Nation Consulting Shags NARAL

By Jeff Simpson

It was announced recently that in WI 1st district, NARAL has endorsed Randy Bryce .  It is a fine endorsement to the recently fully pro-choice Bryce,  except of course for the massive conflict of interest.

Bryce's local campaign consultant is Sachin Chheda with Nation Consulting.   As we see from his profile:

Sachin is active in nonprofit leadership, recently completing two terms as Chair of the Board of Directors for NARAL Pro-Choice America. He serves as a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors, previously served as an officer of the Wisconsin Coalition of Asian Indian Organizations; and is Chairman Emeritus of the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County.

Chheda, fresh off two terms as Chair of the Board, was amazingly able to get his candidate endorsed without so much as an email to Bryce's opponent.  
It sure makes it good for business, when you can guarantee a NARAL endorsement.

Does anyone think that if Cathy had ponied up for Sachin's services that she would have been the one with the endorsement and Randy would have been left out in the cold?  

So much for pro-choice!  It has now become Sachin's choice.

To be clear, Randy is a fine candidate and would make a much better rep than Paul Ryan ever has, but when an organization this visible and this important, they need to make sure they have covered all candidates, and given all candidates a fair shake, before making such an important endorsement.

For those scoring at home, a male political consultant in Milwaukee, uses one of the most important female driven Democratic organizations for his own purposes and pocketbook.  

It really diminishes the organization and their endorsements!

The rest of us in Wisconsin, are collateral damage, to making sure Sachin can use his non profit leadership" to lead people to hiring him and his consulting firm.  

Conflicts of interest are only for the little people!

We wonder why we continually lose elections?

NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin Questions Senator Lazich’s Commitment to Local Control

From the inbox:

NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin Questions Senator Lazich’s Commitment to Local Control
“Sonya’s Law” would have politicians decide what is best for women

Madison, WI – Responding to Senator Mary Lazich’s cosponsorship memo for a law that would mandate women undergo an ultrasound prior to obtaining an abortion and have the physician give a politician-mandated description of the ultrasound, NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin questioned Senator Lazich’s purported commitment to local control.

Jenni Dye, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, said Senator Lazich’s previous comments about her support for local control seem disingenuous in light of her new bill, which would add even more government interventions into personal decisions about whether to end a pregnancy. In a recent debate regarding local control over Milwaukee residency rules, Lazich had expressed her commitment to local control, saying, "The most local control is your home and what you do within your home and where you live."

“Senator Lazich claimed she believed in “local” decision making when it came to where to live. But what could possibly be more local than control over your own body and what medical procedures you undergo?” said Dye. “If Senator Lazich truly believes that individuals should be able to make their own decisions, free from government intervention, then she should be our greatest ally against the very bill she is proposing.”

“Lawmakers must stop these attempts to add unnecessary regulations to a very personal decision, and Senator Lazich should stop leading the charge if she truly believes personal decisions should be personal.”

Y'know, there is a reason that Lazich was named the worse legislator in 2009. I doubt she's given up that title nor will she give it up anytime soon.

The Republicans' Long Range War On Women

As the gentle reader already knows, Scott Walker and his Republican cronies in the legislature have been waging a War on Women since they took office two years ago.  They have systematically and maliciously started in whittling away women's rights since day one of their reign of maleficence.

However, they have now heaped insult upon further injury to the women of Wisconsin.

Lisa Mux at Waukesha Wonk has outlined a flurry of bills that will push our once great state closer to a theocracy.

One of the bills, AB 216, was written by Wisconsin Right to Life and sponsored by Representative Andre Jacque (R-Old Country Buffet).  As one might imagine by the bill's author, it is a zealous, discriminatory and unfair anti-choice bill.

Even though it was introduced only days ago, the public hearing for it was scheduled for today.  But because the Republicans aren't even pretending to listen to the people anymore as they follow the orders of their campaign contributors, this hearing was one of nine public hearings scheduled today.

And the results of such overbooking was predictable, as pointed out in a press release issued by NARAL:

ARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin today issued the following statements after waiting two hours to testify before the Assembly Committee on Health. While all pro-choice members of the Committee on Health were present along with Chair Severson and Representatives Stone and Sanfelippo, four members of the committee failed to make any appearance at all during the first two hours.

“In order for a public hearing to happen, there has to be someone on the other side of the table listening and hearing the concerns of Wisconsin citizens. If it wasn’t clear from their rush to schedule these bills for a public hearing less than a week after introduction and while Joint Finance was considering the budget, it is abundantly clear form their failure to schedule them at a time when representatives could actually attend and listen,” said Jenni Dye executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin.

“I intended to offer testimony on behalf of NARAL and our nearly 15,000 members across the state,” said NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin board member, Analiese Eicher. “When it became clear that the members of the committee that need to be educated about why these bills are bad for Wisconsinites were not going to be in attendance, I chose to leave and submit written testimony in the hopes that it will actually reach the legislators who couldn’t take the time to be there today."

“I am deeply disappointed that legislators couldn’t take the time to be there today and I hope they will take the time to read the comments we submit. When legislators are willing to listen, we are ready to talk about how to end these unnecessary, divisive attacks on women,” added Eicher.

How can the Republicans even begin to say that they are doing the will of the people when they won't show up for their own hearings is beyond me. Needless to say, they don't really want to hear from the people, hence scheduling nine hearings on the same day.  If the Republicans can't make it to the hearings, they figure the people won't be able to either. This only makes it even more painfully obvious that the Republicans are just going through the motions at this point.

For the record, all four Democrats - Representatives Pasch, Taylor, Kolste and Riemer were in attendance.  Republican Representatives Severson, Stone and Sanfelippo were present.  Absent from their own hearing were Republican Representatives Strachota, August, Kapenga and Peterson.

Severson, chair of the Assembly Health Committee stated that the reason for the absences was indeed the fact that they had scheduled so many hearings today.

Perhaps the most egregious is the fact that bills' sponsor, Jacque, fled the scene of the crime after the first speaker.  Maybe he felt he had to go wage war on the groundhogs or something.

It is sad and disgusting that the Republicans not only want to treat women like second-class citizens, but have such a misogynistic view of them that they can't even bother to show up and face them before taking away their rights.

Well, to be fair, calling the Republicans misogynists is not fair or accurate.

The truth is that they are cowardly misogynists.

NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin Condemns Effort to Fund Misleading, Anti-Choice “Crisis Pregnancy Centers”

From the inbox:

Jenni Dye, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, expressed serious concern regarding legislative efforts to fund so-called “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs).

A bill sponsored by Rep. Andrea Jacque and Sen. Mary Lazich would provide funds for CPCs by funneling the specialty license plate revenue to “Choose Life Wisconsin”, which would then allegedly give to crisis pregnancy centers.  However, research done by NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin Foundation has clearly shown that crisis pregnancy centers are providing inaccurate, biased, and medically disproven information to women at an alarming rate. In the investigation, 100% of CPCs visited provided false and inaccurate information to women regarding abortion or emergency contraception.

Dye said, “State involvement in funneling money to anti-choice groups and so-called crisis pregnancy centers is completely inappropriate. Once again, we see legislators like Rep. Jacque and Sen. Lazich focusing on their extreme agenda on social issues instead of the pressing need to spur job growth in Wisconsin. Further, if the Legislature is going to take action regarding crisis pregnancy centers, they should be taking steps to prevent CPCs from misleading women instead of trying to find ways to fund them.”

“This bill is particularly misguided in its stated intent to fund crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) through Choose Life Wisconsin. Choose Life Wisconsin is a new organization with no track record of accountability, but with ties to individuals with an extreme agenda on reproductive healthcare, like Julaine Appling, who is clearly out of touch with Wisconsinites on issues from LGBT equality to keeping abortion safe and legal.”

“Regardless of our views on the issue of legal abortion, we should all be able to agree that Wisconsin women deserve the facts and the chance to make an informed decision about what is best for them and their families. Our state certainly shouldn’t be trying to find ways to channel funds to spread more falsehoods.”

NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin Foundation’s full report can be found at http://www.prochoicewisconsin.org/in-our-state/wicpcs.shtml.