Desperate Walker Lobbyists WMC ad lie, get caught, double down and do nothing. Ends justify Means!

Well, this is uncomfortable...and desperate. Walker lackeys apparently don't have anything on Evers:

WMC is wrong, wrong, and wrong again:

JS-Molly Beck: The state's chamber of commerce, WMC, released a new ad this week hitting state schools superintendent and Democratic candidate for governor Tony Evers over giving his staff raises and bonuses instead of putting that money into poorly performing schools. 

But the Legislature and Gov. Scott Walker's Department of Administration have control over such payments, and state law would have prevented Evers from unilaterally taking funding for staff salaries and sending it to schools. DPI spokesman Tom McCarthy said in 2014, the DOA approved retention raises for DPI employees and the Legislature had set bonuses at $2,000 per employee.

Wrong, right? Will WMC kill the ad now exposed as an obvious lie to voters? Nope, in fact, WMC went further, saying it's Tony Evers fault? They said Evers "could have" "had the ability to" "he didn't even try" and "should have tried." You can't make this stuff up:

Nick Novak, spokesman for the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, said Evers should have lobbied the Legislature to move the money anyway. "He could have done this. He had the ability to do this. And he didn't even try," Novak said. "I think he should have tried if he felt strongly about something."

Novak is making stuff up and got caught red-handed creating a fantastical "he could have done this" scenario.  Jaw-dropping, but not unusual for WMC. But lying is now a powerful campaign tactic for Republicans because their voters say they don't care, and WMC's Novak piled on more BS, ignoring the fact Walker and the legislature approved the bonuses, like the headline says. In other words, he's blaming Walker and the legislature for giving bonuses. That's real good reelection message:

Novak said giving bonuses to employees at an agency that oversees public education at a time when dozens of schools are not meeting basic academic standards is unacceptable. 

A spokeswoman for Evers' campaign referred a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter to the DPI. McCarthy said the ad was "laughable. It shows they they don’t understand how the system actually works."

By the way, the "in-kind" coordinated ad with the Walker Campaign about firing teachers for pornography was also a complete fiction. A LIE. And television stations have not pulled it. I think this a major story that will come up sometime when it's too late to make a difference.  

Walker's positive reelection message? "Liberals pushing anger and hate..."

Liberal Anger? The real anger is spewing out of Walker's reelection campaign, showing a total lack of self-awareness. Distracting from his shocking lack of problem-solving and heavy use of resentment, see if you can find his "positive" "optimistic" message?  

Walker above riff-raff Criticism:  So closing Lincoln Hills, doling out a $100 per child bribe, Trump criticism, shoring up ObamaCare, and now begging Kimberly Clark to retain jobs so he won't look bad, does Walker come across as a guy who thinks he's not in trouble? 

Scott Walker's Scrambling over Kimberly Clark Closure during Election Year: And yet, Walker's zeroed out corporate tax rate hasn't changed a thing. In fact, Walker is now "picking winners and losers" with a Kimberly Clark deal that would dish out $8 million a year for 15 years to retain 600 workers...this is the Republican vision of a free market? Why not a 2-year plan to help relocate and retrain the current labor force?

Under the deal championed by Gov. Scott Walker, Kimberly-Clark would be eligible for up to $7.8 million a year ... paid out as cash from the state because the company has no tax liability under current law.

Add to that Foxconn, and I  see a major trend developing for Republicans; taxpayer-funded wages.

So ignore the angry, resentful, hatefilled news headlines and inconvenient facts...: 

 

Scott Walker's desperate, cynical, poll based reelection Hail Mary!!!

Scott Walker's sudden whiplash inducing support of the ACA's marketplace is a shocking admission he's been wrong and knows it. But what's worse is Walker's desperate out-of-character scheme based solely on high priority polling data showing how badly Republican have abandoned their voters biggest concerns.

Can it get any clearer than this.

WisPolitics.com JR Ross explained why Walker flip flopped, so even low information "Stand with Walker" voters will get it; it's about polling demographics that contradicts the extreme GOP agenda. JS:

Ross: "Those suburban women we were talking...health care is their number one issue. If you look at some of the things that Walker proposed, a lot of them check boxes of demographics that they need come November...the rural economic development fund, that was a nod to rural voters who are going, 'hey, where's mine, we're worried up here when Foxconn gets $4.5 billion...One person told me that Republican got convinced because it's all polling. They saw what was going on out there, and they realized they needed to do something like this, and that helped to push this through."

Need more proof?

Walker Supports...and wants to kill the ObamaCare Marketplaces? Having it Both Ways: The Journal Sentinel headline reflects down-the-rabbit-hole politics, and how bad Walker wants it:

Gov. Scott Walker signed a $200 million bill Tuesday to stabilize Obamacare markets in Wisconsin even as state Attorney General Brad Schimel sued seeking to block the entire law. The GOP governor — a longtime critic of the Affordable Care Act — has emphasized:

“Our Health Care Stability Plan is our solution to Washington’s failure; we want to provide health care stability and lower premiums for Wisconsin." 

Not only does Walker not mean what he's saying, but apparently, the changes Republicans pushed through in Congress didn't just weaken the health care law, they made it "no longer constitutional." 

But Schimel, also a Republican, received Walker's sign-off to move this week in a different direction, leading a group of 20 states who are suing to block Obamacare entirely. Though Republicans in Congress failed to repeal the law last year, Schimel argues that they made enough changes that the law is no longer constitutional.

The reason?

In a 2012 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate in Obamacare by saying Congress had the authority to impose a tax on consumers who don't purchase health insurance. Last year, Congress and President Donald Trump eliminated the tax.

Schimel's lawsuit argues that because the tax has been dropped, the individual mandate to buy health insurance and, with it, the entire law are no longer constitutional.

It's the old Republican ploy; create a problem, then find away to avoid solving it.

Fitting perfectly in with the theme here, check out the latest from Brian Strassburg:

Scott Walker trashes Madison's 2.1% Unemployment rate and "throwback to the 60's" straight talking Mayor Soglin.

In my previous blog I posted this uncomfortable truth for Republicans:

Dane County, Madison Liberals to the Rescue: Democratic politicians in Dane County must be doing something right...

Dane County, which includes Madison and its technology spin-off industries, reported the state’s lowest jobless rate in April at 2.1%. Unemployment was worst across northern Wisconsin.

Liberal Democratic Successes: Democrats could have mismanaged the UW Madison's contributions to our economies bottom line and low unemployment numbers like the Republicans, but they haven't.

Madison Mayor Paul Soglin said Democrats were losing because they had become afraid to run campaigns on liberal, progressive values. "I think the point is that people are ready for someone in elected office who is focused on really delivering to the people who are electing them. It's real simple," said Soglin.

Scott Walker must not know that Mayor Soglin's been around our fair city for some time now, the same city that hosts the Capitol, which makes his comment even more absurd. From WKOW:

Governor Walker grinned when asked about the possibility Monday. "It'd make for a lively race. I mean, he's an unabashed throwback to the 1960s radical liberal out there. The idea that he thinks Bernie Sanders is a good model for him, I think makes for a great contrast. It probably does him well in Madison, I doubt it does well across the rest of the state. I don't think most people in the state believe that Madison is the way they want to be.”

Yea, lowest jobless rate and a mix of new businesses. Of course believing in Trump's agenda makes so much more sense?

But Soglin believes the rest of the state could benefit greatly from the way things are done here. "Yeah, we've got a philosophy about how to administer government to address these challenges. And they work. Why would anybody be embarrassed by that?  2.1 percent unemployment. I think every part of the state would like to be like that."

The low information brain trust at the Republican Party of Wisconsin offered up this mindless, meaningless statement…

“Paul Soglin is as radical a left-wing Madison liberal as you can get, even unbelievably giving the key to the City of Madison to brutal communist dictator Fidel Castro (1975),” said Alec Zimmerman, spokesman for the Republican Party of Wisconsin. “Instead of standing up for Wisconsin taxpayers, Madison liberal Paul Soglin would cling to the failed polices of yesterday, take Wisconsin backward to the days when special interests controlled state government - and leave Wisconsin taxpayers footing the bill.”

That's right, special interests don't control Walker's copy cat agenda. And what failed Soglin policies of yesterday is he talking about?

Check out Paul Soglin's reaction to Walker's 60's throwback statement with Sly. 

Walker's Wisconsin: Four more years of lost jobs in manufacturing, lower wages, and bad roads/construction delays, etc.....

I don't think Scott Walker has gotten the message yet...think he will now? Na!

Manufacturing employment last year posted declines in 28 states, including a sharp drop in Wisconsin ...Wisconsin’s manufacturers lost 3,784 jobs in the period from December 2015 to December 2016, a drop of 0.8%, which was far steeper than the national average in the sector. 

The decline in factory employment is all the more baffling after the Republican-controlled legislature, with Walker’s support, enacted a deep tax cut ... took full effect in 2016. The Manufacturing and Agricultural Credit slashed the effective rate of state corporate taxes for all Wisconsin-based manufacturers to nearly nothing — from 7.9% to 0.4%.

The Walker manufacturing renaissance ain't happening, despite the outpouring of praise from bullshitting CEO's who predictably stroked Walker's ego for his "bold" tax cuts.

Average weekly private-sector wages in the state declined 0.6% last year, led by a 5.3% plunge in manufacturing wages.

Remember when Walker trashed the minimum wage because as governor he wanted people to get jobs that paid higher wages instead? What if wages don't get much higher? No plan.

The Journal Sentinel put together this truly telling piece:



The latest QCEW numbers should put a stake in the heart of Walker's reelection hopes.

Private-sector job growth rate of 0.5 percent was less than half the national average of 1.2 percent, putting the state 33rd in the national rankings for the second-straight year.

Put another way, according to the Journal Sentinel:

The 2016 data were the worst for Wisconsin since the current expansion began, following the severe 2008-'09 recession. The 2016 data also were the worst of the six years since Gov. Scott Walker took office in 2011.

The US created private-sector jobs at a rate of 1.3% in the latest 12-month period, more than double Wisconsin's 0.5% increase.

Among Midwest peer states, as measured in overall job growth, Wisconsin ranked 33rd behind Michigan (No. 15), Minnesota (No. 18), Indiana (No. 24), Pennsylvania (No. 28) and Ohio (No. 31), and ahead of Illinois (34) and Iowa (41).

Like a broken record, Walker's got nothing but the low unemployment rate to brag about, a gift from the Obama administration. But we're still "growing"...ever so slowly:

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate consistently has trended below the national rate for more than 30 years. "The bottom line is Wisconsin's economy is growing and adding jobs,” Workforce Development Secretary Ray Allen said in a statement.

Dane County, Madison Liberals to the Rescue: Democratic politicians in Dane County must be doing something right...

Dane County, which includes Madison and its technology spin-off industries, reported the state’s lowest jobless rate in April at 2.1%. Unemployment was worst across northern Wisconsin.

Electoral Breakdown so predictable.

The partisan divide in Wisconsin is so extreme now, that Republicans who may or may not be qualified, are pretty much a sure thing. Conservative voters have their own identities so closely tied in with the Republicans, that any election failure is a personal insult to them:

WSJ: Democratic strategist Paul Maslin said another explanation for Walker’s big win was his continued success in courting voters outside Dane, Rock, Milwaukee and the five other counties that make up southeastern Wisconsin. In Milwaukee County, Burke received almost 20,000 fewer votes than Barrett (Walker’s total dipped by nearly 11,000 votes). “Republicans are better at holding onto their voters and keeping them active in a midterm election,” UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden said.

David Wegge, director of the St. Norbert College poll said part of the explanation for the break toward Walker is there are no undecided voters in the final election results.

Here's the proof in graphs. Thank you so much Milwaukee for letting us all down. And you guys in Racine...I hope vouchers continue to destroy and defund your public schools. Enjoy your empty lives:

Walker seeks a one party dictatorial government devoid of opposition party "special interests."

Scott Walker’s one act union busting play is still drawing big crowds, despite the lack of organized labor’s presence in the country. Walker is so good what he does, he convinced statewide voters that his predecessor was the one who wiped out 130,000 jobs, and not the GOP’s free market disaster-the Great Recession.

The old “Special Interests” Switcheroo: Under the “job creator” banner, corporate special interests; lobbyist; think tanks; and John Birch Society/Federalist Society billionaire contributors have poured billions into campaigns; these special interests are the good kind, providing a solid message and helping bring about big GOP wins.

But the bad kind of special interests, the ones funding his opponents, doesn't work for Walker. They make his plans for a dictatorial one party takeover of the government a little harder.  

“There was a group out of Washington — Washington-based special interests — who thought they could spend a lot of money and a lot of time in the state and somehow convince the people of this state to be against something,” Mr. Walker told hundreds of supporters at an exposition center at the State Fair Park.

Being “against something” will not be tolerated in a free society protected by the 1^st Amendment. 

Being "against something" like the Affordable Care Act, a minimum wage, pay equity, women’s choice, an actual immigration policy, fewer interventionist wars and environmental protection isn't really being “against something.” It’s just simple common sense to not like this stuff, right?

And while Walker let’s his multitude of angry, racist, bigoted special interests and corporate shills do all the dirty work, he’s got a friendly smile and concerned look on his face.

“I've got to tell you, I’m an optimist. I believed all along if we got a positive message out that in the end people of the state wanted to be for something not against something, and look what happened.”

The conservative voters lack of introspection and self-criticism will only move us closer to a new lower standard of living, one we’re already getting used to in the southern states.  

With God on their side, even economically struggling states keep the faith in their governors:

“First off, I want to thank God,” Walker told a cheering crowd of more than 2,000.

Republican governors elected in 2010 that included Florida’s Rick Scott, Ohio’s John Kasich and Michigan’s Rick Snyder.

Election Disaster....Walker's part-time governorship takes backseat to presidency.

Republicans in Wisconsin have it easy here now, knowing that whatever happens can be blamed on former governor Jim Doyle. With their conscience cleared, they head to the polls and vote for Scott Walker.

And while Scott Walker is telling everyone how how great things are, the public is seeing something different, like lower standards, a crumbling infrastructure, and declining wages. They've soured on the economy and the direction of the country thanks to guys like Scott Walker, but can't resist taking his petty tax cuts. They're also pretty happy to find out the Great Recession wasn't their fault, it was because of Jim Doyle and Mary Burke.

Scott Walker gave a nationalized speech tonight, and for good reason, he got that one thing he said would force him to run for president, a Republican  senate.

Walker is a walking memorized script of talking points and stories we now get to hear over and over all over again.

The conservative Wisconsin State Journal gave a whole bunch of good reasons why they endorsed Mary Burke for governor. I posted it here a few days ago as a way to look back at what we missed. Burke was smart, apolitical, and business all the way. Funny, business didn't care much about that CEO toughness. They knew they wouldn't have Governor Dupe anymore, and their BS gravy train would be over.

Here's what the Walker mob did during Mary Burke's concession speech.

Here's Mary Burke's speech, the one that got booed by those classy "stand with Walker" brownshirted thugs:

Here's Walker's presidential speech...I mean acceptance speech. Oh, and I think he wants Democrats to blame God for his victory:



When Walker promises to let everyone run their own lives and control their own destiny, his followers cheered. There's another way of looking at it though; as individuals supposedly controlling your own life and destiny, try fighting large corporate groups, think tanks and business lobbyists all by yourself. Kinda puts us all at a major disadvantage against the monied interests, and divides the nations people from their government. That can't end well.

Still too early...?

Walker has always had a way with moderate Democrats in Wisconsin. It's weird.

Bracing for the election results....

The dangerous thing about our detached incidental governor Scott Walker is his ability to win in a purple state. It could also go national...

Walker Bashes Burke's campaign "Surrogates" same day he brings in Chris Christie!!!

Scott Walker doesn't need no surrogates. And if he had one, Walker says, it's because they asked to visit and he just couldn't say no...you believing this? From WPT's Here and Now:

Walker's positive and stolen "Comeback" campaign includes Mary Burke Bashing Reince Priebus...all in good fun?

Our classless Governor Walker couldn't help but take a jab at Mary Burke's outside support from Michelle and Barack Obama, President Clinton and others who didn't follow Walker's own campaign trip through Wisconsin. Poor Mary Burke, stuck in old Milwaukee again?

But as WPR reported, Walker's snide remarks pale in comparison to RNC thug Reince Priebus's screed, as he played an even "badder cop" bashing Mary Burke with old and new disproved attacks on her character. The audio clip ends with a call from "Phil" bashing Burke for not denying she was ever fired from her Trek job. She must be guilty? Reporter Shawn Johnson disproved that talking point as well:  

Hell Froze Over: Conservative Wisconsin State Journal endorses Democrat Mary Burke!!!

For most of us, it makes sense. But “stand with Walker” supporters contend we’re all a bunch of dipsh**s and dummies when defending Scotties policies. Hard to argue with that rabid reasoning. 

I'm going to pass along a few sections of their editorial for future reference if Walker is reelected. The words of the editorial board may come back to haunt us. 

The State Journal editorial board endorses Burke for governor in Tuesday’s election: A pro-business Democrat, Burke isn’t your typical Madison liberal. The teachers union opposed her bid for Madison School Board. Burke isn’t flashy. She’s matter of fact and analytical. She has integrity, heart and smarts.

Burke earned a finance degree from Georgetown and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard. She quickly became an entrepreneur … Trek reports that its European sales soared during her tenure. She later served as director of forecasting and strategic planning for nearly a decade.

Free-market Republicans have oddly attacked Burke for outsourcing jobs at Trek. What she and her family’s company really have done is succeed in a highly competitive global marketplace.

So it’s easy to dismiss as last-minute politicking the accusations last week by two former Trek executives. The two men — both conservatives who back Walker — questioned Burke’s success as a young woman running Trek’s European division more than two decades ago. One of the critics is a highly partisan Republican Party official who was fired from Trek and lacks credibility. The other had a falling out with the Burke family years ago after he took over a rival company.

As governor, Burke wants to capitalize on university research. Wisconsin is a leader in filing patents yet lacks the private investment needed to push great ideas into the marketplace. She would quadruple Walker’s inadequate $30 million venture capital fund to leverage more private dollars for innovative small businesses. Unlike Walker, she would allow the fund to invest in biotechnology.

Walker’s signature jobs agency, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC), has been sloppy and disappointing. State exports slipped last year, and job growth has been slow — less than half what the governor promised. Walker’s first term was bogged down by his repeal of collective bargaining … he could have achieved many of the same results — without two years of tumult — by suspending collective bargaining, rather than ending it … once the state’s balance sheet improved, the governor and Republican-run Legislature prioritized showy tax cuts over fiscal responsibility. Now a $1.8 billion budget shortfall looms, plus $1 billion in spending requests.

Our editorial board met with both candidates for governor, and we’ve closely followed their public lives and careers. Our endorsement of Burke isn’t a prediction of who will win. It’s who we believe is best to lead Wisconsin forward. Mary Burke is that candidate.

Missed Scott Walker Mistake #2: Walker Authority about to end Family Farms and small Businesses in a single Generation.

Hey, I'm just a city boy, but isn't it time farmers knew what their conservative best buddies did to them before it's too late?

As it originally appeared back in August of 2013: Republicans have bashed the estate tax for supposedly destroying family farms, small businesses and taking a person’s hard earned money away.

Who would have guessed the Scott Walker Authority would have sneaked in a way to do what the estate tax did, and even more?

I've always argued that farmers should be voting Democratic, because Republicans have done everything they can to take their farms and health dignity away. Hell, they don’t even care about high speed internet access in rural communities.

Farmers and small family businesses, wake up, you’re about to lose it all:

Post Crescent: Provisions buried in the new Wisconsin budget dramatically expanded the state’s ability to claim dead couples’ joint property, such as Green Bay Packers tickets or the family farm, to recoup Medicaid expenses — even if the assets are protected in trusts … (to) recover Medicaid money spent on a number of long-term care programs which helps keep disabled and elderly people out of costly nursing homes.

These are the kind of people that are easily targeted and vulnerable.

The state has prioritized recovering every dollar spent on Medicaid over families’ well-being, said Carol Wessels, a Wauwatosa attorney and former chair of the state bar’s Elder Law Section Board of Directors. “My clients are stunned,” Wessels said.

Federal law requires states to recover Medicaid payouts … The state budget language goes far beyond that … would allow DHS to claim property even if it’s not subject to probate, a legal process creditors can use to settle debt after a death, or held in a trust, to protect property from probate.

Republicans targeted small businesses and family farms for dissolution or sale to who knows who… corporate buyers, for what? They changed what didn't have to be changed, to supposedly “protect taxpayers,” the old stand by excuse that shows no mercy.

The (old) regulations allow applicants to transfer some assets, such as interest in a business, at less than market value without penalty. The Wisconsin budget eliminates that exemption, which means a Wisconsin resident seeking Medicaid coverage for long-term care would have to sell his or her assets, such as a share of a family business or farmland, for full market value even if it was going to a child.

If rural voters continue to support Republicans, they won't have anything left under the Walker Authority's rule. It's true Walker gave agriculture a huge tax cut, but at what price?

But the estate tax, well that affects the really wealthy so they will continue to oppose that.

Missed Scott Walker Mistake 1: Scott Walker screws up Medical Marijuana law!!! Parents with Children suffering Seizures forced to Move out of state.

Democrats have no excuse for not making the following story a major issue. Scott Walker and the Republican legislature did a bait and switch, posed for holy pictures and looked like real heroes. This is really cruel stuff.

Here's the story from June 5th, 2014: Just when you thought Scott Walker had a moment of compassion for the parents of children seeking medical marijuana for the treatment of their seizures, we’re now finding out it was a phony publicity stunt for the upcoming election.

Only a sociopathic monster would pull a stunt like this:  

WKOW: A bill to legalize a marijuana compound called cannabidiol, or CBD, passed the state legislature and was signed into law by Governor Scott Walker in April with quite a bit of fanfare.  But an amendment added to the bill to get it through the Senate says CBD can only be prescribed by a doctor who first gets a waiver from the U.S. Food and Drug and Administration (FDA), because the agency has yet to approve its use. 

This was a cruel and intentional poison pill, and Republicans knew it. They used the bill to appear sympathetic.

Researching how the other 21 states dispense medical marijuana, doctors don't "prescribe" CBD because of federal law, so what they do is “recommend” or offer a certification for the patient to receive the compound. The patient then applies with the state, receives a card, and either grows marijuana or gets their “recommended” dose from a state regulated dispensary.

That's how easy it would have been. And guess who supports this hideous con? Scott Walker. See if Walker’s convoluted comment makes any sense to you, because I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around this one:

"That was not something that was raised to us," said Gov. Walker when 27 News … But Gov. Walker still thinks requiring physicians to get an FDA waiver before prescribing CBD is a necessary precaution. "Particularly when we're talking about the focal point being largely driven by kids, while we wanted to make sure the offering was available, that it is done so in a way that's safe and manageable as well," said Gov. Walker. 

 Absolute bullshit. This really is beyond words. Here's WKOW's Greg Neumann:

Amylynne Santiago-Volker, a Dane County mother whose 9 year-old son Nic suffers up to 100 seizures per day, says she doesn't know of any family in Wisconsin that has been able to successfully get CBD to treat their children.  She says some of those families have already moved to other states such Colorado and California, where medical marijuana is legal and as a result CBD is being prescribed.

Walker's Big Lie: Blames GOP's Great Recession on Doyle, Burke and Democrats.

Our "no answer" Governor Scott Walker is one slick career politician. "Stand with Walker" yes men nod in agreement with the governors word salad responses. They even liked the following Walker stumble over the Great Recessions job losses caused by deregulation and free market principles. Yes, trickle down failed miserably.

Watch slick Scottie quickly change the subject when asked about the lunacy of blaming the recession on former Governor Jim Doyle. He knows it's bullshit, but nods yes, a standard body language response by Walker that magically works like a Samantha Steven's nose twitch.

The press should have hammered Walker on this jobs loss lie years ago. Hell, it's been the focus of his never ending run for a second term, and a ballsy in-your-face lie that proves Republicans can successfully created an alternative reality that can get them reelected. Upfront with Mike Gousha:

Gousha: "Are you saying it's the Doyle policies that caused us to lose 133,000 jobs?"

Walker: "Not all alone, but I said that was the time frame we were in, what we focused on...but again I would say, go back to people, go back before all that happened..." 

Catch that little "not all alone"...that still blames Doyle. Strategically, Walker picked a "time frame" where his party tanked the global economy so they could blame the Democrats and Doyle for it. Walker's one of many governors pulling this stunt:



Whether Walker likes it or not, Wisconsin is still a part of the U.S.. Along with the other 49 other states, Wisconsin is riding the wave of good economic news. Even here, Walker is enjoying Obama's supposed disastrous record, and taking credit for it in his meager jobs count.

Walker's best friend Chris Christie is another failed Republican voters love to embrace as a possible presidential candidate. Bloomberg: 

New Jersey had its credit rating cut one step by Standard & Poor’s, handing Chris Christie his eighth downgrade, the most ever for a Garden State governor ... the lack of progress in fixing budget gaps.

And like Walker blaming a past governor, Christie isn't to blame, it’s the credit agencies?

A potential 2016 candidate for president, Christie said, “We’re trying to address the budget situation, but the fact is that it is not something that should leave them lying awake at night worrying,” when asked whether people should be concerned about the downgrades. “This is, again, I think the ratings agencies going back and being significantly overaggressive because they were such bums back in ’08 and ’09 and they left everybody hanging out to dry.” 

Great New Burke Ad Exposes Walker's former Trek Hit Man!!

The party of racist bigots gets a little sunlight in Mary Burke's new ad. While Scott Walker smirks claiming, "I know nothing," his October surprise may just secure any doubting independents...or will it?

I would hope something this dirty would turn a lot of people off to Walker. Maybe if voters got a look at the guy who sprung this personal attack they would see the Walker connection. Big surprise:



Just to be clear, the claim made by this slimy Walker stooge was no accident:

TPM: Ellerman first made the accusation that Burke was fired. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel notedthat Ellerman serves as chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party and ran as a fake Democrat two years ago in order to fight a recall of Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R).

Will Wisconsin reelect the Dirtiest, Nastiest political Thug in the country, Scott Walker?

Right, Mary Burke would run for governor on her record at Trek, knowing she was fired?

Scott Walker blamed a fawning press that never bothered to vet Burke's record. Check out the the Journal Sentinel's look at the Republican/Walker operatives behind the smear, it's breathtaking.

Watching Walker's well rehearsed response to reporters, our incidental governor continues to act completely removed from this nasty October surprise, except for his carefully crafted pot shot at Mary Burke. Walker is not known for thinking quickly on his feet. From WISC:

Walker: "Any other candidate at any other time in this state's history wouldn't have made it through the primary with the kind of scrutiny that it would have warranted here. You all cover things like my thumb way more than you cover my opponent. You cover the bald spot on my head more than you cover my opponent. Wipe that whole story off the table and I think we make a convincing case with or without that, that her whole campaign in the last year since October 2013 has overwhelmingly been based on what she's against."

Funny how prepared Walker was to continue the personal assault on Burke...

Walker: "Any other candidate at any other time in this state's history wouldn't have made it through the primary with the kind of scrutiny that it would have warranted here. You all cover things like my thumb way more than you cover my opponent. You cover the bald spot on my head more than you cover my opponent." 

As you can see, even this sociopath was having a hard time containing his glee over the irreparable damage his campaign lobbed with this bomb. Smugly calm too.

Mary Burke responded to the political hit piece:

No ax to grind?

She answered questions about recent allegations that she was fired from her job at Trek Bicycle and going after those who shared the story, including former Trek president Tom Albers and Human Resources Director Gary Ellerman. Burke said her position was eliminated in a re-organization and stands by her performance at Trek.

"These are complete lies and fabrications. Tom has an axe to grind, Gary Ellerman has an axe to grind with Trek, and it just shows Scott Walker is not going to stop at anything …these are lies and the voters should look at my track record of exactly what I have accomplished."

Here's WKOW's Greg Neumann with the complete story, a tale oddly released just before the election. Weird huh? Walker said, "They can say anything they want..." leaving the issue out there for his breathlessly in the bag voters:

Walker, Schimel pulling away with 6 days left...Wisconsinites love confident GOP Smokescreen.

The amazing shift in Wisconsin’s political leanings is becoming more pronounced, as conservative voters realized they've got a united, single minded lock step agenda that energizes their entire base. Republican turnout is almost impossible to believe.

Walker has managed the magic 50% mark, to Mary Burke’s 43%. But Burke’s disapproval numbers have gone through the roof. jsonline:

Among registered voters, 38% view Burke favorably while 45% view her unfavorably. Among likely voters, 39% view her favorably while 49% view her unfavorably.

And again, not only are Democrats unable to articulate a strong clear agenda, they don’t seem motivated enough show up to vote:

In Marquette's last poll, 82% of Republicans and 80% of Democrats said they were certain to vote. In the new poll, 93% of Republicans and 82% of Democrats said they were certain to vote. Those numbers are similar to what voters were reporting before the recall election of 2012, which Walker won by 7 points.

Wisconsinites vote no for Democrats, vote Yes for their Platform: Had Democrats been pushing their agenda as hard as rabid dog Republicans, they would won on the war of ideas. Try and figure this one out:

■ 60% said Wisconsin should accept federal funds to expand Medicaid coverage; 25% say it should reject expansion.

■ 57% back a hike in the minimum wage; 39% oppose it.

Of course voters are also convinced of voter fraud, and like it or not, will continue to see heavy regulations and tighter restrictions in the coming legislative sessions. Representative democracy is slowly slipping away, and we have ourselves to blame:

60% support a requirement of a photo ID to vote; 36% are opposed.

And it’s a sweep with the attorney generals race, that will leave GOP legislators insulated from legal challenges.

Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel is leading Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ 43%-39% among likely voters. The two are tied at 40% among all registered voters.  

There's some truth in the fact that this blog and many others preach to their choir. Conservatives will never challenge us or mention out names in their own media bubble. What their listeners don't know won't hurt them right now.

While Scott Walker whined about Burke's outside money, he's hoppin mad he's not getting enough!!!

Tonight on All in with Chris Hayes, we're finding out there's trouble between the two massive egos, Scott Walker and Chris Christie. Seems Walker's not getting the money he thinks he needs to lock up the election.

jsonline: Despite taking in nearly $20 million for his re-election bid this year, $10.4 million of which came in the last three months, Walker is still looking for financial assistance. A federal court ruling that lifted limits on contributions from political action committees worked in Gov. Scott Walker's favor, to the tune of about $2 million. In total, he has taken in about $1.9 million more in PAC money than was previously allowed. 

Without any numbers to prove his "comeback" is real, Walker is now choosing to blame campaign spending by Mary Burke, whining he's being outspent...but:

Washington Post: So far, Republicans are actually outspending, and out-advertising, Democrats on the air. While Walker cites estimates from the Center for Public Integrity, which shows Democrats spending more, figures made available by sources with knowledge of the actual advertising marketplace say Republicans — Walker’s campaign and outside groups included — have spent $20 million on television ads this year, more than the $16.4 million Burke and her allies have spent. 

Half of Walker's funding is coming from out of state special interests. Here's the whole sordid story:

WSJ: And Politico reported Monday that at another campaign stop, Walker made a plea for additional spending from the Republican Governors Association, whose chairman is New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a potential rival of Walker’s for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination but someone who may return to Wisconsin to campaign for Walker.