Paul Ryan Labor Day Parade

This was the greeting Paul Ryan got last labor day at home. The great thing about Paul Ryan being VP is he can now hire a phalanx of secret service to keep him away from the people he supposedly represents.

Wisconsin Recount Ordered In State Senate Race Between John Lehman, Van Wanggaard

Wisconsin Recount Ordered In State Senate Race Between John Lehman, Van Wanggaard:

 "Wisconsin's board of elections has approved a request from state Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), officially ordering a recount in a recall election that some had thought had been settled in Wisconsin's 21st district.

The Associated Press reports that the state's Government Accountability Board issued the order on Monday afternoon, asking county officials to begin the process at 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

Democrats had earlier called on Wanggaard to concede to his recall challenger, Democrat John Lehman, who had already declared victory. The Racine County clerk had also certified the win, but Wanggaard's campaign had expressed concerns about the accuracy of the close vote, which showed the two candidates separated by about 834 votes, or 1.2 percent of around 72,000 votes cast. Wanggaard requested the recount on Friday."

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LP - Maybe the Republicans should concede to save money as they insisted before the recall.

Everything wrong with our political coverage in one shot

Our local news cut away to Jon Keller at large for some wisdom as to how the politics were shaking out. Jon Keller is our local political wizard who was famous a few years ago for asking George W. Bush a pop quiz on the names of other countries leaders which he failed (surprise, surprise). For me I always think back to a half a dozen years ago when the teachers in the whole eastern part of the state staged a big protest rally at the state house. Some of these groups came from as far away as the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard to take part in a rally in Boston. It must have been quite a feat to even get up there. On that day Keller's big slant on the story, "Who was the idiot who gave them a permit to march in the middle of the day. My commute was terrible."

 While Sunday Morning Keller's sole wisdom was not enough and they had to go to the political wisdom of former speaker of the Massachusetts house Tom Finneran. Finneran pleaded guilty in 2007 to a federal obstruction of justice charge for giving false testimony in a 2003 lawsuit over a legislative redistricting plan that diluted the clout of minority voters. Full Story here: http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/07/a_tale_of_3_speakers_--_salvat.html

 Finneran was guilty of turning the district he represented, which was mostly minority, into a mostly white district so he could keep his job (i.e. see Tom Delay). I guess his plan was to stay in power for life. Since that time Finneran has been released, has his own radio show and he also shows up on spot's like Keller's to spout his wisdom to the rubes who need such expertise to make their decisions. I guess what this really goes to prove is their is no crime too bad for the politically well connected, who get to show up on television without the moniker of political felon next to their names. Tune in next week when Keller has a safe cracker and someone guilty of breaking and entry on his show. I hear it's about public safety.

Inside Story Americas - Wisconsin: A nail in the coffin of US unions?

One of the best discussions on this is once again a foreign news service. Shocking.

The BRAD BLOG : Did Our Public Airwaves 'Win' it for Walker?

The BRAD BLOG : Did Our Public Airwaves 'Win' it for Walker?:

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What was bought over the public air waves

Whatever questions remain about Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's recall election, there is no question that his campaign was built on big money, the likes of which we've never seen in a gubernatorial campaign before. And where did all that money go? Right into thin air - OUR air.

And as owners of the air - our public airwaves, to be precise - there is plenty we can do to combat the corrosive effect of big money on our elections, by holding our partners in broadcasting, local TV and radio stations, accountable to the communities they serve.

Citizens United, the Supreme Court ruling that the First Amendment prohibits government from restricting independent political expenditures by corporations and unions, is the reason huge amounts of money poured into the Walker camp from third parties like the billionaire Koch Brothers and others, (compared to the relatively paltry sum given to his opponent Mayor Tom Barrett by unions and others.)

...But what's not being talked about is where most of this unrestricted money goes: about half of all campaign dollars go directly into your local radio and TV stations' wallets --- local broadcast stations which get licensed in the public/private partnership of broadcasting ONLY IF they "serve the public convenience, interest, and necessity."

As to the First Amendment, the Supreme Court has also ruled, in Red Lion v. FCCthat "it is the right of the viewing and listening public, and not the right of the broadcasters, which is paramount."

Nonetheless, until Citizens United is changed or overridden in some fashion, things are only going to get worse --- unless we the people do something about it now with a few, still-unused tools that remain at our disposal...

Full article here: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=9336

Insightful by Thomas Frank.

Wisconsin aftermath: Voters in disbelief over Walker victory

We need something radical like voting on a paper ballot and then counting them. How come my ATM machine doesn't seem to make mistakes but my voting machine does. I guess choosing your leaders aren't quite as important as get your fast cash from an ATM.

Colbert discusses the impact on unions. Very funny.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Wisconsin's Recall Results & National Impact
www.colbertnation.com
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Walker Wins in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Recall Election: Democrats Gain Control Of State Senate After John Lehman Declares Victory

Wisconsin Recall Election: Democrats Gain Control Of State Senate After John Lehman Declares Victory:

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One piece of good news in an otherwise depressing evening.

The cost of buying a state. We need one more graphic as to tax breaks these "citizens" get

From the past Fighting Bob LaFollette Film 1924

Packers players urge support for Wisconsin workers ahead of recall election | The Raw Story

Packers players urge support for Wisconsin workers ahead of recall election | The Raw Story:

 "Green Bay Packer players Tori Gurley and Jermichael Finley on Monday voiced their support for the Tuesday recall election targeting Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

“I’m proud to be a union worker,” Finley and Gurley both wrote on their Twitter accounts. “Support Wisconsin workers & Get Out the Vote on Tues.”

Football players in the National Football League are represented by the union called the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).

"

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It all comes down to one day - Vote June 5th. Good luck Wisconsin.

We are with you in spirit and win, lose or draw we fight on until we root all all the bought politicians.

Removing Gov. Walker Necessary, but Wisconsin Mass Movement Must Reorganize

Russ Feingold: Vote Barrett on Tuesday

The question to ask is who is more closely representing you lots of middle class union members or one non-tax paying billionaire

A major election is about to happen in Wisconsin to determine whether democracy is now totally for sale or whether it is just deeply flawed and in bad need of an overhaul. The governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, has declared a plan to "divide and conquer." That in itself suggests that the attack on the public employee unions was not an end unto itself but rather the first step toward some larger goal. And where the first step of the plan was largely an attack on people making less than $100,000, it wouldn't be surprising if the steps to follow will be more of the same. Only this time the wages will be lowered on someone else, as the unions would have already taken their hit. Of course Walker says one thing when he thinks no one is around; and quite another when he's serving up the pablum to the rubes for public consumption.


Diane Hendrick, the lady in the infamous Scott Walker video, is the richest woman in Wisconsin and doesn't pay taxes. Instead she thinks nothing of giving Walker a little taste, by cutting him a check for multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars. Republican politicians seem desperate from keeping themselves from being stuck in the muck with their fellow citizens. Instead they'd rather hang out with the very rich: and who wouldn't, after all the rich tend to stay in better hotel rooms and travel in a lot of corporate jets.

As Newt Gingrich's sugar daddy, Sheldon Adelson, proved that all's that it really takes anymore is one sugar dady to keep someone afloat whether or not anyone else wants him in the race or not. They can prop someone up singlehandedly and the corporate media will take them seriously pretending that the one eccentric billionaire isn't the only one who supports their campaign, with more money than he knows what to do with. If a politician has a huge following of Americans behind him but no billionaire their candidacy in essentially over. Adelson's favorite charity case, who jealously hated other chairty cases, Newt Gingrich, is out. Adelson needs to find another hopeless wretch to put his money behind and along comes Scott Walker. Adelson tossed the poor waif another 250,000 and tells him to shine his car. ( story here: http://www.americablog.com/2012/05/former-gingrich-billionaire-sheldon.html). The shining car part  will be attributed to sarcasm.

Newt Gingrich back in happier times when he was Sheldon Adelson's boy toy, long before Adelson hooked up with that flavor of the week Scott Walker.

Scott Walker still waiting for his free trip to Cali on David Koch's dime. He may be corrupt but as his chattering away to the fake David Koch he isn't the sharpest knife in the draw.

The Republicans have the unenviable task of convincing people who are a long way from the richest people in the state and who do pay taxes, that Hendrick's goals and are exactly like theirs. Still they have an unending stream of money to badger people into voting the way they want.even if it is against their own interest. They can flood the air waves with  ubiquitous ads until a lie becomes the truth. The ads can talk about guns, abortion, welfare, union thugs, gay marriage, foreigners, and whether their president was born in America... anything other than the fact that Scott Walker's friends makes scads more money than they do and doesn't pay nearly as much taxes they do. After all taxes are for suckers. In this Scott Walker is little more than a gopher for the well connected. As much of a gopher as someone who brings Hendricks a glass of water when she beckons for it, fetches her mail, and calls for a car when she needs to travel downtown. Of course Walker is a much better paid tool than the average gopher. He is a very well paid government worker who is paid to sell out his fellow citizens, which isn't surprising as it takes a lot for some people to turn Quisling. 

France: the storming of the Bastille. There might have been a different outcome if only they had had a campaign that the Jacobins want to take your guns away and give your jobs to foreigners and Robespierre is really a left wing, Kenyan Muslim Socialist. The crowd instead have been cheering for the Bourbon dynasy "four hundred more years."

So the wisconsin election literally comes down to people who are being screwed or know family members being screwed, or friends or neighbors being screwed or  expect to be screwed at some future date; against scads and scads of dollars, and a built in believe that there are enough people stupid enough to buy anything if you put a bunch of money behind it and repeat lies over and over again. One side believes in lifting all boats; while the other seeks to have people fight in the mud puddle to jealously pull their neighbors in with them.

Did you here some of your fellow pigs have a pension plan? Don't demand you should have one too but instead pull them right down in the mud

For a government worker who apparently hates government workers it is amazing how hard Scott Walker has fought to hold onto his government job. He certainly appears to loathe the idea of being in the private sector. He appears perfectly willing to lie, break laws, harass his enemies, and sell access to as many outside interest to keep his good fat government job, with his government pension and his government health care. Of course that's what he desires to deny to his fellow Wisconsin citizens . It's like he climbed to his version of political/economic nirvana and he wants to pull the latter up behind him. In fact, he seems quite content to use the state government as his own private ATM.

Who wants to buy a politician? Will work cheap.

So what this all comes down to is whether Wisconsin voters actually believe that these middle class workers unions, which have been freely chosen by their membership, actually do a better job representing  middle class interests than one billionaire, who doesn't pay taxes and gives lots of gifts to their "supposed" representatives. And whether money swamps democracy this time or not, this movement needs to go forward and continues to be more unruly until this government stops being governable. To complacently sit back and to hope their corrupt leaders just do the right thing is a way towards "wage slavery."

The ED Show - Final recall debate in WI a barn burner

The John Doe case goes forward. Walker's best friend on stand on Monday

Tom Morello announces WI Gov. Scott Walker is John Doe target at Labor T...