WISCONSIN Walker's Reform School

Welcome to Walker’s reform school

Wisconsin elected a “reformer”. A man who looks to the far future rather then just the next election. Some states elect leaders with college educations and a varied resume of experience across a spectrum of disciplines. Not Wisconsin. They elected a governor with no college diploma, and whose experience was limited to political maneuvering. It was to be a “learn on the job” administration, because people liked the way he sounded and believed in what he said. Walker was a “reformer” and Wisconsin became his “reform school”.

A major reform of Walker was to abolish and transform a major department of government – the Wisconsin Department of Commerce:

1955 Wisconsin Department of Commerce is created

The Department of Commerce was administered by the Wisconsin Secretary of Commerce, who was appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Wisconsin State Senate.
The department traced its roots to the Division of Industrial Development within the Office of the Governor, as established by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1955.

The the entire Department of Commerce, that functioned without major problems for 35 years, was dismantled, “reformed”, and restructured by Gov. Scott Walker in February 2011. Commerce was replaced with the new and streamlined Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), and branded as a public-private agency, to boost job growth. This was the flag ship of “Walker Reform” boasting an $83 million budget. The regulatory, big government, impediments of the Commerce Department would be striped to make room for the Neoconservative efficiency of WEDC – the flagship of the new Walker reform to allow for the lofty goal of creating jobs, jobs, jobs. Thus the Department of Commerce was “reformed” and WEDC was to be the engine that would drive the creation of 250,000 jobs by the end of his term, as Walker promised in his campaign.

So, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) was created in February of 2011 by the state GOP controlled Legislature and Walker. Five months later, on July 1st – the flagship of reform took over the economic development functions of the old and antiquated Department of Commerce.

The initial Promise? “WEDC will create 50,000 jobs by June 2012”

The Old Commerce Department was abolished in favor of WEDC with a single purpose – (Please mark this well) Walker’s spokesman Cullen Werwie told how the Governor was working closely with the WEDC and was getting regular updates from chief executive officer, Paul Jadin, and it would retain or create 50,000 jobs by June 2012.

Another “Walker reform” was afoot and speeches were made, ribbons were cut, and the new bigger and better, neoconservative job machine was primed and polished for jobs, jobs, jobs!

And all was well….for a few months. But who would guess how soon the WEDC would become a major black eye for Walker?
Bix journal

The July 18 2012 Shake up – WEDC Bidding suspended!

Before a year had passed, Gov. Scott Walker was shaking up the leadership of the state’s flagship jobs agency. You see, there was a problem. The bidding process was mishandled. Skyward, an information technology company of Stevens Point, was offered a sweetened deal. The company was promised tax credits, on the backside of a contract, if it won a bid. This “mistake” gave the appearance of favoritism to Skyward, the company bidding to create a student-information system for Wisconsin.

Because of the lack of communication, regulation, and oversight that plagued the old Commerce Department, the Walker Administration discovered a bigger and better impediment of its own – the competitive bidding process had to be suspended and restarted. So much for Neocon streamlining.

The Walker Fix

The Governor brought to bear the experience and savvy of a man who ran a successful campaign that got him elected as governor, and quickly turned attention to the WEDC problem. What was needed was a man he could trust, someone from his inner circle. Just as he had looked to Tim Russel as his front man when he was Milwaukee County Executive, he demonstrated his administrative skill by appointing his deputy chief of staff, Ryan Murray, to take the role of Chief Operating Officer of WEDC with a slight bump in salary. He would bring down – $105,000 a year.

The Walker staff “shift and shuffle”

One of the qualities of a strong leader is the ability to appoint sound and consistent people to administrate an agenda. Well, mark it up to learning on the job in Wisconsin’s reform school, but Scott Walker has altered his administrative staff so many times that a diagram of his shift and shuffle of appointments would look like the diagram of complex protein on steroids. Mark it up to leaning on the job. Anyway, here is what happened in the WEDC after the bidding debacle:

Ryan Murray, who was Walker’s deputy chief of staff, became the chief operating officer of WEDC, while Mike Klonsinski ($109,500 a year) who was the chief operating officer (WEDC) moved to the role of chief financial officer (WEDC). Eric Shroeder who was the chief financial officer but was replaced by Klonsinski. Shroeder would jump ship, hit the road, walk the plank. Got that?

This crazy shift and shuffle is not an occasional anomaly with Walker, it goes on and on, and dates back to his days as Milwaukee Chief Executive – you know, the days of Tim Russell, Kelley Rindfleisch, and the other indicted Walker subjugates? Anyway, suffice it to say WEDC has a new chief executive officer, Ryan Murray. Let’s look at what he has to say.

Ryan Murray….Mark ME

At this point – July 2012 – the WEDC is summarized:

At this time, under the most reliable measure, Wisconsin’s WEDC created 19,551 jobs overall in 2011, lagging behind the nation and the 33,660 jobs that were created in 2010.

Murray makes things “clear”

1 – Murray made clear that the Walker administration would not be repeating the maneuver because it had the appearance of violating the competitive bid.

2 – Murray pointed out that the problem was one of communication. Information had not been shared with the Governor and thus the potential problem with the bidding offer had been missed. That would change.

3 – Murray said he would help to ensure better lines of communication between the WEDC, other agencies and the governor’s office.

4 – Murray said the agency would be executing a marketing plan for the state’s businesses as well as seeking to implement the recommendations of a recent state audit that found the state’s many other economic development programs in separate agencies still do not coordinate well with each other and with the WEDC.
Walker shakes up staff at jobs agency

And speeches were made, ribbons were cut, and the new bigger and better, neoconservative job machine was primed and polished for jobs, jobs, jobs! And all was well….for a few months. But who would guess how soon the WEDC would become an even bigger and blacker eye for Walker?

September 26, 2012- WEDC Oversteps Authority

The old Commerce Department, with all of its regulations, secured loans agreements from the Federal Government. Walker simply transferred them to the “streamlined” WEDC even though the oversight of the the disbursal of loans was so lax that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) threatened to cancel them.

The WEDC Walker took the responsibility for some $80 million in loans and grants from the Department of Commerce and turned it over to WEDC, which answers directly to the Governor’s office with little legislative oversight.

HUD problems go way back

Here is another pattern of the Walker Administration which might be stated as: “Reformers make the rules, they don’t follow them.”

Even his Secretary Mike Huebsch said he was frustrated with his boss, so much so that he threatened to resign if the issues with HUD were not addressed. Huebsch had wanted to resolve the outstanding issues with HUD – initially raised more than a year ago:

“I should have brought this to the board earlier and it was my mistake not to do that. . . . I thought it was premature but it clearly wasn’t,” Huebsch told the board in a telephone conference Thursday. “I will certainly err on the side of providing greater information in the future.”Huebsch threatens to resign

Wisconsin’s reform school governor is well known for his “divide and conquer” methods to curtail collective bargaining rights, was he now applying this technique to the operation of WEDC?

We need to wait only one month before the rule “reformers don’t need to follow the rules” comes back to bite Walker’s WEDC, when it will be forced to admit that it’s regulations and oversight is far, far, too loose.

October 19, 2012 – Lost 9 Million Dollars?

Just three months after all the communication and oversight problems had been fixed by his trustworthy appointee Ryan Murray, Gov. Scott Walker called for “dramatic moves”. In the wake of revelations that his flagship jobs agency had lost track of $9 million in past due loans with due dates going back more than a year, the reformer did another shift and shuffle of staff.

Chief Financial Officer of WEDC Mike Klonsinski ($109,500 a year) would follow his predecessor Eric Shroeder. Klonsinski jumps ship, hits the road, walks the plank. Do you begin to sense a pattern here?

The Neoconservative anti regulation, streamlined department fails again. Some $69 million in loans — including $9 million in past-due loans — were missed, because no one was assigned to oversee them when the agency was created in 2011! Now, that is what I call a reform! Who needs all the red tape of checking up on accounts receivable? All this just months after Murray said he would help to ensure better lines of communication between the WEDC, other agencies and the governor’s office?

The newly-uncovered loans to 99 businesses, which are past due by 30 days or more, amount to 16 percent of the state agency’s total loan portfolio of $51 million in loans, WEDC chief operating officer Ryan Murray admitted.

Department of Commerce would have done it better

The Neoconservative streamlining of the WEDC does not work, Murray suggested:

“It’s pretty clear that the Department of Commerce had this function — they had staff that handled this — and it’s clear for the last year that WEDC hasn’t,” Murray said. “I think the important thing is clearly we dropped the ball — the staff here did — but while the system collecting loans didn’t work, the system for catching this did.”

Suffle and shift – Shuffle and shift

Soon after the discovery, board members, including Walker, discussed the overdue loans, the HUD situation, and vote on whether to transfer authority to Murray in the interim as a search is conducted for a new CEO.

Ok, so Murray who was chief operating officer of WEDC, will move to Klonsinski’s post of chief financial officer, while a new interim chief executive, Reed Hall, former executive director of the Marshfield Clinic will be installed. Got that?

By the way Reed Hall, became the permanent chief operating officer of WEDC yesterday – Wednesday July 30.

And speeches were made, ribbons were cut, and the new bigger and better, neoconservative job machine was primed and polished for jobs, jobs, jobs! And all was well….for a few months. But who can guess how soon the WEDC might become the biggest and blackest eye for Walker?

What of it?

Daily news stories flash through the media, blogs, face book, and twitter. The progression of problems with WEDC encompass the time line of Walker’s first day in office through yesterday. The attempt is to show some patterns over a longer period than a day, week, or month. What is most striking to me, are all those who have hit the water in the wake of Walker’s passage – all of those who were once trusted associates and are now convicted as felons or tossed overboard because of this action or that. Through all this only one person, one common denominator stands in an obvious and prime position.

Are we to believe the fault remains with those cast aside? Experience and history tell us this cannot be true, and it is time to follow the three fingers pointed back at the one who points.

Redis(tricking) the Judges – VOS SUMMONED

GOP did not Redistrict – the GOP Redistricked

Ever since GOP redistricting maps were made public back in July of 2011, a group of Democrats and the immigrant rights group, Voces de la Frontera, have been fighting the GOP legislature. The road has been long and winding with twists and turns revealing the most secretive, non-transparent, partisan tactics including the forced signing of confidentiality agreements on the parts of their own colleges. There’s been no precedent, outside a totalitarian state, for the covert methods and practices by which new vote district maps were drawn for Wisconsin. The process did not even pretend to follow any established traditional process for drawing the boundaries. The GOP did not even do the work in the legislative offices, but they hired it out to the law firm across the street at the offices of Micheal Best where GOP legislative leaders committed $400,000 in taxpayer money to pay Best and the Troupis Law Office for their work on the maps. Legislators did not draw the maps, lawyers drew them.

GOP accused of gerrymandering

That was all over a year and half ago. What followed has been eighteen months of legal tangle as Democrats and Voces de la Frontera worked to unravel the trail of secret dealings that lead to the creation of the maps used to determine which party and candidate voters are allowed to be represented by and cast ballots for.

Redis-tricking

After the court had ruled on the maps, additional documents that should have been turned over were discovered…oh my! Lawyers for the GOP legislature were repeatedly ordered to turn over documents, but they resisted, fumbled, and faltered even as they were fined $17,500 for filing what the federal judges said were frivolous motions to try to block their release. How many records were withheld? Why were records tucked away?

The legislators’ law firm, Michael Best & Friedrich put on the appearance of concern over this unfortunate oversight. Why they were so concerned as to launch an internal investigation and hired the high-powered Chicago law firm Schiff Hardin to help them with the matter. Of course, this would take months and bide time for the whole matter to sink out of sight and out of mind in the news cycle.

The GOP should really go into the optical illusion business. Who are they trying to hoodwink? You cannot fool all of the people all of the time. Just yesterday, Rush Limbaugh made a point that crystallizes the whole GOP paradigm, the whole mindset that permeates the vote redistricting debacle in Wisconsin. The subject happened to be immigration reform and he asked, “Why would Democrats want to give up voters?” The reference was to how Democrats seemed willing to lose their majority of Hispanic voters by agreeing with the new GOP position of favoring comprehensive reform. Do you see it? It’s not about the people, or moving the country forward, it is all about strategy and positioning. This is the way the GOP thinks. It is all about the push with little regard for direction – just like the redistricting maps for Wisconsin. It is all a game to be played with obstruction, secrecy, and hiding records.

But it did not go away…Summons FINALLY issued

For the last five months, the plaintiffs have been seeking to forensically search computers used for redistricting to find out why they did not receive documents that were supposed to be turned over to them and to learn if any other records were improperly withheld. So far, they have not been able to learn where the state computers are located, let alone search them.

Groups involved in a long-simmering legal fight with Republicans have subpoenaed Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and other officials in an attempt to track down computers they want to search.

“This is public property that people pay for,the fact they won’t share this information is beyond comprehension.” said Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca

“We’re through fooling around, we’re going to get to the bottom of where these computers are.”said Peter Earle, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs. Assembly Speaker subpoenaed in redistricting feud

The subpoenas seek to locate the computers. They were served on Vos; Senate Chief Clerk Jeffrey Renk; Assembly Chief Clerk Patrick Fuller; and the Legislative Technology Service Bureau.

Subpoenas were also planned for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) and an unnamed representative of Michael Best.

Depositions are scheduled for Feb. 1 and “Um…dunno”.

Vos said last week in an interview that he knew nothing about where the redistricting computers were located. He could not be reached Friday, but an aide acknowledged receipt of the subpoena.

Senator Fitzgerald aide Tom Evenson declined to comment.

UPDATE BREAKING this A.M. Madison – Republican Senate leaders hired a new law firm Monday in the ongoing legal fight over redistricting – a move that means taxpayers will have to spend more on a case that has already cost them about $1.9 million. Republicans approved hiring Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek just three days after the plaintiffs in the case subpoenaed officials so that they could search state computers and external hard drives. The plaintiffs want to search the computers because attorneys for the Legislature did not turn over some records in the case that they were required to. For months, the plaintiffs have been trying to ascertain why the records were not released and whether there are other records that are yet to be turned over.Senate hire new law firm in retdistricting case

Makes one wonder – What are they hiding? How can this go on?

Wisconsin Shows its Johnson

Until last week, Wisconsin’s Johnson remained largely discreet, tucked away as an insignificant part of the state’s political rancor. Then came the four hour’s of consistent and hard media attention focused on Wisconsin’s Johnson. It was the hard questioning and enhanced performance of Johnson at the Senate hearings that seemed to go on and on, and left many people scratching their heads.
See Ron Johnson Dumb and Dumber and Ron Johnson “Doesn’t Represent Anyone”

Short story…long

Who had the worst week in Washington? Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).

Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin who was elected in 2010, drew national headlines — and praise from conservatives — for pushing Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on the origins of the Sept. 11 attack on an American outpost in Benghazi, Libya. At a hearing in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Clinton choked up when discussing Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and the three other Americans who died that day. Washington Post

In the same article quoted above, the Post went on to describe how Wisconsin’s Johnson got top far out:

Johnson, sensing he had gotten too far out over his skis, eased back on Thursday. “Maybe I shouldn’t have speculated” about the reasons for Clinton’s emotions, he told CNN’s Soledad O’Brien.

Johnson’s embarrassing eruptions

Wisconsin’s Johnson came to power through the stimulation of the workings of the corpora cavernosa within his 2010 campaign by the Koch Brothers. It was largely the regular ingestion of funds by the Americans for Prosperity that lead to the relaxation of restricting opposition of progressives and the early enhanced performance of Wisconsin’s Johnson.

And the unfortunate side effects of this inorganic stimulation that came last week, were not the first indications of possible inconsistencies of performance due to the Koch intervention. No, previous episodes of limp and flaccid performance abound, even though they missed the radar of the national press.

Back in October of 2011, some 10-15 people were arrested while attempting to seek an audience with Senator Ron Johnson at his Milwaukee office.A group of approximately 30-40 Milwaukee citizens had gathered outside Johnson’s office today to protest his vote against the American Jobs Act, which would cut the payroll tax and invest heavily in infrastructure, as well as extending unemployment benefits and providing significant financial aid to states. Johnson – “Arrest Them All!”

In July of 2011 voters were alerted that Wisconsin’s Johnson gave himself a 10 million dollar loan from his own company, Pacur, and shortly after that, he spent 9 million on his “self financed” 2010 election campaign. Aside from election law violations, Johnson’s $10 million payday also may have violated the Internal Revenue Code’s requirements that any deferred compensation agreement must be in writing – even if it’s between the top executive and the company he owns. Pay Day Windfall

Johnson’s Playhouse

Last week Wisconsin’s Johnson was exposed in the national arena, much to the embarrassment of the proud people of the Badger State. We can only assume that his fate will mirror that of Pee Wee Herman, when a similar incident occurred in his career, and that the days of Wisconsin’s Johnson are numbered in the U.S. Senate.

Citizen Koch goes A' mining

Money and power have been so poisonous and pivotal in the political scene in Wisconsin over the past two years that this dangerous liaison has evolved into a story of historical significance. This is the stuff that spins novels and movies like “Citizen Kane” – the classic movie by Orson Welles which documented the ruthless pursuit of power by newspaper magnate Randolf Hearst.

In fact, the Wisconsin story equals the drama of the classic film. It is that big. It is the central plot in a new movie “Citizen Koch” a new documentary:

Wisconsinites and their politics are in the spotlight at this year’s Sundance Film Festival thanks to “Citizen Koch,” the new documentary by Carl Deal and Tia Lessin about corporate and special-interest groups pouring money into last year’s gubernatorial recall election and its impact on elections across America.JS Online

Stay where you are. You already have the best seat in the house

The people of Wisconsin need not travel to the festival to witness the drama, the sequel is already unfolding just out the door. Heck, you can watch it live streaming from the State Capitol on your home computer. The latest docudrama is unfolding through the people, politicians, power and money surrounding the attempt of the GOP to pass a mining bill. It’s all here. All the drama, power grabbing, and the big bucks of Citizen Koch.

Last Call: Citizen Cites Special Interest Money

Many Wisconsin residents who waited all day to testify against the mining bill were turned away late in the evening. One of the first to arrive and the last to testify was Oma Vic McMurray, who put a few hard facts into the record. According to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, between 2010 and 2012, the interests that support mining deregulation have contributed nearly $1 million to 20 members of the joint committee. The vast majority of those contributions — about $825,000 — were accepted by GOP legislators. Top takers of the campaign finance dollars were:

Senator Alberta Darling (R) $467,293
Senator Tom Tiffany (R) $74,915
Rep. Tom Larson (R) $56,380
Sen. Glenn Grothman (R) $52,439
Sen. John Lehman (D) $43,838
Rep. Fred Clark (D) $36,676
Rep. Warren Petryk (R) $32,136
PrPatch

What kind of person trades the people for money?

You’ve probably read all sorts of novels and seen dozens of movies centering around the personalities of politicians who are bought, but just to add a bit of grit for the mill, let’s look at a recent video of the “real taker” – the fourth down the list above, Senator Glenn Grothman:

Wisconsin Lawmaker Suggests Planned Parenthood Is Targeting Asian Americans for Abortion

In an interview yesterday, Wisconsin Republican state senator Glenn Grothman suggested that Planned Parenthood is promoting sex-selective abortions to Asian Americans.

Just like in all the movies and novels the Darling’s, the Grothman’s and rest of the hacks on the dole from the Koch Brothers are not too bright. They often do not know how to pronounce the words of hate they are using like “rashist?”.

The Mining Bill Movie

It is entertaining to sit back and watch a movie while eating popcorn and sipping a drink. When the part comes when the villains use power and money to open a mine that is the doom of the water supply for thousands – we can just switch channels.

No wait. This is really happening. Damn!

Priebus "Count the Vote by Whac A Mole"

Reince Priebus plays Chuckee Cheese politics

Ever gone to a Chuckee Cheese with your kids and play the game “Whack a Mole”? The goal is to hit a mole every time it rises out of the hole and you never know where/when the next one will pop out for you to “whack”! If you are successful at the game you hit them all on their heads and get lots of points in the process! Could this “wack” game be the source of his wacky idea to count electoral votes by hitting the Democrats that rise out of their hole?

Republicans are actually planning to play Wack a Mole with the electoral vote count in Presidential elections.

In Virginia and a handful of other battleground states Republicans are pushing for far-reaching changes to the electoral college in an attempt to counter recent success by Democrats.

In the vast majority of states, the presidential candidate who wins receives all of that state’s electoral votes. The proposed changes would instead apportion electoral votes by congressional district, a setup far more favorable to Republicans. Under such a system in Virginia, for instance, President Obama would have claimed four of the state’s 13 electoral votes in the 2012 election, rather than all of them.
Washington Post

Wack a Mole Crazy

Wisconsin is known as the cheese state where fully grown adults go to football games with a foam cheese wedge on their head. But we were not the Chuckee Cheese Wack a Mole State until 2010 when Priebus and Scott Walker stole all the tokens. When Scott Walker says something is an “interesting idea” – Watch Out!

Priebus actually won another term as the RNC Chairman today. Reince, same mind that schemed up the electoral Whack a Mole vote count idea, and even as he was delivering his victory speech Republicans were backing away from his cheesy idea.

The state at the head of the line to play Whack a Mole is Virgina, where they need all the Republican votes to change the the electoral college rules. Today two of them, Senators Jill Vogel and Ralph Smith, are backing away. It appears Florida will not be a Wack a Mole state either where GOP leaders in Florida’s legislature are already announcing their opposition to the scheme.

Democrats Rejoice – Priebus wins again!

The man that rose to power for his red sweep of Wisconsin in 2010, saddling the people with Ron Johnson and Scott Walker, has the helm of the RNC again. Oh Boy! It remains to be seen how his resume will hold up through the on going John Doe investigation that has convicted Walker’s closest associates for campaign related felonies. Whack. Whack. Whack.

Ron Johnson Dumb and Dumber

Stop! Take him out of the game

Remember when Jeremy Ross fumbled the punt on the 9 yard line in the Green Bay playoff game against the 49ers? How can it be forgotten? He was taken out of the game and we did not see him again.

Oh, what would Wisconsin voters give if Senate hearings on Benghazi were coached by Mike McCarthy and fumbles and gaffs were subject to a decision of taking the offender out of the game. Ron Johnson would be sent to the bench and denied his Gatorade.

If there were a penalty for STUPID, the flags would have descended in the Senate Hearing room like a yellow blizzard. Johnson dropped the ball, muffed the moment, pooped his pucker – made Wisconsin look like more of a loser than Jeremy Ross could ever hope too. Not once – BUT TWO DAYS IN A ROW!

Has Johnson no shame? Must he drag down the reputation of the whole state with him? He was at it again with his ears plugged with ego cotton as he postured as the all knowing genius of international affairs while climbing the pedestal to question a real and well known genius of international affairs – John Kerry.

For the second day in a row he came at Kerry, as he had with Hillary Clinton, with impertinent questions about the early unfolding of the Benghazi attack. Kerry appeared a bit embarrassed for the guy and paused to swallow before he asked if Johnson had seen the security tapes that have been available to him for weeks. Johnson said, “No”. (pause)

He was the stupid, stupid, stupid guy in the back row who had not done his homework, and Kerry pointed out and itemized Johnson’s lazy failure – line by line, item by item, point by point. Did this shut Johnson UP?

The question of the day – Can a Senator be Impeached for STUPID?

Ron Johnson "Doesn't Represent Anyone"

Chris Mathews calls it right on Hard Ball

At the top of Hardball on MSNBC, Chris Mathews charged into the political theater of Senate Benghazi hearing and the testimony of Hillary Clinton. Benghazi has been scored as the conspiracy of the century by Fox News since the September 11 attack on the embassy with the determination to find some shred of evidence that would undermine the Obama administration in the days before the election. It didn’t happen. None of the finger pointing or manufacturing of stories insinuating that Hillary and Obama where watching the attack live and in real time ever made it farther than Fox Studios = largely because it just wasn’t true.

That didn’t stop Fox News from inviting the forever maligned loser of the Presidency, John McCann, to appear on a daily basis to exhort the Obama/Hillary collusion as a vast conspiracy to lie, cheat, and confabulate the information to the American public. Even if all of the allegations were true, which they were not, the confabulation of the intelligence surrounding Bengazi would not have carried a fraction of the treasure and blood spent on the Bush/Cheney lie about weapons of mass destruction leading to the invasion of Iraq.

But that didn’t stop Fox News from maintaining its status as the voice of the GOP that has characterized the party as so far to the right that voters are being shed from their GOP neocon views like fleas from a recently sprayed dog.

Wisconsin’s own Ron Johnson steps in it AGAIN

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Ever see a Chiwawa dog yapping at German Shepard? It’s kind of silly and cute. When human begins are elected to the Senate they are expected to carry a certain amount of educated intelligence and gravitas into the political arena of a hearing room. When they fall into the caricature of a yapping Chiwawa that has not done its homework, the result is not silly or cute. It is stupid. It is an embarrassment to the voters of the state that put the Chiwawa in the pen with the Shepard, and Hillary Clinton was the alpha dog to Johnson’s helpless yapping.

Even Chris Mathews was disgusted by Johnson’s lack of intelligence, dignity, grace, –add another lacking virtue here_____________. Unfortunately this isn’t the first time Ron Johnson has “stepped in it” in full view of the national press, but this time he really came off as stupid, stupid, stupid.

After Chris Mathews aired the clip of the exchange between Johnson and Hillary, he reiterated an evaluation which, no doubt, struck a cord that Wisconsin progressives have been chewing on since November 2010 – “how do these guys get elected?”. And Chris doesn’t know the 10th of it, since his national focus spares him the weekly workings of Johnson’s doppelgänger Scott Walker. Mathews final comment in the video speaks to the political stature of both winners of the 2010 election of fools – “they don’t represent anyone”.

Duffy, Ryan, Lip Sync Sandy Aid 'NO' Vote

Fox News asks, “What so we believe in any more?:”, in reaction to the report that Beyoncé may have lip synced her performance of the “Star Spangled Banner” at the Obama Inaugural ceremony. Fox News calling Beyonce fake when Fox News continually fakes the news by inserting prerecorded film that has nothing to do with the story being covered? A memorable example was when Fox inserted video of demonstrators among palm trees and sold it as footage of the Wisconsin uprising demonstration in Madison. So Fox, what are we do believe anymore?

GOP Wisconsin House Members Lip Sinc in chorus for Sandy Aid

If Fox needs to come down as righteous against fakery, why draw the line at the Beyonce performance. What about the Wisconsin House members vote against providing disaster aid to the Sandy victims? Not one GOP Representative from Wisconsin voted to provide money to help the victims of the hurricane. Not one. They lip synced their vote as surely as any singer and in a matter far more life threatening than another performance of the National Anthem.

Making Wisconsin Proud?

Pictured at Palm Tree

WI-5th District: Jim Sensenbrenner (top left)

WI-6th District: Tom Petri (top right)

WI-8th District: Reid Ribbl (middle)

WI-7th District: Sean Duffy (bottom left)

WI-1st District: Paul Ryan (bottom right)

Not one GOP House member from Wisconsin voted in favor of the Disaster Relief Bill. The argumentative song for the “No vote”, was called in by the Congressional Tea Party Caucus; the same caucus that is responsible for the least productive session of Congress in history; the same caucus that was bought and paid for the the Koch Brothers the American for Prosperity. In effect, the decisions and votes of the Wisconsin GOP are pre-recorded and then performed on the floor of the House as political reality – and Fox News is worried about Beyoncé and the Star Spangled Banner?

This is not government by the people in the people’s House, this is government by the wealthy few who are writing the lyrics to be performed in a aria designed to preserve and protect their place at the top while the average worker in Wisconsin has seen their own wealth shrink to historical lows. The “Anthem Against Sandy” by Wisconsin House members is not representative of the majority of Wisconsin voters who turn out to help when their fellows are devastated by the calamities of tornadoes and floods. Yet, the Wisconsin Tea Party Caucus has shamed the true character of the Badger State. They said “no”. They sang the false, pre-written lyrics for all the world to know.

Please end this shameful ballad of partisan demagoguery. Let us not be sung out on the national stage as uncaring and hard of heart. This is not Wisconsin. End the Tea Party sing-a-long once and for all.

John Doe STILL OPEN

MADISON, Wis. (AP) –
Walker said on Tuesday that he hoped the so-called “John Doe” investigation would end as early as this week. But retired Waukesha County Judge Neal Nettesheim told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from his home Wednesday “that would be pure conjecture.”

The judge overseeing the investigation into former aides of Gov. Scott Walker says the probe remains open.
News 8000

Not Complete – Who is left?

Judge Nettesheim says, “The John Doe is not completed. It is still open.News 8000

Russell is the fourth Walker aide or associate convicted of misconduct in office as part of the ongoing John Doe investigation.

Walker’s former Deputy Chief of Staff Kelly Rindfleisch (far right) was sentenced in November to six months in jail and probation for doing political fundraising while at her county job. Kevin Kavanaugh (second from left) was sentenced in December to two years in prison after stealing more than $50,000 from Operation Freedom and other funds intended to benefit veterans and their families. Walker had appointed Kavanaugh to the county Veterans Service Commission. Additionally, Walker’s constituent services director, Darlene Wink (second from right), was sentenced in January to one year’s probation for doing campaign fundraising in 2009 while working in her taxpayer-funded county job. Other indictments surrounding Walker campaign: In April 2011 William Gardner (third from left), president and chief executive officer of Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Co., agreed to plea guilty to two felony counts Brian Pierick,(third from right) was Tim Russell’s roommate and partner. He was charged ( with child enticement and exposing himself to a 17 year-old boy.

John Doe Investigation Continues bouncing from associate to associate

If we are defined by the company we choose, than the sooner Governor Walker is unseated as Governor of the State the better. Unfortunately he is too big to jail. If any business leader, educator, or board member were to be so deeply associated with the likes of those pictured above, they would be dismissed. Why is it that a governor is held to a different set of rules?

Walker is an emperor without clothes. The evidence presented in the course of the John Doe investigation has diminished any attraction to this man as a leader. Everyone knows that his County Executive office was just yards away from the secret email network that was used, on the tax payers dime, as a tool as he campaigned for governor. So we wait and wonder when the axe will fall.

Anti Choice Day Begs Walker's DNA

Let The Anti Choice Day Festivities Begin

You remember the story alleging that Walker fathered a child when he was a student at Marquette University. Dr. Bernadette Gillick was a college roommate with Ruth (a name she made up. It was not her roommate’s real name). Ruth was dating Scott Walker.

According to a June article in the Wisconsin Citizens Media Co-op report, Dr. Gillick was college roommates at Marquette University in the then all female O’Donnell Hall with a young woman who was dating Scott Walker. This young woman, being referred to as Ruth (not her real name), got pregnant by Walker. Her pregnancy coincided with his ill-fated run for student body president, which ultimately ended in Walker being found guilty of illegal campaign activities. The student newspaper Marquette Tribune called him “unfit for office. ”

The twenty year old Ruth informed her boyfriend, who was initially supportive but quickly turned cold and indifferent after alerting his parents of the situation. According to Dr. Bernadette Gillick, Walker began denying paternity and told his girlfriend he didn’t care if she got an abortion.

A moment of truth born of frustration

Most of us, on the other side of the moral compass, can relate to the squirmy knot in the stomach that twists as a tape worm hungry for the truth each and every time we see a tweet, a face book post, or hear an interview or speech delivered by the Honorable Scott Walker. It was at just such a moment when Dr. Gillick had her epiphany:

Over the phone, Bernadette recounted how she watched a recent televised debate between Scott Walker and Tom Barrett. As he talked about his “lifelong integrity” her anger grew. This was a man who had abandoned his pregnant young girlfriend — completely turned his back on her at the most fragile point in her life. She notes his “now-convenient ‘pro-life’ proclamations” after burying his past “indiscretion.” Says Bernadette, “I cannot listen to his lies anymore … I cannot dream of how anyone would support such an evil man. Once a man shows that he has no soul, there is nothing more.”
Politicus

The story broke and was reported across the blogosphere, but on the very next day, and before the account got its legs, it was dismissed by Journal Sentinel “No Quarter” reporter, Daniel Bice in a statement that was reported across the net:

“I am getting a lot of emails because of this post. Two things: (1) I tracked down and talked to Dr. Gillick’s freshman-year roommate at MU yesterday, and she adamantly denies that Walker is the father of her child. Yes, she got pregnant as a first-year student, but she believes Dr. Gillick is mixing up stories; and (2) I Can Read CCAP has taken a family court suit involving Scott Alan Walker and mixed it up with the governor, Scott Kevin Walker.”

The story was buried alive

The allegation deflated as quickly as it had grown. Yet, like so many of the facts surrounding the seedy side of Scott Walker, questions were left unanswered. What is it with Walker and all the unanswered questions regarding what he knew, and when he knew it – and I am thinking about a secret email network here.

Badger Democracy pointed at the holes in the Bice statement.

First, the time problems with the Circuit Court Access documents Bice sited

The Scott Walker referenced in the “Bice” comment of Family Court CCAP record was born in April, 1961. The woman in the record (mother of the child) was born in 1962. There is no possible way Dr. Gillick would confuse, or have even known this “other” Scott Walker, much less been roommates with the mother at Marquette. They are both 6 – 7 years older that any of the parties cited by Dr. Gillick. Badger Democracy

Scott Walker’s Birthday – November 2, 1967 (age 45 years)

Senft, Laura Ann – Petitioner
Laura Ann Senft vs. Scott Alan Walker
Milwaukee County Case Number 2004FA003749
Petitioner Senft, Laura Ann
Respondent Walker, Scott Alan
Circuit Court Access Document
Family
Responsible Official
Sullivan, Michael P.
Branch Id 26

Filing Date 05-21-2004

Party Details Senft, Laura Ann – Petitioner Date of Birth 06-1962 Address Updated On 05-24-2004 533 Watson, Aurora, IL 60505 Attorney Name Probst, Jane E

Walker, Scott Alan – Respondent Male Date of Birth 04-1961 Address: 2108 Hwy 10, Appleton, WI Address Updated On 05-24-200 05-24-2004

The other Scott Walker case is clearly irrelevant to the allegations against Governor Scott Walker.

So the only fact that goes against Dr.Gillick’s account is that in a phone interview conducted by Bice, the voice of Ruth denied that Governor Scott Walker was the father of her child. That’s it.

Not good enough on Anti Choice Day

Just as so many other allegations against Scott Walker regarding his campaign activities, his pay to play appointments, and his rumored child – they have yet to grow the teeth that bite.

It is one thing to carry the unwanted child allegations on his record. It is quite another make a special proclamation to set a day aside as Anti Choice Day, when credible allegations have surfaced that indicate that Gov. Walker may have taken the male advantage of making the very choice that is now proclaimed to be unworthy for women.

With the Anti Choice Day proclamation he has pushed his credibility to the limit and thrown his past into the arena for further scrutiny. DNA could settle the question once and for all.