John Nichols: Wisconsin GOP Batters Democracy With Sleazy "Fake Candidate" Strategy

[marmar]

from The Nation:



Wisconsin GOP Batters Democracy With Sleazy "Fake Candidate" Strategy

John Nichols
June 11, 2011


One of the great contributions that the progressive reformers of a century ago made to the politics of Wisconsin and the nation was the open primary.

Before Robert M. La Follette and the Wisconsin progressive movement placed the issue of how candidates were nominated for partisan offices at the forefront of the national agenda, the designation process was controlled by political bosses who took money from the robber barons of the Gilded Age and then nominated Republican and Democratic candidates who owed their allegiance to the bosses and the political paymasters rather than the people.

La Follette decried “the menace of the political machine” and detailed the corruption of the American political system by corporations, wealthy individuals and their stooges.

Why were the commands of the corporations heard and obeyed in the capitals of the state and nation”? ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blog/161365/wisconsin-gop-batters-democracy-sleazy-fake-candidate-strategy

[Scuba]

1. The Fitzgeralds are from Chicago, where they learned to run sleazy...

...campaigns and sleazy strip clubs, like the one they own in Juneau.


Silk is advertised as "the Midwest's only Las Vegas Style Gentleman's Club". I have no idea what that means.




http://www.silkexotic.com/

[snacker]

3. Do the Fitzgeralds really own Silk?

I'd really like to know if that's true...

[Scuba]

4. I don't know this for a fact; I've heard yesterday, it but have not verified it...

..I'm digging and will post what I find out.

[elocs]

2. Sleazy or not, they can do it. Memo to Dems: Republicans play to win,

not to play nice by the rules. They only recognize or use rules if they benefit them, so Democrats had better wise up and learn this and learn to better anticipate their moves.

Here Democrats will use other actual Democrats as primary place holders to prevent any confusion when some elections are primaries and some are recall elections on the same day:

http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/article_f4a6d9e4-9470-11e0-a88a-001cc4c002e0.html