Gableman Factor continues: pt. 2

 

Gableman Factor continues...pt. 1

 

Maddow and Sen. Chris Larson on Rep. Scott Fitzgerald role setting up Fake Electors

 Here's Rachel Maddow on Wisconsin's fake electors, and Rep. Scott Fitzgerald's role in getting it done.  State Sen. Chris Larson exposes the conspirator, who also voted to throw out our votes.

WI GOP Platform 2022: #3: Punish and Penalize Protesters while hiring more police!

The Democrats and Gov. Evers have a big problem; we will never know what life in Wisconsin would be like under their policy vision. For now, Republicans are stopping not just what the Governor wants, but they've also blocked grassroots policy that usually starts at the local level with statewide bans. In other words, they can define and gaslight voters over a progressive agenda that no one gets to experience. 

Vos-Republicans now want to take the governors powers away to spend emergency money, like during a pandemic. Imagine them doing this immediately without strings:

Republicans don't Solve Social Problems, but they Create them by Passing Fantasy Anti-Government Theory: What are the festering social problems they're trying to fix? There aren't any. Here's the Twitter list by AP reporter Scott Bauer, with my added my comments in parenthesis. 

Among the Republican bills being voted on:

1. efforts to bolster recruitment of new police officers (they starved cities cutting shared revenue forcing the cuts to law enforcement) using Covid relief money they can't spend:

If programs to attract more people into law enforcement were so important, why wasn't any part of the multi-billion dollar state budget used, instead of trying to force Gov. Evers into spending the Covid federal relief money?

2. toughening penalties for protesters (rioters?), if they're a clear danger or threatens to commit act of violence, including those who damage statues (anti-First Amendment)

3. ban vaccine passports (why isn't this also government tyranny?)

4. pass Texas style abortion law allowing $10,000 reward. 

5. call for a constitutional convention to amend U.S. Constitution

6. give Legislature power over spending federal money in an emergency instead of governor.

7. amend the constitution to say only citizens can vote. (stupid red meat)

8. ban the teaching of critical race theory (it's not taught but opens the door for actual government censorship of history)

9. require employers to count a prior COVID-19 infection as an alternative to vaccination and testing. (testing counts?)

It's Back: Scott Walker's attack on the First Amendment right to free speech and assembly: One set of rules for Republicans...the amazing disconnect from Jan 6th insurrection:

Vos-Republicans were targeting Capitol protesters, but I immediately thought of the January 6th insurrection, remember? Republicans may claim it didn't happen, but who are you going to believe, them or what your lying eyes are telling you? Clearly, God-fearing Christian nationalist patriots have a different set of rules and are not a danger carrying high-velocity weapons of war:

Create mandatory minimum sentences for people participating in riots — defined as gatherings of at least three people with a clear danger toward property or people where somebody commits or threatens to commit an act of violence. “Intentionally” attending a riot would constitute a misdemeanor and carry a 30-day jail sentence; knowingly participating in a riot resulting in injury or property damage would carry up to a 45-day jail sentence.

Scott Walker tried all of this before, and Republicans will keep trying until they get most of what they want. Here was the Scott Walker plan back in 2011:

Groups of four or more people must obtain permits for all activities and displays in state buildings and apply for those permits at least 72 hours in advance. The policy requires permits for 100 or more people outside the Capitol. The policy does provide some leeway for spontaneous gatherings triggered by unforeseen events.

Groups holding demonstrations could be charged for the costs of having extra police on hand for the event. Costs associated with a counterprotest could be charged to that second group. The costs would be $50 per hour per Capitol Police officer - costs for police officers from outside agencies would depend on the costs billed to the state. The police could require an advance payment as a requirement for getting a permit and also could require liability insurance or a bond.

 Any damage or cleanup after a demonstration could be charged to organizers.

Here's radio's Sly interviewing Attorney Mike Riley on the legal problems:

The Vos-Republican bill is so bad...

The bill was also opposed by the conservative group Americans for Prosperity, who shared a statement saying, “AFP fears this well-intended legislation would have a chilling effect on the lawful exercise of free expression and could be inappropriately applied by government officials in a partisan or otherwise biased manner.”

WI GOP Platform 2022: 2. Blame Dem Cities for Gun Violence, demand occupying force (National Guard) in Milwaukee, and want to lower gun age to 18, offering school gun classes and guns on school grounds...etc

There is no connection between the theoretical Republican vision of American society and the real world. Now we have even more proof.

More Guns, Safer Society Myth: Republicans confidently told us that criminals would be frightened off by not knowing who had a concealed weapon, resulting in lower crime rates. How'd that work out? Just nonfatal shooting alone...

The Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission recorded a total of 857 nonfatal shootings in 2021 – about 93% more than that of 2019.

Mass Shootings Ignored. Think about that: These recent headlines show how disastrous that dumb idea was..

Still, clueless Republicans decided to blamed Democrats in Milwaukee for a statewide gun policy, ultimately resulting in a request to turn Wisconsin into a POLICE STATE...not kidding. 

Republican Rep. Joe Sanfelippo: "The vast majority of citizens living in Milwaukee are peace-loving, law-abiding citizens who deserve better than to live and work in a warzone-like setting.” 

Democratic Rep. David Bowen: "I hope that Rep. Sanfelippo is aware that sending the National Guard into our communities — literally imposing an occupying force on our neighborhoods — will do nothing but escalate already tense situations. This knee jerk reaction of sending in actual military forces without any training in community relations would make an already bad situation even worse.”

Guns on School Grounds, Classes Respecting Police: Republicans hatched more deadly ideas, ignoring the gun carnage they say requires an occupying force in our cities:

Will this sell more guns? Is this nothing more than a gun seminar and right-wing indoctrination? My god yes, check out the sales pitch, which by the way does not include funding:

Bill co-author Rep. Treig Pronschinske, R-Mondovi said it would require the state superintendent to create a curriculum that includes information on the different types and mechanisms of firearms and ammunition, the principles of firearm safety, the location of safety devices, how to load and unload a gun, how to engage safety devices and how to carry and transport a gun.

Salon: Wisconsin Republicans just passed a spate of gun-rights measures that include lowering the state's concealed carry age requirement from 21 to 18, effectively allowing high school students to carry firearms on school grounds.

Laws Republicans don't like don't matter, so state legislators ignored federal law, creating a "gray" market for firearms for kids:

Under the Gun Control Act (GCA), all firearms other than shotguns and rifles, and all ammunition other than ammunition for shotguns or rifles may be sold only to individuals 21 years of age or older.

Jeri Bonavia, executive director of Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE), told an NBC Chicago affiliate, "this age group that they're talking about would likely need to be purchasing their gun from the gray market, from private sellers, which means that there would be no background check conducted on those purchases."

With ridiculous reasons similar to saying "if you're old enough to wear adult shoes or shave," well, you should be able to have a gun:

"If you're old enough to fight for your country, [if] you're old enough to sign contracts, if you're old enough to decide who the president of the United States is, we think you're old enough to be responsible with your rights and to be able to protect yourself," Republican Rep. Shae Sortwell of Gibson, the bill's chief sponsor, said last week.

WI Republican Rep. Behnke wants to cheat like Democrats (who aren't cheating).

Let's get this liberal "entitlement" bullshit out of the way. Republicans say the Democratic agenda is filled with "entitlements" that make Americans dependent. Projection again.

Hey Republicans, Video/Audio is a Bitch: Listening to a secretly recorded meet up with constituents, I was struck by the sense of entitlement spewing from these cultists' mouths.

Entitled Christian Right: Apparently, GOP voters think they were chosen by God to defend America. In the video below, you'll hear a number of self-righteous Trumpian comments...

"So as a Christian, God-fearing man..."    "...(this) needs God-fearing people like us to defend the republic..."    "...you've got a Christian obligation as a man to do the right thing."

Republican Rep. Elijah Behnke thinks Democrats cheated, so...? But since they didn't
cheat...

Behnke: "There's always somebody that's going to cheat...let's cheat like the Democrats do."

Of course, a few God-Fearing Christian conspiracy theorists at the Capitol know what's best. They want a...

"...full forensic audit, by our rights, because you guys have the "privilege" to work for us, I mean we are literally your bosses.

"...Who's controlling the DA?"        "...This is treason."       "...If you don't think this justice system ain't broke, you've got another thing comin." 

Here's my favorite cliched word salad ever...oddly focused on being molested. Who thinks like this?

"What's happening is treason and subversion of all of us. You've been molested, we've all been molested, here, okay. Your inalienable rights have been trampled upon, and that requires recompense. So that should go to tell you what thype of situation this nation has been. We're no longer a free people man, we haven't been free. 

Here's the 5 minutes edited version with all the best moments:

Rep. Elijah Behnke, R-Oconto, anewly minted Republican lawmaker told a group of visitors to his state Capitol office that Republicans need to “cheat like the Democrats or bend the rules” to win upcoming elections.  He also calls Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, a “swamp creature” and threatens to punch Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in a wide-ranging 27-minute video posted Thursday in which he appears to be speaking with people espousing debunked election conspiracies about the 2020 presidential election.

WI GOP Platform 2022: 1. New Protected Class: "Unvaccinated!"

They're targeting school kids, our children, pushing the other big lie; vaccines are simply optional, and suggesting loudly that people can ignore a pandemic. Radical much? 

Even worse, State Senator Andre Jacque, who was strapped to a ventilator for a few weeks is now inviting kids to share in his experience apparently.

What? A New Protected Class, the "Unvaccinated:"

Republicans are pushing an insane piece of legislation that will allow people to sue school districts   could eventually do away with mandated vaccines like polio, Hepatitis B, measles etc.

Senate Bill 336, would bar discrimination based on vaccine status ... schools and universities would be prohibited from excluding students because of their vaccination status. The bill does not repeal provisions in state law that require children enrolling in school to first get vaccinations against diseases

Even though the legal contradiction is obvious, who cares...check out this upside-down explanation: 

Bill author Sen. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, said because the bill does not repeal the school immunization requirements, and because parents have the option of obtaining a waiver from meeting them, the legislation should not conflict with the state's vaccination rules. "We must also make it a priority to ensure that laws are in place to protect those who choose not to receive one or more vaccines," Jacque, who endured weeks on a ventilator last year while recovering from COVID-19.

Huh? For those in the real world...

The bill would create a separate provision in state law ... School districts would then be responsible for enforcing the state's vaccine requirements for students while being banned from denying admission or participation to students because of what vaccinations they have received. 

In other words, 

A provision in the bill says "no rule may discriminate for or against any person by reason of sex, race, creed, color, sexual orientation, national origin or, ancestry, or vaccination status. That provision appears to bar any attempt to enforce any administrative rules establishing vaccination requirements." (Montana passed similar legislation in 2021, but the bill exempted the state's immunization requirements.)

One Republican is still calling the FDA-approved vaccines "experimental."  THIS is governing, Republican-style: 

CapTimes: State Sen. Mary Felzkowski-R used the term "experimental drug" to describe various vaccines. “Reuters, in a fact check last year, found that to be not true. All COVID-19 vaccines have also been approved by the FDA.

Republican Revelation: "You physically cannot see the Virus:" Read it for yourself. Again, this is called governing:

Rep. Treig Pronschinske: “If you can’t see the virus if you can’t see anything, how are you going to do it? How can you stop it? How? You physically cannot see the virus, you don’t know if it is in this room or if it’s outside. Or if it even exists right now in here. You have no clue. How are you going to stop that?”

MEME Candidate Kleefisch Panders...COVID infection is a personal choice people should make for themselves...and other people. Hey, no urgency here:

A spokesman for Rebecca Kleefisch, currently the only prominent Republican in the governor's race, said Kleefisch "is opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates" when asked if Kleefisch would sign the bill into law.

"She made the decision to get vaccinated and encourages others to get vaccinated if that is the right choice for them, however she believes that that decision is best left up to individuals to make on their own,"

...see what I mean:

CONTROL! The Kleefisch mask less spreader event seeks to weed out the weak immunocompromised from the strong: https://t.co/aaUbZDy2rG

— John Peterson (@democurmudgeon) January 23, 2022

 

GOP Teaching bans to come...

 

Pandemic Freedom on Ice.

 

After Republicans starve Cities into reducing number of Police, now want to solve problem they created with money they can't spend.

The Gift: Low Information Votes: What a party. 

1. Republicans don't have to do anything because they say the government should be smaller. 

2. Their voters don't "follow the news" so all they get are a few misleading headlines to read.

For over ten years, Republicans have done nothing to attract people to the state, except run ads in Illinois. Yea, that worked out well. One far-right troll pointed out the population in WI did increase. That's like taking credit for the sun rising in the east because you said it would.  

Raising wages would be a start, but that's never going to happen...except if you're in law enforcement. Weird huh, more money will attract people to become officers, but for everyone else, not so much. 

Pay Police More, with Money they Can't Spend: No really, they're doing this.

Keep in mind, all Wisconsin Republicans pictured here...

...opposed the ARPA COVID relief money that Vos-Republicans now want to spend. Worse, they're trying to shift the blame to the Democrats for downsized departments, even though Republicans decreased shared revenues to local governments, who then had to cut local police forces statewide. 

Republican Rep. Will Penterman, trying to blame the Democrats, inadvertently admitted (in the yellow highlight below) that the downsizing of police departments started under Scott Walker:

Unfortunately, crime is on the rise in Wisconsin and the total number of law enforcement officers on our streets is at the lowest level in a decade. We are introducing a bill to reverse this trend of rising crime and police officers leaving the force.”

Now Vos-Republicans want to reverse this problem, one they created, by using ONE-TIME COVID MONEY they never wanted? God, you can't make this stuff up. Here's Democratic Rep. David Bowen: 

The ‘Supporting Law Enforcement’ package released today by Republican legislators is the clearest example of what false support looks like...

1. Republicans drafted these bills in secret. 

2. Republicans are pitting law enforcement against the Governor and municipalities by promising officers and departments financial support using money that they have no control over. In what way is that a serious proposal? 

3. Republicans are sitting on control of nearly $2 billion in general purpose funding, but instead (of raising shared revenue) are choosing to play political games.

Democrat Rep. Gordon Hintz agreed:

"Republicans are proposing using one-time COVID funds to fund local law enforcement at roughly half the amount Governor Evers proposed since he was elected in 2018, and that Republicans voted against."

Republican Authoritarian Control Coming Together: In conjunction with the Jan. 6the efforts to remake the country in their image, Republicans also want the power to use No-Knock search warrants, maybe to search local bloggers' homes...:

The governor is unlikely to support one bill that would bar local elected officials, police chiefs and sheriffs, and fire and police commissioners, from banning no-knock search warrants either by ordinance or policy.

Wisconsin Fake Electoral College Votes shows solid support for Election integrity?

Illegal? Controlling Elections and Declaring the "real" Winners: Why the following isn't getting the media attention it should is a mystery, but it's now getting started here:

Among those filing documents that tried to give Wisconsin's electoral votes to Trump was Bob Spindell, a longtime Republican activist who sits on the commission that is supposed to consider the complaint. As in Wisconsin, Republicans in six other states that Trump lost filed paperwork trying to lay claim to Electoral College votes that weren't theirs. The paperwork they filed is nearly identical in many cases, according to copies of the paperwork posted online last year by the liberal group American Oversight.

Heck, a state Representative wanted to throw out our votes in Wisconsin. Will he get away with this?

Republican State Rep. Timothy Ramthun, who in November introduced a resolution to rescind Wisconsin’s Electoral Colleges votes, introduced a bill at the end of last year to dissolve the Wisconsin Elections Commission by June 30, 2023, and would transfer all the Commission’s duties to the Secretary of State...administering of elections and the certification of those elections. Putting a partisan official in charge of our elections would mark a radical and scary departure for Wisconsin and could further corrode confidence in our elections here. This move appears to be part of a national strategy by Republican operatives and Trump backers.

and...

In February, the Wisconsin arm of the Service Employees International Union filed a complaint with the Elections Commission alleging the GOP filing amounted to fraud because the Republicans knew Trump had lost.

Here's Rachel Maddow's coverage...

Similarities suggest coordination in fake elector letters from Republicans in five states https://t.co/vyGwyj16MR via @msnbc

— John Peterson (@democurmudgeon) January 14, 2022

Where's AG Josh Kaul??? Michigan's AG is challenging fake electors...

Michigan attorney general refers probe of fake electors to federal prosecutors https://t.co/CCWOKbLFo7 via @msnbc

— John Peterson (@democurmudgeon) January 14, 2022

What's even worse, these conspirators are actually openly telling us their plans:

On Nov 29, 2021, Washington Post: “Trump allies work to place supporters in key election posts across the country, spurring fears about future vote challenges. Steve Bannon declared: “We’re taking over all the elections. It’s about winning elections with the right people – MAGA people. We will have our people at every level.”

Dumb Ron Johnson is not a doctor, but if he was...

Winters In Wisconsin...again.

 

Another Covid Denier Nightmare year, Gone!

 

Winters in Wisconsin...

 

Meme Candidate Rebecca Kleefisch has got Law Enforcements Back...against COVID?

The silly season already? When it comes to the upcoming 2022 governor's race, pundits love to analyze the "horserace," which again dramatically undercuts the whole reason we have elections; what are their policies. 

Today's best TV news interviewers never touched the issues...WISN's Adrienne Pederson and Matt Smith, Wispolitics.com editor JR Ross, and WKOW's A.J. Bayatpour.

COVID Exposed the lack of Governing! The pandemic exposed almost every societal weakness ignored by Republicans, like depleted educational funding, refusal to deal with health care problems, and vital high-speed broadband. 

Oddly, Republicans approved a $2 billion tax cut that solved nothing, I ran across this public health crisis-related article...

Kristine Coshun’s 22-year-old son Collin was on the floor, screaming, crying and vomiting repeatedly. There was nothing she could do. They ended up waiting more than 16 hours in the waiting room of Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital. They never did see a doctor. Patients were being treated in hallways. The long-term lack of aid and educational incentives that could have led to more American doctors and nurses being trained and working now, and a shortage of emergency-care hospitals compared to China, which built hospitals in record time specifically to care for COVID patients.

After cult-crazy Republicans decided not to even offer a platform in 2020, they came up with a list of completely fabricated nonsensical grievances they created and now promise to fix.

Exhibit A- The Meme Candidate Rebecca Kleefisch: Dopey to the point of embarrassment, Kleefisch's meme-generated agenda plays well nowadays. And don't count on conservative voters to complain either, they're too busy bragging about how they don't have the time to follow politics.  

Now more than ever, law enforcement needs to know we have their back and that their communities support them. Heartbroken for these families. https://t.co/vnZH74l1tX

— Rebecca Kleefisch (@RebeccaforReal) December 30, 2021

It became pretty obvious Kleefisch only read the headline, like almost all Trumpian cultists. 

She has their back when it comes to...COVID-related deaths? 

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 479 officers died in 2021. The majority, 322, died from or with COVID-19. The next highest cause of death was gun-related, with 61 dying from gunfire and inadvertent gunfire. The FOP reports that 836 officers died this year from or with COVID-19, based on a compilation of news reports, which it states haven’t all been verified.

Of course, you can draw a straight line from lax gun laws to gun-related officer deaths, the second leading cause, and another problem created by firearm frenzied Republican gun cult:

According to FBI data, 70 law enforcement officers were fatally wounded in 2021, with 25 being victims of unprovoked attacks. Felonious deaths accounted for a 55.8% increase in the first 11 months of 2021, the FBI reports, with southern states reporting the most of these deaths.

In 2021, unprovoked attacks continued to outpace all other circumstances of felonious officer deaths, the FBI found.

But Becky's got their back, except in Milwaukee where Republicans continue to cut shared revenue, which directly results in cuts to the number of police officers.

MEME Candidate Kleefisch #2 - CRT? Headline reading Becky can't even get the fabricated outrage right. Keep in mind, actual CRT is also another nonexistent problem she promises to solve:

Meme Candidate Kleefisch - All Meme, All the Time: Here's a disturbing clip from Upfront that sums up all the memes Kleefisch will spend 4 years focusing on: