Solidarity Fish Fry - The Stache Edition

Friday night fish fries are a Wisconsin tradition. Lyin' Paul Ryan getting reelected feels like another tradition - a really unfortunate tradition.

But traditions are made to be broken.

So, Saturday night, State Representative Christine Sinicki and yours truly took great pride in hosting the first ever Saturday night fish fry and the first ever #StachSolidarityFishFry.  We hosted this event in order to raise funds who is going to break that most miserable tradition of Ryan getting reelected.

It was a grand event with good food and even better camaraderie. And thanks to Christine, everyone got a special surprise which made the event all the more fun.

Without further ado, here are some pictures from the event.

First, here's Randy addressing the crowd:

And here are some pictures of the attendees showing their support for Randy in a very fun and nontraditional way, thanks to Christine's surprise:

This couple, John and Annie, had their first date at the original Solidarity Fish Fry.  Their love is still going strong.  Randy is not only a hard worker, a champion  of the people, but also moonlights as Cupid:

Your hosts:

Randy's son:

The best picture of the night:

Group photo!

Lastly, in case anyone thought I was kidding about Randy's fondness of tartar sauce...

If you missed this one, don't feel bad.  We're already talking about having another one later on.

Of course, I'll keep you, gentle fish eater, informed.

Julie Meyer Is A Sore Loser

Rep. Christine Sinicki

In the fall primary of this year, Christine Sinicki had a challenger named Julie Meyer.

Meyer's campaign was one of the most negative and most unhinged ones I've ever seen.  She made such wild and baseless accusations as saying Sincicki was weak on unions, was for school privatization and for things that Boss Abele had done to her neighborhood, like placing sexual predators two doors from her house while denying he was doing it.  I easily refuted this craziness when I endorsed Sinicki.

Sadly, Meyer's campaign kept going downhill at breakneck speed.  Zachary Wisniewski at Blogging Blue discovered that Meyer was a fake Democrat and that her top donor was a big Republican backer.

Then at a Sinicki fundraiser, Meyer's husband displayed some bizarre behaviors by stalking Sincki, asking Sinicki's husband to "step into the bathroom" and apparently challenging her son to a fight.  Randy Bryce, at his brand new blog, Iron Stache, has video of some of Mr. Meyer's strange and disturbing behavior.

Because of this strange behavior and Mr. Meyer's past history of violence, police advised Sinicki to get a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against Mr. Meyer, which she did.

Sinicki went on to easily win the race by a 60-40 margin.

However, when it came time for the court hearing to make the restraining order permanent, the case was dropped because Sinicki chose not to pursue it.

Apparently not understanding that she had been routed in the election, Meyer is still in campaign mode and used this to again attack Sinicki:

This morning, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Commissioner Susan Callies dismissed Rep. Christine Sinicki's request for a restraining order against her primary election opponent's husband, Michael Meyer. Rep. Sinicki did not appear in court to defend her allegations and the Temporary Restraining Order that was granted a day prior to the August 9th Primary Election was rescinded.

Rep. Sinicki claimed that Michael Meyer was harassing her based on his presence at the Humboldt Park Beer Garden on Friday, August 5, 2016, where Sinicki was hosting a public fundraiser. She claimed that Meyer contacted her friends and neighbors claiming that Rep. Sinicki was "peeking into his daughters (sic) windows" and that he threatened her son by saying,"if you're feeling froggy, sir, just jump." Video of the incident shows that Sinicki's son instigated the confrontation.

Sinicki's 20th District Democratic Primary opponent, Julie Meyer, stated, "this personal attack on my family has no place in politics. Rep. Sinicki has abused the deference courts give to victims of harassment by demanding a Temporary Restraining Order for political gain."

Rep. Sinicki's request for a harassment restraining order was filed under oath, but contains multiple false accusations and defamatory statements. Rep. Sinicki claims she was encouraged to file for a restraining order by the same District 6 police officer that her primary opponent, Julie Meyer, had previously filed a formal complaint against.

"If Wisconsin Democrats believe this type of behavior is an acceptable political tactic, it will be repeated until there is a change in the law that prohibits this conduct. However, any additional legal restrictions would also endanger victims of domestic abuse, so I am calling on Chairman Robert Hansen and all Milwaukee County Democratic Party leaders to unequivocally denounce Rep. Sinicki's deplorable behavior to ensure that this type of political attack never happens again," Julie Meyer said.

Michael Meyer explained that "Representative Sinicki's restraining order references a horrible incident involving our neighbor, who happened to be a police officer, that verbally assaulted my 13-year-old daughter. It is no coincidence that the police officer that Rep. Sinicki sought out for her restraining order was the same officer that my wife filed an official complaint against for covering up our neighbor's offensive conduct."

"My wife had nothing to do with that incident and I am outraged that our State Representative would seek out a person that caused so much damage to my family to use in a political attack against her," Michael Meyer said.

Now this may come as a surprise to the gentle reader, but Meyer was lying out of her teeth once again.

Sinicki was kind enough to send me the press release she issued in response:

“Despite the fact that the fall primary results have been in more than a week, apparently Ms. Meyer and her campaign manager, disgruntled organizer Dennis Hughes, seem to have missed the fact that the race is over. They act as if the campaign is still going on.

“In fact, their continued complaints and protests are so loud, it looks like they are trying to obscure their own bad behavior during the primary campaign they lost. That behavior includes harassment by Ms. Meyer’s spouse, Michael Meyer, of Rep. Sinicki, her family members, and supporters, including local elected officials, at a Sinicki Campaign fundraiser.

“After the incidents at the fundraiser, the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) informed Rep. Sinicki that Ms. Meyer’s spouse, Michael Meyer, is someone whose menacing behavior should be taken seriously, based on his known history. Acting upon advice by the MPD, she was granted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to prevent Michael Meyer from further harassing her family, her supporters or herself during the rest of her campaign.

“After the election, Ms. Meyer asked Rep. Sinicki to agree not to seek to make the TRO permanent against Michael Meyer. Rep. Sinicki asked to talk to her in person, which happened earlier this week. During that conversation, the Representative agreed to her request, with the caveat that if her husband from this point on exhibits any more such behavior, then Rep. Sinicki will seek permanent reinstatement of the restraining order (RO). (This would mean Mr. Meyer would be subject to the conditions of two simultaneous restraining orders, including the instructions in the first one to relinquish and not possess firearms).

“Yesterday morning (Thursday, August 18, 2016) Rep. Sinicki sent Ms. Meyer a text confirming again that she will not pursue a permanent restraining order, and that on advice from the restraining order office she would not attend the hearing scheduled for today, Friday, August 19, 2016, for that purpose.

“As promised, Rep. Sinicki did not attend the hearing this morning, which signaled to the court that she is not pursuing an RO at this time.

“Going forward, Rep. Sinicki hopes that Ms. Meyer will see the wisdom in refusing to respond to any more provocations to cry wolf from Mr. Hughes, who has had his own serious, ongoing problems with harassing and disruptive behavior. He clearly incites much of Ms. Meyer’s “sour grapes” behavior, even to the point of writing her media releases for her. It is time for Ms. Meyer to recognize Mr. Hughes’ input for the bad advice it is, and distance herself from it.

“It is also time for both Ms. Meyer and Mr. Hughes to lay down this pattern of continued outbursts of resentment and bad temper. We need to direct our personal and communal resources to make sure that, in the November 8 general election, we elect leaders who will focus on the good of everyone in our communities. That is how Rep. Sinicki intends to direct her energies between now and Nov. 8th, and it is her hope Ms. Meyer and Mr. Hughes will join her.”

It's obvious that the voters in the 20th Assembly District chose wisely when they overwhelmingly reelected Sinicki. I just hope that the Meyers seek out the help they so obviously need to that they can move on and enjoy their lives.

Shepherd Express Drops The Ball With Bad Endorsement

I love the Shepherd Express.

It is the only media source in the Milwaukee area that can be relied on to accurately report the news on a consistent basis. When they make endorsements, I normally agree with them.  And on the rare occasion in which I don't agree, they spell out their reasoning in a rational manner.

I also know their main reporter and assistant editor, Lisa Kaiser, is a stickler for the facts.  She usually won't allow an article to be published unless she has confirmed and reconfirmed the information contained within it.  I know this because of the couple of articles of mine which were published by the Shepherd Express.

That is why I was taken off guard and taken aback when the Shepherd chose not to endorse Christine Sinicki but instead went with her primary opponent, Julie Meyer.

Not only was the endorsement shocking but the fallacies contained in their reasoning was mind-boggling.

They start by saying that Meyer wants to roll back the privatization of public schools because she is a teacher and saw the damage caused by Act 10.

The question regarding this is if Meyer was so bothered by it, why did she not take an active role since the beginning?  Many of the teachers that are active in their union don't recall ever seeing her at any rallies or supporting the cause in any other way. I dare say that Sinicki has attended more pro-public education events than Meyer has.

That could be why not even the teachers union would support one of their own members.

The unknown author of this hit piece then says that Meyer is also upset because of the privatization of the Milwaukee County mental health system.  That is because Boss Abele has allowed a group home to open near her home.  It is also a county issue but she uses it as an argument to run for a state office.

But there's more!  The nameless author comes up with this ridiculousness:

If Meyer was not taking on an entrenched incumbent, Democrats and progressive unions would be applauding her candidacy. But because Meyer had the guts to take on a career lawmaker, the establishment has shut Meyer out and some of Sinicki’s supporters have smeared Meyer online with terrible accusations and, at times, outright lies and distortions. We have not seen a Democratic primary this dirty in a long time. This is an absolute disgrace. If Sinicki is stooping this low in a desperate bid to hold on to her Assembly seat, then she’s not doing her job in office and providing her constituents with positive reasons to vote for her. Any elected official condoning this kind of behavior doesn’t deserve to represent the public.  

What the hell?

If the author had done their homework - and was honest - they would had seen that the unions have chosen to endorse many challengers this fall, including Edgar Lin and Marisabel Cabrera.  The argument that the unions and the progressives aren't backing Meyer because she is taking on an incumbent is utterly false.

Likewise, it is laughable for the author to claim that Meyer is the victim of smears and accusations.  As I pointed out when I endorsed Sinicki, it is Meyer's campaign that has been attacking Sinicki falsely and viciously.  For Meyer to play the martyr is utterly insulting and baseless, but that is what her campaign has been all along.

Judging by the comments on the article, the people of AD 20 are well aware of where the truth lies and have shown an overwhelming support for Sinicki because she is such a strong advocate for the things that matter to them most.  Things like public education, workers rights and women's rights.

Even though I really shouldn't have to, I am again endorsing Sinicki for reelection.  She has shown herself to be more than a qualified representative for not only her district but for all of Milwaukee.  Not having Sinicki fighting for us in Madison would not only set back the progressive movement but would hasten Milwaukee's downward spiral as there would be one less champion to fight for us against the right wing's constant attacks.

Endorsement: Christine Sinicki For AD 20

Ever since I started doing political endorsements, one of the people I have gladly endorsed each cycle was State Representative Christine Sinicki.  I am proud and happy to do so again this year.

Unlike other years, Sinicki has a primary challenger, Julie Meyer, a MPS schoolteacher.  Their August 9th primary will be a winner take all situation as that no Republican was foolish enough to challenge Sinicki.

Now, I am one all for primaries and people stepping up to represent the people but I have to admit that this one makes no damn sense. Meyer is running a completely negative campaign, trying to make a number of rather absurd claims, among them being that:

• Sinicki doesn't represent the district well;
• Sinicki is weak with the unions; and,
• Sinicki is for the privatization of the Milwaukee Public Schools.
• A group home for the mentally ill/developmentally delayed that opened in Meyer's neighborhood.

Like I said, this one is making no damn sense.  Each and every one of Meyer's talking points is just plain laughable.

Sinicki is one of the most available elected officials that I have ever seen on any level of government.  She is always available to her constituents and even to people outside of her district. If someone comes to her with a problem, she does all she can to try to find a solution, no matter how big or small the issue may be. 

One of the things I learned long ago is that it is important to see what happens when you contact a politician, especially during election times.  If the person asks what they can do for you, they are a keeper.  If they ask what you can do for them, see if there is someone better.  Sinicki definitely fits into the former category.

Likewise, Sinicki has been a long time friend of the unions. She is just as approachable to members of the workforce as she is to her constituents.  She has been a fierce defender of workers' rights and has consistently put up a long, hard fight against the Republicans' war on workers.

As for MPS and the group home, Sinicki has been quite vocal and quite visible in her opposition to both of these issues.  On top of that, the group home is a county issue, not a state one, which makes one wonder if Meyer even knows what she is running for.

It should be noted that, regarding the MPS issue and that allegations that Sinicki is weak on the unions, Among the many union endorsements for Sinicki is both WEAC and MTEA, the teachers' unions for the state and Milwaukee teachers.  Coincidentally, Meyer's website doesn't show any endorsements from anyone - not a single one.

To be even more clear on the point, Meyer's own union endorsed Sinicki over her, which should tell the gentle voter a helluva lot.

At first, it was hard to tell if Meyer was possibly a fake Democrat or a gag candidate, but she appears to be legit, if rather naive.  

Regardless of where Meyer is coming from, the facts are the same.

Sinicki has been a very good and very able representative of the people, not only of her district, but of the city, county and state, for many years and has more than earned to be reelected again this year.   Please join me in supporting Christine Sinicki.  To find out what you can do to help her, go to her website.

Good Golly, Miss Molly, Sure Has A Lot Of Gall

With the primary election day a scant five weeks away, most candidates are out practicing shoe leather politics, meaning that they are going door to door to meet with voters, hear what is important to them and to ask for their support.  Even if the candidate doesn't have a primary to worry about, they are usually still out there doing doors.

One notable exception to this rule of thumb is Molly McGartland, one of the Republican candidates running in a primary for the chance to lose to the Democratic incumbent, Christine Sinicki.  Instead of going to do doors, McGartland is holding "office hours" at The Country Club Tavern, a dive bar in Cudahy:

In other words, she is inviting her would be constituents to come spend their money at her bar and she will listen to their concerns.  While this is probably legal, it sure is sketchy as hell and more than a bit tacky.

If this is how she has chosen to run her campaign, it's not surprising that she is a perpetual candidate, having run several times for the same seat before with the same results.

As I was checking out just who McGartland was, I ran across a few other interesting things.

On her website, McGartland claims that she wants to be the "competent representative" for AD 20 and that she is fiscally conservative.  Despite these claims, I haven't seen any explanation for the money troubles she has had.

A couple of things from her campaign website should make one question her competency, such as her grammatically and spelling challenged maybe not:

When asked how I would vote on various issues, I explain to voters that I see the world through a conservative lens.  America and our consititution [sic] is a wonderful experiment in freedom; protecting our life, our liberty, and the right to pursue our best, and reap the rewards of our hard work.  I will defend the individual's freedom to do for themselves, with out [sic] the interference of government. There is a clear difference in how my opponent and I see the roll of government.  I believe in a free market society governed by a small limited government and my opponent believes in a large centralized government that chooses winners and loosers [sic].

Please use the following form to contact me with any specific issue and I'll be happy to respond.

I'm sure that will be a winning slogan for McGartland: Vote for me becuz I am da conserfativish one!

I don't know much about the other Republican candidate but I sure hope that McGartland makes it through the primary so that she can enjoy another routing by Representative Christine Sinicki.

O Shit!

By Jeff Simpson (NSFW)

Rep. Christine Sinicki had enough of the BS and let her constituents know how she really felt with a facebook post(it is 2014):

On Wednesday, Sinicki posted, "OMG...this speech is so full of sh**. Wish I could get up and walk out” and then “Bottom line..the rich get richer and the poor and middle class continue to get kicked in the butt.

Not the Speech full of lies, but the one word facebook page set off a shitstorm of fake outrage.   The storm was so bad and so brown that Mary Burke decided to jump on the criticize Sinicki bandwagon!  

Walker’s Democratic opponent, former Trek Bicycle Corp. executive Mary Burke, said that Sinicki’s post wasn’t appropriate.
Asked if she though Sinicki should apologize, Burke said, “I think people should make their own decisions. It’s certainly something that I would have apologized for.”

Ahhhh yes, the lady who has nothing bad to say about her opponent, has decided she can't throw her friends under the bus quick enough!

Christine, I do not think you needed to apologize to anyone.  Keep up the great work!  

For those of you who were offended by her use of the word Shit....take 2 aspirin and see me in the morning!

PolitiFAIL: The Misogyny Edition

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel came out with another edition of their PolitiFact, in which they supposedly check statements from politicians or groups for accuracy. Their track record is hit and miss at best, but today's was an epic fail that would make a junior high English student wince.

In today's column, they take a look at a statement made by State Representative Christine Sinicki regarding Glenn Grothman's misogynist attitude towards women in the workplace.

What they look at specifically is this (emphasis mine):

Sinicki charged that Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) had openly pined for a bygone "Leave it to Beaver" world of stay-at-home moms during a Senate hearing.

"His words were to the effect of, he didn’t believe women belonged in the workplace," Sinicki quoted Grothman as saying. "He believed that women belonged at home, cooking and cleaning and having babies."

They then spend the rest of the column taking great pains to prove conclusively that Grothman did indeed not say that.

Well, duh!

The phrase "to the effect of" points out that Sinicki was not quoting Grothman, but rather was paraphrasing or interpreting his words.

So what the PolitiFact writer did was not prove Sinicki's statement false, but that she was correct in saying "to the effect of."

Surely they could have found something better to check on, unless they were purposely trying to mislead their readers, that is. Remember, Steve Smith, the top dog of the paper and all of the Journal's media empire, was actively against another pro-working woman bill when he fought against paid sick leave.

The Busy Season And Our Voices Are Being Heard

Tomorrow, Scott Walker will be presenting his proposed budget for 2010. It is expected to have lots of services funded, on the condition of unrealistic concessions from the unions and the tax payers. This would be his eighth straight budget that has a the sole goal of not taking any responsibility for it. Fortunately, his budget will be moot if the contract for AFSCME is approved.

But the true grass roots group, Milwaukee County First, of which I proudly am the chair, has been working hard to help the County and the tax payers. Tonight, I show why the sales tax for transit is so important and some of the ways it will improve our local economy.

But the greatest bit of news is that State Representative Sinicki has a bill in front of the Assembly that would have a half-cent sales tax to provide direct funding for the parks, culture and recreation. The bill includes language including the property tax relief. Great big kudos to her for hearing the people and honoring their voices.

This is a great example of what can happen when community members form a real grassroots group to promote the betterment of their community.