(Authorized and paid for by Mark L. Taylor, Genoa, WI., and not a campaign committee.)
The Daily Call
Tuesday / July 19, 2011
A daily digest of news regarding the
Wisconsin Democracy crisis
Republican Party no longer has nation’s best interest at heart
Yes, I’ll Dare Call it Treason
By Cliff Schecter
Aljazeera (7/13/11)
Once upon a time, in a land that now seems to have been populated by tooth fairies and unicorns, there was a political party that had a set of core beliefs to which they actually adhered.
Among them was that actually balancing the budget, as opposed to just talking about it, was sacrosanct. Slow change, while necessary, had to be balanced against the traditions of the United States, ones that had mostly served us well over two centuries.
Foreign military adventures should be limited to our national security interests. And one of the single most important components of diplomacy was protecting the economic interests not only of an elite few, but of the great many Americans who toiled in our factories and fields.
It's the historical blindness and hatred of any spending contained in a philosophy that underpins simplistic calls for "austerity". Contained in budgets written by small-minded men such as Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, it has seen corporate cybernetic organisms posing as legislators do what once would have been unthinkable: pave the way for Chinese exceptionalism.
This party was known as the Republican Party, and while one might have disagreed with them on their policy prescriptions to cure any particular US ill, one could at least see some logic in their beliefs and understand that they - with some obvious exceptions from time to time (ahem, Joseph McCarthy, ahem) - were doing what they thought was right for the United States of America.
Today, this once respectable organization has turned into nothing so much as a collective id the size of a David Vitter Pampers shopping spree. When facing changes to this nation that make them uncomfortable, they choose national hate. When facing ideological worship versus the greatness of the US, the former always wins the day. When facing a choice of what is good for the US or their personal bank accounts, they inevitably go with the latter.
Every. Single. Time.
In simple terms: We, the people of the United States, are the maid. The GOP is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Any questions?
The one caveat is that it's not Republicans, so much as the forces of the anti-American, gun-toting, religious and corporate Right that have taken over the GOP who are responsible for papa's brand new bag. The Right is Darth Sidious to the GOP's Anakin Skywalker, Angelina Jolie to foreign-born children.
And yes, sadly, the Dark Lord has also sunk his hooks into quite a few in the Democratic Party, just somewhat less in number and relevance.
Charter members of this anti-American Right include …
Stating the obvious, but he still doesn’t get it
Scott Walker Concedes
Mistakes, Defends Policies
By Edith Honan
Reuters/Huffington Post (7/16/11)
SALT LAKE CITY, July 16 (Reuters) - Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, whose moves to curb state workers' bargaining power brought massive protests, said this weekend he made mistakes but defended the policy steps of his rocky first term.
The fractious debate over the union measures propelled Wisconsin to the front of a wider national political battle over benefits and bargaining rights for public sector employees and triggered the biggest opposition demonstrations in the state since the Vietnam War.
Aside from criticism by those who thought Walker was unfairly undercutting state worker rights, he and his fellow Republicans came under fire for tactics seen by some as bullying and not allowing for sufficient debate or possible compromise.
"The mistake I made early on is, I looked at it almost like the head of a small business: identify a problem, identify a solution and go out and do it," Walker told Reuters at the National Governor's Association meeting in Salt Lake City.
"I don't think we built enough of a political case, so we let ... the national organizations come in and define the debate while we were busy just getting the job done," he said …
Down to the last 3 weeks!
Plenty of Ways to Help Jennifer Shilling Defeat Dan Kapanke for the State Senate
We are now 3 weeks away from making history! Join us this week as we ramp up towards the general election!
Volunteer Sign-up at: http://bit.ly/JenniferShillingVolunteer
Strategy Sessions:
· Tuesday July 19th, 7:00pm-8:30pm-Shilling Campaign Office, 116 5th Ave South, La Crosse
· Thursday, July 21st, 7:00pm-8:30pm-Shilling Campaign Office, 104 East Blackhawk Avenue, Prairie du Chien
With a clean sweep across Wisconsin, every recall candidate emerged victorious on July 12. It is because of our strong grassroots volunteers that Jennifer was able to overcome the Republicans’ dirty tricks, as they attempted to confuse and mislead voters. Join us as we plan the remaining 3 weeks of this Recall Election. You’ve helped us gather recall petition signatures, you’ve helped knock on doors and made numerous calls on Jennifer’s behalf; come help us strategize and plan the remaining 21 days of the campaign. Together we can... together we will!
Door-to-Door Canvass
What it is: Come help knock on doors and spread the word about Jennifer. Numerous scientific studies show that face to face contact is THE MOST effective means of voter contact. Winning these races depends on face to face contact and we need your help! We provide a list of targeted voters, campaign literature & clipboards. You should bring walking shoes, enthusiasm & dress for the weather.
· Mon-Fri: 4pm & 5pm launch times
· Saturday: 10am, 12 noon, 2pm & 4pm canvass
· Sunday: 1pm, 3pm & 5pm canvass
Phone Bank
What it is: Our phone banks will focus on recruiting new volunteers and also talking to voters about Jennifer. This is one of the best ways to fight back against the Republican smear campaigns we’ve seen in western Wisconsin. If you have a cell phone plan with unlimited minutes, bring your own phone, and the charger. We provide a list of targeted voters & phones.
· Mon-Fri: 3pm, 5pm & 7pm shift start times
· Saturday: 10am, 12 noon, 2pm & 4pm shift start times
· Sunday: 1pm, 3pm, 5pm & 7pm shift starts
· Thursday Night Vernon County Phone Bank 4-8pm in Viroqua (Vernon Dems Office, 210 South Main Street)
Volunteer Sign-up at: http://bit.ly/JenniferShillingVolunteer
(Authorized and paid for by Mark L. Taylor, Genoa, WI., and not a campaign committee.)
News flash: Governor lies … again
Gov. Scott Walker Claim That his Budget Will Save on Property Taxes Proved to be False.
Truth-O-Meter
Journal Sentinel (7/7/11)
Trying to put the divisive fight over collective bargaining behind him, Gov. Scott Walker is framing his budget battle as a victory for Wisconsin’s property tax payers.
In a July 7, 2011 news release and column, Walker said a 60-year-old custodian told him a $500 property tax increase he experienced in 2010 will mess up his coming retirement.
Walker said the man, who was not identified, told him, "I will have to find a part-time job just to live normally."
The governor continued: "Under our budget, the average property taxpayer will save $700. It is my hope that savings like this will help keep more people like that custodian safely in their homes."
That claim of $700 savings caught our eye.
Walker’s budget featured tight property tax caps -- caps that fulfilled a campaign promise, and would rein in growth. But there was no talk of a big reduction in property taxes.
Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie said Walker did not mean to suggest people would see a real-dollar tax cut of $700 over their previous bill.
Rather, Werwie said, Walker means they would pay $700 less over the two-year (2011-’13) budget compared with what they would have without Walker’s moves.
At best, that’s highly confusing.
Especially since Walker juxtaposes the "$700 savings" claim with the story of one person’s bill going up $500 the year before. In other spots where we found Walker using the $700 figure we found a similar lack of context.
But under either approach, there are problems with Walker’s claim…
Walker said the man, who was not identified, told him, "I will have to find a part-time job just to live normally."
The governor continued: "Under our budget, the average property taxpayer will save $700. It is my hope that savings like this will help keep more people like that custodian safely in their homes."
That claim of $700 savings caught our eye.
Walker’s budget featured tight property tax caps -- caps that fulfilled a campaign promise, and would rein in growth. But there was no talk of a big reduction in property taxes.
Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie said Walker did not mean to suggest people would see a real-dollar tax cut of $700 over their previous bill.
Rather, Werwie said, Walker means they would pay $700 less over the two-year (2011-’13) budget compared with what they would have without Walker’s moves.
At best, that’s highly confusing.
Especially since Walker juxtaposes the "$700 savings" claim with the story of one person’s bill going up $500 the year before. In other spots where we found Walker using the $700 figure we found a similar lack of context.
But under either approach, there are problems with Walker’s claim…
Powerful data going into the recall elections
Badger Poll Reveals Widespread,
Deep Dissatisfaction With Current
Political Situation in Wisconsin
The most recent UW Badger Poll finds that a majority of Wisconsinites are not happy with current state of affairs in the Badger state. Here is a quick summary of some of the results:
- 55% are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the state today, a new high for the UW Badger Poll.
- 81% said Wisconsin is in bad times economically and 50% expect it will be in about the same economic condition in the next 12 months, while 20% said things will get worse.
- Nearly two-thirds of Wisconsinites feel that state government is run for the benefit of a few big interests over that of all the people and can only be trusted to do the right thing some of the time.
- 59% disapprove of the way Scott Walker is handling his job as Governor.
- 60% disapprove of the way the State Legislature is handling its job.
- 56% disapprove of the job Republicans in the State Legislature are doing.
- 48% disapprove of the job Democrats in the State Legislature are doing.
- Wisconsinites overwhelming think the recall option in the state constitution is a good thing (78%), and 50% said the current recalls of state senators made them feel better about Wisconsin politics.
- 59% of residents statewide preferred that the Democratic state senators remain in office rather than be recalled and 49% said the same of the Republican state senators.
For more details: http://www.uwsc.wisc.edu/BP32PressRelease1_WIpols_FINAL.pdf
Interests of the party over common good
John Nichols: GOP Redistricting
Maps Warp State Democracy
By John Nichols
Capitol Times (7/17/11)
Gov. Scott Walker started his political career as a loser.
A big loser.
In 1990, at the age of 23, Walker waded into state politics as the Republican nominee against first-term state Rep. Gwen Moore in Milwaukee County’s old 7th District.
Walker ran an aggressive campaign that highlighted his strengths and drew support from Republicans who even then saw him as a rising star.
But when the votes were counted on election night — which saw Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson secure a landslide victory — Walker had been pummeled.
Moore (now a progressive Democratic congresswoman) got 69 percent of the vote to Walker’s 31 percent.
Was Walker really that inept? That unappealing?
No. He was running in a district that had in the previous redistricting process been drawn to favor a Democrat, and it did.
Three years later, in a district that had been drawn to be more favorable to a Republican, Walker won a special election with ease. And he went on to hold the seat with percentages as high as Moore’s in 1990.
This is the reality of redistricting when the process is controlled by politicians seeking partisan advantage. It denies voters options and prevents capable candidates from even being competitive.
Walker knows this…
No comments:
Post a Comment