Mayor Barrett on Sheriff Clarke: "Sounds like he's calling for a police state."

This clip is from a few weeks ago, but it's even more relevant today considering Sheriff David Clarke's recent public service announcement trashing 911 and calling for an armed citizenry.

Upfront's Mike Gousha asked Mayor Tom Barrett about Clarke's comment about gun control:

Clarke: "All of these suggestions about the need for gun control are the mindset of sheep." 

Barrett's response:

Barrett: "I support the people's right to have a gun, but I don't think we should demand that people have guns. And if that's the direction some are leaning toward, that's not our America, where people are basically forced to carry guns."

And isn't that what it's already come down too? Think of how fast we went from concealed carry for the few, to telling everyone that if they want to be safe, they'd better be armed.

The Barrett Slap!

Alright, a Democratic voter fed up with quick concession speeches. We are really getting tired of this race to be the nice guy. The "slap" is wrong, yes, but the frustration is real. Both Ed Schultz and Rachel Maddow are shining a light on the wimpy campaign style that has seen the Democratic Party take a dive. More on that later.

jsonline: Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said Wednesday that he will not seek prosecution of the woman who slapped him after he conceded defeat in Tuesday's gubernatorial recall election.

"That's life in the big city," Barrett told reporters.

Barrett had just finished his concession speech and was talking to supporters at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center when the unidentified woman confronted him. The woman believed that Barrett had given up his bid to oust Republican Gov. Scott Walker when some Milwaukee voters were still waiting to cast ballots, the Democratic mayor said. Others in the crowd also believed that, shouting "Don't do it!" as Barrett started to speak.

Obama for Barrett, now what will Walker thugs Tweet?

Walker Thug Hauled Away, Misses Chance to Shout more at Clinton and Barrett.

Another Walker thug tried spreading his stupidity around by shouting at everything that moved, and tried to deny Bill Clinton and Tom Barrett's constitutional right to speak in Milwaukee. Love these pocket constitutionalists.

During the morning rally at Pere Marquette Park in Milwaukee, the Walker supporter was holding a sign that read "Support Scott Walker NOT Union Thugs." In the middle of the crowd, he would put his sign in front of other signs supporting Barrett.

Get used to it fella, your party is ushering in a whole new version of freedom, where you don't have any.

Brookfield Patch: One Patch reader gives her take on the events: "My husband and I were at the rally standing six feet from him 15 minutes before the rally began, during, and when he was arrested as the rally ended," she writes. "Even before the rally began he was screaming at people near him that held recall signs. Get out the vote volunteers flanked him to make sure he was safe even as he was screaming at people and acting as if he could hit people with his sign.

"An elderly woman asked him to have some manners so she could hear the speakers. He became more belligerent, and when the president took the stage, he became louder with non-stop yelling at people in his close proximity and at the president. You could not hear the president anymore as the guy was yelling at everyone around him and the president."

Milwaukee police ultimately intervened and cheers erupted from the crowd as police took him away. There were no injuries. 

Barrett's Level Headed Management Style a Stark Contrast to Walker's Double-Speak.

The second debate is over and Tom Barrett was the adult in the room. Maybe it was the psycho look in Walker's droopy dead eyes, or his forced and creepy looking puckered pleading lips, but slick Scotty is simply a hard guy to trust.

Here Tom Barrett points out how Walker took advantage of the recession to divide and conquer. Walker continues to portray hard working public employees and their unions as "special interests." Odd, I would have pegged Walker's billionaire contributors as special interests, am I crazy? The best line of BS is Walker's suggestion that Barrett is selectively taking pieces out of his conversation, that what, makes "divide and conquer" sound bad?:



Barrett also reminded voters statewide that Scott Walker was an 8 year county executive for Milwaukee, the very region he finds so utterly disastrous now:



And as far as passing right to work, Walker resorts to the old and no longer believable, "that's a hypothetical." Oh...the private sector unions soooo deserve what they're going to get if they vote for Walker:

Poll: Barrett 49, Walker 49, independents breaking to Barrett.

The good news, according to the Washington Post's Greg Sargent:

A new poll taken by pollster Celinda Lake — who is a Democrat but is well respected by polling professionals — has found that the battle between Scott Walker and challenger Tom Barrett is now deadlocked, at 49 percent each.

The poll — which will be released later today and was comissioned by the pro-labor Greater Wisconsin Committee’s political fund — also finds that independents are breaking towards Barrett, 49-44.

The poll is an automated one (which means it doesn’t include cell phones) that surveyed 600 likely Wisconsin voters from May 24-28, which means it was in the field until Monday of this week. Its sample: 43 percent Democrats and Dem-leaners; 43 percent Republican and GOP-leaners; and 13 percent non-leaning independents.

Today’s poll is reinforced by another internal survey released last week by the labor-backed group We Are Wisconsin, which also found a dead heat.

The bad news:

jsonline: Gov. Scott Walker leads Democrat Tom Barrett 52% to 45% in a poll to be released Wednesday by Marquette Law School.

Walker’s lead is almost identical in the new poll to what it was in Marquette’s early May survey, when Walker led 50% to 44% among likely voters.

The public likes Scott Walker:

Walker’s job approval in the new poll is almost identical to his job rating in the first 2012 poll Marquette did five months ago in January, when 51% approved and 46% disapproved.

In the new survey, 41% of voters viewed Barrett positively, while 46% viewed him negatively.

Also in the new poll, Democratic President Barack Obama leads Republican Mitt Romney 51% to 43%, after being tied with Romney in Marquette's early May poll.

NRA bashes Barrett for voting to ban deer hunting grenade launcher.

The NRA's latest radio ad against governor candidate Tom Barrett is insane, but probably right on target for the tea party low information voters.

Apparently Barrett voted to ban grenade launching assault weapons. That won't go over well for the conservative deer hunting crowd, who have been so frustrated at the low deer counts, that grenades were sounding like a good idea.

Ed Schultz has that ad and more.

Privatizing Deer Hunting? John Nichols on Walker intentions.

Why would anyone appoint a guy who wants to privatize deer hunting, in charge of deer hunting, if that wasn't the intention? We're not dumb.

Also, the NRA takes its now expected "he's going to take your guns away" ad shot, this time at Tom Barrett. This now cartoonish response is getting just plain stupid.

...enter Russ Feingold

The guy that would have been the gubernatorial choice, Russ Feingold, hit the campaign trail today for Tom Barrett. Heck, he was just a few blocks away and I didn't know it. WKOW:

Russ Feingold is making it clear to recall volunteers that he wants the same thing they do. "To vote Scott Walker, out of the Governorship," Feingold said to applause at an early voting rally Tuesday. "This is a people's movement, and if people are able to get out and vote early, then they can go and help other people who might find it more challenging to get out to vote," Feingold told a group of reporters.

Barrett's Job Losses Walker's Fault, unless Scotty was Wrong the first time.

First this: Ed Schultz mentioned today that a reporter asked Scott Walker if any of the jobs he created were in Milwaukee, which would basically kill his attacks on Barrett. Walker didn't know. A big mistake. Let's see if Barrett runs with this killer gaffe. It's a campaign gift. Now onto the rest of the story.

Manipulation of the jobs numbers can only go so far before people start to notice something is wrong, and guess what, someone noticed just how wrong:

Washington Post’s Greg Sargent: Scott Walker’s extreme hypocrisy on Milwaukee jobs: One of Scott Walker’s primary arguments in the recall battle against Dem opponent Tom Barrett is that as Mayor of Milwaukee, Barrett presided over job losses But it turns out … in the first half of 2011, just after Walker took office, Milwaukee was adding jobs, along with the rest of the state — and the Walker administration rushed to take full credit for it.

“With four straight months of job growth in 2011, metro Milwaukee is reaping the economic benefits of Governor Walker’s successful efforts to improve Wisconsin’s business climate, and make job creation a top priority,” blared a Walker administration press release in May of 2011.

In other words, when Milwaukee was adding jobs early in Walker’s term, his policies deserved all the credit. When it began to lose jobs, it was the fault only of his opponent’s policies — even though the rest of the state lost jobs, too.

Tom Barrett Struggling with Walker Campaign Twist.

Ed Schultz on Scott Walkers latest campaign strategy and what Tom Barrett's going to do about it. Tell you the truth, the message needs work.

Marquette Law School poll Shows Walker the Guy for Holding Down Taxes, Jobs and State Budget!

These jaw dropping numbers has gotta make you wonder if anyone is really paying attention to the wrecking ball just outside their window. Obama vs Romney, tie at 46%. WKOW:

Believe it or not, Walker challenges Barrett to write a fantasy 2011 budget. Seriously?

Scott Walker's swagger and arrogance knows no bounds in this grating look at our sniveling governor. The idea that we're re-doing anything, is a misdirection play.

Walker, Rep. Robin Vos and Sen. Alberta Darling all have made a ridiculous request of Barrett; go back and write an old budget so they can compare the two. They assume Democrats are as dumb as their low information voters.

Things to keep in mind, Walker trashes Barrett's jobs numbers that spanned the Great Recession, which would make anyone look bad, and it all happened during Walker's own time as Milwaukee County Executive. But that's all too complicated for conservative voters. All they know is the lousy jobs numbers put the state on the right path...I guess. WKOW:



Walker's new strategic angle; claiming a "surplus" by the end of June 2013, so I guess we should wait? But that surplus only exists if Walker continues to blow people off Badgercare:

jsonline: Coming less than four weeks before Walker's June 5 recall election, the projections take the state from a previously estimated $143 million budget deficit in its main account through June 2013 to the surplus.

But almost half of the surplus is realized by delaying payments that will ultimately cost taxpayers more in interest. The projected surplus includes $78 million that was acquired by restructuring debt. A small amount of that comes from getting lower interest rates, but most of it comes from pushing off payments and allowing long-term interest costs to rise.

But taking any of that supposed “surplus,” and applying it to the budgets shortfall, oddly is completely out of the question.

The budget numbers do not account for a sizable shortfall in the state's health programs for the poor that Walker's administration says it will deal with through increased efficiencies and spending cuts.
What would a phony announcement like this be without a completely out of place comment from the snakiest guy in the Assembly:

"This is a great example of how honest budgeting pays off," said Rep. Robin Vos. 

Barrett and Democrats spring into action.

It looks like the Democrats are fixin' for a fight. They have a plan. And they hope voters will turn out in larger numbers for the general election. WKOW:

 

Walker was County Executive when Milwaukee area lost jobs and businesses during Great Recession.

Finally, Democrats are finally getting the message; talk about Scott Walker's dismal performance as Milwaukee County Executive, and remind voters that whatever shot he's taking at Mayor Tom Barrett, he should also be credited for.

And will the press please, please, please ask Walker why he's trying to tar Barrett with the job and business losses due to the Great Recession, something he successfully got away with against Gov. Jim Doyle.

Ed Schultz got the right response from Sen. Lena Taylor, along with a few interesting stats:

While Barrett takes heat, Walker's getting a pass on bringing Milwaukee County to the brink?

October 9th 2010

Here we go again! Just like in 2010, it must still be unfair to bring up what Scott Walker did to a county he oversaw for 8 years. Even Mayor/challenger Tom Barrett hasn't even mentioned it.

If the gloves are actually off now, it's time to pummel Walker over his total failure as County Executive. If you really want to blame someone for Milwaukee's lack of job creation, look no further than Scott Walker's management of the county.

Here's just a sample, again, from the jsonline and my own posts:

Milwaukee County government is in such dire financial shape that state lawmakers should push through legislation that would allow it and other local governments to file for bankruptcy. That's one of several recommendations included in a super-secret report drafted by the Greater Milwaukee Committee last month. This group of movers and shakers has decided to hold off releasing the details until after next month's election.

But a copy of the report's draft executive summary obtained by No Quarter shows the powerful committee is looking to recommend doing away with the elected county executive's post, slicing county worker benefits and spinning off the zoo, the bus system, the parks and much else under separate commissions. If these dramatic steps - or something like them - aren't taken county government will collapse, the draft report suggests. In fact, in just six years, the report estimates, the county's pension and health care obligations will eat up every dollar raised through the county tax levy.

H. Carl Mueller, a Milwaukee PR executive who sits on the committee, said "We don't want this to become some sort of political football during the fall election campaigns."

This is how Walker managed his county. How's the state looking so far...?

Barrett wins Primary, John Nichols offers details....

UPDATE: Tuesdays 12:46 pm: It looks like Democratic voters better get out and vote in the general, or the powerful 3 county conservative block-Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington, will from this day forward, control every election. jsonline:

In the GOP bastion of Waukesha County, the Walker vote represented about 27% of all voting-age adults in the county (79,049 people).

In the Democratic bastion of Dane County, the Democratic vote represented about 28% of all voting-age adults in the county (105,437).

In effect, Republican Waukesha matched Democratic Dane’s turnout rate despite the fact that the GOP primary was meaningless. In terms of total turnout (Republican and Democratic primaries combined) Ozaukee was No. 1 in the state Tuesday, with 39.4% of voting-age adults going to the polls (based on 2010 population), followed  by Waukesha at 38.8%. (Dane was seventh at 36.3%.) The Walker turnout phenomenon in the juggernaut GOP “WOW” counties (Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington) is to many Democrats the single most daunting obstacle to defeating the incumbent governor.

“That group is extremely mobilized,” Robert Kraig of the liberal advocacy group Citizen Action of Wisconsin said in interview hours before the polls closed Tuesday. “They’re every bit as passionate as Walker opponents. It’s overwhelming (in those suburban counties) … It means that we need top mobilization just to match it … We need to perform at a top level across every constituency, because they’re going to.”

Ed Schultz stayed on the beat after 10 pm and talked to Mayor Tom Barrett and John Nichols.



Total Democratic primary votes = 670,208
Total Walker primary votes + Art = 646,458

We might assume those Republicans who voted for Arthur Kohl-Riggs will not be voting for Walker. But Riggs did force Republican voters out to the polls. Still, not everyone who signed a petition turned out. It's going to be close.

From the Brookfield Patch: "Despite no real Republican contest on the ballot, 47 percent of voters in GOP stronghold hit the polls." How many turned out in Dane County hasn't been determined.

Will the Walker John Doe Investigation cast a big enough shadow over recall election?

Who is Mike Lowe, and why is he so good? Fox 6 reporter Lowe can turn any story into a 60 Minutes segment, like this look at how the John Doe investigation might effect the race for governor. 

On the same day that a new Marquette Law School poll was released,showing a dead heat between Governor Scott Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in the gubernatorial recall election less than one week away, Barrett was on the defensive, attacking Walker over the ongoing John Doe investigation.

Barrett matches Walker in Recall Race.

The newest poll shows Scott Walker, despite ads blanketing the airwaves and cable, is getting nothin', not a thing out of em. They might be keeping him in the race, but you can't help wondering if his rhetoric is starting to sound very rehearsed and a bit insincere.

Tom Barrett is on the rise, and with his POW! ad and momentum, this may be closing the door for the other Democratic candidates. We'll see. Here's WKOW:

Pow!!

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett takes a shot at Scott Walker in his "Pow" ad:

The Northwestern: Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett on Wednesday said he wants to end the "ideological civil war" that he said Gov. Scott Walker created in the state 15 months ago.

"I've never seen a situation where neighbors don't want to talk to neighbors, and coworkers don't feel they can talk to coworkers, and family members don't want to talk to family members about politics because it's too bitter, too divisive," Barrett said. "It has never been about creating jobs for Scott Walker. It's been about the ideological war. And Wisconsinites have suffered because of it."