Sending My Regrets To Scott And Tonette

Dear Governor and Mrs. Walker,

I thank you for the once in a lifetime to experience Whine and Sticky Wickets with you this evening, but must regretfully decline the chance to throw good money after bad.

I shall instead be attending the Milwaukee showing of "Broadcast Blues" so that I may learn how to take our airwaves back, along with the rest of the state

Sincerely,

capper.

Boy, The Republicans Sure Are Getting Nervous

The pressure of Walkergate must be getting to the Republicans.  While they claim that they don't know what the whole investigation is about, they sure are showing that they don't like all the attention it's getting.

For the second day in a row, a right wing blogger has tried to smear me in an obvious effort to divert people's attention from the unfolding horror show of Walkergate.

Yesterday, Aaron Rodriguez had a hissy fit because I wasn't fighting for his job like he wanted me to.

Now it's Rick Esenberg, MU Prof, sometimes calumnist's apprentice and GOP operative.  He wrote a "How dare he" type of post, feeling that it's inappropriate for me to write about because I allegedly did it too.

Showing that I am one of the most fortunate and richest men on the planet, many of my friends took offense at Esenberg's post for me and came to my defense before I even got home.

My dear friend Tom Foley, aka Illusory Tenant, was the first to draw the line by pointing out that Esenberg was way off base.

Joining in my defense, the fearless Waukesha Wonk, aka Lisa Muxy, pointed out the shell game Esenberg was playing.  (I'm still laughing at the image of a somber but desperate Esenberg pointing and yelling "Squirrel!")

The impeccable and highly esteemed (and newly married) Emily Mills also joined in the fray, taking Esenberg's apples and oranges and making fruit salad with them.

And I would be remiss if I did not point out that the bard-like commenters John Foust and gnarlytrombone took it to Esenberg in his own yard.

While I am eternally grateful for such good friends, they didn't leave much for me to pick apart. But there are still some things that need to be addressed.

Esenberg said because I was suspended, it obviously means that I'm guilty as sin.  I'd say it's just part of a pattern for Walker and his cronies, who have also gone after Professor William Cronon and former DMV worker Chris Larsen for daring to speak truth to power.

Another point would be that whatever Esenberg thinks I did or didn't do, or whether I should have been crucified upon a cross, he would have to say the same thing about Scott Walker who admitted to doing the same thing.  Funny, I don't recall Esenberg thinking what Walker did as being so terrible. In fact, I don't recall Esenberg even saying anything.

Lastly, Esenberg might want to remember the old adage about throwing stones and glass houses since it appears that he also has an issue when it comes to doing things by the book.  Then again, a precursory glance at Esenberg's work would make it obvious that he is a strict adherent of IOOKIARDI (It's Only OK If A Republican Does It).

Oh, and Mr. Esenberg, we do know a lot more about Walkergate than you are indicating.  Just because you don't want to admit it doesn't mean that it's not real.

Van Hollen's Abdication Of Duties Continues

Usually, when a person runs for office, they do so because they feel that they can make a difference, or they want to right a wrong or some other noble reason.

Apparently, Van Hollen wanted the job of Attorney General so that he could be a more useful puppet for the GOP/Koch Brothers machine.  Or because he thought it give him a chance to show off his line of apron wear. Whatever his reasoning was to run for that office, it wasn't to uphold the law.

Two and a half years ago, the state legislature's budget committee voted unanimously to ask Van Hollen to conduct an investigation into Milwaukee County's Income Maintenance Program.  The legislators concerns stemmed from the fact that then County Executive Scott Walker was taking state and federal funding meant to run the program and illegally using them for something other than what it was meant to be used for

Van Hollen declined to do so.

Move up to a year ago, and we again find Van Hollen dropped the ball.  This time it involved Kenneth.Kratz, the disgraced former DA for Calumet County who was sexting a crime victim on whose case he was working.  Not only did it take public humiliation to have Van Hollen look at the case regarding the Republican DA, but it turned out that his office had done already done an embarrassingly lazy investigation into it before and found that there was nothing wrong, even though they didn't interview all the people or look at all the evidence.

Now it has come out that Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisolm had asked Van Hollen to work with him in the investigation into Walkergate.  They had worked together quite well a few years ago on the corruption case against Milwaukee Alderman Michael McGee, getting a conviction on the thuggish politician.
But when it came to investigating fellow Republican Scott Walker, Van Hollen flatly rejected the idea again.

The article says that the reason for the rejection is unknown, but I think this video shows the reason quite clearly:



It's obvious that Van Hollen is not interested in enforcing the law, unless it gives the Republicans an edge.

It's also obvious that when the people again rise up to recall the corrupt Scott Walker, we will also need to recall the political hack Van Hollen.  The reason can be be abdication of responsibility and dereliction of duty.

Wisconsin's Right Wing Shorter

Conform or else!

This morning, TMJ4 came out with a report about a state employee and her husband who received a threatening letter in the mail. Apparently, according to the sender of the letter, a miscreant's miscreant that completely misnamed himself "American Patriot," the family's offense worthy of threats was that she was a public employee and he opposed Scott Walker.

If this cravenly coward was truly an American or a patriot, he or she would know to respect the Freedom of Speech. But this idiot doesn't even want them to have the freedom of independent thought.

It was also learned today that Bill Christofferson also received a threatening letter from some reprobate too afraid to put their name to their letter of hate:

Thug Letter

I'm not a little surprised that these letters didn't come in the form of letters cut out of a magazine and glued to a piece of paper.  They did however manage to confirm that they have atrocious grammar and were too dull to recognize that Bill isn't a public sector employee.

But this isn't the first time that people on the left have been threatened for speaking out.

I have received two such threats in the past year, one made openly and one via an unpublished comment which read "I have a hollowpoint with your name on it, Chris."

Zach Wisniewski and Jeff Simpson, over at Blogging Blue each have their takes on these deplorable acts.

But down to be outdone in the deplorable department, local squawker Charlie Sykes and his audience actually complaining that TMJ4 actually aired the story.

I've got a couple, three things to say about all of this:

1. If you don't like the fact that your behaviors make you look bad, don't do them.
2. It is pitiful that the right, not being able to come up with a cogent defense of their positions, have to resort to bullying and intimidation tactics in an effort to suppress dissenting voices.
3. I am still an American and a Wisconsinite and I will continue to act as a free person.  If you don't like it, that's your problem.

The Walker Budget Is Already Working! Part XVII

As I've noted repeatedly, Scott Walker's budget has taken money out of circulation by taking it away from the working men and women of the state and concentrating in the hands of his wealthy campaign donors.  As a result, people are forced to cut back on many things, making it harder and harder for business themselves to stay viable.

This pattern continues:

Kmart plans to close its store at 120 E. Sunset Drive in Waukesha, affecting 57 employees, according to a mass layoff notice sent Wednesday to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. 

The store will close Jan. 8, 2012, the notice said. 

This is the second local closing Kmart has announced in the last two months. It plans to close its Burlington store Nov. 13.

The only way we are going to stop people from losing their jobs is when Scott Walker loses his.

DADT's Ending Is Just The Beginning

The poorly thought out Don't Ask Don't Tell policy of the army is finally officially over.

This is good.

But it is not enough.

We still need to go out into the communities and get them to realize that any prejudice against the LGBT community is just that, prejudice.

And for the haters in West Bend, who basically had to have the courts come in and tell them that hate is wrong, your ignorance is not excusable.

Or do you want on of the kids in your community to be the next Jamey Rodemeyer

Walker Supporter Suffers Cognitive Dissonance

Poor Aaron Rodriguez must be suffering from some buyer's remorse and doesn't know how to deal with it.

For the unfamiliar, Rodriguez is a conservative blogger who has drunk deeply of the Scott Walker Kool-Aid.  So much so that he had even done some posts that ended up on Walker's campaign website.

Rodriguez is also a member of a local first responder department.  Unfortunately, his conservatism has led him to stop supporting the union that supported him.  There has been no word that he has given up the benefits that the union had won for him, like a living wage, vacations and holidays, or a respectable health care and pension benefit package, which makes him a goldbricker and a user.

Now, Rodriguez is bemoaning the fact that Scott Walker's inept and maleficent tenure has Milwaukee County Executive has caused the county to have a $55 million budgetary deficit, which has only been exasperated by cuts in state aid, ordered by the same man that Rodriguez promoted for governor.  As an end result, the current county executive, Chris Abele, has put the county's contribution to the paramedic system on the chopping block.

Ironically, last year, when his hero, Walker, had proposed the same very thing, he dismissed my concerns as not really being a problem.

But now that Rodriguez could lose his job, it is suddenly a serious issue.  In his lashing out at everyone but the person to blame for the fiscal mess that could make this a necessity, he decides it's my fault:

In the campaign season of 2010, one liberal blogger led the charge to protect the paramedic program from the clutches of then County Executive Scott Walker. Although the County Executive didn't say for sure he would cut the program, it didn't stop activist blogger Chris Liebenthal from drawing up a petition bemoaning the cuts and claiming that areas in Milwaukee would go without paramedic services. Where is Liebenthal on the issue now? He has not posted single word on his blog about preserving the integrity of the program. We're not giving up hope though, there is still time for him to make his stand.

Really? Most rational people with the ability to use basic logic would recognize that if it was bad last year, it's bad this year as well. Perhaps Rodriguez also needs me to confirm that water is still wet and that the sun still rises in the east. I haven't written that in a while either, so that might mean my thoughts on that changed, right?

But it is unfortunate that Rodriguez, like other conservatives that have forsaken reality for Walker's false promises, cannot just admit that he was wrong on this as well.  But then again, like most conservatives, they only care about something when it finally has a direct impact on them.  It's sad that it takes so much longer for some folks to hit rock bottom and start making the necessary changes in their attitudes and lives that they need to make in order to make things better, not only for themselves, but for their communities as well.

Will Walkergate Push Wisconsin Further Towards Center?

After the summer of the recalls, many people noted that Senator Dale Schultz became the de facto leader of the state senate and a major player due to the shifting of the state from the path of radical conservatism back to a more centrist approach.

Indeed, even the radically conservative Scott Walker admitted as much by tendering his incredulous offer of the olive branch of bipartisanship.

But the column from the British paper and some other recent events made me wonder if there is going to be another shift towards the left, or at least even more towards center.

Ten days ago, Senator Chris Larson noted that he was sponsoring two important bills.  One would remove the influence of the special interests during the budget cycle and the other would require the public get the opportunity to openly review  any proposed bill.

Just last week, Representatives Peter Barca and Donna Seidel and Senator Mark Miller introduced a bill that would put an end to Walker's tendency of appointing cronies to newly formed political positions.

To be honest, I thought that these bills were nothing more than mere political posturings, something to throw out there and expect the Republicans to shoot down at some level.  Then the Democrats could use that during the next election cycle as talking points to reclaim the centrist and moderate voters.

But now I'm starting to have second thoughts regarding that.

As Walkergate begins to unfold, it will be interesting to see how the Republican legislators react to it.  Right now, there just isn't enough concrete evidence to do much more than make the Republicans apprehensive. But consider some of the following:

• At Fighting Bob Fest, there was much discussion that more houses than just Cindy Archer's had been visited by law enforcement, although none of this has been confirmed to the best of my knowledge.
• It seems rather improbable that federal agents would be expending that much time, money and manpower to bust a couple people for posting online comments on the tax payers dime.
• The number of people being looked at in the Walkergate investigations is much larger than people were originally aware of.  There is no telling how deep - or how high - this thing goes.
• Short of the whole thing just going poof and disappearing forever, Walker's image has already been stained by the whole sordid affair.

There are other factors that I have heard of, but am not currently comfortable sharing without further confirmation.  But even if what I've heard is partially true, Walker's name will become synonymous with Blagojevich's, the corrupt former governor from Illinois.

But even if none of what I've heard pans out, the taint and the doubt will still be there.  That, combined with a politician's strong instinct for survival, will probably force many of the Republicans, to back away from Walker, just to make sure that they don't get caught up in whatever might be coming down the pike.

And this will open the door for the Democrats and the more moderate Republicans to make sure no further damage is done to the state, and maybe even open an opportunity for some of the damage that has been done to be reversed. such as the proposed bills mentioned above.

But I've noted a growing cry of "Enough" coming from many more people than ever before who are feeling repulsed by Walker's unethical power grabs and his failure to do any of the things that he promised to do, like create jobs.  And I'm sure the politicians are hearing it even clearer than I do.

One thing that I think that everyone can agree with is that there will be some very interesting times ahead for us.

A Modest Proposal

The John Doe investigation has quickly become known as Walkergate among the people of Wisconsin.

But I was just wondering, even if just for this week, in honor of Scott Walker's croquet fund raiser, we should be referring to it as "Sticky Wicket?"

Walkergate Goes International

The British have noticed the sticky wicket that Scott Walker and his cronies have found themselves in.

Even though many of their details are off, such as claiming 250,000 signatures are needed to trigger a recall instead of 540,000 or saying the probe is focusing on only two of Walker's minions, they do hit the main gist very well with this:

Walker has successfully advanced his own political career by presenting himself – a self-proclaimed "preacher's kid" – as an ethical and honest politician. He rose to power in 2002 in a Milwaukee County special election to fill the seat of an incompetent Milwaukee County executive whose corrupt aides triggered a pension scandal that taxpayers are still paying for. A Republican in Wisconsin's most populous and Democratic county, Walker used this office to position himself to run for governor. If Walker's image as a straight arrow is tarnished, he will be much more vulnerable to a recall.

Due to the secret nature of the current Wisconsin investigation, we may not know for weeks whether prosecutors will bring charges, precisely what violations of the law are being investigated, and who will be in the frame. And even well-documented charges of political misconduct do not always yield convictions. So, opponents of Walker should be careful not to accuse his aides – much less Walker – of wrongdoing until all the evidence is made public.

But if Walker is tainted by this investigation in any significant way, then re-energised Democrats will almost certainly organise a recall. And that would have a fighting chance of success.

No matter when the recall comes, and come it will, just the knowledge that Walker is now an international embarrassment should be worth a few hundred thousand signatures in itself.

Crime Might Not Pay, But Cronyism Sure Does

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had a couple more articles about Cindy Archer, the Scott Walker minion who has been put into a fish bowl when the FBI raided her home, among others, last week as part of an ongoing John Doe investigation which has been dubbed Walkergate.

In one article, they find that when Walker changed dozens of civil service jobs to political appointments, not only was he able to give jobs to a lot of his cronies and campaign donors (or at least their sons), he was also allowing them to have a double win day by also jacking up their pay considerably.

As MJS shows in this chart, Archer was the big winner in Walker's appoint-a-crony game:

Courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

It could be that Walker wanted to distance himself from Archer due to her involvement in Walkergate, but also didn't want her to turn on him so gave her a position that she doesn't really have experience in, but sweetened the deal to appease her for having to take a step down.

What is surprising is that no one in the media is making a bigger deal about the fact that she's been lying to them all along, saying she was hoping to come back to the state when she already had the new job with its exorbitant pay raise.

On the bright side, it's entertaining to watch one of the local yokel teahadists get his tea bag all tangled up while trying to rationalize the crony promotion. I guess massive increases in spending for government employees is OK after all, as long as a Republican does it.

In the other article, they interview some County Board Supervisors who all point out Archer's fierce loyalty to Walker.  Meh, it only means she knows which side of her bread has the butter on it.

But what is a bit odd about this article is that, towards the bottom as they give an abbreviated recounting of recent events, they include this non sequitur:

Authorities took Wink's work computer and executed a search warrant on her home. They also took a work computer from Tim Russell, a longtime Walker ally who was county housing director.

Russell recently lost his west side house to foreclosure.

He had taken out a mortgage for $184,000 with a 9.7% interest rate in 2003 for his house on N. 49th St. He was sued by his bank in July 2010 for defaulting on the loan.

At first, Russell mounted an aggressive defense. But he reversed course earlier this year, agreeing to give up the house. Last month, a Milwaukee County judge entered a judgment against Russell. The house is expected to be sold at a sheriff's sale soon.

I'm not sure what that has to do with the rest of the article, unless they are trying to infer he lost the home because of legal costs. But even that wouldn't make much sense, since Russell was already living in Sun Prairie long before any of that happened.

What would be interesting to know is why a person with an apparently successful business in Milwaukee would move to a place more than an hour away from said business.  This is especially true when one considers gas prices and that he apparently was having money problems from legal costs and/or losing his job with the county after Walker left him high and dry.

Drinking Liberally This Monday

On Saturday, I got the opportunity to spend some quality time with some wonderful friends in Madison.  It was marvelous to be surrounded by so many amazing people, including the incomparable Waukesha Wonk and the most awesome radio hostess, Sara Schultz.  

In fact, I had so much fun on Saturday, the Sunday was rather anticlimactic.

But there is good news on the horizon for not just me, but for all of us.

Monday, it's time for Drinking Liberally.  This will be another chance to be surrounded by good friends and great conversation.  It will be a gathering of the liberals done in the old-school Milwaukee way.  

The time and place is still the same - 7 pm at Transfer Pizzeria located at 101 W. Mitchell St.

Zach, our host, says there is no special guest this month, but I think the people that come to these events are pretty dang special.

See you there!

Vos-Gate?

While speaking with a friend earlier today, he made an interesting point regarding the Vos beer dumping incident last week.

Robin Vos of Rochester, Scott Suder of Abbotsford and John Nygren of Marinette were sitting in a bar in Madison on Wednesday evening when some knucklehead decided to make a scene and dump a beer on Vos' head.  The boor was cited for disorderly conduct, which is apparently the catch all crime category for wasting beer.

My friend pointed out that the state legislators worked only one day this month, which was the day before the incident.

So what were these three doing in Madison, when they should have been in their home districts? If they had been, Vos would have been safe.

Another question is did they collect a per diem for a day when they weren't working?  Where the heck are the teahadists? Sleeping?

Don't expect the MacGuyver Institute for the Criminally Irresponsible to cover this. They're too busy trying to lay down a smoke screen for Walkergate.

Scott Walker: Outside Agitator

Scott Walker, for unknown reasons, but believed to involve looking for the thousands of jobs he's chased out of the state or to raise money for his defense fund, was in Kentucky.  He was given the welcome he so richly deserves:



When you have millions of people around the state and the country telling you that you're in the wrong, and you're up to your armpits in scandal, you might just want to rethink what you're doing. But that might be just me.

Where's Cindy Archer's Medical Slip?

Cindy Archer, one of Scott Walker's top cronies and the subject of an FBI raid on her home as Walkergate continues to unfold, is currently on medical leave from her new state job:

Archer, 52, until recently was deputy administration secretary to the Republican governor. She now holds a different state job but is on paid sick leave, records show.

Her sick leave started Aug. 22 - the first day she was to have been on the job as legislative liaison in the Department of Children and Families. Originally, she was to return this coming Monday, but her medical leave has been extended.

One of my readers left a most excellent point and question regarding this factoid:

Cindy Archer seems happy to be interviewed by anyone who drops by her house. Why hasn't anyone asked about the nature of her medical leave? After all she doesn't look sick and we had to make sure we punished teachers who weren't sick when they called in last winter during the protests. She's defrauding the state, pure and simple, and thus far has grossed at least $8250 doing it.

So, where is Cindy Archer's doctor's slip? If the teacher's had to show theirs, Archer should bloody well have to as well!

And why isn't the MacIver Institute of the Wisconsin Reporter delving into that? Or doesn't that fit into their dishonest propagandist agenda?