With so much bad and crazy happening on a breakneck pace everyday, it is hard to keep up with it all. Let's try and catch up with some of Scott Walker's recent hits.
1. Get ready, coming smack dab in the middle of the state, will be lots of layoffs and changes at UW - Stevens Point!
Kristen Hendrickson, the university’s chief financial officer, laid out three scenarios for UWSP's structural deficit that largely depend on enrollment numbers for this year.
If the university enrolls 8,000 students, the total deficit may sit at about $2.4 million.
If 7,500 students enroll, the total deficit may grow to $5.4 million.
If enrollment falls to 7,000, the total deficit may grow to $8 million.
The university’s academic division might need to make cuts ranging from $4 million to $6 million, eliminating as many as 60 to 70 full-time jobs, if enrollment falls to 7,000 students, Summers wrote in the Aug. 27 letter.
3. While Walker's signature promise was to create 250,000 jobs (as his floor) and after 8 years still has not come close to that number. In fact, Scott Walker has cost Wisconsin some 80,000 jobs.
The average from both models points to a Walker administration which cost Wisconsin 80,000 jobs. This loss was masked by national job growth. If Wisconsin had followed the same pattern relative to its neighbors as under previous administrations, jobs would have grown by an additional 33 percent — quite a difference. To put the shortfall in perspective, the 80,000-job loss is six times the 13,000 jobs promised from the Foxconn development in Racine.
It is hard to identify possible causes for Wisconsin’s jobs lag other than the administration’s policies. It is not as if the state is dependent on a single industry. Rather, the underlying cause seems to be the triumph of ideology over evidence as to what grows an economy.
Top executives of a company that was awarded $250,000 in state welfare have contributed nearly $26,000 to Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s campaigns.
Badger Meter, which makes flow measurement tools for water utilities and commercial and industrial businesses, plans to expand its Mount Pleasant operations in Racine County and create up to 40 jobs in the next three years. Walker’s economic development agency, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., said Thursday it will provide up to $250,000 in tax credits to train the new employees.
Overall, Badger Meter employees contributed $36,850 to legislative and statewide candidates between January 2010 and December 2017. All but $300 went to Republican candidates.
The top recipients of the contributions were Walker, $25,900, followed by Republican Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, $6,000, and GOP Rep. Dale Kooyenga, of Brookfield, $2,000.
The company’s top contributor to legislative and statewide candidates between January 2010 and December 2017 was its chief executive officer, Richard Meeusen, of Pewaukee, and his wife, Maribeth, $34,750. That’s 94 percent of the contributions from all employees of Badger Meter. Walker received $24,500 of those contributions from the Meeusens.
– For the second and third times, Gov. Scott Walker’s administration has given cash settlements to guards who it determined had used excessive force on juvenile inmates, state records show.
The payoffs — including one totaling $9,000 — were reached as the FBI continues a criminal investigation of Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls, which share a campus 30 miles north of Wausau. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last year reported officials at the prison complex trained staff improperly, failed to preserve video evidence, didn't document serious incidents and often shirked their duty to report matters to parents, police and social service agencies.
7. Scott Walker is out with his 21st political ad already. I guess he can not find one that people will believe. However this one is very typical of Scott Walker. He starts out complaining about attack ads, then starts attacking.
Tone deaf? Desperate? Dishonest? We report, you decide.
It stays with the theme he has been working for months. That Scott Walker, the king of outside money, fears outside money.
I guess that the Kochs, Sheldon Adelson and loony Uihlein are all above board WI residents, or maybe he just a hypocrite.
Two of his biggest supporters have been the Koch Brothers, who have donated $4.8 million to Walker’s campaigns, and the state’s biggest business group, Wisconsin Manufacturer’s and Commerce, which has given $9.5 million to his campaigns. Walker’s signature law, Act 10, which decimated public employee unions, was backed the Koch Brothers and WMC. The two groups also supported the Right to Work law, which makes it difficult to organize private unions and which Walker had promised unions supporting him in 2014 that he would never support. But he signed it into law in 2015.
With a national debate started by the NFL Players, and the President weighing in, Scott Walker, ever the one for media attention, felt the need to weigh in.
Scott Walker took time out of his busy schedule as head of the Republican Governors Association to write a letter to the NFLPA(because he has such a good relationship with unions) to tell them they should stop their protesting during the national anthem. He let the African American Players know that their protests against police brutality against their community was not worth the time and they should focus on domestic violence.
It is nice that Scott Walker is finally speaking out against La Crosse County Republican Party Leader Bill Feehan, but it is sad that a child of privilege, who has full security, and billionaires shoveling him money, feels that the African American community has no grounds to protest and it is time to move on.
A lot has been made about National Football League (NFL) players protesting by kneeling,
remaining in the locker room, or other means during the national anthem. Speaking up for what
you believe in is a profoundly American idea, but disrespecting our flag, and the men and
women who have fought to protect and defend our country, is not American in the slightest.
It is time for players in the NFL to stop their protests during the anthem and move on from what
has become a divisive political sideshow. Instead, I encourage them to use their voices and
influence to take a stand against domestic violence. With the NFL Fall League Meeting
occurring tomorrow, during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, now would be an especially
opportune time to strongly condemn domestic violence and lead the charge in supporting safe
families across America.
When Scott Walker was Milwaukee County executive, his office
obstructed a criminal probe into thousands of dollars missing from a veterans
charity, two investigators said Friday in a federal court filing.
Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel reported in 2012 that
records showed the John Doe investigation was opened in 2010 after
investigators said they had been stonewalled by Walker's county executive
office. At the time, Assistant District Attorney Bruce Landgraf wrote that
Walker's office had been "unwilling or unable" to turn over records.
A former top aide to Walker, Tim Russell, was sentenced to
two years in prison in January 2013 for stealing more than $21,000 from a
nonprofit chosen to administer Walker's annual Operation Freedom veterans
picnic at the zoo. Walker had named Russell to lead the group.
Ex-Walker appointee Kevin Kavanaugh was convicted of
stealing more than $51,000 from money donated to help veterans and their
families. He was sentenced to two years in prison, but served just over half
that.
move on from what has become a divisive political sideshow.
In related news, and speaking of disrespecting our flag and the men and women of our armed forces, The Donald held a press conference to let everyone know: Trump said, “President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn’t make calls, a lot of them didn’t make calls. I like to call when it’s appropriate, when I think I’m able to do it.” The problem being, The Donald was blatantly lying.
I am guessing that Scott Walker will let this disrespect stand unchallenged.
Luckily, San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich, decided he needed to speak up!
“I’ve been amazed and disappointed by so much of what this president had said, and his approach to running this country, which seems to be one of just a never ending divisiveness. But his comments today about those who have lost loved ones in times of war and his lies that previous presidents Obama and Bush never contacted their families are so beyond the pale, I almost don’t have the words.”
“This man in the Oval Office is a soulless coward who thinks that he can only become large by belittling others. This has of course been a common practice of his, but to do it in this manner—and to lie about how previous presidents responded to the deaths of soldiers—is as low as it gets. We have a pathological liar in the White House, unfit intellectually, emotionally, and psychologically to hold this office, and the whole world knows it, especially those around him every day. The people who work with this president should be ashamed, because they know better than anyone just how unfit he is, and yet they choose to do nothing about it. This is their shame most of all.”
While I agree with coach Pop, I think soulless coward extends beyond Donald Trump.
You're a 23 year old desperado & you steal a van from the State of Wisconsin. Will you be caught? Will your governor father, Scott Walker, get you out of trouble? Depends on how well you play...
We hear often that Scott Walkers signature bill, ACT10, has "saved Wisconsin taxpayers $5 billion dollars". according to a study done by Bradley funded, right wing no think tank, MacIver Institute.
John Lettieri, EIG cofounder and senior director for policy and strategy, said the number of new companies formed in the state lagged behind those that closed, even as figures like employment and GDP began to rebound. "Wisconsin has a really low startup rate – in fact it has the 48th lowest startup rate in the country over the course of the recovery," Lettieri said. "That’s a concerning starting point. It gets worse when you look at the closure rate, the death rate of firms."
Ouch....we are also seeing that in retail as malls, and stand alone stores are closing all over WI.
Why is that?
Is it because people have so much money they cant figure out where to spend it all, or is it because with wage decline, austerity and bills like ACT10 taking money out of the pockets of consumers that people are broke and have no money to buy things?
Retail stocks have slumped this year. While many chalk up the declines to competition from online retail behemoth Amazon (AMZN) , famed market expert Peter Schiff, CEO of Euro Pacific Capital, doesn't agree. "Amazon has been here for a long time - this is the worst year for retail - it's worse than 2008 and 2009," he said. "This is because consumers are broke - they have lousy jobs, they're loaded up with debt and they can't afford to buy stuff."
For some reason the ACT10 "savings" never actually made it back into the pockets of consumers.
Which is why everytime you drive around our once great state, and see a for sale sign on a super club, or a going out of business sign on a big box retailer, or can no longer get that cool item from the local unique store you like to shop at ....you can thank ACT10 and Scott Walker.
Unfortunately, no help is on the horizon either. The GOP top "policy wonk" and Speaker of the House, Janesville's own Paul Ryan (R- Wall St.) has made it his mission to "reform the tax code" ( even overlooking treason and out and out racism by the President(but that's another blog)).
“For Boeing, we are taxing this business, these planes, your
jobs in this country at a much higher tax rate than our foreign competitors tax
theirs,” the Republican said. “You know what the tax rate here is? Thirty-five
percent! “ Gesturing at the activity in the plant, he added: “I’m just
in awe that in spite of all that, you’re still doing so well.”
Umm Paul....what I am in awe of, is the fact that you do no research and are continually thought of as a legit candidate and not the fraud you continually prove yourself to be.
The actual facts:
Facts are for suckers these days, but c’mon. Not only is
Boeing gushing cash, but its own financial documents show it has actually paid
an average federal income tax of just 3.2 percent of profits over the past 15
years. That’s less than one-tenth the figure Ryan cited.
It doesn’t even count the largest tax break in U.S. history
granted by the state of Washington, which reduced the company’s state business
tax burden in 2015 nearly to zero. “The question with Boeing isn’t whether high taxes are
hurting them, because that’s ludicrous on the face of it,” says Matt Gardner, a
senior fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington,
D.C., outfit that tracks the taxes companies pay. “The question with Boeing is:
How much lower could their taxes possibly go?”
“Corporate profits are gangbusters right now. Corporate
taxes as a share of the economy are, in the past 10 years, as low as they’ve
ever been.” While the listed rate is 35 percent, hardly any company pays
that due to extensive loopholes, subsidies and deductions that lower the
burden. As we know around here, Boeing is especially skilled at feeding at this
corporate-subsidy trough. In a recent study, Gardner found that of 258 profitable
Fortune 500 companies, 100 paid no taxes in at least one year out of the past
eight (for Boeing, it was four of those years.) Eighteen companies paid nothing
over the whole period, despite booking $177 billion in profits.
Simple mistake I guess, Speaker Ryan was only off by a few hundred million dollars.
The moral of the story is, while James McNerney makes $29 million a year as CEO of Boeing, you and I are getting our take home pay slashed to "help the taxpayers", while our taxes go up to pay for essential services, corporation taxes are freefalling and we end up with less money, crumbling roads and larger class sizes.
We can continue listening to the spin of the Scott Walker and MacIver's of the world, or we can just pay attention when we drive around our local areas to the state of the roads, the crumbling of the buildings and the business that the "For Sale" and "Closing" sign makers are getting!
We can change our course in 2018. We MUST change our course in 2018!
While Scott Walker is working hard to hand $3 Billion of our tax dollars, to a foreign company known for breaking deals and employee suicides, let us not forget what kind of a "businessman" that Mr. Walker is.
In 2014, Governor Walker wrote, had someone write a fictional book for him, which was poorly titled "Unintimidated". After the initial rush, we found out that he sold a measly 16,000 books, most of which were bought by his PAC - "Friends of Scott Walker".
As everything Scott Walker plays out the same way - lots of fanfare and BS and no substance. A favorite saying of mine - Big Wind, lots of dust and no rain.
Jeff, We wanted to make sure you saw this special offer from Governor Walker. Your fellow conservatives are taking advantage of this deal and copies of the governor's book, "Unintimidated: A Governor's Story And A Nation's Challenge" are going fast! Act now to secure your signed copy of Governor Walker's book! Thank you, Team Walker
Going fast?
The email, that they wanted to make sure I saw:
We would like to reward YOU for your generous support.
Contribute $50 or more today and we will send you a signed copy of my book, Unintimidated, which details our battle against the Big Government Labor Bosses and the special interests.
Thank you very much for "rewarding" me with paying $50 for a book I can buy for $2.99 on eBay and one you cant even give away.
Next thing I know you will be passing legislation allowing foreign corporations to pollute our land and waters to help us, or pass a law forcing a 12% pay cut on the workers of WI, in order to "save" them money!
The Walker/Wisconsin way....everything is for sale at a third of the price!
Yes make your mother wake up to that mug everyday and she will pay a price that beats any corporal or punitive punishment in the land - only $5.99!
If you are looking for a little more volume , or your mother does not drink coffee, do not fret, we have the perfect gift there also:
The Ron Johnson signed cup, complete with a graph showing how much money we are paying for The Donald's weekly golf trips!
Once the Republic falls, this will be a collectors item. You will be able to put it outside to fll up when it rains, so you then can drink water with only acid in it and no lead! Just a measly $7.00.
What a refreshing change!
if you are middle and upper class, there is a gift your you also! For those who will actually be able to afford a beer or soda, there are cooziies - for the low, low price of $4.99!
* For those who have attended online high school, actual drink NOT included.
Take advantage of the GOP's generous offers today and order your Scott Walker swag this instant!
What the party and candidates need to be stressing is a larger, central theme out there of "A better America/Wisconsin" that includes ALL of these issues, with improved economic and political opportunity and fairness being the centerpiece of the campaign. The reason this doesn't happen seems to be an institutional problem within the party, and was illustrated this week in an excellent article by Dave Gold in Politico Magazine titled "Data-Driven Campaigns Are Killing the Democratic Party." Gold says that while data and demographics are important to the professionals in party offices, and gives a livelihood to many a political consultant, what matters more in winning elections is the ability to connect to voters in ways the voters understand and react to.
The idea that working-class voters are too dense to understand their own interests is condescending, counterproductive and wrong. The notion that Democrats have policy papers to answer every need misses the point that politics is not about 10-point plans but about emotions and perceptions and narratives that help people make sense of their lives. Democrats are not just losing because of gerrymandered lines on a map. They are losing because they are not connecting on an emotional level and they have conceded the narrative to the Republicans. A Republican will tell you a half-true story that resonates; a Democrat will show you a totally accurate graph that does not.
Everyone has an idea, so let me share mine.
First let's take a look at the landscape:
The next election is November 2018, a mere 21 months away. Scott Walker has already started running with his budget. He did not put some of the money back into education because he cares about the kids. Scott Walker did it to appear moderate, and has seen the popularity of public schools so he wants to make sure that people think he is their friend.
Scott Walker's plan has not gone unnoticed by the two majority leaders, who are both sick and tired of "waiting their turn" behind Scott Walker's blind ambition. Scott Fitzgerald and Robin Vos both have their sights set on being able to occasionally occupy the Governors office themselves while traveling the country on the Wisconsin taxpayers dime!
That means there will be a three way battle for this budget, to see who can look the most gubernatorial. While Walker's strategy is to appeal to the public education crowd, the Scorobin couple have no loyalty to public education and have already promised their souls to the road builders of WI.
(The Democratic) party that spent more than $1 billion last year, lost more than 1,000 statewide and congressional seats during Obama's presidency, and has the least power in 75 years. Now let's look at how we do that(in no particular order): 1. The establishment Democrats have to get over the fact that Bernie dared to challenge Hillary Clinton. It is a party primary. It happened. I used to be of the opinion that the Hillary supporters owed the rest of the country an apology for putting up such a horrible candidate that she could not even beat The Donald. I realized that is not coming and moved on. However I still see many Hillary supporters blaming Bernie Sanders for her loss. I am not here to re-litigate the primary but I do want to point out something. The Hillary supporters are dyed in the wool Democrats. They were Hillary supporters since the 90's, loved her career, intelligence and were excited for her to be the first female President. Many of the Bernie supporters on the other hand, were not dyed in the wool Democrats. Sure there were some Progressives that were excited for a populist to run in the Democratic Primary finally, but for the most part Senator Sanders brought in a huge section of people that have been left behind by the economy. It does not matter if it is the Bush economy or the Obama economy, there are people all over the country who are struggling in this economy and no one else was addressing them. They were sick of politicians, and wanted someone to shake the system up. Bernie was that man and so was The Donald. All the wishing in the world, would not have made many Bernie supporters vote for Hillary, 2. Stop writing off whole groups or people and whole areas of the state. The screenwriter of the movie, Hell or High Water, Taylor Sheridan, addressed this point specifically, not only in his movie, but also in many of his interviews(emphasis mine):
“Hell or High Water” is set deep in West Texas, in community where there are no social services, Sheridan says. Planned Parenthood is three states away, so they don’t understand why funding is going there. And money meant for highways doesn’t make sense because their highways never get fixed. “All these things, when you study them, start to explain the political leanings that have nothing to do with ideology. It has to do with ‘how can I control this bubble right around me that’s imploding?'” Sheridan told TheWrap’s Editor-in-Chief Sharon Waxman at a screening of his film Wednesday night. “We can’t assign beliefs to people who don’t have a voice to express them. And we can’t assume what someone thinks,” Sheridan said. “Those assumptions have created the situation we’re in today.” “Joking about the flyover states; we sit there and talk about diversity, but we’re going to lump people in an entire region together and sit there and attack them and assign beliefs to them in counties where the average income is $33,000 and we’re going to align them with the top one percent,” Sheridan said. “We attach all this stuff conveniently to people that have absolutely no connection to it. It’s unfair.” “I knew these people, and they weren’t what Bill Maher was saying they were,” he said. “This was the base of the Democratic party for 100 years. They felt really betrayed, and these are the consequences of what we’re dealing with now.” But poverty is poverty, Sheridan added. The superficial dividing lines between race, gender and religion he feels serve only to keep the rich making money and the poor down. “Hell or High Water” aims to bring those affected by poverty and those in power together. “As soon as we start focusing on the similarities and not the distinctions, then we got ‘em,” he said.
3. Understand that the Donald is not fit to be President, resist, but resist with Wisconsin in mind.
Yes The Donald is an unintelligent orange buffoon. but his incompetence will take care of itself as the rest of the country also helps take care of him. In Wisconsin, we have bigger fish to fry per say, but can not ignore the traitorous, incompetent mess that The Donald is. I recommend that every time you feel the need to speak up against Trump, find a way to tie it into Wisconsin. It is not that hard.
Want to discuss the Russian ties? Point out that Senator RoJo feels the biggest problem is that we found out about the Russian ties,
Maybe the fact that The Donald has yet to recuse himself from his business interests and in fact has been making money off being President? Make sure and also mention that the Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, could put an end to that.
Still want the swamp drained? Do not forget the fact that our very own Reince Priebus is POTUS Chief of Staff who is helping to oversee the repopulating of the swamp.
Also make sure to get as many pictures of these people with The Donald as possible. Like this(they will come in handy later):
4. When it seems impossible, that the world has gone crazy, remember that The Donald lost the popular vote by three million votes (not counting the third party voters).
There are more of us than there are of them! 5. Do not rely on the redistricting case saving us. Let's hope it does result in redrawn maps, but we can not rely on that. we have to continue working like there will not be a change at all. 6. Do not talk about the redistricting case without emphasizing how much of our money the Republicans are spending to make sure that the unethically drawn maps do not change at all.
This is the first state wide race since the November debacle and to start turning the state around starts with the first step. This is the first step.
9. Write a letter to the editor and tell your story!
It does not even have to be partisan, What is happening in the state that truly effects you? Share it with others. Would the ACA repeal be dangerous to you? Are you a hobby beekeeper and know the consequences of The Donald removing certain bees from the endangered species list? Has your favorite spot in Wisconsin been polluted or overcome by sprawl? It is not just negatives either, If you have a positive story, tell that. Was your child's education enhanced because of a great teacher? Did a police officer, fire fighter, or other public servant, go above and beyond to help you? Tell your story.
10. Stop working against Progressive media/blogs.
We all know about the right wing echo chamber and how powerful it can be. I get asked often why the left does not have one also. The answer is simple, because the left has been too arrogant. After the election, both the Progressive radio station in Dane County (92.1) and our friend Sly's progressive political talk show were taken off the air.
How many people emailed or phoned? Deleted Iheartradio app? Unsubscribed from their mailing list? Took them off your presets? Anyone? These were not cancelled because of ratings, Imagine the uproar if they suddenly cancelled Vuicki Mckenna's show?
The right also has a system of blogs set up that works with for the Republican Party. The Democratic Party and most legislators have ignored at best and been outright hostile to many progressive bloggers. In the last couple years some of the best, most informative blogs have stopped blogging (Root River Siren, Blue Cheddar) and we know Zach just recently moved on from Blogging Blue.
With outlets to get progressive news and information dwindling, now is not the time to hold grudges. Of course the left leaning blogs are not here to tout the Republican party business hook, line and sinker. We will save that for Kevin Binversie and Jamie Wigderson. Progressive bloggers can not and should not be partners but we should be acquaintances.
Like these blogs on Facebook, read them occasionally share the articles you are interested in, leave comments, etc...
12. Talk to people about politics! Politely!
It is past time that we stop discussing everything but politics with people. It is also time that we stop only discussing politics with people who think exactly like us. Have discussion with neighbors, friends, family, etc. Do not get frustrated, do not lose your cool and do not be mean. Explain why you feel the way you do and what facts led you there. Look for common ground, you will find it more often than you think!
13, Get over the myth that a candidate from Madison or Milwaukee can not win a statewide election.
Many candidates have won statewide being from Madison or Milwaukee. Tammy Baldwin, Scott Walker, Doug LaFollette come to mind. Stop trying to perpetuate the myth that there is a difference between Madison and the rest of the state.
As someone who grew up on a farm in small town Wisconsin, lived in Milwaukee for years, now lives in Dane County, spent much of my childhood in Cable, WI and have spent most of my career traveling Wisconsin, there might be some slight differences but in the end we all want the same things.
A strong public school for our kids, a job, a vehicle, healthcare, the ability to drink clean water, occasionally go out to eat and vacation once a year. The basic human needs are the same. Let us acknowledge them and work together to make sure we all can benefit and experience these.
14,. Stop listening to political lifer consultants and start listening to and talking WITH the people of Wisconsin.
If you hire Nation Consulting or Mike Tate, or anyone who learned the game under these guys, you are doing it wrong. I will support any candidate for the Democratic Party Chair who will publicly denounce these guys. They have been a governor on the Democratic party for years!
For four straight election cycles, Democrats have ignored
research from the fields of cognitive linguistics and psychology that the most
effective way to communicate with other humans is by telling emotional stories.
Instead, the Democratic Party’s affiliates and allied organizations in
Washington have increasingly mandated “data-driven” campaigns instead of ones
that are message-driven and data-informed. And over four straight cycles,
Democrats have suffered historic losses.
We need to TELL STORIES and tell anyone who says otherwise to take a hike! The last election cycle was the perfect example of this:
Consider the lot of Bill Clinton. It has been widely
reported that in 2016, Bill Clinton urged Hillary Clinton’s campaign to message
on the economy to white working-class voters as well as to the “Rising American
Electorate” (young voters, communities of color and single white women), but
couldn’t get anyone to listen to him in Brooklyn. They had an algorithm that
answered all questions. Theirs was a data-driven campaign. The campaign
considered Bill to be old school—a storyteller, not data driven.
We also need to mix up the WISDEMS administrative committee, they have been costing us seats!
15. WORK TOGETHER!
Ask anyone a question and it is not their responsibility. The WISDEMS, blame the ADCC who Blames the WISDEMS who then blame the SDCC who then points a finger at the ADCC who then..... well you get the point. Before you tell me about laws about coordination, and before I mention that those laws no longer apply to Wisconsin thanks to Scott "John Doe" Walker, but that is not what I mean.
Have some strong honest beliefs and stand behind them, Mean them! For instance , stand for public education and NOT using taxpayer money for voucher schools. Is it that hard for every Democrat in the state to draw the line on that? When you have a few that are for vouchers and a bunch more that hem and haw when asked, then the message gets blurred and it effects every single candidate with a D after their name,.
We covered this here. Make sure when you meet someone for the first time, tell them you are a Democrat, that before they even know you, they know some universal truths about you!
16. Truly become a big tent party.
There are hundreds of thousands of people in Wisconsin who identify as liberal, progressive, leans left or Democrat but have never joined the party. They are not the enemy, they are the key to winning. Yet the Democratic party has treated them like star belly sneetches who just are not as good as us without stars upon thars!
Knock that off!
I would suggest something that appeals to all. A sale! Take a couple weeks sometime this year and offer up membership in the Democratic Party for $5. Get people involved, have them actually become Democrats then welcome them into the party.
17. Never make a decision based on what the WISGOP might do.
I can not count how many times I have heard, "imagine what the Republicans would do with that?" I do not care. We are the Democratic party and I welcome anyone on the right to try and take us on regarding the issues.
18. We need to diversify.
That goes without saying!
19. We need to rethink white privilege while respecting it.
I understand that white privilege is real. I know, statistics tell me I can drive down the street and not be pulled over because I look like someone who maybe possibly robbed a convenience store a year ago. We absolutely need to acknowledge the inherent institutional racism that infects our system,
That being said, some white people are more privileged than others. When you live in a small town outside a medium sized city, the factor that three generations of your family have worked at has closed, your school has class sizes of 30 kids and no art class, and have to do their shopping at Wal Mart, you are not that privileged. When you have to drive an hour to work, because you finally got a job at the nearest mid sized city but can not sell your house, and make $50k year working 55 hours a week, you are surviving but you are not privileged.
We need to acknowledge that the economy isn't working for more people than it is working for, Then address that!
20. Acknowledge poverty!
Poverty has increased every year for as long as i can remember. The more poverty goes up, the less politicians talk about it. It is why the Scott Walkers of the world are allowed to keep dividing and conquering. We live in a land of great wealth, yet we have thousands of hungry homeless kids in WI.
I know the single mom, living in a motel, doing her best to keep her kids clothed and fed do not vote, but that does not mean they are not there.
It goes back to telling stories.
"...the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped. "~Last Speech of Hubert H. Humphrey
When we truly stand up for these people, then everyone else will know that we have a backbone and want to improve all of society. As they say, There but for the Grace of God goes I, many people know that could be us and if we can not take care of them how will we take care of me?
After spending more than $7 million dollars in about three months, of drinking and spreading falsehoods, Scott Walker packed up his 0.0% support and went back to Wisconsin with his tail between his legs. The one thing he brought back with him though, (was not his dignity that was long gone) but yet another million plus dollars of debt.
However, like most things Scott Walker, things are not as we are told. See he did not actually pay down all of his debt, he reneged on his contracts and screwing his vendors out of money they earned(earned being a stretch since they helped him reach an approval rating of 0%).
That, or a group of political consultants have been overcharging everyone else on the campaign trail!
In addition, Walker got a hand out of debt from 10 consultants who wrote off about $40,600 owed by the former presidential candidate. In a filing with the Federal Elections Commission, Walker's campaign said it had reached settlements with 10 vendors in which they agreed to accept less than the full amount owed to them to ensure they got some payment as soon as possible. In all, the 10 vendors were owed $374,100, but accepted payment of $333,500: * Tusk Productions (a fundraising firm that could not raise enough to pay themselves) accepted a $3,800 cut. * Superior Strategies accepted a $5,100 cut. * Shirley and Banister Public Affairs accepted a $1,600 cut. * Sharp Politics accepted a $6,000 cut. * Prospect Strategic Communications accepted a $3,200 cut. * Maverick Finance (another fundraising firm that failed)accepted a $1,000 cut. * Maseng Communications accepted a $2,500 cut. * Just Win Strategies(insert own joke here) accepted a $5,000 cut. * Ground Game Strategies accepted a $2,500 cut. * Drucker Lawhon accepted a $10,000 cut.
What is also interesting, is while firms he worked with had to eat about 41k of unpaid bills, Walker has $59000 in the bank still(you do that math).
What I find curious is how can you hire ten different firms that all do the same thing, help promote your big and bold reforms, and when you take your show on the road you sink faster than a Wisconsin Cheese log.
What I am not the least bit surprised about, of the $8 Million dollars spent on campaigning in three months, none of it was in Wisconsin.
As the Wisconsin long term debt account has found out, Mr. Walker has never been very good with numbers. Unfortunately, our children will find that out the hard way!
When Scott Walker was revealed to be the incompetent nincompoop he really was, the money that had been pouring into his presidential campaign dried up fast. By the end of 70 short days, he had nothing to show for his presidential aspirations but a debt of more than a million dollars.
Walker tried everything he could think of to get out of the hole he found himself in.
He begged for the money even as the State of Wisconsin was in a downward spiral. He tried to sell chintzy lapel pins made in China and resembling the logo for America's Best Contacts and Eyeglasses. He sold his own home. He tried to sell off his unwanted campaign t-shirts, although he promised the same lack of service that he gave us as governor. He had a rummage sale for his old campaign stuff.
Like a tiresome house guest, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's campaign debt is lingering.
The latest federal filing shows that the GOP governor still has nearly $900,000 in debt from his unsuccessful presidential run, and that donations to retire it dipped last month.
[...]
In April, Walker's presidential campaign took in just under $71,000 in donations and other income, down from the roughly $128,000 that the campaign received in March.
What is also telling is that his presidential campaign didn't end up in debt because of his campaign manager, Rick Wiley, as he led people to believe. One look at his gubernatorial campaign finances show who is the real spendthrift:
The presidential committee is separate from Walker's governor's campaign, which raised more than $500,000 in the second half of last year but spent most of it. That left him with a balance of $20,000 in his state account.
For Walker, failure is not an option...it is the only option.
Sen. Ron Johnson is comparing the upcoming election with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Johnson in his speech Saturday at the Wisconsin Republican Party convention told the story of Flight 93. Passengers on that flight took a vote before storming the cabin, forcing the plane to crash in a Pennsylvania field.
Apparently Ron Johnson believes him keeping his job in Washington DC is the equivalent to 40 American lives . If Godwin's Law says that when someone brings up Hitler in an argument they automatically lose, We need to have a new law for when someone brings up 9/11 that means the same thing.
* Scott Walker kid, proving the apple does not fall far from the tree, gave a speech where he pointed out that all of his peers at UW-Madison are too dumb to vote Republican.
He says not all college students are "liberal Bernie Sanders-loving socialists." He says "many of them are Republicans and they don't even know it."
“Do we want four more years of that from the bully pulpit?” Sensenbrenner asked. “Or do we want somebody who will bring this country back to common sense, back to sanity?”
Buckle up all its going to be an interesting ride.....
Edit note: I was just alerted to the fact that our very own Glenn Grothman has developed a big ole heart in Washington...kind of like our very own tin man
About a month ago, Scott Walker sent out a fundraising email trying to sell off his surplus t-shirts from his failed presidential bid to help pay off his million dollars in outstanding campaign debt. He was asking $45 per shirt but made no promises that the buyer would get a specific size or color.
Apparently, things did go too well for Walker's desperate plea. This is a scene from this weekend's Republican state convention:
At least I think it's from the state convention. But it might also be at a rummage sale Walker is holding.
The Governor is at it again. This from his email, titled surprise, begging for more money. We know that Mr. Walker begging for money is no surprise, that is all he has done his whole life. The surprise came in the first sentence.
If there is one thing the American people learned about me during our presidential campaign, it is that I am thrifty.
Scott Walker’s 10-week presidential campaign raised $7.4 million but spent far more, according to the Wisconsin governor’s Federal Election Commission report released Thursday and people familiar with Mr. Walker’s finances. Mr. Walker’s FEC report shows he spent $6.4 million between the mid-July launch and the end of September. But those figures don’t include $200,000 in Mr. Walker’s reported outstanding bills or debts the campaign pushed past Oct. 1 – a number that raises the Walker debt to more than $1 million more than his cash on hand, according to the people familiar with Mr. Walker’s campaign finances.
I know Mr. Walker never finsihed college but let me help out a bit,.
Simple Definition of thrifty: managing or using money in a careful or wise way
Apparently Mr. Walker has a completely definition of thrifty then the rest of us.
But wait there is more. The example he used when describing it ---well let's look at more :
I like to use coupons, Kohl’s Cash, and shop the sale racks. I am not into the latest fashion -- unless a Packers jacket counts. Most of all, I don’t like waste. This applies to state government and leftover campaign merchandise.
I think we can all come to a bipartisan agreement that he is not into the latest fashion, or any kind of fashion for that matter, however he likes to brag of buying a shirt at Kohls for $1.
No one has ever accused Mr. Walker of being an economic wiz, but when a company sells shirts for $1, what happens? They tend to close down!
However thrifty and a good shopper as Scott Walker considers himself to be, he thinks differently of you.
It was brought to my attention that we have a hodgepodge of campaign t-shirts left over. They are collecting dust somewhere and we lack the staff to organize them. I cannot stand to see them go to waste so we will give any supporter who contributes $45 or more to retire our campaign debt a t-shirt as a token of our thanks.
Overspending and overvakluing his own importance have also been trademarks of Mr. Walkers career, but he will buy a shirt for $1 and expects you to buy a made in ChinaT-shirt for $45.
Seriously!
But wait there is more. You do not even get to decide what size or color!
Due to our lack of resources, we are unable to honor size or color requests. When Matt and Alex were little and fighting over what color cup or toy they wanted, Tonette and I used to tell them “you get what you get and you don’t get upset” and I guess that applies here too.
As is typical, Mr. Walker overspent his budget and is hoping that the taxpayers of WI will bail him out.
But wait there is more!!! Big Government Scott Walker will send you a piece of crap apparel item that you can not wear but he will tell you what to do with it!
Tonette tells me there are crafty things you can do with t-shirts like framing them or turning them into a pillow or bag. Whether you wear it, store it, frame it, or turn it into something else,...:
Thank Goodness he has a wife who can help him figure out what to do with a t-shirt. However,if Tonette believes that anyone would want to frame and display a Scott Walker for President T-shirt, I think we need to really question what she did with $500,000 of our money to remodel the kitchen in the Governor's mansion.
If he was any kind of businessman, he would make his adoring fans pay extra for food stains!
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