they did find, or they are a single parent who works two jobs and already has to leave her children alone for hours a day, etc...

Obama promised hope and then things did not really change, The Donald promised them their days of struggle were over and had no interest in helping them with their struggles.

That is why there is a huge group of people in the middle who continue to vote out the incumbents hoping that maybe, just maybe, they will get to experience the American Dream that their parents and grandparents did.

*   Stand WITH the kids:

If anyone has not seen the insurgence of young people then they have not been paying attention.   The latest school shooting woke up a sleeping giant of youth and they are not going back underground.    They have watched and waited while the "adults" have failed them over and over and realize that they are going to inherit the mess we are creating.

Now is the time, to gain a huge new group of  "Democrats" for a generation but it has to be done carefully.
    - Stand alongside or slightly behind the youth when they speak, they will see through arrogance and condescension.
    - Invite them to the table and actually listen to them. 
    - Stop pretending that this is a generation of kids who eat Tide Pods.  While some idiots have eaten Tide Pods from their generation, it is hardly a prevailing trend.   We have Alex Jones and Rush Limbaugh, we have no room to talk. 
    -  Our youth are also watching how the kids from Parkland are being treated.  Its sick and disgusting and hardly a way to get the youth to join your cause(for instance). 

Ted Nugent Deep Fried David Hogg – It’s Brutal And True - https://t.co/jeI5HXPDW8
Ted Nugent is a GREAT American!! I support him 100%

— stufish2017 (@stufish2017) April 4, 2018

    - The youth are now understanding how they can make a difference and are registering in droves, let's give them something to vote for.  

*  Liberal Anger:

The big new talking point from the right wing echo chamber is that the left is full of anger and hatred and that is what is carrying them through these elections. 

Scott Walker‏Verified account @ScottWalker 2h2 hours ago2 hours agoMoreOutside special interests are trying to capitalize on the anger and motivation of the Far Left to advance their out-of-touch agenda. We, on the other hand, have a positive success story to tell -- Wisconsin is Working! Let’s keep moving #WIForward

or this from Dan O'Donnell:

Chances are, it wouldn't have mattered.  Liberalism won the day because liberalism in Wisconsin is motivated.  It's angry, it's vengeful, and it's ready to get its revenge and take out its anger on anyone who has even a tangential tie to the Republican Party.  Hate in politics is a powerful motivator, and Democrats in 2018 are more motivated by hate than they have been in decades.

The problem is because Dan O'Donnell and Scott Walker are so full of hate that they assume everyone else is also.    Hate is not a sustainable emotion, unfortunately these two(and their peers) have made a career out of "divide and conquer": 

Now the curtain has been pulled back:

We see that the Great and Powerful OZ (Scott Walker) is nothing but a shell of a man from Iowa, whose only superpower is deception and blind ambition.   

One of the best and most important books to come out the last few years was written by Kathy Cramer called 

The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker.     A book literally written, about how Scott Walker has mastered the art of resentment and division to maintain his hold on power.   

Liberal anger is much better defined as Wisconsin awakening. 

* The Democratic Party:  

It is time for the party, locally, nationally, to realize that they are not special because they have Stars upon Thars!  You choose to be pay dues and be part of the party, congrats! 

There are some privileges involved, you meet good people, help work on changing government etc...   However you have to understand you joined a group that you liked, not an exclusive club that makes you part of the illuminati. 

For instance, in our recent Supreme Court election, Judge Rebecca Dallot, the so called liberal candidate received 107,760 votes in Dane County(compared to 25276 for her GOP opponent).  The Dane Democratic party numbers around 1000 members.   A quick bit of math, and we see that 106,000 or so people in Dane County see themselves as liberal without actually joining the party!  Try not to treat them as if you are doing them a favor by telling them who, how and when to vote for.   Open your doors for more people to come in and do not think paying $25 dues, makes you a super patriot.    

Also for any candidate, if you see an alphabet group, (ADCC, DCCC etc...) run as far and as fast as you can.     They bring no help, they bring no substance.  They are filled with ego, and people who like to congratulate themselves and tell everyone how smart they are.   They do not come in peace.   

*  The Issues: 

It is time to actually address the issues.  We know that there are so many people in WI living in poverty or just barely above and no one addresses their needs. Time to change that.

Wisconsin is the worst place to raise black children in the country.  When is the last time we have had a politician seriously address that.  It is not something to be proud of.  It is time to change that ranking. 

Small town Wisconsin and small town America are both dwindling.   Factories have closed, their way of life is much less sustainable, their bridges and schools are crumbling and there is deep resentment towards the bigger cities.   That can be changed with a solid infrastructure plan, mass transit making it easier and affordable to reach the bigger cities and affordable high speed internet available to every person in WI.   Yet every one of those fixes has been thoroughly ignored by the GOP in control the last 8 years, time to change that. 

Factory farms have taken over the rural areas of WI, while family farms have been forgotten.   I understand that things have evolved over time, but while things do evolve we can not let them get out of hand.  CAFO's are destroying our land and waterways and now are running unimpeded.   When a loved one dies from cryptosporidium, it is not ok and we need to change that. 

We have a massive teacher exodus on our hands in WI that is seriously affecting our future and our children's education.   We need to get back to investing in public education again.   

Just a few issues that we can run on and win with along with some other tips on how to make sure there actually is a  #bluewave in November!   

What are your thoughts?