Walker denies Tony Evers his own Legal Representation in Challenge to Superintendent Powers!!!

Candidate for governor and State Superintendent Tony Evers can't get legal representation advocating on his behalf in a lawsuit challenging his elected office's powers, thanks to Scott Walker and AG Brad Schimel. 

Under the Iron Fist of One Party Scott Walker Control:

JS: The state’s top two Republicans won’t let Wisconsin’s Democratic schools chief Tony Evers have his own attorney in a lawsuit over his powers. 

You get that? And this is something "small government" left behind Republicans voters thinks is "small government?"

With friends like these...wait, stuff like this can't happen, right?

Attorney General Brad Schimel told the state Supreme Court his office would represent schools Superintendent Tony Evers, even though Schimel agrees with those suing Evers. The development came soon after Gov. Scott Walker blocked Evers from hiring an outside attorney. Evers then tried to use the chief legal counsel in his Department of Public Instruction, but Schimel told the state’s high court he was pushing that attorney aside. 

In an interview, Evers said Walker and Schimel were engaging in petty politics and trying to prevent him from getting his say in court. “It’s unprecedented I would think that a constitutional officer would not be able to have his or her own interests represented in a court of law. It’s like a kangaroo court without a court.” Evers said he would file a request soon asking the state Supreme Court to let him use an attorney of his choosing. He'll also be asking the court to throw the case out, he said. 

Oh, but it gets even more dictatorially bizarre: 

Walker spokesman Tom Evenson said by email that the attorney general has the power to decide what arguments to make that are best for the state — and not what's best for Evers. "It’s not politics, it’s the law."

The lawsuit mill decided to crank out the same lawsuit as before, now that the court has a new Justice:

The lawsuit, brought by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, centers on the powers of Evers ... last year ruled Evers had more power and independence than other the heads of other state agencies. Evers' department issued rules this fall without first going to the Department of Administration. That's because a divided state Supreme Court ruled last year that Evers did not have to abide by a similar law governing administrative rules because he is an independently elected official under the state constitution.

The group argues the Department of Public Instruction is ignoring a new law which took effect in September, that says state agencies must run the scope of state rules past Walker's Department of Administration before putting them into place.

Again, this is raw authoritarian behavior that hell, I can't believe is happening: 

On Wednesday, Solicitor General Misha Tseytlin notified the Supreme Court that he — not Nilsestuen — would represent Evers. Tseytlin is a top aide to Schimel. A spokesman for Schimel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rick Esenberg, the executive director of WILL, said he would leave it to others to weigh in on how the attorney general handles cases.

Walker now writing election law, he calls "rules," to Influence Voter ID court challenges.

Wow, did voting in Wisconsin just get a whole lot more convoluted?

Let’s start with the idea that Scott Walker can write election law, which he's calling a “rule,” without the help of the legislature. Is this one of those executive orders usurping the legislatures constitutional duties?

Walker is now trying at the last minute to influence lawsuits now affecting voter ID. This would not have happened otherwise. What a guy. JS:

Voters who are seeking a photo ID card but not yet received it will be able to use a Division of Motor Vehicles receipt to vote in more cases, under a new rule Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker approved Wednesday just ahead of Monday's federal trial on the state's voting laws.

1. In December, U.S. District Judge James Peterson in Madison threw out a challenge to the voter ID law itself, but determined the liberal One Wisconsin Institute and others who brought the lawsuit could keep alive their arguments that voters should be able to use a broader range of IDs for voting. A trial is set to begin Monday.

2. Wednesday's action also comes in the wake of a unanimous ruling last month by the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that opened the door to the possibility that people could cast ballots without presenting IDs if they have great difficulty getting them. That decision returned the case to U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman in Milwaukee for further proceedings. "The right to vote is personal and is not defeated by the fact that 99% of other people can secure the necessary credentials easily," Appeals Judge Frank Easterbrook wrote for the panel. The ruling was targeted at some of the same people and ID problems covered by the new Walker administration rules, such as those whose birth certificates contain errors or are no longer available.

COMPLICATED, CONVOLUTED...or, maybe you should think twice about going through all that trouble: With all the hoops already in place just to vote, add to that, this...

1. The DMV is changing the process used to issue receipts to residents who are seeking a photo ID to vote

2. The receipts are meant to be used for voting while the DMV sorts out whether those applying for regular ID cards should get them.

3. The ID cards are free and under the new rule the DMV will have to pay for applicants to get birth certificates or other key documents.

4. The receipts will be issued by mail within six days if the DMV is unable to make a determination before then on whether a regular ID card should be issued. The receipts will include the applicant's photo and be marked "for voting purposes only."

5. People who have previously been denied ID cards or whose requests are pending will be issued receipts for voting, according to the rule.

And check this out. You think the administration won't check to see if your name is on any of the existing recall lists? This applies to point 4 above as well:

6. Administrators in DMV's central office in Madison will make the final call on who gets ID cards if they don't have birth certificates or other documentation of their identity. In the past, that's been left to officials in DMV offices around the state. Having the decisions made at the agency's headquarters is aimed at more consistent rulings.

7. The DMV will have to provide translators for those who cannot read or understand information about the process for getting IDs, the rule says.

At no cost to the state? Oh, who cares...

Free Speech Dollars buy corrupting political influence and special favors, just like we thought.

Stand with Walker supporters will have no problem with Scott Walker's plan to let their wealthy conservative elite take over our government, as long as they're rewarded with a whopping $1 in property tax savings. Not a good deal trolls.

The following thinking kinda proves how our conservative activist U.S. Supreme Court has been able to twist logic into a nonsensical looking pretzel:

Justice Kennedy stated that restrictions on corporate campaign expenditures "have a chilling effect extending well beyond the government's interest in preventing quid pro quo corruption." Kennedy concluded, "The anticorruption interest is not sufficient to displace the speech here in question" ... our nation's ability to protect itself from the corruption of our government is overridden by the "right" of a corporation to make expenditures in elections.

With logic like that...

So proof is in the pudding: Guess what, the governor who's going around the state holding supposed "listening sessions," appears to be listening to big money donors a whole lot more. JS:

Click to enlarge

What does a million-dollar political donor get for his or her money these days? The answer is spelled out in great detail in a handout from the super PAC supporting Republican Gov. Scott Walker's potential presidential bid.

Among the perks: Twice-a-year retreats, members-only briefings, weekly email updates, members-only conference calls, a dedicated staff contact, two private dinners with "VIP Special Guest(s)," inclusion in "all public/regional fundraising events," and a special "Executive Board Member" pin.

Those benefits are itemized in a handout from Unintimidated PAC, the committee launched by longtime Walker advisers.

Need another example? I've got one...remember this gem from last week when the Republicans revealed their plan to eventually privatize Wisconsin's drinking water? Who were they listening too...?

Rep. Tyler August (R-Lake Geneva) said he introduced the bill after meeting with representatives of Aqua America and its lobbyist, Steve Foti, a former GOP legislator...

No one else was asking to make it easier for private companies to take control of our drinking water, just lobbyists. Scary as hell isn't it. I mean really, this is how quickly the state is now taking their orders from private interests. Their now on automatic pilot.  

Walker writes another JS opinion fairy tale.

I guess it’s all in how you look at criticism. 

Scott Walker and every Republican in the legislature represents the uber-conservative wing of the party, the activists who will go to any length to pass their agenda. The voters are sadly starting to catch up.

Framing the Criticism: Criticism, to Walker and like-minded conservatives, is always coming from their “opponents.” Claiming the mantle of infallibility is never a good starting point in a multi-party system of government.

So here's how Walker started off his recent JS commentary:

Many of our political opponents seem to be frustrated with the positive progress being made in our state (see Rep. Daniel Riemer's Dec. 10 column ). Thankfully, the facts point to a true comeback story.

A true comeback? Only if you believe the middle-class is doing just fine. 

Middle-class taxpayers are better off in Wisconsin today than we were five years ago.

Nope, but if he's says it enough, people will believe it. from March, 2015:

WSJ: Despite a new report showing Wisconsin has the fastest-shrinking middle class in the U.S., the Gov. Scott Walker administration says the state is headed in the right direction. 

Same script, same lie. And because Wisconsin has always been near the middle or back end of job creation, it's reasonable to assume the low unemployment rate would have happened anyway, thanks to an improving economy. But Walker will take full credit anyway.

Walker: "Property taxes are lower on a median-valued home than they were five years ago — Income taxes are also lower..."

And what did we give up for that? We defunded our parks, dramatically defunded the UW, made some of the biggest cuts to K-12 in the nation, defunded the DNR, and won't fund transportation for road building/repair. The fact that the state didn't collapse right away means its working. High bar, huh?

Voucher Disaster Alert: Achievement Gap worst in nation: After 25 years of vouchers, promoted as a way to help minorities escape their failing schools, our achievement gap is now the worst in the nation. But vouchers are set to expand anyway. Forget the achievement gap, just focus on the overall state scores, which are still impressive:

Walker: "Schools are doing better. High school graduation rates are up again — now ranking third in the nation. Reading scores are up in fourth and eighth grades. ACT scores are second best in the nation."

Well, sure, that's because the state is still using Common Core, which is about to come to an end, and vouchers hasn't completely defunded our public schools yet...but that's coming too.

Frozen Tuition's won't be for long: Set to expire in 2017, Walker's artificially frozen tuition gimmick will result in huge future increases. I mean really, get serious:

Walker: "For the first time in University of Wisconsin history, in-state tuition is frozen at all UW campuses for four years in a row. That makes college more affordable for our students and working families."

And don't get me started on Walker's costly mistake not taking Medicaid expansion, and his liberal use of taxpayer money to pay off the hospitals treating the uninsured who now can't afford health insurance due to co-pays and deductibles:  

Walker: "During my time as governor, we eliminated the waiting list for Medicaid access to health care for people living in poverty and helped those above poverty transition into the workplace."

Under the Iron Fist of Scott Walker: "He’s slick: Fast-talking, confident, and dishonest" - Author and Republican John Dean

Since the media has decided not to make the miserable record of Republican governors an issue in their run for president, then how about their rightwing authoritarian driven policies? Come on, isn't becoming a dictatorship scary enough to garner a few headlines? 

Since Scott Walker is in the spotlight, I thought a little primer on his authoritarian style of governing is in order. Walker's shocking vilification of teachers and protesting Wisconsinites is only just scratching the surface. He detests protesters so much that he decided to require a fee and license to exercise their 1st Amendment right, arresting and fining those speaking out against his policies in the Capitol rotunda without permission. A court just struct that down as unconstitutional. 

Here's a compilation of video clips and audio that together, painted a frightening picture of an America under Scott Walker. The massive crowds filling the streets...ignored. Below the video, Republican and author John Dean's actual analysis of Scott Walker, who he couldn't help but notice him way back in 2012. 

Politico just wrote about this not to be forgotten moment:

One of his low points came in 2011 when he carried on a phone conversation with a liberal blogger impersonating one of the billionaire Koch brothers. When the blogger suggested infiltrating the anti-Walker crowd with “troublemakers,” the governor nonchalantly responded: “We thought about that.”

Here's John Dean's jaw dropping look and warning about Scott Walker, from April 6, 2012:

My focus here is on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who strikes some who have written to me as a distinctively prototypical authoritarian politician; what social science has labeled as a “double high” authoritarian; and the type of person which I described in my book as a conservative without conscience. There is another type of authoritarian. Social scientists labeled these people “Double Highs.” They simply see the world as a place where they are always in charge.  I worked for and with a number of Double Highs at the Nixon White House, from the president on down through his senior staff.  But based on what I found, there is little doubt in my mind that Scott Walker is a classic authoritarian.

Opposition To Equality … There are many examples of Walker’s harsh and uncaring treatment of those whom he does not believe to be entitled to equality.  None is more glaring than his intolerance of gays and lesbians … as Governor, he has worked to end Wisconsin’s recognition of the rights of same-sex couples. He fired the law firm defending the state’s domestic-partnership law.  And he appointed a woman to the state’s Labor and Industry Review Commission who believes that gays can be harassed in the workplace.

One attorney familiar with Walker’s thinking states, “Everything that Governor Walker is doing is ideological; I don’t see that his administration has any particular respect for the law per se.”

Desirous Of Personal Power. Scott Walker has been seeking personal power his entire life, and has never stopped reaching for it.  By age 7, Walker had formed a “Jesus USA” club, which was a mix of his father’s Baptist ministry and his attraction to patriotism.  By age 8, he had undertaken a door-to-door fundraising campaign to take charge of purchasing a flag for the village hall of his small Iowa town. At Marquette, he was elected to the student senate, and twice sought but failed to get elected president of the student body.  He ran for the Wisconsin State Assembly the same year that he lost his bid to be student president at Marquette, losing the Assembly race as well.

As governor, Walker sought to remove civil service jobs, in order to make them political appointments, and thus subject to his control.  Most strikingly, he has sought to undercut the public-employee unions so that he would not have to deal with them, thus increasing his power. He has increased his personal power over some fifteen state agencies … move to break public employee unions is his most notorious personal power play.  Walker’s push … was done in about as authoritarian a fashion as you will ever see, outside of a dictatorship. Part of Act 10 has already been struck down by a federal judge.

Walker’s amorality is conspicuous.  It is found in his history of ethics violations and the record of his lying … his Marquette University days, when the college newspaper called him “unfit” for student office. Later, in the Assembly (in 2005), Walker would earn the distinction of receiving the second-highest fine for an ethics violation in Wisconsin history. With respect to 44 statements that Politifacts examined, Walker was found to have been truthful only on six occasions.  The fact that 38 statements were pants-on-fire false, false, mostly false, or half-truths is stark evidence of amorality.

I watched a video of a Walker speech at the Goldwater Institute.  He’s slick: Fast-talking, confident, and dishonest—I watched him distort facts with which I was familiar.  And indeed, the most striking … his views on crime and punishment. As a member of the Wisconsin Assembly, in 1996 Walker was the moving force behind the building of a 500-bed “Supermax” prison, which he claimed worked better than normal facilities; others had doubts.  Also, when state officials sought a 200-bed unit, Walker insisted on more than doubling the request. Another instance of Walker’s punitive aggressiveness can be found in an example from 1997, when Walker pushed legislation that eliminated all parole, while increasing maximum criminal sentences by fifty percent.  Walker also pushed for draconian legislation that would send juvenile offenders to adult prisons at age 15, although his colleagues in the Assembly rejected this excessively harsh approach. These, too, are examples of classic authoritarian behavior at work.

Scott Walker is Mr. Conventional.  He has long been an active member of a fundamentalist church. He wears conservative, off-the-rack clothing. His hair is always closely trimmed, and his manner polite and pleasant. (I cannot find a single radical right-wing position that Walker rejects.)

I have only sketched in digest terms the reporting I found on Scott Walker’s political career.  To me, it is clear that Wisconsin has a double high authoritarian governor, a conservative without conscience.  If I lived in Wisconsin, I would be uncomfortable with this man, whom I find more Nixonian than even Richard Nixon himself (the authoritarian leader with whom I was, and am, so very familiar).

Please understand that these authoritarian leaders and their followers are not necessarily bad people.  To the contrary, I have many friends who fall into this group, who are wonderful people. But none of my double high authoritarian friends are suited to serve as governor of any state … Democracy and democratic institutions do not function well with dogmatic, unbending authoritarian leaders … and as Bob Altemeyer’s work has shown, they can be dangerous to democracy.

Hopefully, one or more social scientists or political psychologists in Wisconsin, where there are many, will step forward and tell the people of Wisconsin more about what they have on their hands, with Scott Walker as their governor. The June 5, 2012 election is a true opportunity to discourage another leader who is a conservative without conscience.  Altemeyer estimates that about twenty-five percent of the population has, in varying degrees, the disposition to follow a double high authoritarian, many blindly or simply because it assuages their fears.  And, of course, these are aggressive followers who can attract others who are unaware of the nature of the person they are electing, thus enabling an authoritarian leader like Walker to gain ever-growing control. Good luck, Wisconsin.

Walker quest for ultimate power hits constitutional road block; State Superintendent duties safe for now.

Scott Walker and our constitutional conservative Republican majority lost a court battle to twist another one of our constitutional laws into something completely unrecognizable.

In Scott Walker’s quest for ultimate power, where he challenges all current interpretations of the state constitution, his take down of the Superintendent of Public Instruction failed...so far anyway.

WISC: Court affirms part of Walker rules law unconstitutional: Republican Gov. Scott Walker signed a law in 2011 that requires state agencies to get gubernatorial approval before drafting new administrative rules that create policy.

Teachers and parents filed a lawsuit in 2011 alleging the law was unconstitutional as applied to the state Department of Public Instruction, arguing it gives other state officers more power than the elected DPI superintendent.

A Madison judge in 2012 found the law unconstitutional as applied to DPI. The 4th District Court of Appeals upheld that ruling Thursday.

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Justice, which is representing the governor's office, says the agency may appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Republicans Darling and Nygren accuse UW of "divisive politics," for defying Walker's demands!!!

Wisconsin's Republican authority has now decided to vilify the non-compliant. Anyone who defies Scott Walker's brand of coercion is "bringing Washington politics to Madison," whatever the hell that means. Yes, it's the GOP targets who are at fault:

jsonline: University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank is "bringing Washington politics to Madison," the co-chairs of the state's budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance said Wednesday.

"Gov. (Scott) Walker is offering autonomy and more flexibility in his budget proposal and instead of support, the governor and legislature are being met with divisive politics," Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) said in their statement.

Divisive Politics? It's the "I know you are but what am I" defense: Walker's latest and most dramatic shredding of state government is a purity political thing for him, which he intends to use against his opponents in his campaign for president. And yet, Chancellor Blanks is the political one, who has the nerve to negotiate:

The lawmakers said Blank's position — actively opposing the $300 million in budget cuts attached to proposed new autonomy for the UW System — is "a stark contrast" from former chancellor Biddy Martin.

Like all women chancellors are all the same? And don't forget to play the "hate Obama" card:

Darling and Nygren said, "This difference begs the question: Is the current chancellor and former Obama appointee playing politics with our state's universities? In the future, we hope to have an open and honest dialogue with the System about the budget, as no constructive conversation will come from bringing Washington politics to Madison."

What a wonderful way to start a constructive conversation.  

Walker's presidential strategy portrays Minimum Wage Work Force as Unreliable Employees taking Drugs.

The latest Republican attack on the lower and middle class is the ugliest and most degrading one yet, hoping to justify low wages for everybody not lovably wealthy.

First, you have to believe the poor and middle class aren't interested in showing up for work every day. And they wonder why they’re getting minimum wages.

    

Second, you have to believe their drug habit is keeping them from getting a higher wage job.

Enter Scott Walker, who’s running for president on these two important divide and conquer points, highlighted below:

Governor Scott Walker: “As I traveled my state, I hear employers, small business owners say, overwhelming: ‘We have jobs. We just need workers. And we need two things: people who know how to show up every day for work, five days a week, and gimme someone who can pass a drug test.'”

But I challenge anyone who believes this, to rationalize away the the example below, which is a typical situation for most low income workers:

For Wisconsin workers who currently depend on public assistance, like 21-year-old Milwaukee waitress Peyton Smith, the burden of the law would be much more personal.

“For [Governor Walker] to put another barrier in front of us is like saying we’re guilty, but we’re not guilty,” Smith told ThinkProgress. “It’s already hard to go down there and file for government assistance. We have to report in every day, fill out papers. Now I have to take the time out of my busy schedule to take a drug test? Come on!”

Smith, who has a three-year-old daughter and another baby due soon, works about 20 hours a week at Denny’s — though she has repeatedly requested full-time employment. Because it’s a tipped job, she makes just $2.33 an hour, and currently relies on food stamps to feed her family.

“I’m willing to work. I’m not lazy at all,” she said. “But the jobs we can get are horrible, low pay, and we can’t get the hours we need. As a parent, it just sucks. I want things that are healthy for her, but the fruits and vegetables she needs to grow as young child are expensive.”

And yet, Smith will get Walker's drug test, because it's all part of the plan to define her as an unreliable employee and lazy drug addict who deserves to be on a minimum wage. A hike in the wage will only encourage her. She's where she belongs:

Jennifer Epps-Addison with Wisconsin Jobs Now ... accused the Governor of “stigmatizing the hardest working people in our economy. "There were times even I couldn’t navigate the process, as a law student with a college degree. The system is set up to disempower people and make them frustrated enough to give up before receiving the help they need.”

And of course, our pocket conservative constitutionalists are not deterred by...the constitution:

Courts have ruled that similar mandatory drug testing programs imposed by other states and the federal government were unconstitutional.

The Small Government Lie behind Big Government Republicans.

The "stand with Walker" trolls and my conservative friend in Milwaukee have given me great insight into what "small government" really means to them. Here's what I've learned so far:

A. Despite policy failures, conservatives will never vote for a Democrat.

B. The founding fathers wanted to limit the size of government? The "size" isn't dictated in the constitution, and is in fact, left up to the "people:"

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." Tenth Amendment

C. Big Government Republicans hate big government liberalism: It gets little attention, but have you noticed how red state Republicans have purged decades of progress as a way to fight against the evils of socialism? Liberal influences are erased. This is where "big" government Republicans replace everything with their own convoluted legislation:

1. Tort reform: "Injury" reform basically, that limits the peoples access to the courts and just compensation. This is big government at its worst, because it protects business and insurance companies from being accountable, at the expense of people. It doesn't just cut injury settlements artificially, but steps in and controls a private sector lawyers compensation. Again, it's government telling individuals what the can or cannot make. Big government Republicans. A free market would do away with all limits and open the courts up to everyone, even if it means the end of the offending business, costing hundreds or thousands of jobs.   

2. Health Care: Every other country in the world has a national plan, except for the U.S.. Everybody needs it. Imagine what we could do if we didn't have to think about finding an insurer, shopping every year for a new plan because of rising copays and deductibles. A national health care system would give people more time to deal with all of life's other curve balls and heartbreaks. That's real freedom. 

3. Environment: Big government Republicans want to "balance" the needs of business, with the need to keep citizens healthy. That's a hard one? Is there ever a time a business should be allowed to harm Americans? The EPA's news rules controlling smog, a local hazard that causes asthma, lung damage and other health problems, isn't something that belongs on the negotiating table. With the growth of wind, solar and electric vehicles, we now have the option to move from fossil fuels to cleaner energy, saving people health problems and premature death. Plus, states will have 20 years to comply to the new rules. 

4. Right Wind Authoritarianism: Without going into greater detail, which I could do, let's just chalk it up to who's in "control;" one party dictatorial "leaders." Right now, leaders are allowed to do and say whatever they like. From the big government takeover of local communities fighting mining, allowing companies the freedom to locate cell towers and billboards anywhere they like, controlling the minimum wage statewide, a statewide sick leave ban, retaliating against educators and businesses that don't fall in line with Republican values, and using recall petitions as a blacklist to trash the political opposition. If the Walker Authority doesn't like what you're doing locally, they've got a big government fix for you, like it or not.

We can't forget the judicial branch of government, already politicized by Republican lawmakers who are promising to make the courts more conservative. After all, activist conservative courts rulings are wonderful, but liberal court rulings? Let's not even go there. For Republicans, the courts should be as predictable their party platform. No surprises.

Scott Walker's no Leader, and he's not saying what you think he is...

I was fascinated by Scott Walker's arrogant authoritarian advice to the Republican congress. Here's my interpretation. jsonline:

"It's put up or shut up time. Your election is a message from the American people that they want change. So go big and bold."

The Republicans benefit from gerrymandered districts and low midterm turnout. And the change the American people want are all things in the Democratic column, like minimum wage, immigration, gay marriage...heck look at the chart to the right. Guess what, this is the change Americans want.  

"The message Wisconsin holds for national Republicans is clear: Don’t be afraid to lead … (don’t) nibble around the edges. Push common-sense, conservative ideas.  Lead."

Walker has always looked at "leading" as an excuse to ignore voters. And they fell for it.

"Send funds for Medicaid and similar programs back to the states in the form of block grands to encourage innovation. Reform welfare programs to restore the dignity that comes from work."

"Restore the dignity that comes from work" is a cute way to say, "I can't create jobs, but I can boot you off assistance." How about restoring dignity with a decent wage? 

And Walker's way of "encouraging innovation" with block grants...I once describe it this way: No federal strings attached to the block granted money ... means the GOP can require any test they’d like to penalize and choke off benefits. Federal strings have prevented that.

Walker has ruled with a super Republican majority, how hard is that:

"And they will keep leaders who do what they say they will do. If the president does not lead as he was elected to do, this is an opportunity for Republicans in Congress to show the American people what they would do with a president who will lead."

Another Walker reference to one party rule, something he's now drooling over. I hope the Republicans do offer up a tangible plan. Paul Ryan is supposedly doing that right now on health care. I can't wait to see how the CBO grades it.

A Defensive Walker makes the case to do away with "partisan" Democratic District Attorney's. There's only one real party...

It’s not the denial by Scott Walker that’s unsettling, but his suggestion that only Republican DA’s can be trusted with the law and “nonpartisan” investigations. These subtle comments provide the emotional gun powder for agitating the base. Maybe the media should ask Walker why he thinks Democratic DA candidates shouldn’t run for office.

In his desperate attempt to contain the damage, he let it slip in this editorial:

“The truth on the widely covered John Doe is that two judges, one state and one federal, reviewed the accusations of partisans within a Democratic District Attorney’s Office and determined their theories have no merit or basis in law.”

What does that say about Walker’s respect for elections and those who see things differently...like Democrats?

The enemy among us: Walker’s “above the law” arrogance toward "petty liberal partisans" opposed to his one party ideal of government and “truth” is unnerving:

Each of these judges explicitly issued judicial orders that these partisan prosecutors must end their investigation immediately. These are the truths that need to be stated over and over again to fight the slander directed at me and our campaign by my political opponents.

Walker the Victim: Remember, this is about pay-to-play, campaign funding that pushes the limits and attempts to get around the law, whether legal or illegal. This isn’t about his failed agenda, it’s about elections controlled by big government corporate special interests. 

Bottom line; why wouldn't conservative prosecutors be considered just as partisan? 

Still, many in the media proceed as though the opinion of the partisan prosecutors … ignore the truths I have stated above. No charges. No case. Watching the media frenzy, it is clear that this is what happens when someone takes on the big government special interests. I will not back down. We will continue to fight using the truth...

The Walker Authority up close!!!

Thanks to a nice piece at MAL Contends, I was able to finish reading John Dean's great analysis of Scott Walker's authoritarian behavior, and the frightening implications of putting even more power into this guys hands. I forgot all about it back in March, 2012.

Below, I've gathered what I thought were the essential points of Dean's scorching but fair research into what I've called the Walker Authority. Interestingly, Dean assumed other "social scientists or political psychologists in Wisconsin" would do what he did, and tip voters off to the potential consequences of putting Walker power again. Well, that didn't happen thanks to political pressure (censorship) on our state university. This was written before the recall election for Verdict/Justia.com:

John Dean: My focus here is on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who strikes some who have written to me as a distinctively prototypical authoritarian politician; what social science has labeled as a “double high” authoritarian; and the type of person which I described in my book as a conservative without conscience.

They occasionally found persons who garnered high scores for their cold, calculating dominance, yet also gained high scores on the tests for submissive followers … these Double Highs relate to the questions regarding submission not by considering how they themselves submit to others, but rather how others submit to them.  They simply see the world as a place where they are always in charge.

Domination: Authoritarian leaders seek to control others; in short, they are social dominators. This is the story of Scott Walker’s life. At Marquette, he was elected to the student senate, and twice sought but failed to get elected president of the student body.  He ran for the Wisconsin State Assembly the same year that he lost his bid to be student president at Marquette, losing the Assembly race as well. Since then, Walker has never stopped running.  In 1993, he was elected to the State Assembly … In 2002, he sought the post of Milwaukee County Executive, and he held that post until he was elected Governor in 2010.  This is the behavior, writ large, of a dominator.

Opposition To Equality: There are many examples of Walker’s harsh and uncaring treatment of those whom he does not believe to be entitled to equality.  None is more glaring than his intolerance of gays and lesbians … as Governor, he has worked to end Wisconsin’s recognition of the rights of same-sex couples. He fired the law firm defending the state’s domestic-partnership law.  And he appointed a woman to the state’s Labor and Industry Review Commission who believes that gays can be harassed in the workplace.

Desirous Of Personal Power: As governor, Walker sought to remove civil service jobs, in order to make them political appointments, and thus subject to his control.  Most strikingly, he has sought to undercut the public-employee unions so that he would not have to deal with them, thus increasing his power. Often overlooked is the power grab to fill three dozen civil-service jobs with political appointees.  For instance, the “budget repair bill” politicized and placed under Walker’s control functions like open-records requests, the selection of general counsels for key agencies, and the selection of communications spokespeople in key departments.  He has increased his personal power over some fifteen state agencies, and I suspect that he is just getting started. Walker’s push to get Act 10 passed into law was done in about as authoritarian a fashion as you will ever see, outside of a dictatorship.

Amorality: It is found in his history of ethics violations and the record of his lying … ethics problems go back to his Marquette University days, when the college newspaper called him “unfit” for student office. Later, in the Assembly (in 2005), Walker would earn the distinction of receiving the second-highest fine for an ethics violation in Wisconsin history.  His lying is notorious. Politifacts Wisconsin finds Walker to be an accomplished falsifier. I watched a video of a Walker speech at the Goldwater Institute.  He’s slick: Fast-talking, confident, and dishonest—I watched him distort facts with which I was familiar.  He spoke in mostly half-truths.

Submissive To Authority: While Scott Walker plays by the rules of the authorities he accepts, because he is a dominator.

Aggressiveness On Behalf Of Authority:  The aggression in authoritarian followers is largely fueled by fear, but it is also emboldened by the abundance of self-righteousness that such people possess. As a member of the Wisconsin Assembly, in 1996 Walker was the moving force behind the building of a 500-bed “Supermax” prison, which he claimed worked better than normal facilities; others had doubts.  Also, when state officials sought a 200-bed unit, Walker insisted on more than doubling the request.

Another instance … can be found in an example from 1997, when Walker pushed legislation that eliminated all parole, while increasing maximum criminal sentences by fifty percent.  Walker also pushed for draconian legislation that would send juvenile offenders to adult prisons at age 15, although his colleagues in the Assembly rejected this excessively harsh approach. These, too, are examples of classic authoritarian behavior at work.

Wisconsin’s Double High Authoritarian Governor: To me, it is clear that Wisconsin has a double high authoritarian governor, a conservative without conscience.  If I lived in Wisconsin, I would be uncomfortable with this man, whom I find more Nixonian than even Richard Nixon himself … have many friends who fall into this group, who are wonderful people.  But none of my double high authoritarian friends are suited to serve as President of the United States, or as governor of any state … they are failures as presidents and governors, and as Bob Altemeyer’s work has shown, they can be dangerous to democracy.

Hopefully, one or more social scientists or political psychologists in Wisconsin, where there are many, will step forward and tell the people of Wisconsin more about what they have on their hands, with Scott Walker as their governor. Altemeyer estimates that about twenty-five percent of the population has, in varying degrees, the disposition to follow a double high authoritarian, many blindly or simply because it assuages their fears.  And, of course, these are aggressive followers who can attract others who are unaware of the nature of the person they are electing, thus enabling an authoritarian leader like Walker to gain ever-growing control. Good luck, Wisconsin.

Walker's one party authority admits intimidation works, worth the money. Opposition will not be tolerated.

Wow, in response to a court order, the DOJ's cost-benefit analysis of arresting protesters at the Capitol avoided the use of...numbers!!! The arrests are being made based on rightwing authoritarian “principles,” like silencing their opposition and discouraging dissent. Leaders lead, they don’t need to listen.

In what is a shockingly irresponsible display of partisanship, AG J.B. Van Hollen didn't bother to fulfill a judge’s simple request:

WEAU: Dane County Circuit Judge Peter Anderson asked DOJ in January to provide a cost-benefit analysis of pursuing so many citations.

(The DOJ) didn't offer any numerical data, saying instead that legislators concluded the benefit of access rules that protect Capitol visitors outweighs enforcement costs and prosecutors have great discretion on what cases to pursue.

They also avoided outrage over all that wasted taxpayer money. 

No word yet on the judges reaction. 

Leadership, Paul Ryan and Vicki McKenna style.....

Republicans are big on having "leaders," despite pushing "individualism, freedom and liberty," a direct contradiction to their one party style of authoritarian rule .

I heard radio's snake oil pitch person Vicki McKenna come up with a dramatic example of projection today. Basically, it goes something like this; pushy know-it-all progressive leadership is bad, conservative authoritarian father-knows-what's-best leadership is good.

Progressive Leadership: In the first clip, McKenna poses this false premise to make her case for what really sounds like her own parties goal:

"...believe what they say. Don't present them with the facts. Don't confront them with the failures. The failures will be redefined as successes. The facts will be ignored. Your concerns are irrelevant, trust us, we know what's best. That's the way progressives think."

Good conservative leadership: But McKenna sounds like she's describing Paul Ryan, who says he morally knows what's best for us, despite overwhelming public support for something else:

"It sounds simple...but if I believe this is counter productive for the very people we're trying to hurt...to help...and will hurt them by doing this, but it's politically popular, what does that say about you as a moral person...leaders have to take positions that may not be popular sometimes if they think they're doing the right thing."

Republicans continue to tell all of us what we're not ready for, because they say they know, from legalizing marijuana to a female president:

Darn, that rules out Hillary.

With not even a mention of allowing medical marijuana, Scott Walker has decided for us that we're just not ready yet. jsonline:

"I've never experienced this, but I can't imagine people socially smoking the way people have a beer or two at a wedding reception. There's a huge difference out there. So in the end, I understand why people make that argument (for legalization), but in our state, I don't think we're ready for that."

Walker Flips Position, Injects himself into legal System to Fire Teacher. This after rejecting a Veterans pardon. But Walker loves teachers?

Firing teachers at will is something Republicans have been working on for a long time. Now they have their first execution to prove their "moral" purity.

"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator."-Bush

No Pardons-the Law is the Law: Scott Walker believes in the legal system so much that he even turned down an Iraq war veteran's request for a pardon (the guy wanted to become a police officer):  

Walker has said he doesn't consider pardon requests because he doesn't believe he should inject himself into the criminal justice system. "To me, the only people who are seeking pardons are people who have been guilty of a crime and I have a hard time undermining the actions of a jury and of a court."

Flip Flop: "Undermining the actions" of the court(s): Even a decision by the state's highest court of law didn't slow Walker down in what he saw as an election year story of "moral" values. After a court ordered a fired teacher to be reinstated and the state Supreme Court agreed, Scott Walker's respect for the law and courts disappeared. After all, didn't Walker just defeat and vilify teachers? 

Gov. Scott Walker has asked State Superintendent Tony Evers to begin license revocation proceedings for a Middleton teacher reinstated to his job this month after being fired in 2010 for looking at pornographic images at school. “After hearing from concerned parents..."

Here's Channel3000 with their coverage:



Actually only one parent.

Walker spokesman Tom Evenson said the governor sent the letter to Evers after hearing from one of those parents. In an email last week, an aide to the governor told parent Kira Dott that the matter was under the jurisdiction of the local school board and “further from the Governor’s jurisdiction as this was decided in the courts.”

Flip Flop: Just like that, Scott Walker is setting out to undermine the local school board and courts, in a big way. Here's a short history, a legal process Walker is about to reverse: 

Other teachers also found to be violating the district’s policies on Internet and technology were not fired. An arbitrator ruled in 2012 that the district “has just cause to discipline Harris but because the penalty of discharge is excessive, arbitrary and an abuse of discretion, the penalty needs to be reduced to be comparable to other penalties for similar offenses,” and that he should be given a 15-day suspension instead.

Circuit and appellate courts upheld that ruling. Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to hear the school board’s appeal of the arbitrator’s ruling, prompting the district to comply with the ruling and reinstate Harris.

 But a little known law passed in the shadow of Act 10 has suddenly put Walker in control:

A law known as Act 84 that was passed in 2011 further clarified immoral conduct to include looking at pornography on school computers. In the letter, Walker said “it appears (Harris’) behavior meets the definition of ‘Immoral conduct’” … giving Evers the ability to revoke Harris’ license … reforms Walker worked to put in place that gave “local school districts the tools they need to hire and fire teachers based on … professional conduct. 

"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator:"

 “We have a legal system in this country,” Harris’ lawyer, William Haus said. “You go through four years of litigation and now the governor chimes in? There has to be an end of a process ... you can’t go through four years of expensive litigation and it goes all the way to the Supreme Court and suddenly we have someone who knows better.”

Wisconsin sold to Business and Wealthy Contributors, who are now writing state Laws. People still allowed to vote in smaller numbers, but for how long?

Ruth Conniff, the editor of The Progressive, wrote this nice summation of Wisconsin's now pay to play political environment, a system Scott Walker brags could be the model for the rest of the country. From the Isthmus Daily Page:

You have to hand it to them -- at least they're consistent. If there's an issue that pits the interests of ordinary Wisconsinites against those of a wealthy elite, you can count on our leaders in the statehouse to defend the rich and corporations against kids, low-wage workers and the uninsured.

1. Take Assembly Bill 540, Rep. Joel Kleefisch's bold initiative to defend the interests of stingy millionaire dads. It just so happens that Michael Eisenga maxed out on campaign contributions to Kleefisch six times. He also gave $7,500 to Kleefisch's wife, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, and $15,000 to Gov. Scott Walker. But this is more than one isolated story. It's actually the new model for how Republicans do business in our state.

2. Take the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, which has been handing out money to companies that happen to be big Republican donors, on the theory that these incentives will induce the "job creators" to create some jobs. Instead, the agency lost a lot of the money, gave it to companies for jobs that existed before the program went into effect, and bought Badger tickets and iTunes gift cards for staff. The net effect? Wisconsin lags the region in job creation and had the highest number of unemployment claims in the nation in November. So what does the Legislature do? It releases millions to the WEDC to keep up the good work.

3. The drive to do away with the weekend is another example of our pay-to-play government at work. Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the state's biggest business lobby and a major Republican contributor, is pushing for the law so that employers can "allow" their employees to work seven days a week. Sen. Glenn Grothman makes no bones about the fact that WMC came up with the idea.

4. The privatization of our public schools in Wisconsin follows the same pattern. The powerful school privatization lobby, which now employs three former Assembly speakers who walk the halls of the Capitol and twist arms, ranks with the WMC as a top donor to state Republicans and is pushing for profit-making education companies to get a piece of the state's public-school funds.

An Assembly committee last week took up a bill that would make it easier for independent, profit-making charter schools to proliferate, without oversight by local school boards and communities. These schools take money right off the top of state education funds, draining money from every public school in the state. Rocketship lobbied for the bill and appears to be its primary beneficiary. In an offhand remark during the debate on a companion measure in the Senate, Sen. Luther Olsen commented, "We're just doing this for Rocketship," according to one of his Democratic colleagues on the committee.

What's amazing about all this is how flagrant Republicans are about pushing legislation that narrowly benefits their own benefactors -- at great cost to the taxpayers, public school kids and regular citizens of the state. How long can we sustain this kleptocracy before there's nothing left?

The Walker Dictatorship: Presidential Run only if One Party Rules.

Scott Walker has had it easy. Without party opposition, legislative compromising and have the luxury of dismissing public protests, Walker can travel and raise cash without ever breaking a sweat, or explaining himself.

He doesn't need to govern, unless it's really easy, like putting off a casino decision or kicking the can down the road on transportation spending. Restrictive social engineering and over regulation of individual freedoms aren't on his radar, but he'll sign them into law anyway. Hey, what can a guy do?

While no one has noticed, Walker is hinting at a Presidential dictatorship, if the U.S. Senate flips to Republican. Only then will he consider running for president. Easy street.

In the infamous words of the guy who gave us our current massive debt, George W. Bush, Walker's wet dream goes something like this:

"If this were a dictatorship it would be a heck of a lot easier... as long as I'm the dictator. Hehehe."

Will our sociopathic career politician get his "despotic" wish? He at least isn't hiding it in the video here with Chuck Todd.



Here's Walker on CNN with Candy Crawley with the same frightening message:

Walker, the "Candidate of Polarization"...it's so much easier with One Party Rule!

Gee, governing is a breeze. It's easy for Walker to sit back, travel and keep his promises with one party rule. What a challenge. How does he do it? Forget about this divided government thing the GOP insisted was needed under Democratic majorities.

And that's what Walker is pushing. He wants a dominant political juggernaut that "leads" by force, making unpopular changes that marginalizes anyone who isn't a believer. Gerrymandering, big money campaign propaganda and voters who have been shut out of the process is already a reality in Wisconsin. I'm living it.  

Ezra Klein, who's observations are usually on the mark, was stunned by what he heard.

Ezra Klein writes in The Washington Post's Wonkblog ... that Gov. Scott Walker is the "candidate of polarization."

Some of Klein's observations from attending a Walker meeting with reporters last week:Walker did something amazing at this breakfast. He did something I've never seen a presidential aspirant do. When asked about the gridlock and polarization in Washington, he refused to say he could bring the two parties together. Instead, he made the case for unified government. 

"For years, the conventional wisdom was that Americans want divided government. I think they've seen in the last few years that that's not necessarily a good thing. Instead of checks and balances you get a lot of gridlock."

Nor did Walker try to spin his record in Wisconsin as a model of coming together to get things done. 

"What we learned in Wisconsin ... was that if you want to get big, bold reform done in your state you need a team to help you do that. So in our case everything switched from Democratic control to Republican control in 2010 and that empowered us to go out and make reforms that would've been much more difficult without those changes."

All this leaves Walker attempting something very unusual: Running as the candidate of polarization. His pitch isn't that he can bring the two sides together but that he can persuade the public to kick the other side out of office. 

"Voters think people in Washington fight for the sake of fighting. Voters don't mind fighters, but they want them to be fighting for them."

 My previous post, a shorter version of this story last week, is here.

Surprise! Walker book title biggest lie.

As I've mentioned before, when Republicans brag about courage and principles, they’re really saying: We know what’s best, you won’t like it, so shut up.  We've got our principles.

It’s a familiar comment riding the very rightwing authoritarian wave spearheaded by the tea party.

So the quote below isn't just rhetoric, it’s a real warning to the public :  

Gov. Scott Walker: “We don’t need to change our principles. What we need is more courage.”

Wisconsin, a blue state once, has seen firsthand the authoritarian behavior of our one party Republican majority. Led by Scott Walker, the right wing did everything it could to erase, one-by-one, policies favored by the Democratic Party. It was like nearly half the state suddenly didn't count anymore. Protesters were vilified, intimidated with death threats, and marginalized as a nuisance. Since the courts in Dane County were too liberal, Republicans passed a law allowing for statewide judge shopping in known conservative areas.

But Scott Walker said he has courage and leadership. It takes real courage and leadership not having to deal with the input and objections of an opposition. What a brave man.

Walker’s ghost written book, much like magical legislation authored by ALEC passing out of the Capitol, is a decidedly one sided view and revisionist screed meant to fabricate success around abject failure.

I thought the review below posted at Amazon hit the mark, highlighting Walker’s actual behavior during the protests that many outside of Wisconsin never heard about.

The Walker "Bubble" Wrapped Followers Reviews

By Kimi Ishikawa on November 24, 2013: Hmpf. Unintimidated? This is a governor who is afraid to show his face in Wisconsin's state house. He enters and departs through underground tunnels. In 2011 he posted private guards (who impersonated police officers) in the parking garages surrounding the Capitol at the other end of the tunnels. He only appears in the Capitol Rotunda to light the Christmas tree (then he dashes off, leaving his wife alone to finish the event), and to attend the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial (where he is shamed by keynote speakers).

Unintimidated? This is the governor who lined up the National Guard to protect him … Unintimidated? This is the governor who had Administrative rules rewritten because of the "emergency" of peaceful citizens gathering during the non-business noon hour to sing (at the Capitol). He is afraid of singers. Unintimidated? He holds most major press conferences about Wisconsin out of state. He even attempted to hold State of the State addresses at a private firm so he could exclude his detractors. When forced to hold them at the Capitol, he stacks the gallery with his invitees and allows less than 10 seats for the general public. He had his book release in New York because he was too afraid to have it in Wisconsin. Unintimidated? Laughable title. As fictional as the rest of this book.

Walker complains of Massive Protests and Death Threats, but ignores the public message; he went too far.

I am so tired of Scott Walker's redirection play in media interviews where he describes the death threats to him, his family and other legislators as just heated personalized rhetoric. He's always dismissing his "divide and conquer" policies.

Besides never giving one example of anyone spending time in prison for their supposed death threat, Walker shifts away from the real reason for all the threats: His inability to moderate policy base on the public's reaction. Isn't that a symptom of going too far?  Isn't that how, sadly, extreme politicians are held in check in a democratic republic? How blindly ideological do you have to be to ignore the death threats, recalls and massive protests? That simple checks and balances approach is a relic of the past.

On WPR's Joy Cardin Show, Walker explains how it wasn't what he said, but the unions rhetoric that stirred things up around the Capitol. That's a complete lie, or proof Walker is that far out of touch with what actually happened. In reality, the unions were just as caught off guard by the massive public response and support they received.

Again, the massive protests, the recalls and even the death threats were just so many red flags that should have told the majority party they went way too far. Audio:



Believe it or not, Walker directly compared the protests around the Capitol to the Gabby Giffords shooting. That event scared the daylights out him and the Republican majority, despite the fact liberals weren't the ones threatening "Second Amendment Remedies." Instead, the party of righteousness under Scott Walker doubled down on security. Walker claims he tried to tone things down, but in reality, tried to protect concealed carry legislation from being affected.

In fact, Walker's reaction to blame "liberals" was eerily similar to this response by Judson Phillips, the founder of Tea Party Nation:

Judson Phillips described Jared Loughner as a "liberal lunatic"  "The shooting of Gabrielle Giffords and the left's attack on the Tea Party movement," described the shooter as "a leftist lunatic" and Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik as a "leftist sheriff" who "was one of the first to start in on the liberal attack." Phillips urged tea party supporters to blame liberals for the attack on centrist Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona ... as a means of defending the tea party movement's recent electoral gains.

The fact that Walker gaves rambling responses to listener questions told us more in a few minutes than anything we'll ever read in his published attempt at revisionist history. I wonder if he mentioned the death threats against the opponents of his authority? Thom Hartmann talked with DPW's Graeme Zalienski about that and more: