FollowUp 36: Wisconsin Republican Dirty Tricks

Cenk Uygur states many of my views on Governor Walker's dirty tricks (which I have discussed in thirty-six prior posts ... linked at the bottom).  It was never about the Wisconsin state budget, it was always about breaking the unions.  One does not need to be a union member to appreciate that there is a balance by having unions and negotiations.  Here the info from The Young Turks on YouTube.

"Governor Scott Walker is not trying to win the Wisconsin recall election that will be held June 5. He is trying to buy it...Walker's campaign finance disclosure forms reveal that, as of May 21, Walker has raised more than $30 million for the June 5 fight he was forced into when more than 900,000 Wisconsinites petitioned for a new election...".* The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

*Read more from John Nichols of The Nation: http://www.thenation.com/blog/168201/scott-walker-tries-buy-election-and-state

As Goes Janesville: http://371productions.com/what-we-make/documentaries/as-goes-janesville/

Support The Young Turks by Subscribing http://bit.ly/TYTonYouTube

The link for As Goes Janesville (referring to a small city in Southern Wisconsin) includes a ten minute preview of their documentary which will air this Autumn on public television.

Today is election day in California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota (all primary elections) and Wisconsin (the big recall election).  If you are curious, there is only one more state left to hold a primary election (Utah will vote on 26 June).  While people in those states should still exercise their civic right to vote, it is particularly important that folks in Wisconsin do so.  For the sake of Democracy, please vote.

If you are a Wisconsinite and you don't know where to vote, here the state website that will find your polling location.  (Seriously?  Are there really Wisconsinites who don't already know this?)

A friend of mine in Madison, Wisconsin writes that there are free cab rides available to the polls:

Union Cab is providing free rides to the polls - visit www.unioncab.com/DemocracyInMotion for full info.

Badger Cab is also giving free rides to voters.

This is what democracy looks like!

My guess is that there is probably a similar opportunity in Milwaukee and maybe even in smaller cities like Eau Claire.  No excuses.  Go vote.

16 November 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.
30 November 2011, FollowUp 1.
4 December 2011, FollowUp 2.
11 December 2011, FollowUp 3.
14 December 2011, FollowUp 4.
15 December 2011, FollowUp 5.
30 December 2011, FollowUp 6.
13 January 2012, FollowUp 7.
17 January 2012, FollowUp 8.
25 January 2012, FollowUp 9.
2 February 2012, FollowUp 10.
9 February 2012, FollowUp 11.
12 February 2012, FollowUp 12.
18 February 2012, FollowUp 13.
22 February 2012, FollowUp 14.
6 March 2012, FollowUp 15.
12 March 2012, FollowUp 16.
16 March 2012, FollowUp 17.
30 March 2012, FollowUp 18.
31 March 2012, FollowUp 19.
3 April 2012, FollowUp 20.
4 April 2012, FollowUp 21.
11 April 2012, FollowUp 22.
14 April 2012, FollowUp 23.
17 April 2012, FollowUp 24.
21 April 2012, FollowUp 25.
29 April 2012, FollowUp 26.
2 May 2012, FollowUp 27.
6 May 2012, FollowUp 28.
10 May 2012, FollowUp 29.
13 May 2012, FollowUp 30.
23 May 2012, FollowUp 31.
24 May 2012, FollowUp 32.
30 May 2012, FollowUp 33.
2 June 2012, FollowUp 34.
4 June 2012, FollowUp 35.

FollowUp 35: Wisconsin Republican Dirty Tricks

Voting begins in Wisconsin recall election in the morning.  Today's Fox News Opinion page featured a column by Arthur Herman of the American Enterprise Institute.  You won't be surprised that I disagree with much of what Mr. Herman has to say.

A lot hinges on whether Wisconsin voters decide to keep Gov. Scott Walker, or put a Democrat in his place who’s heavily backed by public-sector unions, who’ve been fighting a bitter 18-month battle with Walker. What’s happening in Wisconsin is really a battle for everyone’s future -- and whether government employees are our servants or our masters.

Recent polls suggest Walker may survive the recall effort. Certainly Democrat Tom Barrett’s campaign has largely downplayed the issues that led to the recall in the first place, namely raising the contribution Wisconsin public employees make to their health benefits and pensions, and ending compulsory collective bargaining. Everyone is realizing that Walker’s prediction that passing these two provisions would save the Badger State from insolvency, and return power over their government to voters, is coming true.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has not been downplaying the issues that led to the recall.  Mr. Herman is not addressing those issues in a way that makes this clear.  The question of health benefits and pensions is not the problem.  When Governor Walker asked for concessions from the unions, he got them.  The immediate response was not to agree to every request but to sit down at the negotiating table and discuss them.  There were no absolute negatives at first.

The problem comes in that the Governor did not simply ask for financial concessions from every public sector union in Wisconsin (most of which do not affect the state budget), he demanded that the unions give up the right to negotiate for the restoration of these concessions in the future.  That is where the unions said no.

Legislating the end to collective bargaining did not affect the budget as Mr. Herman, parroting Governor Walker, suggests, did not "save the Badger State from insolvency", and did not "return power over government to voters".  Those are all lies.  They are big lies and those lies are at the heart of why Mr. Walker is facing this recall election.

Wisconsinites are funny. They love their individuality and their freedom -- which is why Wisconsin is big on the right to bear arms. But they also pride themselves on being progressive-minded. Wisconsin was the first state to allow public sector unions back in 1959. Wisconsin residents never have been instinctive foes of big government -- that is, until big government began to drain them dry.

While it is certainly true that Wisconsinites love both their individuality and their freedom, Mr. Herman is confusing ideas here again.  The right to bear arms is not under threat by Mayor Barrett, but by Governor Walker's "deer czar".  Wisconsinites are upset because Governor Walker has proposed legislation that is intrusive into the doctor's office.  That kind of government is not welcome.

In 2010 they elected Walker to deal with the issue. Facing a massive $137 million deficit, Walker asked workers like teachers and firefighters to make a tiny increase in the amount they had to pay for their health and future benefits -- less than half what government workers pay on average elsewhere- -- and allow local communities to decide for themselves how much to pay their municipal employees. Otherwise, he said, some 5,500 Wisconsin public jobs would have to go.

Teachers' health benefits had zero effect on the state budget.  Mr. Herman is lying.  Most of what Governor Walker requested was granted by the unions, but the GOP proceeded to kill collective bargaining anyway.  But the big issue is buried here.  Balancing the Wisconsin budget, something that Governor Doyle managed to do after being left with a huge mess by Governors Thompson and McCallum, did not require cutting back on public sector employee costs.  It was only because Governor Walker and the GOP majority legislature gave huge tax cuts to big businesses that cuts in expenditures were needed.  This was a problem that Governor Walker created, not one that he inherited.

The unions screamed no, and pushed back hard. Americans remember the scenes last February, with pro-union demonstrators camping out in the State Capitol, shouting obscenities, scrawling graffiti and trying to intimidate legislators into rejecting any reform that would save their state from fiscal collapse, no matter how tiny. Not very Wisconsin-like behavior. It was, in fact, a preview of Occupy Wall Street -- and, like Occupy Wall Street, it woke up people to what can happen when you hand over power to people who have no stake in your posterity.

Mr. Herman is implying that the unions rejecting cutting back on health benefits and pension benefits.  That is a lie.  The unions "pushed back hard" to the proposal to eliminate collective bargaining.  They did shout and they did occupy the Wisconsin State Capitol building.  But after occupying the Capitol for weeks they did far less damage than Mr. Herman, again parroting Governor Walker, alleges.  But he is correct that this was the real start of the Occupy Movement.

The real problem with unions is that they lock employer and employed in a status quo based on the present. They say to their members, “you’ll be able work at this job for this employer, for these wages -- wages we will fight to raise year after year for every employee, regardless of who’s better at his or her job later on, or whether the company is doing well or not.”

Wrong.  Collective bargaining is about negotiating.  The "status quo" is the starting point for those negotiations, not necessarily the final product.  Of course unions fight for the best pay and benefit package that they can negotiate, but it is a negotiation.  Unions typically don't get all of the benefits that they request and businesses or governments don't get all of the concessions that they request.  If a company isn't negotiating based upon how well they are doing, then they do not have effective negotiators.

The dynamic of economic growth and capitalism, by contrast, is built around the future: anticipating and adapting to changes in the marketplace, incorporating new inventions and technologies to produce more at a lower cost, finding workers who are willing to leave work in an industry that’s unprofitable to go to one that is (just as millions of Americans left dirt poor farms in the 20th century to work in factories and plants).

That is not a contrast to the reality of businesses and unions, only to the caricature that Mr. Herman and the folks at the American Enterprise Institute portray it to be.  Unions negotiate.  I have been part of a union negotiating team where we got most of what we wanted.  Later, in worse economic conditions, I was part of a group advising a union negotiating team where we got far less of what we wanted.  Reality does play a big part in the negotiations and both sides always have to give a little.

Mr. Herman hints here at one of the myths that his organization likes to tell.  "You can't fire a teacher who is not teaching well."  It is a myth.  When a teacher has tenure, that means that the teacher cannot be fired without showing cause.  It is a system that prevents a teacher from approaching retirement and being fired to save money on pension expenses, unless that teacher is failing to do her or his job.

Families, like capitalism, look to the future. How will we pay the mortgage next month and next year? How can we help our kids to get to college? Will they have a better life than their parents? In 2010 Wisconsin families realized that future was about to be crushed under an avalanche of debts and rising taxes. They asked Scott Walker to find a solution, and he did. The unions fought a brighter future for the sake of a disastrous present -- one that even doomed their own jobs -- and lost.

Scott Walker is on tape campaigning and saying that he was not going to go after the unions.  He lied.  Wisconsin was not "about to be crushed under and avalanche of debts and rising taxes" except that Mr. Walker gave tax breaks to those who needed them least.  Unions didn't doom their jobs, the GOP did.

If Wisconsin families win again now in the recall fight, it will send a clear message to state capitals across the country and Washington: The future is important to us. Step up and save it, as Scott Walker did, and we will reward you by keeping you in office. It will also send a clear message to America’s unions: help us to move this country forward or get out of the way. This Tuesday, we are all from Wisconsin.

Wisconsin families win if Governor Walker is removed from office.  Wisconsin has always been a purple state, with give and take between the Republicans and the Democrats.  Under Governor Walker, there was no give and take, he just took.  The balance needs to be restored.

As I write, it is less than twenty-four hours before the polls close in Wisconsin and we learn whether the Republicans or the Democrats did a better job at turning out their voters.  Less than twenty-four hours before we learn whether balance is restored to the Dairy State.  I agree with Mr. Herman that this Tuesday, we are all from Wisconsin.

16 November 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.
30 November 2011, FollowUp 1.
4 December 2011, FollowUp 2.
11 December 2011, FollowUp 3.
14 December 2011, FollowUp 4.
15 December 2011, FollowUp 5.
30 December 2011, FollowUp 6.
13 January 2012, FollowUp 7.
17 January 2012, FollowUp 8.
25 January 2012, FollowUp 9.
2 February 2012, FollowUp 10.
9 February 2012, FollowUp 11.
12 February 2012, FollowUp 12.
18 February 2012, FollowUp 13.
22 February 2012, FollowUp 14.
6 March 2012, FollowUp 15.
12 March 2012, FollowUp 16.
16 March 2012, FollowUp 17.
30 March 2012, FollowUp 18.
31 March 2012, FollowUp 19.
3 April 2012, FollowUp 20.
4 April 2012, FollowUp 21.
11 April 2012, FollowUp 22.
14 April 2012, FollowUp 23.
17 April 2012, FollowUp 24.
21 April 2012, FollowUp 25.
29 April 2012, FollowUp 26.
2 May 2012, FollowUp 27.
6 May 2012, FollowUp 28.
10 May 2012, FollowUp 29.
13 May 2012, FollowUp 30.
23 May 2012, FollowUp 31.
24 May 2012, FollowUp 32.
30 May 2012, FollowUp 33.
2 June 2012, FollowUp 34.

5 June 2012, FollowUp 36.

FollowUp 8: Voting Rights

Florida has been in the headlines recently, with Governor Rick Scott ordering a purge of thousands of registered voters from the rolls.  The New York Times Editorial Board weighed in against this blatant attack on Democratic voters.

They have cut back on early voting, tried to stamp out registration drives, and imposed onerous identification requirements. (A federal judge reinstated the registration drives on Thursday.) Now, hoping to gain a new edge, Gov. Rick Scott is trying to clear voter rolls of noncitizens, a menace that only he and a few other Republican governors have been able to detect.

Last year, Mr. Scott ordered the state’s elections division to compare the rolls to the federal Homeland Security Department’s immigration database, a request the federal government sensibly refused. Then, a few weeks ago, the state pressed the Department of Motor Vehicles into comparing the voter rolls to its list of driver’s licenses, which often has out-of-date citizenship information. It came up with nearly 2,700 voters considered suspicious and sent them letters demanding that they produce proof of citizenship within 30 days if they wanted to vote.

The Miami Herald explored the data and found that it is discriminatory.

Miami-Dade is the state’s most-populous county and has the largest foreign-born population. As a result, its residents are most likely to be flagged in a sweep of potential noncitizens.

Hispanics are the state’s largest immigrant group. As a result, they account for 58 percent of those flagged as potential noncitizens, a Miami Herald analysis found. Hispanics make up 13 percent of the state’s 11.3 million active registered voters.

Independent voters and Democrats are the most likely to face being purged from rolls. Republicans and non-Hispanic whites — the backbone of the Republican Party — are the least likely to face removal.

The Justice Department has stepped in.

The U.S. Department of Justice has ordered Florida to halt its effort to purge noncitizens from the voter rolls.

The Justice Department says that Florida's effort appears to violate both the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which protects minorities, and the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, which governs voter purges.

But, Republicans in Florida are determined to continue, despite opposition in every county.

Despite the warning, [Florida Secretary of State] Detzner's representative said on Saturday the state intends to go forward with its campaign. "We have a year-round obligation to ensure the integrity of Florida's elections. We will be responding to (the Justice Department's) concerns next week," Chris Cate wrote in an email to Reuters.

While Florida's state officials continue to champion the plan, its 67 county election supervisors said Friday they will discontinue the effort to purge voters.

Vicki Davis, a Martin County elections supervisor who is also president of the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections, told the Palm Beach Post they believe the state data is flawed and that they intend to heed the Justice Department's warning. "There are just too many variables with this entire process at this time for supervisors to continue," Davis said.

Florida is too close for the Republicans to risk a fair election.  This is far from the only place where dirty tricks may sway elections.  Tuesday's recall election in Wisconsin will feature Republican attempts to prevent fraud at predominately Democratic voting locations.

[Wisconsin] Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen plans to dispatch criminal investigators and lawyers to the polls during Tuesday's recall elections to discourage fraud.

Van Hollen, a Republican, plans to deploy teams of special agents and assistant attorney generals across the state, including dispersing seven groups to the polls in Democratic-leaning Milwaukee. He said the agents and attorneys will help local election officials ensure voters comply with state election laws.

When there is real voter fraud, it must be stopped.  Being a minority or not having a driver's license or birth certificate does not constitute fraud.  These attempts to prevent American citizens from voting, these dirty tricks, are unAmerican.

3 October 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings article.
14 October 2011, FollowUp 1.
22 October 2011, FollowUp 2.
6 November, FollowUp 3.
14 November 2011, FollowUp 4.
14 December 2011, FollowUp 5.
8 March 2012, FollowUp 6.
2 April 2012, FollowUp 7.

FollowUp 34: Wisconsin Republican Dirty Tricks

This is mostly a guest post.  My commentary is in the last four paragraphs.  Friends of mine in Wisconsin received mail today. They put the following into e-mail to me:

The front page of the 8.5x11 mailer displayed a simple enuf message:

********[Begin Quote]**********************
ELECTION DAY IS TUESDAY, JUNE 5TH
SEE REVERSE SIDE FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION
********[End Quote]*************************

And then there is the back (I have removed the name):

********[Begin Quote]**********************
Greater Wisconsin Political Fund
P.O. Box 861
Madison, WI 53701

UNITED STEEL WORKERS
UNION MADE LOCAL 318
WAW12078_BNR

[Our Address, addressed to my wife, NAME REMOVED]

Authorized and Paid for by Greater Wisconsin Political
Fund, Jane Gellman, Treasurer. Not Authorized by Any
Candidate, Candidate's Agent or Committee

Dear Registered Voter:

Scott Walker won in 2010 because too many people stayed home!

Two years ago, more than half a million Wisconsinites who supported Obama failed to vote in the 2010 election. And that's how Governor Scott Walker got elected. This year, we're taking a new approach. We're sending this mailing to you and your neighbors to publicize who does and who does not vote. [Italics and bold face, mine]

We need to all pull together. The chart shows the names of some of your neighbors, showing which have voted in the past.

After the June 5th election, public records will tell everyone who voted and who didn't

Do your civic duty - vote.
********[End Quote]*************************

They offer the following commentary:

With the exception of what I emphasized in Italics... If the add had stopped at this point I would not have had an issue with its message. Granted, the message in a sense is using straight-arm tactics to essentially shame and/or harass voters (specifically those who have not fulfilled their civic duty) into voting on June 5. Unfortunately, the flyer then prints the first and last names of each and every man and woman along with the physical address of where they live. The flyer also specifically lists which of these individuals had voted and who had not voted in prior elections, on November 8, and November 10 of preceding years.

Let me be clear on this point. I personally feel (and believe) everyone in this country should fulfill their civic duty and vote. However, that's just my personal opinion. Unfortunately, this flyer's straight-arm tactic of specifically listing the names and addresses of those who voted and DIDN'T vote was blatantly inappropriate. Reading this flyer felt like a violation of my right to privacy - to everyone's right to privacy. But it's far worse than that. The pubic distribution of a flyer of this nature potentially endangers the lives of those who specifically don't want their first and last names PUBLICLY listed alongside their physical address. This was information that was presumably distributed throughout local neighborhoods. God only knows where else this information has also now been distributed. Did it ever occur to those who created this flyer that there are individuals who are specifically trying to avoid publicly advertising their physical address. Did it ever occur to them that some of these individuals may be trying to avoid an abusive spouse or x-spouse, a stalker, or someone with ill-intent?

It gets worse. The message and strategic political intent is more likely to backfire. Setting the potential life-endangerment issue aside, if I, Joe Schmoe, was nothing more than an undecided voter, and individual still waffling on whether to vote for Walker or Barrett, does any political strategist with two working brain cells in their head really believe such straight-arm tactics would influence me to vote for Tom Barrett? Quite the opposite is more likely to happen. I would have felt personally violated. I would have assumed that liberal-minded democrats are once again being inappropriately intrusive, that a bunch of bleeding-heart liberals are once again trying to run my life. Those are precisely the kinds of issues conservative right-wing Republicans are most concerned about. This flyer will most certainly give them added incentive to go out and vote - for the other guy.

One last comment: It's possible, however ever remote that possibility might be, that this disgusting flyer is actually the work of another republican funded dirty trick operation... The objective: to "conquer and divide" liberal democrats and independent voters amongst each other, and to help nudge undecided voters to vote for Scott Walker. Yeah, it's still possible, and if so, it needs to be documented for the record so that those who were responsible for creating this crap are eventually prosecuted to the full extent of the law - after all the political campaigning is over and done with. But quite frankly, I don't think the "opposition" is that smart. Devious??? Most certainly. But smart???? NO. This is too sophisticated a scenario to have been thought out by the opposition, IMHO. I think it was our own damned fault.

Quite frankly, it seems to me that a more likely scenario was that a group of individuals (democrats and/or liberal minded individuals) terrified of the possibility that Scott Walker will once again get re-elected felt that the means justified the ends. Yes, I too am terrified of the thought that Walker could get re-elected. However, I don't want it on my head that my personal fears caused me to violate the rights, privacy, AND SAFETY of those who specifically didn't want their voting record and address publicly exposed in such a manner. That's not the kind of karma I want listed on my grave stone.


Back to comments from Some Teacher.

I then learned from another friend that e-mail address that is on the card is NOT valid.  Yet another friend who received the same card had a person listed as being on the voting rolls who has not lived in his house for a decade.  So, some information is out of date, but it does appear to be real information.  Four friends have sent me information so far.  This is reaching a wide area.

Time for a little searching.  The Wisconsin Democratic Underground has a thread discussing this card.  They included a link for the Greater Wisconsin Political Fund, a site that appears to be anti-Walker.  Attempts to contact the organization are unanswered so far and probably won't be answered until Monday at the soonest.  This is a last minute stunt that is either an inept effort at what it claims to be or a dirty trick.

There have been so many examples of Dirty Tricks since Mr. Walker took office that it would be easy to just accuse him of more.  Unlike my friend, I don't think that people need to fear for their safety if their voting record (that is the record of when, not for whom, they voted) is made public.  I share his concern that this card may act as a disincentive for voting on Tuesday.

Voting is incredibly important.  The election on Tuesday is too close to call.  If those who are frustrated with the lies and divisive policies of Governor Walker stay home, then Mr. Walker will remain as Governor.  Wisconsin is tired.  Half are tired of dirty tricks by the GOP and the other half are tired of being accused of dirty tricks.  Divide and conquer has worked to a large degree.

4 June 2012, afternoon update:  The Cap Times has the story on the card that so many received.   The Greater Wisconsin Political Fund is a real, left-leaning super-pac.  They paid a lot of money to the Government Accountability Board and got the full voting history of the state for 2008 and 2010, information that is public and expensive to pay for.  They did it because, as annoying as many of my friends found this card, studies at Harvard and Yale show that it is effective to shame people into voting.  So amidst the various dirty tricks, this one wasn't.

16 November 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.
30 November 2011, FollowUp 1.
4 December 2011, FollowUp 2.
11 December 2011, FollowUp 3.
14 December 2011, FollowUp 4.
15 December 2011, FollowUp 5.
30 December 2011, FollowUp 6.
13 January 2012, FollowUp 7.
17 January 2012, FollowUp 8.
25 January 2012, FollowUp 9.
2 February 2012, FollowUp 10.
9 February 2012, FollowUp 11.
12 February 2012, FollowUp 12.
18 February 2012, FollowUp 13.
22 February 2012, FollowUp 14.
6 March 2012, FollowUp 15.
12 March 2012, FollowUp 16.
16 March 2012, FollowUp 17.
30 March 2012, FollowUp 18.
31 March 2012, FollowUp 19.
3 April 2012, FollowUp 20.
4 April 2012, FollowUp 21.
11 April 2012, FollowUp 22.
14 April 2012, FollowUp 23.
17 April 2012, FollowUp 24.
21 April 2012, FollowUp 25.
29 April 2012, FollowUp 26.
2 May 2012, FollowUp 27.
6 May 2012, FollowUp 28.
10 May 2012, FollowUp 29.
13 May 2012, FollowUp 30.
23 May 2012, FollowUp 31.
24 May 2012, FollowUp 32.
30 May 2012, FollowUp 33.

4 June 2012, FollowUp 35.
5 June 2012, FollowUp 36.

FollowUp 33: Wisconsin Republican Dirty Tricks

While most of the attention in Wisconsin continues to be on the gubernatorial recall election, coming up on Tuesday 5 June, there is a lot more happening on the ground.  Here is an example of a state senate ad and a news story on the issue.  I will then offer a few thoughts as to why this is really horribly misleading.



Originally, there was an ad on this topic that was mailed out. It was discussed on Channel 4.

"Lehman voted for felons. Putting our communities in danger, John Lehman voted for early inmate release."

That was the beginning text in the video version of the ad, sent out by the Wisconsin Recall Action Fund on their Stop the Recall YouTube Channel.  The words are certainly provocative.  The inmate release was, according to the ad, part of the 2009 Assembly Bill 75.  If you follow that link, the first thing that you are likely to notice is that the pdf is over seventeen hundred pages long.  This is the 2009 state budget, not a simple and isolated bill.  The part regarding early release for inmates is fairly early in the document, beginning on page 13 and running for four solid pages of text. 

Early inmate release is limited to those inmates who gain approval of a parole board and, depending upon the class of felony, sets conditions for rehabilitation programs, supervision, electronic monitoring and tracking, appeals and hearings.  Those who committed violent crimes and crimes against children, those who would most put communities in danger, are not eligible for early release.

On its face, the ad is horribly misleading.  But the scare tactic being used is based on a flawed premise, that early release of inmates endangers communities.  If you speak with a prison warden, she or he will tell you that they are opposed to fixed sentences without parole.  Having a parole possibility gives the guards a tool, an incentive for good behavior within the prison.  That incentive helps inmates through their rehabilitation programs, making the prisons safer, lowering recidivism, and allowing for safer communities after inmates are released.

The truth is diametrically opposed to the conclusion of the ad.  Mr. Lehman's vote made Wisconsin communities safer.

This local ad in SouthEast Wisconsin counts as dirty tricks in my book.  It is pulling legislative provisions out of context, presenting scare tactics without real basis, and telling implicit lies as to the goals of a candidate.  Will it scare voters enough to vote against Mr. Lehman?  Perhaps.  The Recall for Governor is tightening, though still looking like it is in Governor Walker's favor.  Gathering millions of signatures was not enough.  If Wisconsin is to move beyond the Walker lies and destruction of unions and women's rights, then the Democrats and Independents who have had enough of Mr. Walker and Mr. Wanggaard need to cast their ballots on Tuesday.  The election will come down to who turns out the votes.

16 November 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.
30 November 2011, FollowUp 1.
4 December 2011, FollowUp 2.
11 December 2011, FollowUp 3.
14 December 2011, FollowUp 4.
15 December 2011, FollowUp 5.
30 December 2011, FollowUp 6.
13 January 2012, FollowUp 7.
17 January 2012, FollowUp 8.
25 January 2012, FollowUp 9.
2 February 2012, FollowUp 10.
9 February 2012, FollowUp 11.
12 February 2012, FollowUp 12.
18 February 2012, FollowUp 13.
22 February 2012, FollowUp 14.
6 March 2012, FollowUp 15.
12 March 2012, FollowUp 16.
16 March 2012, FollowUp 17.
30 March 2012, FollowUp 18.
31 March 2012, FollowUp 19.
3 April 2012, FollowUp 20.
4 April 2012, FollowUp 21.
11 April 2012, FollowUp 22.
14 April 2012, FollowUp 23.
17 April 2012, FollowUp 24.
21 April 2012, FollowUp 25.
29 April 2012, FollowUp 26.
2 May 2012, FollowUp 27.
6 May 2012, FollowUp 28.
10 May 2012, FollowUp 29.
13 May 2012, FollowUp 30.
23 May 2012, FollowUp 31.
24 May 2012, FollowUp 32.

2 June 2012, FollowUp 34.
4 June 2012, FollowUp 35.
5 June 2012, FollowUp 36.

FollowUp 32: Wisconsin Republican Dirty Tricks

Governor Scott Walker sent me an e-mail today, 24 May 2012. Here we go again.

Patriot,

Well, that is how I view myself.  I didn't expect Mr. Walker to be so astute.

This is it. The Wisconsin Recall election is less than three weeks away.

Um, no.  Less than two weeks away, but it's okay by me if Mr. Walker's supporters turn out a week late.

The liberal special interests and Washington insiders have sworn to spend tens of millions of dollars to defeat me. I need your help right now to beat back this senseless Recall. Will you stand with me today?

No.  Again, he claims that outside money is pouring in to his opponents.  The truth is that Governor Walker has tens of millions more than do Wisconsin Democrats, much of his money coming from outside of Wisconsin.

For more than a generation in Wisconsin, the power of special interests and the liberal elite have gone largely unchecked. My Administration finally stood up to them, and we changed the way we do things in government in Wisconsin.

No.  Mr. Walker wants to pretend that the last generation did not include Republican Tommy Thompson as Wisconsin's longest serving governor ever.  Is he really calling Mr. Thompson a liberal?  If you look at the recent history of governors of Wisconsin, it is fairly balanced between Democrats and Republicans.  Neither side has "gone largely unchecked."  Liar.

That’s why my opponents are so desperate to defeat me in this Recall. They want to roll back the clock and take us back to the days of skyrocketing taxes, bloated budgets, and unchecked and unaccountable spending. We cannot let that happen.

No.  While Governor Walker has cut taxes on businesses, it is not true for the average Wisconsinite.  He is spending money beyond Wisconsin's tax revenue, something that was not true of his immediate predecessor.

The moment I became Governor, I set about the work that the people of Wisconsin sent me to do. We eliminated the deficit left by my Democrat predecessor. We gave the freedom of choice to public employees. Our reforms have allowed public employees to decide if they would like to spend (in some cases more than a thousand dollars a year in dues) or keep their hard earned money. We finally put the control of state government back where it belongs, in the hands of the people.

No.  This is a lie.  Mr. Walker was not left a mess.  His reforms took away collective bargaining from public employees; which is not an increase of choice.  That was after lying during the 2010 campaign and stating that he was not going after unions.  Mr. Walker is a proven liar on this.

I kept my promises to the voters here in Wisconsin. I didn’t raise taxes. We have not had massive lay offs of state workers. Our reforms have balanced the budget and lowered the unemployment rate to a level unseen since 2008.

No.  Mr. Walker is using fake employment figures.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows Wisconsin losing jobs in April.  Mr. Walker is a liar.

Now I need you to help me tell the out-of-state special interests that we do not want another tax-and-spend liberal in charge here in Wisconsin.

No.  Again, Mr. Walker is the one who has cornered the out-of-state special interests, CrossRoads GPS and the Koch brothers to name two of the biggest funders of his bid to keep his seat.

This Recall is not just about Wisconsin, it is about the cause of reform across this country. It is about deciding what kind of country we are going to be for generations to come. We must send a message that we can and will live within our means. We must not hand power back to a small group of special interests and let them run state governments into the ground across this great nation.

The recall is about deciding what kind of country we want.  Do we want balance between labor and business?  Do we want a viable middle class?  Do we want women to have control of their healthcare and bodies?  Do we want fully funded schools and strong education for our children?  Do we want fair taxes for everyone including businesses?  Or do we want Governor Walker's radical reform?

When we defeat this baseless Recall, it will send a powerful statement across our country about the kind of government we want to have and the bold reforms that will get us there.

The recall is not baseless.  It is based on the actions of Mr. Walker; actions in contradiction to the promises that he made when he sought the office of governor.

We have less than a month to go. I need your help – not tomorrow, not next week, but right now.

Okay.  Less than two weeks is also less than a month.

Today, I ask you to stand with me so I can continue to stand up for hard working taxpayers. Together, we can defeat this Recall and make history – in Wisconsin and across the country.

Keeping Governor Walker in office increases the burden on "hard working taxpayers" and relieves the burden on big business.  Mr. Walker is a liar.

Sincerely,

Scott Walker
Governor

16 November 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.
30 November 2011, FollowUp 1.
4 December 2011, FollowUp 2.
11 December 2011, FollowUp 3.
14 December 2011, FollowUp 4.
15 December 2011, FollowUp 5.
30 December 2011, FollowUp 6.
13 January 2012, FollowUp 7.
17 January 2012, FollowUp 8.
25 January 2012, FollowUp 9.
2 February 2012, FollowUp 10.
9 February 2012, FollowUp 11.
12 February 2012, FollowUp 12.
18 February 2012, FollowUp 13.
22 February 2012, FollowUp 14.
6 March 2012, FollowUp 15.
12 March 2012, FollowUp 16.
16 March 2012, FollowUp 17.
30 March 2012, FollowUp 18.
31 March 2012, FollowUp 19.
3 April 2012, FollowUp 20.
4 April 2012, FollowUp 21.
11 April 2012, FollowUp 22.
14 April 2012, FollowUp 23.
17 April 2012, FollowUp 24.
21 April 2012, FollowUp 25.
29 April 2012, FollowUp 26.
2 May 2012, FollowUp 27.
6 May 2012, FollowUp 28.
10 May 2012, FollowUp 29.
13 May 2012, FollowUp 30.
23 May 2012, FollowUp 31.

30 May 2012, FollowUp 33.
2 June 2012, FollowUp 34.
4 June 2012, FollowUp 35.
5 June 2012, FollowUp 36.

FollowUp 31: Wisconsin Republican Dirty Tricks

Ed Shultz has a good analysis of the big lie about jobs.  The lies go far beyond what is popular in the news and the recall election is going to be very close.

One of the things happening is a subtle campaign to discredit unions and teachers in particular.  One of the more blatant efforts occurred recently in Janesville, Wisconsin, with an anonymous flyer listing the salaries of hundreds of the highest paid teachers in the Janesville district.

The flyer urges parents to mail the district a cutout form if they want their student removed from the class of a teacher who signed the recall petition.

Fox 11 has the story:

Fliers seeking "non-radical teachers" in Janesville creating controversy: fox11online.com

This is just the latest of a long series of events designed to break the public schools.  While that may sound like hyperbole, consider that Wisconsin is losing teachers.

"In the end both sides will look at this and say, 'See, I told you so,' " said Dale J. Knapp, research director of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance.

Knapp said there were three major take-aways from the research.

"The decline in teachers particularly and staff overall isn't a one-year change," he said. "It is a continuation of a three-year decline that goes back to when revenue limits were tightened in 2009-'10."

He said, "declining enrollment districts are the ones cutting the most staff. They're the ones getting hit hardest by revenue limits overall. They're the ones that are really struggling."

Knapp added that "benefits did matter."

"Those districts that were able to do more with benefits were able to either add teachers or lay off fewer teachers than districts in similar situations," he said.

One more video regarding this flyer, this from Channel 3000:


So, as teachers remain under fire and big lies are circulated by the Governor, where are the Democrats?  Speaking with friends in Wisconsin, they are wondering why the DNC and the Obama campaign are not visibly helping Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in his campaign against Governor Scott Walker.

One friend opined that there may be moles from the Walker campaign within the Barrett campaign who are offering false assurances that things are going well.  I don't have any evidence for or against this happening, but with several of my friends concerned, it is important to consider what is happening.  Look back over the last thirty-one posts for a pattern of lies and harm to the State of Wisconsin.  I hope that the Barrett campaign gets its act together.


16 November 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.
30 November 2011, FollowUp 1.
4 December 2011, FollowUp 2.
11 December 2011, FollowUp 3.
14 December 2011, FollowUp 4.
15 December 2011, FollowUp 5.
30 December 2011, FollowUp 6.
13 January 2012, FollowUp 7.
17 January 2012, FollowUp 8.
25 January 2012, FollowUp 9.
2 February 2012, FollowUp 10.
9 February 2012, FollowUp 11.
12 February 2012, FollowUp 12.
18 February 2012, FollowUp 13.
22 February 2012, FollowUp 14.
6 March 2012, FollowUp 15.
12 March 2012, FollowUp 16.
16 March 2012, FollowUp 17.
30 March 2012, FollowUp 18.
31 March 2012, FollowUp 19.
3 April 2012, FollowUp 20.
4 April 2012, FollowUp 21.
11 April 2012, FollowUp 22.
14 April 2012, FollowUp 23.
17 April 2012, FollowUp 24.
21 April 2012, FollowUp 25.
29 April 2012, FollowUp 26.
2 May 2012, FollowUp 27.
6 May 2012, FollowUp 28.
10 May 2012, FollowUp 29.
13 May 2012, FollowUp 30.

24 May 2012, FollowUp 32.
30 May 2012, FollowUp 33.
2 June 2012, FollowUp 34.
4 June 2012, FollowUp 35.
5 June 2012, FollowUp 36.

FollowUp 30: Wisconsin Republican Dirty Tricks

For over a year the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has been saying that Governor Scott Walker was lying about his goal to destroy unions.  Here's the letter that they released on Friday.

To: Interested Reporters
Date: Friday, May 11, 2012
From: Melissa Baldauff, WisDems Research Director
Re: Memo to Reporters: Divide and Conquer: Scott Walker’s Agenda Revealed

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is out with a breaking video, obtained by a documentary filmmaker in January 2011, which shows Scott Walker’s “bomb” was just the beginning of his “Right-to-Work-For-Less” agenda. 

In the damning video, Walker talks about his plan to employ a secret "divide and conquer" strategy against unions, despite publicly stating that he would not push so-called “right-to-work” legislation.

Even more damaging for what remains of Scott Walker’s credibility with Wisconsinites, his confession came in response to a request from Diane Hendricks, a billionaire Koch Brothers strategist with a long history of supporting "right-to-work-for-less" legislation and financing ultra-conservative Wisconsin Republicans, who is Walker’s top campaign donor with $510,000 in contributions.

Scott Walker tells his corporate benefactor, “The first step is we're going to deal with collective bargaining for all public employee unions, because you use divide and conquer.”

The bargaining bill, Walker said, would “open the door” for “Right-to-Work-For-Less” legislation.

This video exchange, like Scott Walker’s call with whom he believed to be David Koch, highlights Scott Walker’s propensity for saying one thing in public and doing another in private. Walker’s call with the phony Koch brother revealed that after he dropped “the bomb” on Wisconsin with his elimination of collective bargaining for public employees, he even considered inciting acts of violence in a peaceful crowd, all to divide the people and advance his special interest agenda.

Despite pursuing “Right-to-Work-For-Less” legislation while serving in the state legislature, and his history of opposing prevailing wage laws, Walker has repeatedly denied in public his present intent to turn Wisconsin into a low-wage, low-benefit state.

• Speaking to Wisconsin Public Radio in April 2012, Walker said, "I have no interest in a Right to Work law in the state. We're not going to pursue that in the remainder of our term and we're not going to pursue it in the future." [“Walker denies wanting to make Wisconsin a right to work state,” Wisconsin Public Radio, April 26, 2012]
• As reported in February 2012, by The Atlantic, "In our case, we've opted to address [unions] on the public sector level," Walker said. "You look at private sector unions by and large have been our partner in economic development. They haven't been an obstacle to that. So that's not anything we're pursuing." I asked if that meant he would oppose a right-to-work law for Wisconsin. "Not oppose it, it's just not something we're pursuing right now," he said. "When I was in the legislature, I supported it. It's not something I'm pursuing right now, nor have any plan of pursuing. Again, private-sector unions have been our partner in the economic revival we've had in this state. A bigger issue is the impact the public-sector unions have had on the taxpayers. And that's essentially what we have in Wisconsin -- right-to-work in the public sector." [“Wisconsin, One Year Later,” The Atlantic, February 24, 2012]
• As reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in January 2012, “Cullen Werwie, Walker's spokesman, said the governor would not be introducing any right-to-work legislation in Wisconsin.” [“Walker won’t push right-to-work legislation,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, January 25, 2012]
• As reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in March 2011, “The bill does not apply to unions in the private sector. Walker called those unions partners in improving the state's economy and indicated he was not seeking "right-to-work" legislation that would let private-sector employees opt not to join unions and pay dues. Asked Friday if that meant he would veto such legislation, he said no, without elaborating.” [“Walker signs budget bill, legal challenges mount - Democrats immediately file suit to halt changes,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 11, 2011]
• As reported by the Sawyer County Record in February 2011, “Gov. Walker was asked specifically about charges by some labor leaders that he wants to turn Wisconsin into a right to work state, where no one could be required to join a union as a condition of employment. When asked by a reporter if the ultimate goal is to turn Wisconsin into a right to work state, Walker said it wasn’t.” [“Wausau labor leaders believe governor is targeting all labor unions,” Sawyer County Record, February 18, 2011]

Wisconsin is upset because of Governor Walker's bait and switch tactics.  Wisconsin is upset because Governor Walker is undermining protections for middle class laborers across the state.  Wisconsin is upset because Governor Walker is giving the impression, if not the reality, that those who support him will get special deals (as was the case with several unions).  Wisconsin is upset because Governor Walker is limiting aid to women and to poor families.  Wisconsin is upset.  Governor Walker is shown to be a liar.

16 November 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.
30 November 2011, FollowUp 1.
4 December 2011, FollowUp 2.
11 December 2011, FollowUp 3.
14 December 2011, FollowUp 4.
15 December 2011, FollowUp 5.
30 December 2011, FollowUp 6.
13 January 2012, FollowUp 7.
17 January 2012, FollowUp 8.
25 January 2012, FollowUp 9.
2 February 2012, FollowUp 10.
9 February 2012, FollowUp 11.
12 February 2012, FollowUp 12.
18 February 2012, FollowUp 13.
22 February 2012, FollowUp 14.
6 March 2012, FollowUp 15.
12 March 2012, FollowUp 16.
16 March 2012, FollowUp 17.
30 March 2012, FollowUp 18.
31 March 2012, FollowUp 19.
3 April 2012, FollowUp 20.
4 April 2012, FollowUp 21.
11 April 2012, FollowUp 22.
14 April 2012, FollowUp 23.
17 April 2012, FollowUp 24.
21 April 2012, FollowUp 25.
29 April 2012, FollowUp 26.
2 May 2012, FollowUp 27.
6 May 2012, FollowUp 28.
10 May 2012, FollowUp 29.

23 May 2012, FollowUp 31.
24 May 2012, FollowUp 32.
30 May 2012, FollowUp 33.
2 June 2012, FollowUp 34.
4 June 2012, FollowUp 35.
5 June 2012, FollowUp 36.

FollowUp 29: Wisconsin Republican Dirty Tricks

So, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker now has a clear target, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett who won Tuesday's primary.  And the distortions and lies are ramping up.  There are six claims made in this new ad, with varying amounts of accuracy.

"Walker has focused on creating jobs"

Not exactly.  As a new Governor, Mr. Walker called a special session of the Wisconsin legislature in January of 2011 to focus on tax breaks for the wealthiest people in Wisconsin.  These tax breaks also went to businesses, which may be where Mr. Walker is claiming he focused on creating jobs, but it didn't work.  The new tax breaks resulted in a budget deficit which he later claimed to have inherited.

"and balanced the budget without raising taxes"

Well, it is true that he didn't raise taxes.  Instead he cut programs and eliminated collective bargaining for public sector employees who had not supported him in his 2010 election.  The budget which had been brought into balance by former Governor Jim Doyle was now out of balance.

"Scott Walker eliminated Wisconsin's deficit."

No.  Mr. Walker created that deficit.

"Under the Barrett administration, Milwaukee ranked 4th worst in the nation in poverty"

This is true.

"3rd worst in employment"

Also true, but let's put this into some perspective.  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explored the issue of unemployment in Milwaukee and in the state of Wisconsin.  Perhaps a graphic from them will help.

The truth is that the Great Recession, becoming evident at the end of the Bush years, clobbered everyone.  The City of Milwaukee, as Wisconsin's largest urban center, naturally got hit hard.  That hit to Milwaukee was proportional to the hit to the State of Wisconsin and the rest of the United States.  Neither Mayor Barrett nor Governor Walker are responsible for the Great Recession.

"and property taxes skyrocketed."

As Governor Walker cut back on services, Mayor Barrett attempted to keep up.  Local taxes are the only response to the state pulling back resources or things would have been worse still.

These arguments are distortions and distractions.  Governor Walker would not be facing a recall election next month if he really had focused on creating jobs.  Instead, he focused on destroying unions, undermining social programs, and removing access to women's health care.  That is why he is facing a redo of the November 2010 election less than two years later.

Mayor Barrett has a somewhat mixed record, as was discussed clearly by his biggest primary opponent, former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.  That record is nowhere near the disaster described by Mr. Walker.  But Mr. Barrett has not been a disaster as Governor of Wisconsin as Mr. Walker has.  If the Democrats of Wisconsin are wise, they will focus on Scott Walker's real record.  In a sense, the June election is placing Mr. Walker on trial.  No matter how wonderful or less than wonderful Mr. Barrett, it is Mr. Walker who lied to Wisconsin about his stand on unions and undermined decades of fairness in Wisconsin.

I was going to close the discussion here, but just received a link to Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, a candidate to replaced the retiring Herb Kohl for the United States Senate this November, on MSNBC with Chuck Todd this morning.  Her discussion goes far beyond just the gubernatorial race but is germane.  The discussion of the recall begins at the 5:50 mark.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Late evening update:  Channel 3000 reports that a series of reports at WISC-TV finds the Walker ad misleading.  They go through a number of the details, including that Mr. Walker was Milwaukee County Executive for seven of the eight years that Mr. Barrett was Mayor of the City of Milwaukee, which does imply some degree of joint responsibility for the problems in Milwaukee.  Read their short article, please, for yourself.

16 November 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.
30 November 2011, FollowUp 1.
4 December 2011, FollowUp 2.
11 December 2011, FollowUp 3.
14 December 2011, FollowUp 4.
15 December 2011, FollowUp 5.
30 December 2011, FollowUp 6.
13 January 2012, FollowUp 7.
17 January 2012, FollowUp 8.
25 January 2012, FollowUp 9.
2 February 2012, FollowUp 10.
9 February 2012, FollowUp 11.
12 February 2012, FollowUp 12.
18 February 2012, FollowUp 13.
22 February 2012, FollowUp 14.
6 March 2012, FollowUp 15.
12 March 2012, FollowUp 16.
16 March 2012, FollowUp 17.
30 March 2012, FollowUp 18.
31 March 2012, FollowUp 19.
3 April 2012, FollowUp 20.
4 April 2012, FollowUp 21.
11 April 2012, FollowUp 22.
14 April 2012, FollowUp 23.
17 April 2012, FollowUp 24.
21 April 2012, FollowUp 25.
29 April 2012, FollowUp 26.
2 May 2012, FollowUp 27.
6 May 2012, FollowUp 28.

13 May 2012, FollowUp 30.
23 May 2012, FollowUp 31.
24 May 2012, FollowUp 32.
30 May 2012, FollowUp 33.
2 June 2012, FollowUp 34.
4 June 2012, FollowUp 35.
5 June 2012, FollowUp 36.