Clinton Slams Walker, Other GOP Wannabes On Voter Rights

I'll be the first to admit I'm more of a Bernie Sanders kind of liberal, but I do appreciate the way Hillary Clinton isn't afraid of the whole damn clown car of GOP wannabes, including Scott Walker:

“Here in Texas, former governor Rick Perry signed a law that a federal court said was actually written with a purpose of discriminating against minority voters,” Clinton said. “He applauded when the Voting Rights Act was gutted. And said the lost protections were out dated and unnecessary.”

“But Governor Perry is hardly alone in his crusade against voting rights,” Clinton added. “In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker cut back early voting and signed legislation that would make it harder for college students to vote. In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie vetoed legislation to extend early voting. And in Florida, when Jeb Bush was governor, state authorities conducted a deeply flawed purge of voters before the presidential election in 2000.”

For the record, Walker hasn't stopped mewling long enough to make a reply.

Voter Intimidation Is A Federal Crime

Considering that we've already seen the Republicans ship in hostile and belligerent people in the recall elections, and given that most states are finally remembering that we have the Constitution which allows people to vote without paying a poll tax, perhaps everyone should print this out and take it with them when they vote or watch the polls:

Protect The Vote!

Voter suppression is on the rise. Don’t let it happen in our community or yours. If you have any problems this Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 at the polls, call 1-866-OUR VOTE (1-866-687-8683) immediately to report what happened. If you experience any challenges, or if you witness anyone being harassed or wrongfully challenged, make sure to call and report the incident. The number to call is 1-866-OUR VOTE (1-866-687-8683.) Don’t let any individual(s) stomp on our constitution. Exercise your right to vote and make sure everyone who is able to vote is allowed to vote.


Don’t forget,

1-866-OUR VOTE (1-866-687-8683)

to report any problems at the polls.

UPDATE:  Defend Wisconsin has a Report the Recall index set up as well.  You may find it here to report GOTV efforts, logistical problems, problems with voting machines, voting right violations and ballot bag problems.*

You can submit your reports directly and they'll be posted after verification.  You can also contact DW through this site as well.

And if you notice any problems, feel free to drop me a line.

*They might as well block off Waukesha County for all of the above.

Jim Crow Falls, McCarthyism Rises

On Monday, voters in Wisconsin won a temporary reprieve from the onerous and oppressive Jim Crow voter suppression laws enacted by Scott Walker last year, when a second judge found the law to be unconstitutional and imposed a permanent injunction against it.

The money phrase comes from the actual ruling:

A government that undermines the very foundation of its existence – the people’s inherent, pre-constitutional right to vote – imperils its legitimacy as a government by the people, for the people, and especially of the people. It sows the seeds for its own demise as a democratic institution.

As I said above, the reprieve, as significant as it is, is only temporary.  I believe that Walker and company will not only appeal the ruling, but will try to take it directly to the Supreme Court, citing some nonsense about how it is needed in time for the upcoming recall elections.

And we all know how well things turn out in the Supreme Court of Fitzwalkerstan, where David "Choke Hold" Prosser doesn't bother reading the lawsuits, the law or the Constitution, but rather makes his decisions based on what his campaign donors, the Fitzgerald boys and the Walker administration tell him on how he should rule.

I hope that the recallers are ready to file immediately in federal court to have that act of disingenuousness turned over

But sad to say, with the falling of the Jim Crow laws, there is another disgusting relic from the past on the rise recently: a new version of McCarthyism.

To practice this art of intimidation and bullying, the right wing is using their "Verify the Vote" database from the recalls.  Whenever someone does or says something they don't like, the lemmings on the right scramble to the database to see if they signed the petition.  They then use this in an effort to intimidate their chosen victims.

As of the time of this writing, some of the first victims of the New McCarthyism includes Dane County Judge David Flanagan, who was the first judge to rule against the Jim Crow laws; UW staff and Regents; and Mary Lou Young and Linda McFerrin, officers at United Way of Greater Milwaukee.

Even yours truly isn't immune from the harassment from the right.  For the umpteenth time, someone has filed an Open Records Request against me with my employer.  The requester wants to see if he can find more dirt on me from the acts of retaliation Scott Walker and his minions threw at me as well as to see if I'm qualified to do my job.

I am not worried about this in the sense that they will find anything to discredit me or get me into trouble.  But I do find it irritating that they will not cease in their harassment because they don't like that I speak the truth and keep exposing Scott Walker and his allies for the miscreants that they are.  And yes, questioning my qualifications to do my job is nothing short of an act of harassment and retaliation.

The person who made this request is a sloppy blogger turned GOP operative named Kyle Maichle.  Maichle has worked for the Koch brothers and Herman Cain, to show you the type of person he is.  As a blogger and researcher, he has a very poor reputation.  But given his severe man-crush on Walker and his flailing efforts at besmirching people that oppose his hero, who knows what he will try in his desperation.

But I'm sure the right wing will have no problems with their harassment, bullying and intimidation of Wisconsinites.  They'll just keep telling themselves it's only fascism when the other guy does it.

Happy Voter Disenfranchisement Day!

Last year, after the first couple of months of protests were starting to subside, I took my first trip to Madison since I was a kid.  While there, I met a few people that I had only known via the social media and only because the state was starting to wake up to the horrible mistake it made by allowing Scott Walker to assume the office of governor with a Republican majority in both houses of the legislature.

I still remember the disgust and the sickening feeling of having to pass through metal detectors manned by DNR agents because the Republicans were afraid of the people and didn't give two figs about Wisconsin progressive tradition or honoring its storied history of keeping the People's House open to the people.

That feeling came rushing back to me as I went to vote this evening for the first time under the Republican's voter suppression law.

Scott Walker and the Republicans rammed the law through supposedly to fight the widespread voter fraud that no one has ever been able to prove. They allegedly were concerned about protecting the sanctity of the ballot and make sure each vote counted.

The truth is anything but that.

When I arrived at my polling place, it was dead.  Even though it was a primary election and my ward only had three races to vote in, it traditionally had a flow of people, even if it was a slow one.  I was the only voter there during the entire time.  With less than two hours to go before the polls closed, I was voter #74, a number lower than normal.  I couldn't help but wonder how much was due to it being a primary and how much of it was due to people not wanting to bother with the voter suppression.

I went to the table and showed them my ID, which they only took a perfunctory glance at before asking me my last name and looking it up in their registration book.  After they found my name, it was the same as it was in the last 28 years of my life, and blank, since the rampant voter fraud was apparently not as rampant as Walker would have you believe.

After they wrote down my voter number next to my name, the poll worker pushed the book towards me with a pencil and said I had to sign it.  This was new.  I said I knew about the Jim Crow law of having to show an ID, but asked why did I have to sign the book as well.

Another poll worker said that the ID was only gave me the privilege to vote, but I had to sign the book to protect it.  I looked at him flatly and said that my privilege to vote was given to me when they signed the US Constitution.

I again asked the first poll worker why I had to sign the book.  She said it was to protect my vote in case something got litigated.  It was to protect my right to vote.  I asked her how my right to vote was being protected by having to sign it with a pencil.  After all, a pencil could easily be erased and someone else could sign my name and claim I was the fraud.  The lady only shrugged and said that they had questioned it as well, but they were only given the pencils.

Intellectually, I knew all along that the voter suppression law was just that.  A way to make it more difficult, if not impossible, for some people - especially the poor, the disabled, the elderly and college students - to vote.  But to see the full impact of the way Scott Walker and the Republicans have made a mockery of our democratic process,

Fake IDs are crafted on a regular basis and can be gotten relatively cheaply - just ask any bouncer at a bar.
And even if genuine, ID cards don't show if a person is eligible to vote.

But having people sign in pencil is the dead giveaway to the falseness behind this law.  When we have Republican operatives poring over recall signatures and trying to flag ones simply on the basis that they can't read them, why bother having them sign at the time of voting.  Or are the Republicans planning on challenging everyone's votes when they lose, based on the fact that they can't read the signature?  And if they were so concerned about security, why wouldn't they use ink instead of something that can be so simply erased?

The fact that this law provides no security to the vote that wasn't already in place before, but does add hindrances to the people by adding a poll tax or punishing them for being indigent and/or transient, makes it painfully apparent for what it really is - a way for Walker and his allies to disenfranchise the voters in an effort to retain their slipping grasp to power.

Other Politicians Can Abide By The Law, Why Can't Walker? -- UPDATED

I pointed out a while ago that Scott Walker was showing his absolute corruption by feeling that he should have the right to have taxpayer dollars be spent on doing his campaign work.  Walker wants the Government Accountability Board, a nonpartisan group formed to enforce election laws, to violate state laws by going through the recall petitions instead of having his campaign do that, as is required by law.

Indeed, at the time, I consulted with Michael Maistelman, one of the state's leading election law attorneys.  Maistelman has recently been awarded the honor of being one Wisconsin's Leaders in the Law, so he obviously knows what he's talking about.  When I consulted with him on this matter, he told me this:

I called Attorney Michael Maistelman, one of the state's leading election attorneys, to confirm my suspicion that this was another bogus complaint.  Attorney Maistelman confirmed that it has always been the responsibility of the candidate and his or her campaign to challenge the signatures of their opponent, whether it is for a recall or even just for nomination papers to get on the ballot.  He also told me that he has bumped a number of Republicans off of ballots by having invalid signatures stricken leaving his client's opponent with not enough to get on the ballot.  He said that the Republicans have done that to a number of Democrats as well. 

Maistelman also confirmed that it was always the campaign that paid for that legal work to be done. He added that Scott Walker's campaign would have much more funding than what would be needed to review and challenge the signatures of the recall.  

Despite this, Walker went running to Waukesha County Judge Mac Davis, a dyed in the wool Republican, who subsequently chose to ignore the law and not only deny the recall petitioners their right to be heard in court, but then ruled that the GAB must violate state law.

Funny thing is, just this weekend, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported about some local races here in Milwaukee.  The gist of the report is that some candidates got bounced off the petition for not having enough valid signatures (emphasis mine:

Sue Edman, the commission's executive director, said nominating petitions submitted by 1st District candidate Virgie Wynn, 4th District candidate William Crowley and 6th District candidate Duffy Holloway were disqualified because they didn't have enough signatures with valid addresses within their respective districts, while 7th District candidate Roosevelt Sanders was disqualified for not filling out his papers properly. Holloway also had been disqualified from the 6th District ballot in 2008.

The disqualified candidates can appeal those decisions to the three-member commission. That panel could meet Tuesday to rule on any appeals and on challenges to candidates' papers. 

Ald. Willie Wade is challenging 7th District candidate Jason Hargis' papers and Ald. Bob Donovan is challenging 8th District candidate Chez Ordonez's papers. Ald. Bob Bauman also filed a challenge to Crowley's papers in case Crowley successfully appeals the disqualification ruling, said Mike Maistelman, attorney for Bauman and Wade.

Mayoral candidate Ieshuh Griffin tried to file two separate challenges to nomination papers filed by rival Edward McDonald, a University of Wisconsin Extension faculty member, but both were rejected because they were filed incorrectly, Edman said. Had Griffin succeeded in disqualifying McDonald, she would have eliminated the mayoral primary and faced Mayor Tom Barrett alone.

Similarly, Wynn tried to challenge Ald. Ashanti Hamilton's papers, but her complaint also was rejected because it was filed incorrectly, Edman said.

So, the aldermen and the candidates either hired an attorney to challenge their opponents forms or they did so themselves.  And these candidates don't pull in anywhere the amount of money raised by Walker over the last two months as he has spent as much time traveling the state to kiss up to special interest groups for their big money donations.

I'm just wondering where all the conservatives that are worried about government waste, government ethics and election integrity have gone too.  Not one of them is standing up for any of those issues in this matter.

That speaks as loudly for them as Walker's corruption of the legal system does.

ADDENDUM:  My friend Jay Bullock has already touched on this subject as well, citing actual law in doing so.

This is supported and enhanced by Ed Fallone at the Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog in which he writes:

One merely has to read the statute as a whole. For example, Section 9.10(2)(g) states “[t]he burden of proof for any challenge rests with the individual bringing the challenge.” The grounds for a challenge are listed in Section 9.10(2). Under the statute, a challenge may be brought and the signature removed if the challenger establishes by affidavit or other evidence that the signature is duplicative (Section 9.10(2)(i)) or that the signature is of an ineligible individual (Section 9.10(2)(l)). Under Section 9.10(2)(q), challenges may be brought for grounds other than those specifically listed. That would include challenges based on the assertion that the name on the petition is fictitious or unrecognizable. 

In other words, at the prompting of the Friends of Scott Walker, Judge Davis has interpreted the words “careful examination” in Section 9.10(3)(b) so that they require the GAB to affirmatively seek out duplicative, fictitious and unrecognizable signatures when the language of Section 9.10(2) clearly places the burden of removing signatures that fall into these categories on the challenging party and not on the GAB.

In the comments section of the same blog, Mr. Fallone further points out that the reason Scott Walker is allowed to raise unlimited funds is for the singular purpose of going through and challenging the petitions.

I would simply add that if Scott Walker foolishly spent all of the money he raised on easily refuted commercials instead of challenging the petitions, that is not GAB's fault, nor is it the fault of the taxpayers, and neither are obliged to pay for the myopic way Walker chooses to run his campaign.

Near and Far, The People Are In Full Voice

My, but the pendulum is swinging back to the people but in a mighty way.

In Mississippi, the people shot down the proposal trying to take away a woman's right of choice.  There is no word about the referendum to have an acorn defined as an oak.

In Maine, voter rights were maintained when the elimination of same day registration was flatly rejected.

In Michigan, anti-union and anti-worker State Representative Paul Scott was ousted in a recall.

In the Great State of Ohio, the union-busting bill, which was brought to referendum by more than one million petition signers, went down in flames as the voters restored sanity by firmly and loudly voicing that people come before profits.

And here in Wisconsin, with possibly more significance that even the Ohio vote, Jill Billings overwhelmingly defeated her opponent who had placed himself deeply in Scott Walker's camp.

Overall, it was a pretty sounding rejection of corporatism and the Republican agenda, which has nothing to do with creating jobs or fixing the economy, but only with centralizing their wealth and their power.

Finally, I am still working on confirming the rumor that Walker is having Maalox delivered in tanker trucks.

Alberta Darling: Kills Voters' Rights, Cheats For Lobbyists

A video from my friend Bryan Bliss:



The Republicans have got this thing so fouled up that they're confusing even their own people. (Granted, that doesn't take much.)

The most egregious part - there was nothing broken in the first place, until the Republicans got at it, that is.

Wisconsin Elections: By Hook Or By Crook

The Republicans in Wisconsin know that they are on a losing path with their hostile, anti-Wisconsin agenda.

Their knowledge, and fear, of the people is being shown in the callous way they are treating entire segments of the population and their attempts to suppress any opposing voice.  And nothing illustrates this as well as the hypocritical way these "freedom fighters" are treating one of the most sacred rights in this country, the right to pick our own representation.

First we see their leaders lying to their constituents, ignore what the people actually want and vote to keep entire swaths of the citizenry from being able to exercise their constitutional rights of voting.  They do so at the harm of the tax payers, even as they proclaim themselves to be the friend of the tax payers.

Now, the Republicans have decided that public financing is just wrong for elections. The timing is interesting seeing that the very wealthy Senator Herb Kohl had just recently announced that he will be retiring at the end of this term.  Apparently, they Koch-financed Republicans are that afraid of the voters that they feel that even an average citizen who might receive a pittance of public financing would be an insurmountable obstacle for them.

What the Republicans continuously fail to understand is that this is Wisconsin.  While money is nice to have, it's not nearly as valued by most Wisconsinites as the basics of freedom, independence and justice. All they know is that they're no longer completely in control and they are starting to panic. But instead of doing things that might save their political rears, they are only pouring gas on an already blazing fire.

Vital Error In Voter Suppression Bill

Apparently the fascists* in temporary control of our state, made a vital error in their voter suppression bill.

They targeted the wrong group. They should have been suppressing themselves:

A Republican legislative aide is under investigation for possible vote fraud after she cast her ballot in the November election in Onalaska although she lives in Madison.

La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke said he has forwarded the report from the Onalaska Police Department to Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne to see if criminal charges are warranted against Marcie Malszycki, 30, an aide to state Rep. Warren Petryk, R-Eleva.

Records from the Government Accountability Board show Malszycki voted in Onalaska on Nov. 2, 2010, and Nov. 4, 2008, at the same time she had a home in Madison and worked at the state Capitol. Messages left with Malszycki by email, phone and Facebook weren't returned.

Of course, the Republicans and RWNJs will only use this as an excuse to show the "need" for their voter suppression bill. The obvious flaw to their argument is that she was caught without the bill in place, which proves the system works just fine as is.

*And no, I do not choose the word "fascist" lightly. But when you have a minority who controls the majority of power and uses said power to deny others basic and Constitutional rights, they are by every meaning, fascists.

Darling Lies To Voters Even As She Steals Their Rights

Even as the state senate is poised in taking the next step of passing the voter suppression bill, we learn that Senator Alberta Darling (R-Nearest Golf Course) is lying to her constituents about the bill she, along with her WISGOP colleagues, are ramming down our collective throats.

The following was forwarded to me, and is Darling's response to constituents expressing their concern about the voter suppression bill:

Dear [name redacted]: 

Thank you for contacting me with regards to Voter ID. I always appreciate hearing from constituents in the 8th Senate District. 

As you may know, 1,200 ballots in Milwaukee were cast from invalid addresses in the November 2004 election.  Also, almost 10,000 more ballots were cast than people who were counted as voting.  These statistics, despite being 6 years old, raise serious questions that undermine the validity of the entire statewide elections results. 

I would not support requiring individuals to show an identification to vote if it would disenfranchise the poor, the elderly or the disabled.  I believe most Wisconsin citizens support our election reform initiatives because it serves to secure their vote from being fraudulently cast by another. 

While it's clear we have differing opinions on this issue, I am sure there are many that we do agree on. Thank you again for contacting me and if you have any further comments or questions, do not hesitate to contact me. 

Sincerely, 

Alberta Darling
State Senator
8th Senate District

Let's first take a look at those numbers.

The 1,200 number that Darling banters about is explained by the Brennan Center for Justice:

The allegations of 1,242 votes from addresses flagged as invalid were based on a computer match of voter rolls against U.S. Postal Service and City of Milwaukee property lists, with spot checks of 40 specific addresses. In further review of 300 of the sample names, about 20% of the invalid addresses were attributed to data entry errors (e.g., “3130 S. 15th Place” became “3130 S. 15th St.,” and “S. 68th St.” became “S. 63rd St.”). At least two other addresses ostensibly deemed business locations were found to be valid residences after an individual spot-check. Furthermore, 75% of these votes were from election-day registrants, who were required to show proof of residence at the polls.Oops. Looks like it was more of an issue with poll workers dropping the ball than with fraudulent voting.

Now for the 10,000 number that Darling was flinging around, again from the Brennan Center:

The allegation that 10,921 cards could not be processed was apparently an error; 1,305 election-day registration cards from Milwaukee actually could not be processed. 548 of these listed no address, and 48 cards listed no name, but voters had to show both proof of name and proof of residence to register on election day. 236 cards had missing or incomplete dates of birth, 28 had no signature, 141 listed addresses outside of the city limits, and 23 were deemed illegible. 155 cards were not processed because they had not been given a voter number by the city. It is unclear why the remaining 126 cards could not be processed.

Also keep in mind that then US Attorney Steve Biskupic had done a thorough investigation and came up with nothing.

And now, in regards to Darling's statement that she would never vote for a bill that would disenfranchise the elderly, the disabled and/or the poor, we turn to this map of potential disenfranchised voters, via The Masses:

Click on picture to embiggen

I'm sure that it's just coincidental that the largest number of potential disenfranchised people are in Milwaukee and Dane Counties.  And I'm sure that not one of those souls that are about to lose their right to vote because of WISGOP's fear of the people are elderly, disabled or poor.(Yes, that was sarcasm, Ms. Darling.)

Finally, I would also have to point out that by treating all Wisconsinites as guilty before proven innocent does not create on single job nor does it do one darn thing about the biggest source of potential fraud - the absentee ballot.  Then again, absentee ballot fraud is a heavy handed favorite technique of Republicans, so of course their not going to touch that.

As if the simple fact that she and her Republican colleagues are about to squander millions of our tax dollars so that they can steal our very rights given to us in the Constitution to solve a problem that doesn't exist wasn't bad enough, lying to our very faces about the whole sordid affair makes it beyond tolerable.

Who's joining me in canvassing this weekend for Sandy Pasch?

WISGOP Looks To Tamper With Recall Elections

Apparently not satisfied with their bungling of the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court, WISGOP is now looking to tamper with the recall elections which are in just two months by interfering with the voting rights of the elderly, the poor and college students (emphasis mine):

Voters taking part in the upcoming recall elections would need photo identification, if the latest version of the controversial voter ID bill becomes law.

The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee passed an amended version of the photo ID bill Monday, removing a provision that required student IDs to carry correct addresses and moving up the date of implementation to immediately after the bill passes.

"We were all wondering why there's such a rush on this bill — now we know," said state Rep. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse. "It's about the recall elections. You feel the rules need to be changed right in the middle of the game."

Apparently, the Republicans have figured out that despite their sound bites and the endless squawking points parroted by AM radio stations, they aren't really following the will of the people.

So instead of doing the things they were elected to do, they are following the bidding of the special interests that helped buy their seats (read Koch Brothers et alia).  Sadly, they do so by inventing a problem that doesn't exist in order to match their "solution."

I would expect that a class action lawsuit will be slapped on this thing as soon as it is published, which could still keep it from affecting the recall elections on July 12.  But just in case, since you really can't predict what any given court is going to do, I would suggest that the recall organizers, the unions and other groups do what they do best and figure out a way to boots on the ground to help people meet this illegal poll tax.

I tell you one thing, gentle reader, I can barely wait for the day that we can start getting things squared away and cleaning up this mess that these fools are making.

Voter Suppression Doesn't Come Cheap

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel takes a look at the Dark Overlords' (read Republicans) move to end same day voter registration.

The Republicans are claiming that that this will end voter fraud, which has never been proven to be a problem, much less one related to same day registration. They also think that voters are, well, stupid:

What are the arguments for ending the practice? The two most common are: reducing the chaos of voters performing two tasks (registering and voting) instead of one (voting); and reducing voter fraud by having a gap (of say 10 or 30 days) between the close of registration and the vote.

Anyone backing this move by the Republicans must be stupid, for it would fix nothing, but it would create a new level of bureaucracy, slow down the voting process and waste tax payer money.

There is a federal law that still allows the voter to cast a provisional vote on election day and have it scrutinized later at the tax payers' expense. Not only is it expensive, but it would delay election results for days as each of these votes are looked at. Per the article, 10-15% of voters are now taking advantage of the same day election registration. Imagine how long it would take to analyze each of them.

Or as Kevin Kennedy, head of the state's election system, puts it:

Kennedy says imposing a pre-election registration deadline would not streamline the experience of voters and poll workers on election day but simply alter it. Let's say you show up to vote and you're not on the voting list. Under the current system, you typically go to another line to show documentation of residence, register and then come back and vote. If election-day registration were eliminated, you would have the right under federal law to cast a provisional ballot that would be scrutinized after the election.

"It's not like you get rid of the extra attention for people not registered. You redirect it to an equally, if not more, time-consuming process," says Kennedy, who says provisional ballots "will skyrocket" in Wisconsin if election-day registration ends.

He also says such a move would create a new layer of cost and bureaucracy for the state. The state is now exempt from mandates of the federal "motor-voter" law because it has election-day registration. That law requires state motor vehicle and social welfare agencies to try to register their customers and clients to vote. It also imposes added federal reporting requirements on those agencies and elections officials, and would have the unintended effect of forcing the state to keep more than one voter list, says Kennedy.

Kennedy says opponents of registration on election day are "not looking at the bureaucratic morass that's now going to be imposed on state agencies and local election officials by having to comply with pre-election requirements to turn DOT (Department of Transportation) workers and social welfare state employees into voter registrars."

But isn't that typical modus operandi for the GOP? Screw over the tax payers and then make them pay for it, and still get them to think it's a good thing. That's how they won the election last year, and until the Democrats start pointing this out with a vengeance, that's the way it will stay.

Turn Off The Hate

From One Wisconsin Now:



What's funny is that the right is spitting nails about this, calling it a message from the hate left. But no where does OWN mention hate. In fact, the only hate is being expressed by the right. And that would be their hate of the left and their hate that democracy lets everyone vote.

The Republican Tsunami

Monday morning's edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had an article just gushing about how the Republicans in Wisconsin, unlike Republicans in most other states, were in sync with the Tea Parties. Little did we know how true that was.

One Wisconsin Now did some amazing work and discovered that the Republicans were in collaboration with the Tea Partiers as well as the right wing front group Americans for Prosperity to commit the illegal act of voter suppression by using voter caging.

At their site, you can find the outline of how they were going to control the vote, denying students and minorities their Constitutional right to vote, the transcript of Tim Dake of the Grandsons of Liberty and other discussing this openly, as well as a pretty clear explanation of just what voter caging means.

And here I thought that Scott Walker and Ron Johnson were supposed to be the anointed ones, not the appointed ones.

Just remember this when the right wing starts their meme about this being a conservative tsunami: Tsunamis are actually bad things that can cause massive amounts of damage.

See also: McIlheran Should Return His AFP Award

Get A License, Get Registered To Vote

This should make more than a few vote-suppressing right wingers go nuts:

Wisconsin residents could soon register to vote in a unique way.

A bill being presented to the state legislature would automatically register you to vote when you receive your drivers license or register your vehicle.

Many states offer that option, but Wisconsin would be the first to
Make it automatic, unless a voter opted out.

But the Wausau City Clerk says it could cause issues and add expenses when it comes to the voter lists, because not everyone who has a license or registers a car intends to vote.

"Those lists are what I use a certain percentage is what I use to order ballets for, so if you swell my list to a larger population that never intend to vote its going to cost not only myself but every municipality in the state more in ordering supplies for elections," said Kelly Michaels, Wausau City Clerk.

The bill has about five weeks to be approved, because the legislature wraps up regular business on April 22nd.

I can just see the Republicans standing in front of the DMV with the papers waving in their hands saying how this proves their is voter fraud and that ACORN* is taking over the world.

*Yes, I know that ACORN is defunct, but there are some on the right already claiming this is a conspiracy to lull people.

Wiggy On Felons And Voting

James Wigderson has a post up, which is his weekly column for the Waukesha Freeman. In said column, Wiggy tackles the issue of whether felons should be allowed to vote:

Asking a felon to vote does not diminish legitimate votes. Asking someone who is no longer incarcerated by the state to vote does not harm democracy. Asking a felon to vote only makes that person a better, more responsible citizen.

We know that in those states where we can measure the progress of felons that do vote they are half as likely to re-offend. We can argue the cause and effect, but there is a relationship, and we would be fools not to recognize it and take advantage.

Democrats in the legislature are debating whether they have the votes to pass the voting rights bill. Admittedly, the timing is terrible, as the first prisoners are coming out now under the early release program. Nobody wants to be seen as soft on crime.

However, it appears that they are close to having enough support to put the bill on the legislative agenda. If that happens, Wisconsin Republicans should remember 14 Republican governors have already allowed this change in their states. Republicans can support the change in the law here, too.

Well stated, James.

MJS Advocates For Totalitarianism

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has one of the most irresponsible and clueless editorials I have ever seen in this morning's paper. In said editorial, they are calling on the state to limit, if not outright eliminate, the peoples' voice:

Wisconsin voters have had the power to go over the heads of their local governments for more than a century now through the use of direct-legislation referendums. Several movements over the past year suggest that it's time state legislators take a look at the law to see if it can be tightened or perhaps even revoked.

They list off some examples on why they feel that the public shouldn't be allowed to have any say in matters.

Their first example is the paid sick leave ordinance that was passed by the public, but later overturned in court when special interests, including Journal Communications CEO Steve Smith, filed a lawsuit against it. They claim it was bad for business, but given recent news, with many schools closing temporarily due to the flu, causing parents to chose between missing work (and pay) or being neglectful of their children, I wonder which is worse.

They also cite the recent stories of the citizens in Jackson and Pewaukee rising up in outrage when their elected leaders tried to sacrifice public safety over money. Apparently, the Editorial Board doesn't recognize the fact that some people are willing to sacrifice a few dollars in order to have public safety.

What I found particularly outrageous was at the end of their editorial piece:

But public officials shouldn't have to work under such threats if they're just doing their jobs. Disagreement with an official over one issue is not - most of the time - sufficient reason to recall the official or hamstring government with direct-legislation ordinances.

Citizens still have plenty of recourse to make their will known: There are advisory referendums, binding referendums, complaining to local officials, talking to officials and, of course, regular elections. If they don't like what officials are doing, they can boot them out of office. In the meantime, they should let those officials do their jobs.

While those options are indeed valid, there are also times when the public doesn't have the luxury of waiting until the next election, or taking other actions that can and all too often are ignored by elected officials who have their own agenda (like getting elected governor). The public can do and should do what they feel is necessary to prevent irreparable harm from being done to their community.

It is not up to the Editorial Board, or to special interest groups (like the Bradley Foundation or their lackeys) to determine what happens in a community. It is up to the people that live, work and vote in those communities. For the Editorial Board to state otherwise only shows their arrogance and contempt for the public.

See also xoff's piece at Uppity Wisconsin for another take on this issue.

Should They Do Away With The Milwaukee County Executive Position?

Anyone that has been paying the least attention to Milwaukee County politics, or has been at least reading this humble blog, knows that the last County Executive as well as the current one, had been worse than disasters to the well-being of Milwaukee County and its citizens.

Tom Ament, for the majority of his career, was a big fish in a little pond at the courthouse, but in the public eye, he was usually noticed as much as your average potted plant. Then he and his crew came up with the pension scandal that got everyone's attention. It rightfully cost him his job, but unfortunately took a lot of good people down with him.

The pension scandal was bad in a multitude of ways. The most obvious was the financial burden it put on the county. But many people think that another consequence from the scandal was just as bad, if not even worse. Ament's scandal opened the door for Scott Walker to come in with the support of the misnamed Citizens for Responsible Government.

Since Walker won the recall election in 2002, he had been planning his perpetual run for governor, using Milwaukee County as nothing more than a stepping stone for his higher aspirations. Walker has regularly waged a war against the county's most vulnerable populations, the poor, the elderly, the disabled adults and the inner city in the hopes of gaining leverage for his campaign run.

During the course of his tenure, Walker has manipulated the system to ruin the transit system, the parks system, economic support programs and social support systems like mental health services.

Recently, he has gone to the point of abusing the powers of his office and stepping outside of his authority to do things like sabotage the county's chances to get federal stimulus money, raise taxes and/or create new taxes (even on toddlers), and sabotage and stall contract negotiations with the unions. He has done all of this just to look tough and to keep up his false portrayal as being a fiscal conservative.

During all of this, the Ament scandal and Walker's ineptitude, the County Board has continuously taken the brunt of the voter's anger. Several Supervisors lost their jobs due to the scandal, even though their worst sin was believing the stuff coming from the county executive's office. Now, every time one of Walker's grand schemes falls apart, as they ultimately do, they are the ones that get the angry phone calls. (Part of that might be because the County Board and their staff aren't rude to their callers, like the County Executive's staffers are.)

All of this takes a toll on people, which is why I found it shocking, but not surprising, that some supervisors are asking for the state to allow the county executive's position be abolished and replaced by a county administrator. In an upcoming session of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee is this item:

A resolution by Supervisors Holloway, Mayo, Broderick and Johnson, seeking legislation to amend Wisconsin Statutes to remove the requirement to elect a county executive in counties with a population of 500,000 or more and allow the appointment of a county administrator.

I can fully appreciate and empathize with their frustrations. They have to go in every day, day in and day out, and try to repair the damages cause by Ament and Walker. And the thanks that they receive is the local paper or the local radio squawkers railing against them and blaming them for what they are not responsible for. It's never fun to have to go and clean up other people's messes, but then to get abraded for someone else's misdeeds isn't fair.

But I don't believe that this is the proper course to take. Ament is gone from politics, no matter what he might think. Walker won't be in that office forever either.

Our system of government is based on checks and balances. While a smaller community might be able to get away without having that system, even the smallest towns still have a mayor to balance out the common council. And no one would ever imagine having a state without a governor to counter the state legislature. Or the federal government without the President to balance out the Congress. Just as the judicial branch is key, so is the executive branch.

Removing the voters' right to name their own executive in favor for an administrator that would be beholden to the County Board is not the solution.

One would think that after the struggle the County Board went through the last few years to just get the sales tax referendum on the ballot, that they would have a strong appreciation for the citizens to be able to exercise their right to have their voices heard. I think that it would be a grave mistake to take away that right now.

If they do not like what Walker is doing, and a growing number of people don't, then take actions to ensure that Walker, or whoever might hold that seat someday in the future, isn't able to just step over the lines and exceed their authority. Clearly define the role and powers of the county executive. And include steps that would allow the Board to take action if the County Executive were to practice such malfeasance again, such as an impeachment hearing.

Just don't take away our rights to vote for the person we want in that office. The County Executive should work with the County Board, but he or she should be answerable to the people as well.

Take The Day Off

Charlie Sykes, Cindy Kilkenny and other right wingers think it is absolutely absurd that Barack Obama is encouraging people to take the day off of work on Election Day. You know, trying to get voters to polls and promoting democracy is just such a waste of time and benefits no one. Yeah, OK, whatever.

I would like to know how they justify saying it's bad for Obama to do this, when someone they both have supported, Scott Walker, has done the same darn thing. Here is the link (I hope) of Walker's memo to county employees, encouraging them to take the day off on Tuesday, and helping out at the polls. In case the link doesn't work, here is a copy and paste of the same memo:

TO: Milwaukee County Employees
FROM: County Executive Scott Walker
RE: Election Day Workers

November 4 promises to be a very high, perhaps record breaking, turnout. Thousands of poll workers will be needed by municipalities to staff more than 300 polling stations throughout Milwaukee County. The City of Milwaukee alone projects needing more than 2,500 Election Day Workers.

Municipality clerks are actively seeking poll workers to ensure an orderly administration of the elections.

The November 4 election is a minor holiday for Milwaukee County employees. I am writing you today to encourage you to consider working as a poll worker on election day in your municipality. Poll workers are compensated for their time and some municipalities offer shift schedules to make it even easier for you to participate.

Attached is a list of the municipal clerks for all Milwaukee County municipalities. If you would like information on serving as an election worker, please contact the clerk in your municipality.

Municipality Phone Number Ext.
Bayside 414-351-8811 107
Brown Deer 414-371-3050
Cudahy 414-769-2204
Fox Point 414-351-8900
Franklin 414-425-7500
Glendale 414-228-1718
Greendale 414-423-2100
Greenfield 414-329-5219
Hales Corners 414-529-6171
Milwaukee 414-286-3491
Oak Creek 414-768-6500
River Hills 414-352-8213
St. Francis 414-481-2300 125
Shorewood 414-847-2601
South Milwaukee 414-762-2222
Wauwatosa 414-479-8917
West Allis 414-302-8294
West Milwaukee 414-645-1530 124
Whitefish Bay 414-962-6690

What's really ironic is that he is encouraging county employees to take a day off and get more tax money to work at a poll. But for what it's worth, I actually agree with Walker and hope more people get involved to ensure that everyone who has the right to vote, gets to vote.