Thursday, June 28, 2018

Glenn Grothman - Comedy Gold

By Jeff Simpson

"Our country is not going to survive if we continue this war on men," he told a tea party rally in 2010.


In the Bizarro world, where we have elected a serial adulterer and reality star as President, I recently liked a tweet by Brian Fraley and George Will is telling people to vote against The Donald in the upcoming elections.

While I have been keeping an eye out for locusts, I came across a video and am now certain the end is near. 

Glenn Grothman signing a letter approving civility in politics.






You just can not make this stuff up.  When Grothman loses to Dan Kohl in November he can take his stand up on the road. 

If you dont know who Glenn Grothman is, lets take a quick look.





No word on if he will now end his war on Kwanzaa! 


Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Paul Ryan Tells Uppity Black Woman To Apologize



Paul Ryan, that profile in courage, took a break from his fundraising and planning to dismantle every social safety net we have left to reprimand Congresswoman Maxine Waters for standing up for American values:
House Speaker Paul Ryan blasted Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters on Tuesday, saying she should apologize for calling on those who opposed the Trump administration's policy, that has resulted in family separation, to "harass" members of the administration in public.

"There is no place for this," Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, said a news conference. "She obviously should apologize."

He said the comments are "dangerous" for society.

"When we, in this democracy, are suggesting that because we disagree with people on political views, on policy views, on philosophical views, that we should resort to violence and harassment and intimidation that's dangerous for our society, dangerous for our democracy, and she should apologize and there's just no place for that in our public discourse," Ryan said.

Over the weekend, Waters called on her supporters to publicly confront and harass members of the Trump administration in response to the "zero-tolerance" policy that led to the separation of families at the border.
In other words, Ryan is more worried about hurting Cheetolini's fee-fees rather than the lifelong damage being done to thousands of innocent children. See? I told you he was a real profile in courage.

It does remind me of other examples of when he fearlessly led on the behalf of Republican-style civility.

Think of how many times Ryan selflessly turned a blind eye and deaf ear to when Rep. Steve King (R-KKK) would say some breathtakingly inane and offensive thing, such as promoting white supremacy.

Side note: Is there any other terminology that contradicts itself as thoroughly as white supremacy? White supremacists are living, breathing examples of why that's a false term.

Anyway, back to examples of Ryan earning his boy scout badge of civility.

How about that time when Ryan courageously pretended to have to tie his shoe when Greg Gianforte physically slammed a reporter to the ground?

Or all those times when Ryan gazed unblinkingly forward with his zombie eyes when Trump would talk about grabbing a married woman's pussy or calling Nazis "fine people." It should be noted that Ryan is only human and did let his control slip a little when Trump mewled about people from shithole countries coming here and said that comments were unfortunate and unhelpful.

It's easy for Ryan to be the civility police. He just uses himself as the yardstick of behavior, like when he mocked a 71 year old man being dragged out of a townhall meeting (when Ryan used to have townhall meetings) and being slammed to the ground by some cops:


Wednesday, June 20, 2018

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.

Monday, June 11, 2018

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, AndrĂ© 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!   




Saturday, June 9, 2018

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! 

Monday, June 4, 2018

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.  







 

Sunday, June 3, 2018

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??