Money controls Republican Candidate for State Superintendent in what was supposed to be a nonpartisan race.

Big business wants to turn our children's education into a money making business for charters, private/religious schools, and virtual/online schools, and from what I've seen so far, there money is talking. 

In fact, the right-wing candidates weren’t shy about the influence of big business/big money. It's a stunning admission:

Former candidate John Humphries said the two (Lowell Holtz) met after speaking to "business leaders," who Humphries declined to identify. Holtz said,"It’s true that a number of business people asked us to get together and discuss options for working together" Holtz proposed a guaranteed, three-year, $150,000 job with the Department of Public Instruction should one of them (win).

After a freedom of information request, One Wisconsin Now turned over a few revealing emails from Holtz:

AP: State superintendent candidate Lowell Holtz sent an email detailing his support among Republicans and soliciting campaign advice using his Whitnall Public School account during a school day, an apparent violation of Wisconsin law.

Check out this interesting "big money" business name in one of the illegal emails:

Using the subject line of "What do you think? I have her e-mail address" Holtz sent the draft of a message he addressed to someone named Diane. Holtz does not identify her by last name and he did not respond to an email asking if the person he was referring to was billionaire Republican donor Diane Hendricks, of Beloit. Her spokeswoman also did not respond to an email asking whether she received such a message from Holtz.

Holtz also wrote that former Republican Rep. Don Pridemore put him in touch with Matt Batzel, who trains conservative activists through the national group American Majority ... Holtz wrote that Batzel suggested that he contact Diane to "share some of your expertise and advice with our committee."

What is supposed to be a nonpartisan race, well, forget that:

In the email, Holtz describes being supported conservative Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Republican state Rep. Jim Ott. Holtz's wife wrote back and suggested not mentioning Vos: "Fitzgerald seems to be more well liked in the republican camp," she said.

But Holtz's support from Don Pridemore, a former candidate himself for the state superintendent job, should be a warning to voters everywhere. I wrote this in a previous post... 

...Here, Pridemore rips the new common core standards in our public schools, claiming they're part of a European plot to dumb down America for competitive reasons. Why would they do that? Pridemore says it's all coming from the UN, and guys like Bill Ayers. Would I kid you? You'll laugh, cry, and vote Tony Evers. From WKOW's Capitol City Sunday with Greg Nuemann:

Pridemore: "So if you were any other country in the world, wouldn't you want to maybe knock America down a few pegs or two...to me, that's what's going on here, and we need to be aware of it..."

Neumann: "Where is this coming from though, in terms of you feeling like it is something that, I don't know if you want to call it a plot against America, where do you get that information?"

Pridemore: "Well it's coming from the UN. The UN I would argue has never been really a friend of America...you look at some of the left's ideas, even Bill Ayers has weighed in on education being one of the major factors in changing a country. If we can get the kids early and often with a change of ideas, America was founded on freedom, and all this detracts, ah, from that freedom."

Tea Party Thugs Enlist Knucklehead Rep. Don Pridemore to Push for 5 foot Voter Intimidation Bill.

One of the dumbest guys in our state assembly, Rep. Don Pridemore, is proposing the ultimate in what appears to be an outright voter intimidation bill. In his view, election observers need to be closer to voters at every stage of the process, close enough to get names and addresses or make the experience

Poll Observer? 

itself very unpleasant.

Current law allows conservative whack jobs to shout at you from 6-12 feet away; Pridemore moves that up to only 5 feet away (originally he wanted 3 feet).

Racine’s experience during the recall elections should have been a warning to everyone, but it wasn't. Shouting matches, conflicting eye witness accounts, conspiracy theories about voter fraud…what’s not to like? 

This is only the beginning of in-your-face bullying tactics surrounding elections. These are tactics you’d expect to see in third world nations.

WPR: The bill sponsored by Rep. Don Pridemore (R-Erin) originally allowed election observers to be within three feet. He's now pushed it back (to 5) feet. But for some, that's still too close. Pewaukee election clerk Nancy Zastrow says poll workers need elbow room. But an election board commissioner in Milwaukee, Bob Spindell, supports the bill: “When somebody can't see what's going on they immediately think fraud, problems, et cetera.”

Ah, that's why we have election officials...never mind. We’re not talking about liberal poll observers either; both sides don’t do it. The question is, why do "they" need to “see what’s going on?”  

Democrats on the Assembly election committee repeatedly asked anyone mentioning or asserting fraud to verify how widespread it is. During the 2012 election, Milwaukee County prosecuted only 10 people for voter fraud. The election commission director for Milwaukee, Neil Albrecht, told lawmakers this is problematic: “Observing their production of confidential documents is concerning and intimidating, particularly in an era of increasing awareness of identity theft.”

Why not have gun purchase observers too? 

Pridemore gets amazing 39 percent of vote.

This is what John Nichols wrote about the final vote tally in the race for State Schools Superintendent:

Voters responded by giving State Superintendent Tony Evers a 61-39 victory statewide.

But think about it, who were the 39 percent of voters who thought the wacky and frightening idea's put out there by Republican State Rep. Don Pridemore qualified him to oversee our kids education?

Who knew common core was a European plot to dumb down America, backed by the UN, and endorsed by Bill Ayers? WKOW:

State Superintendent Candidate and Republican Rep. Pridemore to save Kids from Dumb Down Plot by Europe, the UN and Bill Ayers.

Rep. Don Pridemore is really one of the more ridiculous legislators in the state. Just look at his farcical run for State Superintendent. He really believe the stuff he' saying, and it's embarrassing. I swear, if the national media saw this guy, he would be ridiculed by even Reince Priebus.

Starting slowly here, WKOW's Greg Neumann reminds Pridemore that using the old "blame the teachers union" excuse doesn't hold any weight now that Act 10 passed. Doesn't matter. Pridemore brags:

 "We've kind of unraveled some issues that need to be addressed. And some of the liberal thinking that's been going on at DPI over the years..."

This is killer stuff, and something that'll give you a chuckle when you head into the voting booth.
Here, Pridemore rips the new common core standards in our public schools, claiming they're part of a European plot to dumb down America for competitive reasons. Why would they do that? Pridemore says it's all coming from the UN, and guys like Bill Ayers. Would I kid you? You'll laugh, cry, and vote Tony Evers:

Pridemore: "So if you were any other country in the world, wouldn't you want to maybe knock America down a few pegs or two...to me, that's what's going on here, and we need to be aware of it..."

Neumann: "Where is this coming from though, in terms of you feeling like it is something that, I don't know if you want to call it a plot against America, where do you get that information?"

Pridemore: "Well it's coming from the UN. The UN I would argue has never been really a friend of America...you look at some of the left's ideas, even Bill Ayers has weighed in on education being one of the major factors in changing a country. If we can get the kids early and often with a change of ideas, America was founded on freedom, and all this detracts, ah, from that freedom."

He's nuts, and it's fun to watch the accident:

Pridemore's Media Blacklist...sure.

State Republican Rep. Don Pridemore tried for awhile to walk back his successful attempt to blacklist a few media outlets and reporters, but found out how hard it was to keep lying, so he eventually decided to just come out and admit it. And even laugh about it. From Upfront with Mike Gousha, Pridemore shows us how Republicans would run things if they had complete power without the threat of challenge.

State Rep. and Schools Superintendent candidate Pridemore paints Irresponsible picture of private voucher education

The race for State Schools Superintendent is an opportunity for all of us to get a much clearer picture of the Republican Party's plans for education. Just like the national party's admission they really want to privatize our social safety nets, Republican Rep. Don Pridemore lays it our for us; he would love to hand over the guaranteed market of educating out kids to private interests. Appearing on WPT's Here and Now, here's some "choice" moments:

Rep. Pridemore stresses one of the most misleading talking points about voucher schools; popularity. Voucher advocates always talk about the growing numbers choosing vouchers. Well, a lot of  people bought Snuggies, you know what I mean. Pridemore trashes the states big test used to grade schools, for touchy feely intangibles, and incumbent superintendent Tony Evers nails him for it.

Plus, the Racine school district budget director and supporter of vouchers warned property taxes will go up, but who cares says Pridemore:



Bonus incentive payments have another big flaw, effectively explained by Superintendent Evers; the richest and best school districts will be rewarded with even more money, and become even wealthier, instead of spending that money turning failing schools around. Evers wins this one hands down:



Superintendent Evers shines a bright light on the "target" painted on teachers backs by the unintended (or intended) consequences of Act 10. Teachers are now dealing with the fear factor of their profession:



From WKOW's Capital City Sunday, Greg Neumann asks whether public school will actually lose money, and Evers explains how Milwaukee's 20 year voucher experiment should have been paying dividends by now, and hasn't:

Republican State Rep. Don Pridemore Blacklisted Reporters...because he can.

Scott Walker and the Republican majority are wasting no time, and taking no prisoners, in their quest to divide and conquer the state and make Wisconsin their own little iron fisted kingdom.

With added emphesis the last couple of years, the vilification of the word liberal was a first step. Gerrymandered districts and a complete rejection of Democratic legislation was the next step.

Now the Republican candidate running for the “non-partisan” office of Wisconsin’s schools superintendent has created a “blacklist” of “liberal” reporters he doesn't like, so he can shape the news and propaganda his way. So what's new?   

AP: A Republican running to be Wisconsin's schools superintendent has blacklisted five reporters he considers biased: It names Mary Spicuzza of the Wisconsin State Journal, David Umhoefer and Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jack Craver of The Capital Times and Scott Bauer of The Associated Press. Craver provided a copy of the memo to the AP on Sunday.

An internal memo from state Rep. Don Pridemore's campaign says he will not call the five back or give phone interviews to them or their media outlets.

The memo said, "These are all LIBERAL's and have chosen to parse words, phrases and spin my responses to fit their agendas. If they continue to spin our written responses, they will be ignored in the future."

Looks like someone can't take the heat of the campaign. Is it so hard to inform the voters or answer tough questions?

The memo also said any dealings with the five and others should be tracked on a spreadsheet. It does not say what reporting, if any, landed them on the blacklist. The election is April 2.

Pridemore thinks education is a European plot to dumb down Americans. No, really.

Common Core Educational Standards an International Plot to Dumb Down America?

The upcoming election for the State Superintendent of Public Instruction is about be one of the most surreal campaigns yet, thanks to Rep. Don Pridemore's teabilly sensibilities.

Sup. Tony Evers had to either do everything he could not to laugh, or he had to strain to maintain his cool knowing that there's still a remote possibility that Pridemore could take charge of our educational  system in Wisconsin.

What's Pridemore like? Check out his response to the roll out of the national common core curriculum, something the top rated countries use to outperform the U.S.!!! From WKOW:

Pridemore: "A lot of these common core standards really started with international standards. Now why should we be beholding to some world wide organization that's only  trying to dumb down America."

This stunningly ignorant response that reflects a general paranoia of "the other," pukes nationalism and flag waving American Exceptionalism. It had nothing to do with education.

Here's that ridiculously vacuous dumbass statement again, a slightly shorter version, in context:

Republican Bully Syndrome; Rep. Pridemore Booted from Polling Place for "Disruptive Behavior."

Here's the guy that wants to take over the reigns of the state school system to reform and reflect his more conservative agenda. Rep. Don Pridemore's behavior is a party phenomenon that is more the rule now and not the exception.

Pridemore, like every other right winger, feels entitled to special treatment, because after all, they're the real Americans. 

Urban Milwaukee: Rep. Don Pridemore, the Republican assembly representative who is vying with incumbent Tony Evers to be the State Superintendent of Public Education, was ejected from the polling place at Washington High School during the November 6th, 2012 general election. According to “Wisconsin Election Protection,” a report from non-partisan observers of voting during the presidential election:

“State Rep. Don Pridemore (Hartford) was ejected from the site for repeatedly interfering with the voting process and refusing to obey the Chief’s multiple requests to stop his disruptive behavior.”

Undaunted, and with the defiance you’d expect from the kid kicked out of class for misbehaving, Pridemore included Washington High on his “Common Sense Conservative Reform Tour” campaign kickoff on December 4th, 2012, which sends a message more of pugnacity than tenacity. 

Freeloading Republican admits…he’s loves freeloading when it comes to keeping our kids safe in school.

Since I have one boy in elementary school and another in middle school, I'm wondering how I can protect them from getting shot up by an assault weapon, all without costing me or my neighbors any hard earned taxpayer money. I'm tired of reckless spending.

A continuing theme on my blog has been how freeloading “small government” conservatives are really trying to avoid the hard work of governing. Yet they love running for government jobs because it beats work, and has great benefits. I call that freeloading at the taxpayer expense.

The best example this month comes from; Rep. Don Pridemore, R-Erin and candidate for state superintendent of public instruction (believe it or not) Cap Times:

Wearing his flag...

Dear Editor: School boards should be given the freedom to hire a competent, well trained school official or employee who is experienced with applying force whenever force is required. The most cost-effective approach would be to permit local school boards, administrators and parents to be able to ask qualified people from their own communities to volunteer to do this work as a public service as a way of giving to their communities while they are in retirement. 

Now that’s putting a value on the grotesque trend of gunman targeting schools nationwide. And yet, concealed carry was the answer to making us all safe.

Reality just reared it's ugly head again, disproving Pridemore's hair brained solution:

Columbia Daily Tribune: A St. Louis County police officer assigned to work at Hazelwood East High School discharged his gun while cleaning it yesterday, causing a bullet to rip through a wall at the school and into the occupied nurse’s office and clinic on the other side. At the time, two students, the school nurse and another adult were in the clinic, Gulotta said. “The nurse, for sure, was pretty shaken up,” Gulotta said.

The department decided to remove him from the school because of the investigation — but the school district also asked that he not return.