An Unrestrained Walker Spots State's Most-Pressing Issue - - Re-Election

[hue]

http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/2014/03/an-unrestrained-walker-spots-states.html

[Updated 11:35 p.m. Tuesday]

In a state with a stalled economy, and with but roughly half the 250,000 jobs he promised to create on the books after one now fast-expiring term, Scott Walker has ID'd the state's most pressing problem:

Legalizing a suppressed vote so he can win re-election and position himself for a Presidential run:

Gov. Scott Walker says he would call lawmakers into special session to modify Wisconsin's voter photo identification requirements to conform to court rulings.

Walker told reporters during a Wisconsin Bankers Association gathering at a Madison convention center Tuesday that he sees voter ID as the most pressing election-related issue Wisconsin faces. He says he wants voter ID in place before the November elections.

What a self-serving and anti-democratic use of state power.

[Scuba]

1. Well, he knows he can't win on policy.

I wouldn't be surprised if he gets 2 million votes in Waukesha County this fall.


(Waukesha County population is ~ 400,000)

[lostincalifornia]

2. Not only did Wisconsin vote for him, but they reaffirmed his position by rejecting his recall. As

much as some subscribe that it was because of Koch money that insured that outcome, I remain skeptical, especially with the failed recall. By the time of the failed recall there was no doubt where Walker was coming from.

[riversedge]

4. It was the last few weeks when the outside ads really

hit us on the airways, which I believe helped immensely. I canvased for both the sigs for the recall and the election GOtV. Many Dems said they did not believe in the recall and Walker should serve out his turn. These probably did not vote (worse they might have voted for scooter). Also, the official Dem Party of Wisconsin did not put its heart into it--that I KNOW!!

[lostincalifornia]

5. It is sad. Look at what just happened in Florida. Jolly won. There was no doubt where he stood on

the issues, and from what I gather from some posters here, a lot of democrats didn't bother to vote

What bothers me the most about Wisconsin is when they rejected Russ Feingold. He was part of that state for years, and did tremendous things for the state, along with the country. They knew him as a good person, and still rejected him

You worked your heart out, and you indicated many Democrats did not believe in the recall, so most likely stayed home. Unfortunately, Wisconsin is not unique, and that makes the prospects of the midterms look mighty bleak, though I do believe we will retain the Senate.

[Ed Suspicious]

7. You don't understand the dynamics of this state. You don't understand inherent incumbent advantage.

You don't understand a 32 million dollar war chest compared to 4 million by his relatively uncharismatic opponent.

You don't get the impact of the millions of dollars in out of state money by right wing pacs and individuals who absolutely inundated our fair state with the seething lies of an ALEC derived ideology.


You must not get what an incredible fund raising advantage a recalled governor with a war chest and the statute provided ability of a sitting governor who is recalled to disregard donation caps allowing him to collect huge sums from a select few incredibly rich and powerful people.

"The reason Walker could exceed the state's legal limit on donations of $10,000 per donor is due to a 1987 loophole (pushed by a former state legislator who later ran afoul of the law) providing an exception for any incumbent targeted by a recall.

As a result, Walker received-seven-figure donations from 3 of the nation's top 10 Super PAC donors as well as from Wisconsin's richest woman.

Houston homebuilder Bob Perry and Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Aldeson, who have given millions to super PACs, each gave walker $250,000 this year (Perry also gave another $250,000 to Walker last year). Wyoming investor Foster Friess, who bankrolled Rick Santorum's presidential campaign, gave $100,000."

You don't understand the impact of a an organized disinformation/propaganda campaign that the governor's staffers waged from the governor's own offices.

You don't understand having The most influential newspaper in the state carrying water for the good governor while presenting themselves as another "fair and balanced" media company.

Please stop trying to distill it down to "the people of Wisconsin had their chance..." Fuck the people of Wisconsin.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-record-amount-of-money-spent-on-wisconsin-recall/

[lostincalifornia]

9. What I do understand is people who do not do critical thinking pay the consequences, and that is

what the country has been doing since reagan.

Perhaps that is just human nature to be duped by money that feeds propaganda and lies, but personally people who don't take charge to become informed on the issues instead of relying on citizens united will continue to pay for it.

Turn on any financial "news" network, and you will see some so-called analyst pushing something. 90% of these analyst that we hear about are not particularly accurate, though people still flow with the herd, and either buy or sell based on someones recommendation, without much due diligence on their own part.

[hue]

8. "Exclusive: Ads Telling Voters "Recall Is Not the Wisconsin Way" Funded by Out-of-State Koch Network

http://www.prwatch.org/news/2014/01/12354/exclusive-koch-network-funded-ads-telling-voters-recall-not-wisconsin-way

In the final weeks of Wisconsin's 2012 recall elections, a previously-unknown group called Coalition for American Values Action flooded the state's airwaves with over $400,000 in ads that made a unique appeal: instead of promoting Governor Scott Walker or attacking his opponent, the ads attacked the premise of the recall itself. Over pastoral images of Wisconsinites with fishing poles and tractors, viewers were told that "recall is not the Wisconsin way," and to "stop the recall madness" by voting to reelect Walker.

Coalition for American Values Action adDespite the ads purporting to represent Wisconsin values, funding for the message came from well outside the Dairy State's borders: all of Coalition for American Values Action's known contributions come from an out-of-state group linked to the billionaire Koch brothers...

**********************
Ads bought & paid for by multi-billionares pummeled WI TV networks. The ads & messages were crafted by industrial & political psychologists. RW radio was non stop against the recall.
The Dems hardly knew what they were up against.

Yes WI was & still is f*cked!

[lostincalifornia]

10. So with that example, we have no minds of our own, but have to be told by an ad what to do or not to

do. I do not buy that.

The republicans took an active stand against women, and their ads portrayed it also. That did not help them in 2012.

[hue]

11. A million WI minds,hearts & hands signed the recall petition; an unprecedented # in the US

To make a generalization that "we have no minds of our own" means You do not have an in depth understanding of what really happened--as I think most folks don't.

If You look into the recall event there are many unresolved questions as to how Wanker won. Names of those signing were public information. Some teachers, for one example, were threatened that they would lose their jobs. The recall election was close and some voting machines & RW districts were were suspect.
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/05/scott-walker-recall-wisconsin-kathy-nickolaus

If out of state money was not allowed or if Wanker was left to his own resources I have no doubt he would have lost.

[lostincalifornia]

12. We had a recall in California a few years ago. Yes, there was a lot of right wing money behind that

recall, and in my view the people got duped by signing that recall because of the misleading ads. However, I put blame squarely on my fellow Californians who voted for the recall, and also voted for Arnold, who left our state who actually hurt the states finances even more.

In California it appeared there was buyers remorse, and Jerry Brown was elected governor.

So the question is, and it doesn't just apply to Wisconsin, is their buyers remorse.

Also, I said I do NOT agree with the premise I suggested that people do not have a mind of there own.

Midterms are coming up in November, and regardless of the koch brothers ads(lies), there is no mystery what the republican agenda is, and the issues are pretty clear if people take a little time and research it out.

The biggest problem I see is trying to prevent people from voting, and by that I mean by reducing the number of polling places, reducing the number of voting machines in Democratic districts, and much more criminal, removing registered voters.

However, it has been almost 15 years since 2000, and not much has been done to insure that anyone who wants to vote can vote. It is an ignored issue. The Democrats always seem to be playing the defensive on this, and we have been paying the consequences.

However, it all comes back to a public that needs to care enough to demand something be done.

[riversedge]

3. As someone else mentioned--Walker probably got word from one of

conservative Supreme Court 4/7 that something was coming down that he could tweet. I would not put it pass any of conservative folks on the Court to leak information.

[Gothmog]

6. Voter id is simply a way to steal votes

The Wisconsin law is similar to the Texas law and is a poll tax