Devin Remiker Purchases DPW Chair, The Establishment Sighs in Relief

Devin Remiker

I was never much impressed with Ben Wikler.  He was from Wisconsin, or so I'm told, but left the state in 2010 when the going got tough with Scott Walker's assault on the working class to take a job in Washington, D.C.  He then fled Washington about the time the Orange Shitgibbon won his first election.  He then bamboozled everybody in the Democratic Party of Wisconsin with a lot of flash to get elected.

But now with the election of the Rancid Kumquat and big races coming up next year, Wikler got the old itch to get going before the going got tough and decided he was done as DPW Chair.  Now, don't get me wrong. Wikler proved himself to be one helluva fundraiser.  He brought in laudible amounts of cash.  But he didn't know what to do after that. 

Under Wikler's lead, Democrats lost one statewide seat, failed to oust Ron Johnson, failed to oust Drunken Van Orden (twice), and alienated many union people. He did his best work when he gave out the ton of money he raised and then got the hell out of the way.

But when Wikler announced his intent to not run again, three people put their hats in the ring.

Two of them, Devin Remiker and Joe Zepecki, were consummate establishment men and neither were going to rock the boat, much less fire people up.  When the race looked too close to call, Wikler broke yet another promise.  Instead of remaining neutral as he said he would, he endorsed his right hand man, Remiker

Then during the state convention this past weekend, Remiker borrowed a page from Wikler's playbook by dazzling the crowd with a nonconventional menu:

Yeah, nothing says Wisconsin like escargot.  Where's the brats? Where's the deep fried cheese curds?  

But one thing really caught my eye.  After successfully buying the chairmanship, Remiker said this:

Remiker told press following his acceptance speech Democrats need to work on messaging that connects with voters and winning back the union organizers and working class. 

“I think we have to show up everywhere year round,” Remiker said. “I think for some folks there’s trust we have to rebuild to show that Democrats are the party that’s going to fight for the working class.” 

He said he would focus on a smooth transition by connecting with grassroots party members and then starting work on capturing energy for next year’s elections. 

Remiker did not say how much he spent on his campaign to lead the state party, just that he “spent enough to win,” and that it was “certainly not” more than $100,000. 

Admitting that you have a problem is a good first step.  But it is a problem you can't bribe your way through.

Stay tuned because there's more.  There's always more.

The Gales Of November Are Coming

By Jeff Simpson

Milwaukee County Sheriff:
*  Earnell Lucas (Democrat) 

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

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

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

Wisconsin Gubernatorial Primary: 

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

US Senate:

*  Tammy Baldwin @TammyBaldwin

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

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

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

We need a heavy dose of change in WI! 

Forward!

The DPW Needs To Do Something About Julie Meyer

When I first heard of Julie Meyer, it was last year when she chose to run against State Representative Chris Sinicki.  Now, I am one that is all for primaries, especially where the incumbent needs to be challenged.  But Meyer's allegations against Sinicki - that she was pro-school choice and weak on unions - was just plain laughable.

The absurdity continued when Meyer and her husband continued to harass and attack Sinicki and her family, even after the election was over.

I was hoping that was the last we would hear from or of her, but that turned out to be just wishful thinking.

Grass Roots South Shore, a truly wonderful group of people, is putting on an event this summer that actually looks pretty good:

However, some people are noting that this isn't the invitation they had received.  A faithful friend and reader of Cog Dis alerted me that some people were receiving this modified version of that invite:

So now she's using a third party and misrepresenting herself and it for an event? How vainglorious and inappropriate!

At the Democratic Party of Wisconsin convention, through some shady machinations, she somehow managed to get elected as the chair of the Labor Caucus.  One should know that nothing good could have come out of this, since her biggest contributor during her failed campaign was Scott Mayer, Chairman and CEO of the QPS Employment Group, a temp agency.  Mayer also sits on the Board of Directors for Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC), one of the biggest anti-Labor groups in the state.

Let's think about that for a minute...someone who takes money from a WMC director is now in charge of the Dems' Labor Caucus.  Does anyone else see a problem with this?

But, as we always say around here, there's more.  There's always more.

Now, one would think that as a party official, she should and would be neutral during the primaries or at least be only positive when talking about their favored candidate.

Oh, but not Julie Meyer! She thinks she's too good to follow rules or decorum or even basic class.

Meyer supports one of the candidates in the first congressional district primary, Cathy Myer, and has said a lot of nice things about her.  Not neutral, but fair enough.

But then Meyer goes off the deep end and starts attacking Randy Bryce, using false information from a person affiliated with the Green Party nonetheless:

Now there is something very, very odd about this post.  The link in Meyer's post does not lead to the commentary in the screencap.  Instead, it leads to an even more vulgar and egregiously false attack on Randy by Angie Aker, the Greenie:

As a union officer and as a member of the Party, I can and will say that this is just wrong.  It is unacceptable that the chair of the party's Labor Caucus is using false allegations from another party to attack a giant among Labor, both in the state and across the nation and a candidate for office during the primary.  (I would hope that Cathy Myers would denounce Meyer's support for her but I don't see that happening any time soon.)

I would certainly hope that party officials would take it upon themselves to do something about it, but I'm not holding my breath for that to happen.  So I have started researching the party's constitution and bylaws to find all the violations in preparation to filing a formal complaint.

BAM For DPW

Two years ago, former DPW Chair Mike Tate did the best thing he could ever have done for the party....he decided not to run for reelection.  Tate saw the writing on the wall.  After years of failure, losing control of every aspect of the state government, people wanted a change.

So Tate slunk off to become Boss Abele's personal toady while the party's future was up for grabs between Tate's hand-chosen successor, Jason Rae, and outsider, Martha Laning.  The people voted for the only chance for change and elected Laning to be the new chair.

Unfortunately, everyone's hopes were dashed when Laning proved herself to be no better than Tate.  To be fair, Tate had sabotaged the party so much that it was going to get worse before it got better.  But the only positive move that Laning has taken in the past two years was the hiring of Jason Sidener to be the political director.

Which leads us to this year.

Another election is coming up.  Laning and her vice-chair, David Bowen, are running for reelection.  While Laning has been a disappointment, Bowen has continued to show the strong leadership that we have come to expect from him,   The second vice-chair, Jeff Christensen, has chosen not to seek reelection.

Opposing the incumbents is the ticket of BAM -  Bryan Kennedy for chair, Amanda Stuck for Vice Chair and Mandela Barnes for Second Vice Chair,

Bryan is the mayor of Glendale and is a good union man, having been president of the AFT..  He is fairly progressive in his attitudes and, more importantly, his actions match his words when it comes to these policies and attitudes.  He also has great organizing skills and a plan on how to make the DPW much more effective and to actually gain some seats.

Amanda Stuck is the State Representative from Appleton (yes, Appleton!).  I had the chance to briefly to briefly talk with her and I am very, very impressed.

First, she is not afraid to speak truth to power, such as when she called on Scott Walker to apologize for insulting single moms.
Stuck really won me over when she called out the Republicans for their most recent attack on Labor (emphasis mine):

Democrats spoke at length against the measure. Rep. Amanda Stuck, D-Appleton, said the bill will lead to lower wages for workers and lower-quality work on public projects.

Stuck said Republican lawmakers with "soft hands and round bellies" voting in favor of the bill could not do the work her husband, a steelworker journeyman, does.

She told me last night that she is frustrated at how the Party has being useless at best and a hindrance at worst for candidates.  She said that the Party needs to stop treating candidates with contempt in order to grow the base (I would add that this would help in building the bench as well).  She is disappointed that so many people have a negative image of the party but she understands why they do and wants to fix that.  She said that she is tired of having people's rights trampled because the Party can't get their act together enough to even offer resistance.

The ticket's candidate for Second Vice-Chair is Mandela Barnes, a former state representative from Milwaukee.  I've known Mandela for years and can fully attest to his positions on every issue that are important to progressives, from racial and gender equality to workers rights.  Barnes was the guy that got kicked out of Walker's presidential bid announcement when he declined to be the token African American on stage.  He also is not afraid of taking on the establishment as evidence when he went up against Boss Abele's favorite senator, the sellout Lena Taylor.  In fact, it was when Barnes announced his candidacy that I had reversed my decision to stay out of this race.

Needless to say, I feel very strongly about endorsing the BAM ticket for this upcoming election to lead DPW out of the political wilderness.  So much so that I did something that I never ever thought I would do - I actually joined the party to make sure that my voice was heard from the inside as well as out and would not be so easily dismissed by the Establishment Democrats.

I urge my fellow Democrats who are hungry for a change to join me in supporting Bryan Kennedy, Amanda Stuck and Mandela Barnes to lead our party out the miasma it is currently in.

Young Democrats of Wisconsin

By Jeff Simpson 

The Wisconsin Democratic Convention is coming up the first weekend of June.  Within the convention they plan on having a meeting of the Young Democrats of Wisconsin.

The details:

Under 40?
Live in Wisconsin?
Attending the DPW State Convention in Green Bay?
Interested in helping form a Wisconsin chapter of the Young Democrats of America?
Please join us for this information session!

While I am not under 40, nor am I attending the convention, I think this is a very important initiative. However, it is something where we do not to reinvent the wheel.  We were just given a perfect example of how to reach the youth, and make them passionate about politics and getting involved  

Whether it be in California

 

Or Montana:



Or Oregon:



Or New York 




Talk to them and not at them...join with them instead of telling them what they have to do.

As Bernie says - Its not me its Us!

Good luck, let's hope that the state party realizes the clues right before their eyes!

Jeff Smith Bows Out Of DPW Chair Race, Endorses Laning

From Jeff Smith's campaign for DPW Chair:

Dear friends and supporters,

This campaign has been an extraordinary adventure. I recognize that together we’ve been able to propel the conversation in the direction it needs to go. I am confident that our party can heal and unify. Together, we can be the progressive agents we should be. If we rally around each other and embrace our strength through unity, we will win back our state.

In a recent letter, I stated how important it is that we unite. It is crucial that the leader of this party has majority support of all our delegates. We need to be able to restore trust and build confidence to make the Democratic Party of Wisconsin effective and return to the path of success.

My message has never wavered. It is a message of grassroots regional county party building and placing our faith in you, our members, over those of money changers.

Together with you, I will do all I can to fight for what is right for this great state and for our party. Therefore, I ask my supporters to join with me in casting their vote for Martha Laning for the next Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

I am excited for the potential that a new leadership style will bring to our party and to working with a team dedicated toward a true progressive Wisconsin.

Forward,

Jeff Smith

DPMC's Delegate Debacle

A few weeks ago, I called attention to some of the shenanigans that were being pulled by Jason Rae's team.  I followed this up with my concerns about how the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County (DPMC) would be figuring out who were delegates to the state convention and who would be assigned as alternatives:

If the number of applicants is equal or less than the number of delegate seats allowed, there is no problem. All applicants should get a seat.

However, if the number of applicants exceed the number of allowed delegates, then the party officers decide who gets to be a delegate and who is slotted as a reserve delegate.  The problem with this is that it is rather arbitrary.

County party officials are supposed to make their decisions based on who is the most active and who are the strongest supporters of the Party - a rather subjective basis that gives short shrift to the grassroot activists in favor of the establishment members.

This is even more disconcerting when one considers that in places like Milwaukee County, party officials like Marlene Ott have come out in full support of Jason Rae.  Given the personalities of many of these officials, it is not a great leap of logic to believe that they would favor Rae supporters over others.  Or in other words, one would have to pass their purity test.

Our friend DFL did an analysis of the chair election and found that the deck was indeed stacked heavily in favor of Rae.

As we drew closer to the convention, Team Rae has become nastier and nastier, doing their best to alienate the very people that Rae is going to need if he wins the chair.

Team Rae scoffed at those of us who expressed concern about the delegate selection process as conspiracy nuts and worse.  Unfortunately, the original list of delegates and alternatives only seemed to confirm our fears to be well-founded.  Among the concerns that were found were things like these:

• People assigned as delegates/alternatives without confirmation of where they were living.
• People assigned as delegates/alternatives even though they were never members or had allowed their memberships to lapse - some for several years.
• Contrary to what people were told, the level of activity appeared to be a non-factor in the decision making, unless one counts endorsing Rae as an activity.
• People who had been told months ago that they were delegates were bumped down to alternative status. And yes, most, if not all, of these people supported a candidate other than Rae.

What I found to be particularly egregious was that while they made sure that their friends and relatives were delegates - whether they were qualified or not - they made someone as prestigious as Vel Phillips as an alternative.

Well, lo and behold, the DPW's Constitution and Bylaws Committee found Milwaukee County had in fact violated the bylaws. Some corrections were made, such as Ms Phillips being made into a delegate.  Seven non-dues paying members were taken off the list. Ten people who got bumped from their delegate status will be the first put back at the convention.  It should be noted that a judge will be making these decisions. DPMC Chair Marlene Ott and other officers have been removed from the process.

However, much of the damage to the chair election process had been done and can't be undone.  Rae stills holds a large advantage due to these shenanigans.  

But here's the real kicker - Rae was the Chair of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee until he stepped down to run for the DPW Chair.  Don't you think he would have made sure that his own county party knew the rules before this became an issue?  Or maybe he didn't want them to know...

So much for the establishment's argument that you have to be with the party a long time to know how it works.

Either way, if Rae couldn't or wouldn't make sure his county did the right thing in an area of his expertise, how will he be able to handle all the aspects of the entire state party?

On a final note, if the establishment's manipulations and delegate rigging is successful, will they put an asterisk after Rae's name?

Laning - Bowen For DPW

I'll admit that I was loathe to give any endorsement regarding the election for the new chair and first vice-chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

Even though I support the DPW platform and find the values therein closely aligned to my own values, I am not a member of the party. I just cannot bring myself to join a party that not only tolerates but gives accolades to people like Boss Abele, who has done more to weaken and undermine the party than all of WISGOP.  And since I'm not a card-carrying Dem, I obviously won't be going to the convention.  (Besides, I'm not keen of giving the establishment Dems a chance to put a real knife in my back.)

I also cannot say that I was overly enthused with any of the candidates for the chair.  While each candidate has their own strengths, they also each have areas that give me pause if not ruling themselves out completely.

That said, I have had several people ask for my input, so here it is.

I looked at each of the candidates on where they stood on the issues that are important to not only me but for the state as a whole.  I looked at their positions on education, women's rights and, of course, workers' rights.  I also looked at what they had to say about the direction the party has been going and what they would do about it.

Not only did I look at what they had to say but what they had already done about these things.  More importantly, I looked at whether their actions jived with their stated positions.  I didn't want to see another Mike Tate who said one thing but did another.

I also looked at who would be best able to - and willing to - break the stranglehold that corporate Dems like Boss Abele had on the party. I wanted to know which candidate or candidates were going to put the platform before Abele's pocketbook.

Finally, I considered each candidates overall approach.  Were they asking for support or were the offering it?  Were they worried about reaching out to people or just reaching into their wallets?  

I then looked at the second candidite on each ticket (whare there was one), using the same guidelines.

The slate that I found that best matched these standards was the team of Martha Laning and David Bowen.  Laning, like many of us, had felt disenfranchised from the party.  However, instead of idly grousing, Laning took direct action and to be the change she wanted to be see.  Laning also has the fundraising skills needed to take the party back from Abele and put it - and Wisconsin - back on a winning track.

Bowen, with whom I was familiar from his days as a Milwaukee County Supervisor, is a proven defender of our schools and a champion of workers' rights and a living wage.

So, after careful consideration, I am endorsing the Laning - Bowen ticket to be the DPW chair and first vice-chair. 

After all, if there is to be a real change from the status quo, there needs to be real agents of change.  Martha Laning and David Bowen are those agents.

If my opinion alone is not enough for the gentle reader to make their decision - and really, it shouldn't be enough - I would suggest checking out the endorsement by Zach Wisniewski at Blogging Blue.

The DPW Chair Race And The Millionaire's Dollars Question

As the gentle reader is surely aware, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin (DPW) will be holding their state convection this coming weekend.  At the convention, delegates will elect a new chair to lead the party into the vital 2016 elections.

The five candidates are:

• Jason Rae the establishment candidate and corporate Democrat, hand-picked by the departing chair, Mike Tate. Rae's campaign has been rather disappointing with a lot of negative attacks, faux outrage and melodrama.  Due to the way the system is rigged, he is likely to be the winner, sad to say.  If Rae is elected, don't look for much to change.
• Joe Wineke, the former chair who gave us Tate and furthered the corporatization of the party.
• Steve Smith, basically the "who's that?" candidate.
• Jeff Smith, running as the outsider candidate. I like a lot of the things Smith has to say, but I'm very concerned that he chose an education privatization supporter for his partner.
• Martha Laning, some people (the establishment caucus) have expressed concerns about Laning's relative newness to the party, which shows how tone deaf they are to what the general public is saying and their hypocrisy about telling people to join and organize if they want to see changes.  Laning also is saying a lot of good things and scored big when she picked State Representative David Bowen as her running partner.

While each candidate has their strong points and their weaknesses, there is one glaring omission that causes me concern - none of the candidates have talked publicly about the elephant in the room: the plutocrat Chris Abele.

Abele has to be one of the most unDemocratic and undemocratic Democrats in history.  In his few years as Milwaukee County Emperor, Abele has actively opposed almost every tenet of the Democrats' platform:

• Abele has attacked workers, in both the public and private sector, and has pushed his pro-poverty plantation economics agenda.
• Abele has abandoned Milwaukee's most vulnerable citizens to corporate wolves, which has already led to increased violence and death.
• Abele has eviscerated representative government in Milwaukee County by decimating the authority of the Milwaukee County Board and consolidating power into his inept hands. 
• As a side effect of Abele's power grab, he has also effectively ruined the farm team for Milwaukee Democrats and shrinking their already small bench.
• Abele has attacked and undermined other Democrats besides those on the county board, like Senator Chris Larson and anyone else who dares to disagree with him.
• Not only has Abele gone after Democrats, he's made campaign donations to some of the most rabid of Teapublicans and even held fundraisers for them.
• Abele eagerly agreed to become Milwaukee's education privatization czar for the Teapublicans.
• In exchange for being their education privatization czar, the Teapublicans are letting Abele throw the poor to the wolves so that he can have a new arena.

The list of examples of Abele's malfeasance goes on, but I'm sure you get the idea.

Yet despite Abele actively working against the Party's best interests, Democratic leadership has not only turned a blind eye to Abele's misdeeds but have squelched party members who would criticize Abele.

Why?

Simple.

Abele is filthy rich and regularly cuts checks to the Party and Party members.  Ironically, as they allow Abele further weaken the Party, they become even more dependent on his money and the downward spiral the Democrats are in continues unabated.

If members of the DPW wish to stop the Party's downward spiral, to make the Party whole, and to start attracting members, activists and donors instead of driving people away, it would greatly behoove them to choose a leader that will put the Party's platform before Abele's pocketbook. They will need to choose someone that can not only stand up to Abele and his coercion, but wean the Party off of his money by being able to find new ways of fundraising besides selling out to the boy prince.
If they fail to do so and instead elect another chair that will grovel to Abele for his pocket change, don't expect things to get better for a long, long time.

Sen. Kathleen Vinehout Speaks Out On DPW Chair Race

As I sat through the Joint Finance Committee's budget listening session on Friday, I could not help but reflect on how we got to the point where people were begging the state legislature not to use our children and our most vulnerable citizens as chattel on an auctioning block, where workers rights were a thing of the past, where people are afraid for their future.

During my day, I had a chance to briefly meet and observe State Representative Chris Taylor in action.  I've always been a fan of hers and came away from the day even more impressed with her.  I still can't help but wonder what the results would have been if Mike Tate and his fellow big money sycophants hadn't manipulated the situation and clearing the field for Mary Burke.

True, Taylor isn't a millionaire like Burke, but that turned out to be a non-factor when Burke decided to withhold her cash anyway.  But Taylor has something that Burke cannot buy - popularity.  I still believe that Taylor - or someone like her - would have been able to do what Tate and his hand-picked candidate failed miserably at - turning out the vote.

Over the weekend, I was alerted by several readers and friends of Senator Kathleen Vinehout's interview with Wisconsin Eye.  Vinehout spoke about the problems with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and what she saw as the solution for these problems:



While I don't necessarily agree with her endorsement of Martha Lanning, I do agree with her that the Party needs to invert itself and let the people control its direction instead of a handful of corporate Democrats.  It's at about the 14:55 mark where she really nails it, where she is discussing Tate's heir apparent, Jason Rae:

"He represents the corporatization of the Democratic Party.  He represents the power of money to control what I believe is the power of the people.  The party of the people, the little guy, that guy is not represented."

She's hit the nail right on the head with that.  When you have people like Tate and Rae praising and supporting the likes of Boss Abele, who are about as unDemocratic as they come, you are going to lose the people and keep losing elections.

If Rae wins the DPW chair, the Democrats will have conceded the state for the rest of the decade, if not longer.  The Democrats cannot beat the Republicans by being Republican Lite, which Tate has made the Party into and which Rae would only continue.  And even if the Democrats win, the people that they promote, like Abele, well, you might as well have the Republicans anyway.

As I wrote above, I'm not too sure about Lanning.  The shady way they manipulated her entry into the race raises red flags for me.  That's is as sketchy as the way Tate tried to set it up for Rae.

If I had a voice in the matter (I don't because I won't join a group that supports those who attack me and my union brothers and sisters), I would say that the ticket of Jeff Smith and Stephanie Deena Findley is the most interesting and the most desirable for the Party.  This ticket can connect the urban and rural members, as well as help address the poor treatment that women and minorities have received from the Party elite.

ADDENDUM: I just learned that Findley had hitched herself with the education privatization vultures.

My recommendation is now the Working Families Party.

Jeff Smith

Dear Democrats,

I'm writing to let all of you know that I'm running to be the next chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. I made this decision because our party is in trouble and we need someone with the grit, determination, resolve and experience required to get us back on track. I strongly believe I'm that person and I'll tell you why.

I'm the only candidate for DPW Chair who has won a seat in the legislature against a long serving Republican in a republican leaning Assembly district. I did that in 2006 by running my own campaign, with my own local volunteers, raising my own money, developing my own messaging, and by talking with voters from dawn until dusk. I'll bring that kind of work ethic to my job as DPW Chair.

I've also served as a Regional Political Director for the DPW. I've seen firsthand what does and doesn’t work. There are changes we need to make in how the party functions and I know how to implement those changes.

The 2012 election results showed us that there are more democrats who vote in Wisconsin than there are republicans, but not all of those voters go to the polls in the mid-term elections. This has turned our state government to a deep red. How do we begin to turn that around?

Messaging. Our platform and resolutions contain bold policy ideas that resonate deeply with a broad swath of voters, but our candidates tend to rely on highly paid consultants for their messaging. This has to change. We need strong county parties that can educate voters about the policy positions grassroots democrats embrace, and that can influence our candidates to promote those policies. Strengthening our county party infrastructure is of the utmost importance and priority.

The outgoing chair campaigned for the job in past years by stating that we need year round organizing and a 72 county strategy; great ideas that never came to realization. I will make that a greater focus. One of our biggest problems is not in raising money but rather in how we're spending what money we have. I'll start by breaking down the budget to find the money we need to staff multiple field coordinator positions in key areas around the state. I will put my money where my mouth is by cutting the salary of the state chair position and use the savings to fund full-time field coordinators. These field coordinators will work with county party officials, activists and allies to develop outreach strategies to find, educate and engage new and sporadic voters on a year round basis.

Pride in being a Democrat is essential. I want every progressive and liberal thinking person in Wisconsin to boast about being a Democrat. Just as I want laborers to be filled with pride in belonging to a union, I want the professionals in our classrooms to hold their head high and proclaim to be a teacher without having to feel that they should be ashamed. It is up to us as leaders of the Democratic Party to make that happen. First we restore trust, respect and fight, which will equate into pride in ourselves and in our party.

We all should be very grateful to our brothers and sisters in Dane and Milwaukee counties, but we can't take this state back with only democratic majorities in Dane and Milwaukee. We need a leader who understands the concerns and challenges rural Wisconsin people and voters face. We also need a leader who will take a bold and creative approach to strengthening our party in rural Wisconsin.

I am that leader. I've lived in the Chippewa Valley my entire life. I owned a small business for 25 years in the Eau Claire area and raised a family there, and as a Regional Political Director I've traveled across all of western, northwestern and central Wisconsin to hear from rural people about the issues that matter to them. It was a good mix of urban and rural voters that sent me to the legislature.

These are just a few of the ideas, strategies and leadership qualities that I'll bring to the job as your next Chair. As I travel the state in the next few months I look forward to hearing from all of you. Together we can start down the path that will return Wisconsin to its progressive roots. Let's do it.

Sincerely,

Jeff Smith

P.S. To better understand who I really am I suggest you visit my YouTube site from my legislative campaigns. https://www.youtube.com/user/jeffsmithforassembly

Graeme Zielinski Leaves DPW Even More Adrift

You could have knocked me over with a feather on Friday when I saw the following email from Graeme Zielinski, former spokesman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin:

After three-and-a-half years before the mast at the Democratic Party of

Wisconsin, I'm moving on. It was one hell of a ride and I'm proud of the work I've done, both before- and behind-the scenes.

It was an honor to fight passionately, honestly and with integrity for the values I love that have sustained the state and Party I love, all during some pretty momentous days.

As my Church teaches me, the rich and powerful can fend for themselves. It is up to progressive institutions to stand up for the rest of us, and that's what I intend to do as I move forward, buoyed and strengthened by the great experience of my time with the Party.

Stay tuned and be in touch. In the immediate future, I'm working on an exciting writing project which you'll hear more about soon-Cheers, GZ .

I was shocked. I have known Graeme for a number of years and the one thing that no one could deny about him is that he is the ultimate party loyalist. I mean the man is loyal to a fault.

Now, I don't know what prompted this sudden departure and I won't pretend that I do.

However, Zielinski did post this on his Facebook page:

Friends: Not to be mawkish, but I'm facing a serious health scare. I've told some of you about it, but there are tests and MRIs and (blech) IVs and whatnot. I ask for some prayers, since this is sort of freaking me out. If you're a practicing, believing Catholic, I ask that you pray to Francis for intercession, since I've been dumping everything on him. I'm in fine spirits, etc., but let's all hope that this passes.

There are some who have speculated that Zielinski's departure is too coincidental to the upcoming party elections in which long time party head Mike Tate is facing a challenger. Friday, the day Zielinski made his announcement, was the day when nomination papers were due.  It is reported that Joe Kallas, Mike Tate's opponent for DPW Chair, had filed his papers just before Zielinksi's announcement.

There are many disgruntled Democrats who are frustrated with party leadership after losing both houses of the legislature, the governor's office twice and seats on the Supreme Court three out of four times.

There is also frustration stemming from the apparent lack of direction and lack of cohesiveness.  These issues are exemplified by things like:

• Chris Abele attacking members of the same party and financially supporting Teapublicans.
• The ongoing betrayals by Lena Taylor
• The Dirty Thirteen Democrats who voted for AB 110
• The lack of support for grassroots candidates

As I said earlier in this article, Zielinski is loyal to the Party to a fault.  The same can be said about the way Zielinski feels towards Tate.  If Zielinski thought for one second that Tate's reelection was in jeopardy, he would not leave his side, regardless of the role he had within the Party.

When Zielinski's role in the Party was diminished, the Party definitely showed the loss.  Now that Zielinski is done with the Party altogether, the loss will be even more noticeable.

But whatever the cause of Zielinski's departure, I wish him the best of luck and look forward to seeing him around for a fish fry and/or just a beer.

Walkergate II: Son Of John Doe

There is an old adage that goes "Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction."

In Fitzwalkerstan, that is not just sometimes, it is the norm.

On Wednesday, Scott Walker came out with his highly questionable jobs numbers, just three weeks before the recall election. In his interviews all day Wednesday, he made it abundantly clear that his sole concern regarding the numbers was how they would benefit him politically.

Within hours of releasing the numbers, Walker also released an ad that has deluged the airwaves boasting about these exact numbers.

This suspect act has caused the Democrats to file a complain with both the GAB and the Dane County District Attorney, alleging Walker of illegal coordination between his administration and his campaign:

The Wisconsin Democratic Party has filed a complaint against Republican Gov. Scott Walker over his latest television ad. 

The ad released Wednesday includes footage of Walker touting new jobs data that the state made public earlier in the day. 

The Democratic Party alleges in the complaint sent to the Dane County district attorney and the state elections board that Walker illegally used state time and resources to craft a political message in violation of the law.

Walker's spokeswoman, Ciara Matthews, stopped waiting tables long enough to come up with some ludicrous explanation that Walker had filmed parts of the commercial in advance, and then had the final script written, learned, taped, edited and sent out to TV stations around the state with time they just happened to have booked.

Yeah, whatever.

You can see a copy of the complaint here.

I actually find this rather remarkable.

One would think that after having his staff, his campaign and himself investigated for illegal politicking for more than two years, he would want to avoid any perception of impropriety, but here he goes, embracing the same kind of behavior.  He's been shown to have been running a new version of the caucus scandals out of his office suite while he was Milwaukee County Executive.  Even worse for him, it's been shown that not only was Walker aware of the illegal activities, he was in charge of them, as evidenced by that infamous email he sent to Tim Russell.

One would think that the money-grubbing Walker would have been made even more painfully aware of the trouble he is in after reportedly meeting with the Milwaukee County DA and having dropped $200,000 just to cooperate.

After all of that, it is stunning that he would even come close to doing anything that could possibly be perceived as inappropriate, much less be so blatant about it.  I don't know if it is because he realizes that, despite what the slanted polls might be saying, he is in deep trouble on the recall or if he is trying to gain the good will of the voters to buffer more bad news regarding the original Walkergate.

Or it could be that he truly does have the sociopathic mindset of a modern day Richard Nixon.

As a final note, I would strongly suggest that the Democrats consider amending their complaint.  If one looks at the state website, there is little doubt that he is treating this piece of state property as a secondary campaign website.