Shannon Zimmerman: Women Say One Thing But Mean Another

Meet Shannon Zimmerman.

Zimmerman is a Republican Wisconsin State Representative who is running in a special election for the state senate. He's also a businessman who owns a translation business.

While giving a speech at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls about three years ago when he put his foot into his mouth:

Toward the end of the 2013 lecture, an audience member asked Zimmerman what language is most difficult to translate.

Zimmerman, a founder of the translation services company Sajan, said all languages are challenging and then joked that sometimes his employees’ language can be tough to translate.

Then he said, “It’s woman, right? Sometimes she says this, but she means this.”

His comment drew initial laughter and a loud “Whoa!” from one audience member, video of his lecture shows. Zimmerman clapped his hands together and laughed.

I reckon his service could have translated that as Republicanese for "I'm a male chauvinistic pig!"

While the incident happened four years ago, it's alarming given the current events, where women are finding their voices and calling out the men who preyed on them sexually.

Zimmerman proceeded to make things worse for himself by trying to excuse his comments as humor:

Zimmerman on Monday said by text message said his remark was "a lighthearted attempt to address the communication barriers that exist, both in professional language translation and between the sexes." He said he was mainly directing his comment to his wife, Angel, a Sajan co-founder who attended the lecture.

"By responding in the manner I did, and as was the featured point in the best-seller, 'Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus', it helped the audience understand that the same thing being said, can mean different things," Zimmerman said in his text message.

"Anyone who knows me knows I have the highest regard and respect for woman," he added.

Not once did he take responsibility for his crude remarks.

Just to help the representative out, I would point out something that his father should have taught him long ago, just in case he needs it: When a woman says no, she means no!

But as I have repeatedly told the gentle reader, there's more. There's always more.

It also came out on Monday that Zimmerman had boasted about voting for the recently passed state budget:

“I am proud to have voted for the recently approved Wisconsin state budget, a budget that provides the largest increase in K-12 funding in state history and directs funds to training that will close our skills gap, all while keeping property taxes in check and our financial house in order, including a substantial increase to Wisconsin’s rainy day fund,” said Zimmerman.

Zimmerman is also a strong proponent of the agreement that will lead to FoxConn establishing a high-tech manufacturing presence in Wisconsin.

Why anyone would want to boast about voting for a state budget that is already in deficit, kills instead of creates jobs, weakens the already anemic environmental protection laws and leaves our public schools starving to death.


But here's the thing. He didn't vote for the budget. He didn't vote against it either.

The fact is he didn't vote on the bloody thing at all:

The 45-year-old businessman was stuck at the airport in Amsterdam, where he had gone on a business trip for Sajan Inc., his language translation business. Many flights had been grounded in Holland's capital that day because of poor weather conditions.

On the roll call for final passage of the budget in the Assembly, Zimmerman was recorded as the only state rep to be absent for the vote. The bill passed on a 57-39 vote.

In other words, he was too busy jaunting all over Europe for his personal business instead of being in the Capitol taking care of the people's business. Then he has the gall to lie about it!

Zimmerman shouldn't be too worried about whether these stories will hurt his chances in the election. With a resume like that, he's a shoo-in for the Trump administration.

Cross posted from Crooks and Liars.

Wisconsin News Round Up

By Jeff Simpson 

The holiday weeks get a bit too crazy and I end up getting backed up.  Time to catch up on some stories under the radar.  

1.  Christian Schneider, the hack Bradley "columnist" at USA today, has weighed in on the Judge Roy Moore for Senate campaign.   It did not disappoint as he weighed in exactly where I expected him too. 
Vote for the pedophile to save the Republican tax cuts.

 Moore's evident predilections for young girls have put Republicans around the nation in an untenable position. If Moore were to lose the seat to Democratic challenger Doug Jones, the GOP majority would slip to 51, making it tougher to keep promises like tax reform. But if Moore were to win, the Republican Party would be saddled with a likely pedophile within its ranks — typically a sub-optimal message for a party facing crucial midterm elections next year.

2.  As Donald Trump campaigned on this issue: 

If I am elected President I will immediately approve the Keystone XL pipeline. No impact on environment & lots of jobs for U.S.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 18, 2015

Actually all of the GOP members of the Presidential contender clown car supported approving the Keystone XL pipeline.   Including this guy:

Scott Walker

“We need a president who will approve the Keystone pipeline on the very first day in office and then seek to level the playing field for all sources of energy,” he said during his campaign launch speech in July.

Our friends in South Dakota once again get to live the nightmare of Republican policy in action:

AMHERST, S.D. (AP) — TransCanada Corp.'s Keystone pipeline leaked an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil in northeastern South Dakota, the company and state regulators reported Thursday.

Now Scott Walker and WISGOP are going to open up mining in Wisconsin again.   What could possibly go wrong?   

3.  After Aaron Rodgers got hurt, some fans called for them to sign Colin Kaepernick.   However, standard wisdom says, that the majority of Packer fans would not be happy if they did.  Too much respect for the flag here in Wisconsin - unless it inconveniences you:

The Green Bay Packers handed out small American Flags during the Packers-Lions Monday Night Game, as part of the NFL's Salute to Service Military Campaign.
"During the National Anthem, everybody was waving (their flags) and singing," Marine veteran Tegan Griffith told WTMJ.  "It made me feel very good."
However, by halftime, Griffith says she and her fellow veterans noticed many of the flags were discarded.
"We started noticing people leaving (flags) on the ground, next to food wrappers and beer cups," Griffith explained.  "We found a couple on the bathroom floor.  The veterans I was with started to get a little upset."
After the game, the flags were seen everywhere.

4.  Wisconsin is definitely working.  That is if you are part of the Scott Walker inner circle! 

MADISON - Gov. Scott Walker's administration helped give a contract worth at least $35,000 to a firm affiliated with Walker's campaign treasurer, state records show. 

Not a single person in Wisconsin is surprised.  

5.  Ever wonder what Brad Schimel does on his weekends?  Hint:  It sure isn't processing the incredible backlogs of rape kits in WI!    

Madison – Last weekend, according to an agenda obtained by MapLight, Brad Schimel appears to have attended an opulent retreat and fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago that the Republican Attorney’s General Association (RAGA) did its best to hide.
The weekend’s activities included: a dinner with $125,000-per-year donors to the RAGA, golf tournaments, catamaran tours and numerous fundraisers. Most alarmingly, on the agenda, was a panel dubiously titled “Rule of Law Restoration Update: 370 Days since the election of President Trump.”
Secrecy for the event was a top priority, as it was not made public and the agenda notes that “cell phone use and picture taking is prohibited in all areas.”

Again the people of Wisconsin are not surprised.  

6.   In more unsurprising news, we get a glimpse of the incompetence of Wisconsin Republicans that led Wisconsin to be this much of a mess.   

First term Assembly Rep. Shannon Zimmerman (R- River Falls) put out a press release telling everyone how proud he was to vote for Scott Walkers backwards budget.   

“I am proud to have voted for the recently approved Wisconsin state budget, a budget that provides the largest increase in K-12 funding in state history and directs funds to training that will close our skills gap, all while keeping property taxes in check and our financial house in order, including a substantial increase to Wisconsin’s rainy day fund,” said Zimmerman.

The problem however is Mr. Zimmerman did not vote for (or against) the budget as he was shirking his duties as a taxpayer paid full time legislator and was actually in Amsterdam.  

The 45-year-old businessman was stuck at the airport in Amsterdam, where he had gone on a business trip for Sajan Inc., his language translation business. Many flights had been grounded in Holland's capital that day because of poor weather conditions.
On the roll call for final passage of the budget in the Assembly, Zimmerman was recorded as the only state rep to be absent for the vote. The bill passed on a 57-39 vote.

Zimmerman, with his ability to think he votes on bills when he was thousands of miles away, he is going to take his crackerjack job as a first time assembly rep and run for State Senate.   

When called on it he channeled his inner Charlie Brown:

"I'm not trying to be deceptive at all, good grief," he concluded.  

I guess when it comes to taking tough important votes Rep. Zimmerman is 

Only in Wisconsin.