Blogging Blue Under New Management And The Blogging Scoop

In case you missed it, Zachary Wisnewski at Blogging Blue hung up his keyboard and turned the keys of the place over to Ed Heinzelman:

I’ll admit – I thought this post would be easier to write, but as I’m sitting here at my keyboard, I’m finding it difficult to come up with the right words.

So I’ll just come out with it – I’m handing over control of Blogging Blue to Ed Heinzelman effective February 1st. Ed’s a great blogger, but more importantly he’s a great friend, and there’s no one I trust more than him to lead this community moving forward.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here, and while I’m ceding control I hope to be a sporadic contributor as the mood strikes me, and before I sign off, I’d like to thank each and every one of you for your contributions to this community, whether as a contributor, commentor, or critic, because each of you have made this into the close-knit community it is. I’ll always be thankful to have been a part of this community and for the friendships and experiences that I’ve gained because of this community, so thank you all again from the bottom of my heart.

No, I have been unable to confirm that Zach for Governor 2018 is in the offing.

I know as well as Zach that this can be a thankless job and at times becomes more of a tedious chore than something fun to do. We at Cog Dis thank Zach for his years of dedication at advocating for progressive causes and getting the truth out there. We also wish Ed the best of luck and look forward to his continuing the proud Blogging Blue tradition.

And speaking of Cog Dis, I am proud to announce that our little family is growing.

No, I am not talking about Lou, our second rescue from the Wisconsin Human Society.

If the gentle reader might remember, at the time that Scott Walker and his fellow Republican syndicate members were dropping not just a bomb, but carpet bombing the entire state, there was a blog by the name of Politiscoop. While the site is no more, you can still see some of their work that I, ahem, borrowed from them and some of the work that Politiscoop and I collaborated on.

Well, making a triumphant return from a successful four year gig on the Vegas strip, he's back and he's agreed to join our happy little family right here in Cog Dis.  I'd expect he might be posting something real soon so make sure you keep your eyes open for it.

Blogging Abele's Referendum Blues

Last week, I wrote about Milwaukee County Emperor Chris Abele expressing his opposition to three referendum questions that the Milwaukee County Board were considering.  The three referendum were about whether the state should raise the minimum wage, whether the state should accept additional federal funding to expand Badger Care and whether state law should be changed to allow Milwaukee County to have the more efficient county administrator type of government.

Pro-Abele blogger Zach Wisniewski took umbrage with my post:

After hearing news of Abele’s opposition to placing three more non-binding resolutions whose results can be easily predicted on the fall ballot, Chris Liebenthal of Cognitive Dissidence trotted out his predictable line of attack against Abele, an attack that goes something like this.

“Plutocrat, plutocrat, plutocrat….rich guy, rich guy, rich guy.”

Sure, Liebenthal cites some examples of how money could be found in the County’s budget to pay for the cost of placing the referendums on the November ballot, but he seems to ignore the fact that passage of the referendums by voters will change absolutely nothing in Milwaukee County. No policy or laws will change as a result of the passage of the referendums, and given that the outcomes of the referendums really isn’t in doubt, I have to question the point. It goes without saying that I support the policies behind the referendums that will be on the November ballot, but I simply don’t see why they’re necessary. The County Board of Supervisors could just as easily pass resolutions expressing their support for the policies at the heart of these referendums with the same effect as placing them on the ballot, while saving money in the process.

I have yet met anyone that thinks adding these three questions to the ballot, which is already being printed anyway, is really going to cost anywhere near the $120,000 Abele is mewling about. If it does cost that much, perhaps he should find a new company to print the ballots. (There is a print shop at the House of Corrections that could probably do it for cheaper and give inmates job training.)

Wisniewski must really besides himself since this wanton spending spree is happening statewide:

Dane County voters will get a chance in November to weigh in on raising the state minimum wage, an issue that has left researchers, politicians and activists arguing over the impact on the broader economy.

But it will be a largely symbolic gesture since a 2005 Wisconsin law prohibits local units of government from implementing a minimum wage different than the state.

Still, the County Board at its meeting Thursday is expected to overwhelmingly pass a resolution putting a $10.10 minimum wage on the November ballot, joining similar referenda in Milwaukee, Eau Claire and Kenosha counties.

All these spendthrifts, wanting democracy! The horror of it all!

But I have to wonder if that is how Wisniewski really feels or if he was asked to help Abele out.

Six years ago, Milwaukee County voters were given a non-binding referendum question about whether Milwaukee County should increase the sales tax by 1% in order to support the transit, parks and emergency medical systems.  Naturally, Scott Walker, who was county executive at the time and was gearing up for his gubernatorial run, was vehemently opposed to the question even being on the ballot, much less it actually happening.

Wisniewski had a couple of posts about this.  Let's see what Wisniewski said about that non-binding referendum:

So in vetoing a proposal for a referendum, Scott Walker’s basically thumbed his nose at the citizens of Milwaukee County, in essence sending the message that he knows what’s best for the people of Milwaukee County and that they can’t be trusted to make decisions for themselves. Whether the referendum had passed or failed, at least the citizens of Milwaukee County would have had a say in the decision, and it’s shameful that Scott Walker took away their ability to choose for themselves. What’s really ironic is that for all their criticisms of how liberals favor a “nanny state” that interferes in the day to day lives of people, conservatives are no better, as Scott Walker has just shown.

And then there's this:

What I find really interesting about conservatives is the level of their hypocrisy. Many conservatives I’ve either interacted with or heard speak have struck similar tones about wanting to “give power back to the people” and about “letting people decide for themselves,” yet every time they’re given an opportunity to put their words into action, they refuse and blame some liberal bogeyman. If Scott Walker really supports voter referendums, then I challenge him to put his money where his mouth is and allow the sales tax referendum to make it to the ballot.

Hmm, hypocrisy indeed.  I wonder what happened to make Wisniewski go from being for referendums to being against them.

Also of note, in the comments section of his post, Wisniewski said he would be all for them if they were binding referendum.  However, counties obviously cannot have binding referendums telling the state what to do.

I still say the people have the right to be heard, especially when so many people in the world don't even get that much of a taste of democracy.  If that makes me a bad person, so be it.

Those Who Should Remained Punished

David Cullen

On Wednesday afternoon, WTMJ-AM's midday squawker, Jeff Wagner (Charlie Sykes Lite), was griping about the news that Milwaukee County Supervisor David Cullen announced that he was running for Milwaukee County Treasurer.  Wagner sniped that Cullen was only doing it because he wanted the $84,000 salary, especially since Chris Abele and the Greater Milwaukee Committee threw one helluva tantrum and bought off state Teapublicans to cut the pay of county supervisors to $25,000, making the job part time.

Wagner also snarled about Chairwoman Marina Dimitrijevic and Supervisors John Weishan and David Bowen who were running for state assembly seats.

Wagner concluded that this showed that the supervisors were about nothing but the money.

Zach Wisniewski of Blogging Blue joined in the diatribe, complaining that Cullen was running for the treasurer's position:

It’s worth noting that Cullen has been in various elected offices virtually all of his adult life, having been first elected to the Milwaukee School Board in 1983, when he was just 23 years old.

Cullen was elected to his current position as a Milwaukee County Supervisor in 2012 after he decided not to run for reelection to the State Assembly after his district was altered by redistricting. Cullen’s district was redistricted in such a manner that his reelection would have been challenging, and rather than risk losing, he instead chose to take a safer route and run for an open seat on the County Board.

Call me a cynic, but I can’t help but wonder if Cullen’s decision to run for Milwaukee County Treasurer is motivated in large part out of a desire to hold on to a paycheck, given that County Supervisors are due to become part-time in the not too distant future.

How dare those people try to look ahead and take care of themselves and their families! Don't they know that the they are supposed to be punished and stay punished for going against the Emperor Chris Abele's wishes?!

Now, I'd expect that kind of inanity from Wagner.  He's just another mindless propagandist of the corporate special interests.

I am, however, very surprised and disappointed with Wisniewski's attack.  As someone who has seen first hand the effects of Act 10, where public sector workers pay got cut by as much as 20%, and the exodus of workers it caused, I would thought Zach might have been more understanding.

I personally have seen many coworkers take off for greener pastures, no longer able to make it on the reduced pay and/or not willing to tolerate the stripping of rights for such lower pay.

Just as I can't blame my former coworkers for doing what they thought was best for themselves and their families, I don't blame any supervisor who decides to retire or to seek a better job.  It's only natural.

I hardly think that either Wagner or Wisniewski would stay in their current jobs if their pay was about to be cut in half and they were blamed for everything someone else did and I don't see why think anyone else would or should.

Which Side Are You On

By Jeff Simpson

Yesterday I pointed out that the weekend messages between Mary Burke, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and Scott Walker is virtually indistinguishable.

Apparently Zach @bloggingblue took some umbrage with pointing out the truth, so he dug up an OLD quote from Marty Beil.

The problem is, and I know that Zach understands this, that quote is 3 years old when the state was incredibly different.   In 2010 the left and all of their supporters got their ass kicked badly in the election.   They knew that the first thing that the republicans would do is come to them for their pound of flesh.

The union leadership understood this and offered it up.  As  John Mccain says "elections have consequences" and when 40% of the union membership votes for people who want their scalp, then you have to pay the piper when those people get elected.  That is the way the world works these days. 

So to use a three year old quote that was said while ACT10 was being debated, is downright dishonest.   It also assumes that the world or the state has not changed since then.   In the real world, we know that ACT10 was an abject failure.   It has been responsible for the state lagging behind in pretty much economic indicator that is measurable.

If you want to compare what Mary Burke says now to what Marty Beil says now, you should ask him!

Sly did just that yesterday:



"For her to say they should have paid more is a stupid thing to say" Marty Biel

Abele Gets His Way On Park East Development, County Loses Out On $15 Million

Earlier this week, the Milwaukee County Board's Economic and Community Development Committee chose not to vote on approving a contract regarding the development of part of the Park East Development.

Zach Wisniewski immediately called it a conspiracy.  He accused Chairwoman of all sorts of unethical skulduggery, including bid rigging:

During the proceedings that led to the delay in finalizing approval for the development, County Economic Development Director Tieg Whaley-Smith noted that Wangard, by appearing at the meeting, was able to hear details on a rival proposal and then provide information beyond what had been submitted during the panel review process, something other bidders were unable to do. I’m told it was also suggested Stewart Wangard could amend his own proposal and re-submit it. Now I’m no real estate developer, but allowing one potential developer to hear the details of another developer’s proposal before allowing the first developer to re-submit his proposal certainly seems like a curious/improper way to go about doing business.

While Tom Daykin of the Journal Sentinel did a good job reporting on the story, one key detail his story left out is the fact that Brian Randall, the lawyer representing Stewart Wangard, just happens to be Marina Dimitrijevic’s campaign treasurer.

Anyone wanna take bets on how long it takes the County Board to approve the “new and improved” development proposal sure to be re-submitted by Stewart Wangard?

If Wisniewski had bothered talking to anyone besides County Emperor Chris Abele's people, he would have learned that the delay came from Abele's people refusing to release the results of the bidding process. Apparently Abele thinks that people should trust him on these things even though he has given us every reason not too.

Abele's people finally grudgingly gave up the information the supervisors requested and - lo and behold - a decision was made.

From Chairwoman Marina Dimitrijevic's Facebook page:

The County Board Finance Committee unanimously approved moving forward with the Opus proposal for the Park East today. It never was a delay, it was a request for more information to make an informed decision. I hope the media improves their accuracy when reporting these matters.

The Economic and Community Development Committee will be holding a special meeting to approve this and it will be going before the County Board as a whole next Thursday.

As a point of interest, the Stewart Wangaard proposal had offered $750,000 more, which would have translated to an extra $15 million over the life of the TIF for developing the land.

I wonder if Abele and/or Wisniewski will be offering an apology for their tantrums and false accusations.  I also wonder if they will be offering to make up that lost $15 million.  I also wonder if Abele will explain why he was so adamant about going with the poorer bid.

Something tells me not to hold my breath.

The Way Randy Sees It!

By Jeff Simpson


There is an interesting battle on Tuesday in Cudahy, WI, District 3 between liberal blogger Zach Wisniewski and far right republican blogger Randy Hollenbeck (who inexcusably has a forum on Cudahynow). 

While Zach's has been campaigning, doing doors and meeting the constituents, his opponent has used his blog strictly to campaign(Zach did not turn blogging blue into a campaign website).   Randy has used his barely read blog to perpetually campaign.  Apparently its much easier to blog about running than go out and meet people who might disagree with you!

Randy also used his blog to let you get to know him and what he thinks and what he believes.

 Justin(Moralez)shares many of the same qualities I have and I am asking you to vote for him.  I hope he has earned your vote because I know if I was living in the district and not running I would vote for him.  He has earned it and I think you know that as well.

Well As Randy said.... Justin has earned my respect and admiration and I hope yours as well.

While I was not going to write about the operating a vehicle over the legal limit ticket, until Randy explained it further, thus exposing who he is.  

Here is Justin’s response to the ongoing investigation and case -  "Yeah, I got cited for swerving in a damn snow storm and fighting it because the charges were baseless.  Unfortunately I have to wait till May to go through the process but I'm confident they will get dropped. 

It's a traffic ticket after all but I've worked hard to maintain a stellar reputation."

Since Randy and Justin share many of the same qualities, it appears that those qualities are a lack of respect for the police, perpetual excuse making, and no personal accountability is ok then these are your guys.  If you think that operating your car while drinking is just "a traffic ticket" then support Randy and Justin.  

If family values, personal responsibility, respect and the ability to listen to all points of view matter to you:

Vote Zach Wisniewski in Cudahy District 3 on April 2nd!  

While you are there, also please vote for Ed Fallone!


 

Cudahy - District 3!

There is a very interesting race for Cudahy Alderman - District 3 that I wanted to point out!   It is a race between a progressive leader in ZachWisniewski, and far right blogger Randy Hollenbeck! 

A couple things I wanted to point out.  It appears that you do not have to love Randy Hollenbeck as he seems to love himself enough for everyone.  His self description falls just short of declaring himself "the most interesting man in the world": 

I am an Ultra-Conservative, Alpha-Male, True Authentic Leader, Type "C" Personality, who is very active in my community; whether it is donating time, clothes or money for Project Concern or going to Common Council meetings and voicing my opinions. As a blogger, I intend to provide a different viewpoint "The way I see it!" on various world, national and local issues with a few helpful tips & tidbits sprinkled in

As Margaret Thatcher once said

"Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't!"

Another and even more important thing to keep in mind is an old Japanese Proverb:

 “When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.”

Here is Randy giving a speech at a CRG(citizens for responsible government) rally in 2009.   The readers of CogDis, are familiar with a Wisconsin based right wing hate group called CRG!  If you remember, they were the Vile cowards that sent out the loathsome anonymous attack on the Janesville teachers!  They are also well known for being deceitful and dishonest. 

Is this the kind of people you want your Alder people beholden too?   I did not think so!

Help Zach, throw him $5, tell your friends, offer up your yard for a sign, and most important of all - VOTE for Zach Wisniewski on April 2nd, 2013!  

More Endorsements

In my haste this morning, I forgot to include two other endorsements.

While I cannot vote for these fine gentlemen as that I don't live in their districts, if you can, you should.

One is Randy Bryce, who is running for a seat on the Racine Unified School Board.

The other is Zach Wisniewski, who is running for Alderman in Cudahy's 3rd District.

Both are fine, upstanding members of the community, passionate about their respective communities and would be the smart choice in each of their races.

Gratitude To Grass Roots South Shore

I just wanted to give a shout out of thanks to the good folks at Grass Roots South Shore (now added to the blog roll).

They gave me the VIP treatment (complete with cookies!), as we discussed Walkergate and what's ahead for that.

I was also able to give a plug for the Solidarity Fish Fry and the great women and men at Serb Hall who are fighting for their rights.

We also talked about the importance of the upcoming race for the Supreme Court and why it's so vital that we restore dignity and integrity to the highest court in the state by electing Edward Fallone.   Speaking of which, if anyone hasn't signed his nomination papers yet, or if you want to help collect signatures, let me know and I'll get you a copy.

We also discussed the need to focus on local races as well as the bigger ones.  That allowed me to give a plug for Zach Wisniewski, who is running for alderman in Cudahy.

All in all, it was a very pleasant evening and I thank the group again for it.

Walker's Afraid To Run On His Own Record

Jesse Russell at Dane 101 does a good job of parsing an interview Scott Walker did with the National Review's chief water carrier, Robert Costa.

When Walker makes the silly claim that most of the protesters are from Madison, Russell accurately points out that Democrats won five of nine elections in the recent recalls. And that was from all over the state.

I would remind Walker of his time in the Northwoods when he joined Sean Duffy for a fundraiser and was outnumbered by at least 10:1 ratio.

But the thing that caught my eye was this:

Costa opines that efforts to launch a recall against Walker are "unlikely." Walker agreed, saying that he expects "intense folks" will likely still push for his recall, but "we increasingly hear that the White House doesn't want it."

Trying to tie Barack Obama is something that the right wing has been trying to do on and off since this began, most commonly on squawk radio. The reason is simple, they are hoping to play on the Obama's relatively low popularity numbers (although Walker's are actually lower) and on the latent racism that we have seen from the extremists that make up his base. They need to distract the base because Walker is not able to run on his record of hurting the working class and his raising fees explosively.

The fact is that Obama has been taking pains to keep as distant from the Wisconsin battle for rights as he can, to the point where even Zach Wisniewski at Blogging Blue expresses disappointment that Obama hasn't been here.

I am just as glad that Obama is staying away. This is a battle between the people of Wisconsin and the Koch Brothers and their figurehead governor for our rights and for what is right.  We don't really need to have Obama muddy the water and give the right something to focus on as they scramble to do whatever they can to take the attention off of Walker's poor (and about to get worse) record of one epic failure after another.

Drinking Liberally: Rock Star Edition

This coming Monday, May 16, will be the next rendition of Drinking Liberally, with a cast of thousands, including some real rock stars!

First, there is the host, Zach of Blogging Blue fame, the man who broke teh Internets as he broke the story of Randy Randy "Bed" Hopper.

Then the night will be filled with two rocking guests.

One is the famous Chris Larson, State Senator and member of the Fab 14.

Also on hand that day will be Wendy Strout, Executive Director of Emerge Wisconsin and a rock star in her own right.

Drinking Liberally's new home is Transfer Pizzaria & Cafe, located at 101 W. Mitchell Street.

The festivities start at 7 pm.

Can't say that I'll be there as I don't even know if I'll be in town, but do go and enjoy yourselves.

File Under "Do As I Say, Not As I Do"

James Wigderson is at it again.

Today, he chastises Zach at Blogging Blue for not taking the pains to find a plausible excuse for why RoJo hasn't set up a website for his office. (Personally, I think it's because RoJo is still trying to figure out where the heck Washington, D.C. is)

Wiggy portrays is as laziness in not asking a simple question.

Someone should explain the term "Practice what you preach" to him before he embarrasses himself again.

I'm Sure It's Purely Coincidental

Last week, Dan Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that there are a couple of John Doe investigations going on into Scott Walker's campaign, namely at least two of his top county aides de camp doing politicking on county time with county equipment and illegal campaign donations.

Just as I had done, Zach Wisniewski at Blogging Blue questioned where the right wing outrage was, especially from CRG.

One of his commenters made the keen observation that the unofficial Walker-campaign site, ScottForGov.com, which had already closed up its comments and Twitter account, had gone completely poof.

Not that there's any relationship between these two events. Like I said, purely coincidence, I'm sure (cough, cough).

Oh, and if anyone needs any of their stuff now that it has gone bye-bye, I still have it all on my reader. You never know when that could come in handy.

Kolosso Makes It On Ballot After All

On Wednesday, I wrote that Todd Kolosso failed to get the necessary 1,000 signatures to be on the November ballot.

Zach Wisniewski, at Blogging Blue, noted that Kolosso has submitted enough affidavits of correction to rectify the matter, and will now be on the ballot, going up against James Sensenbrenner.

That's good news for Wauwatosa and for the state of Wisconsin.

And that good work by Zach.

Too Much Fun With Two Fun Contests And One Great Picture

Contest one, the folks at BagScottWalker.com have a contest where you can enter your own slogan for the next brown bag:

Here is how the contest works:

• Submit your best Bag Scott Walker slogan by May 3rd, 2010
• After all the submissions are received, we'll let you vote for your favorite slogan from May 5th to May 17th
• The winning slogan will be announced on May 21 -- the date of the 2010 Republican State Convention
• At the 2010 Republican State Convention we will update BagScottWalker.com with the new slogan and pass out new "Bag Scott Walker" brown bags with your slogan printed on them

Just a word of warning, I don't see anything specifically banning me, so it should be a lock.

And Zach at Blogging Blue, via Recess Supervisor, has a fun play at home version where we can make our own photoshopped slogan. If you want to leave one, but can't photoshop or don't blog, leave it in the comments or email me with it, and I'll do my best to get them up. But for heaven's sake, let's not get too vulgar, OK?

And thanks to the artistry of Emily Mills and company, we are able to see just when Team Walker came up with the conclusion that using a rehashed campaign gimmick was a good idea:

Fred Dooley Goes 0 for 2

Boy, it's a tough night for the faux outraged conservatives. First the wannabe Team Walker's error in judgment.

Now, old Fred Dooley does his own whiff.

Dooley, the master of faux outrage and hypocrisy, snarks about an alleged liberal-on-conservative attack, supposedly because said conservatives were wearing his and hers Sarah Palin pledge pins.

The problem is, as the diva of conservative women, Michele Malkin, points out, they weren't actually wearing Palin pins. To her credit, she also points out that this might not even been anything more than "an old-fashioned New Orleans brawl."

Malkin is also correct in pointing out that the young couple deserves wishes and prayers for a speedy recovery, whatever the cause.

But the whole incident does remind me of another alleged liberal-on-conservative attack that was nothing but a hoax: The Case of the Backward B Attack.

But the whole Palin pin thing is Dooley's second boo-boo of the day. Zach at Blogging Blue has his first miss, which is good actually good advice for us all: Don't get your news from the Daily Nazi Digest.

Scott Walker Can't Even Buy A Win In The Polls

A couple of days ago, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ran a story about another poll that was conducted by WPRI (We Prop up Republican Ideologues). The polling allegedly found that TOMMY!!! "Stick it to 'em" Thompson was leading Russ Feingold, even though TOMMY!!! isn't an announced candidate. (I'd personally be surprised if TOMMY!!! did run. This is more likely his scratching his four year itch for attention.)

The same story showed that Tom Barrett, even though he has been running for about one tenth the time of Scott Walker, is in a statistical tie:

In the governor's race, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker leads Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett 36% to 32%.The margin of error of the poll makes a Barrett-Walker race virtually even.

Now, a lot of people have already jumped all over these polls due to the fact that WPRI has a very poor reputation regarding their honesty or integrity in polling due to having been busted out by One Wisconsin Now for tweaking their data to get their desired results. Among those taking the poll on are:

• Emily Mills, who wonders why the University of Wisconsin would damage their reputation by getting involved with these shady characters,
• Trevor Miller, Russ Feingold's Campaign Spokesperson,
• Xoff, who raises some interesting points and questions, and
• Zach Wisniewski, who cites Xoff's piece and then goes on to point out the rogues' gallery of shady characters, including one of my biggest fans, Charlie Sykes. (Also note Kevin Binversie's intellectual contribution to the discussion [NSFW])

I am a little surprised that Walker and his team haven't also called out WPRI for not being a credible source of information. After all, the results of the poll, which show Walker still ahead of Mark Neumann, also shows Neumann catching up to Walker, especially in the area of favorability:
And as I mentioned earlier in this post, Barrett and Walker are in a virtual tie.

It is not surprising that Walker is losing ground to both Neumann and Barrett. Neumann has been running TV ads around the state for weeks. Barrett has been in the news a lot for positive stories like bringing new companies, and with them, new jobs, to the Milwaukee area. And both Neumann and Barrett have been aided with the fact that there are almost daily reports of Milwaukee County suffering systematic failure due to the malfeasance of Walker's reign.

What is surprising is that even with all those factors, the polling didn't show Walker with huge leads over both Neumann and Barrett. After all, the polling was done by WPRI, which received $1.5 million dollars from the Bradley Foundation last year (pdf, page 25). And the Bradley Foundation is headed by Michael Grebe, who was appointed to be Walker's campaign chairman the day after donating $5,000 dollars to Walker's campaign.

If Walker's campaign chair can't even buy a favorable poll, it is a clear sign that Walker's campaign is already in deep trouble.

Help Zach Take The Plunge

My good friend, and a man I admire, Zach Wisniewski, is going to do a very good deed, but he needs our help.

Zach, author if Blogging Blue (I love his work!), is going to participate in a Polar Bear Plunge to help raise funds for the Special Olympics:

I’ve decided to take the Polar Plunge to support Special Olympics Wisconsin on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee! As a part of the Polar Plunge, I’ll be collecting pledges before jumping or running into Wisconsin’s cold waters to raise funds for Special Olympics, and so I’d like to ask those of you out there who support the mission of the Special Olympics to consider helping me reach my pledge goal of $150.00. Money raised from the Polar Plunge will support local Special Olympics programs in Wisconsin, allowing nearly 10,000 athletes with cognitive disabilities to experience the joys of participation in sports and competition with their peers.

If you’re interesting in making a pledge, check out my Plunge Web site to submit a credit card pledge online.

I hope you’ll consider making a pledge, because it’s certainly for a good cause.

Blogging School Drop Out

There are many examples of the right side being too busy eating their own to be very effective in upcoming elections.

We have Sarah Palin going rogue (or is it rouge) in a race on the east coast, causing the Republican to drop out and endorse the Democrat. Meanwhile, Sarah's backing brought on a defeat almost as great as the one she brought to John McCain.

We have Rush Limbaugh and Michael Steele fighting over the title of GOP boss.

As another example of how dysfunctional the right has become, we have Kyle Maichle, author of the North Shore Proponent, who comically claims that Mark Neumann is a career politician, as opposed to Scott Walker, who has never been in the private sector for a short stint in an appointed position in the Red Cross, while waiting for his handlers to find a race he might be able to win.

Blogging Blue tells us that Kyle's math, much like one of Walker's budgets, just doesn't add up.

The Chief called Kyle's lack of logic as mind-boggling.

Kyle comes to his own defense with this bizarre post. The Chief takes his defense apart like any team's defensive line takes apart the Packers' O-line.

Note to Kyle: You might want to pick better talking points. Walker lost his first election at Marquette University, by a 4-1 margin to a write in candidate. Secondly, Walker has also been kissing Rick Graber's ring, much to the detriment of Milwaukee County's finances.

So what does young Kyle's ineptitude and/or lying have to do with anything with the right wing falling apart?

Well, young Kyle is claiming to be named as "Blogger of the year" by the Big Oil funded AFP. It is a telling sign if he is the best that they can come up with, a blogging school drop out.

Drinking Liberally - No Haas In The House Edition

Received a note today from Jason Haas, host of Drinking Liberally:

Hi folks,

As your friendly host and organizer, it saddens me to report that I will not be able to host Drinking Liberally this coming Wednesday August 18. Unfortunately, events beyond my control have demanded my presence elsewhere.

This does not mean that you, my dear and only friends, cannot get together anyway. You could have a fine time without me! So go ahead, go to Sugar Maple (441 E. Lincoln Ave.) tomorrow around 7-9 PM. They'll take good care of you at Sugar Maple. And I will see you in Septemer!

Say, if you do get together tonight, please make a big Get Well Card for Mayor Barrett. He needs our support! Alternately, please send him a card or a letter of support of your own. Here's his office address:

Office of the Mayor
200 E. Wells Street
City Hall Rm. 201
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Thanks!

Jason
Your Friendly DL Host

I say, "Bah! Who needs him?"

I know I will already be at the Sugar Maple, as I believe Zachary from Blogging Blue and maybe some other folks from Milwaukee County First. So come on down and tell us your favorite Jason Haas joke. We promise not to repeat them, unless they're really funny.