The Unshakable Walker Voter does without BadgerCare and a hike in the Minimum Wage!

Republicans no longer think policy issues are important. They're more concerned with their party's dominance and leadership, than the minimum wage or BadgerCare. They also see this as a time to get even with freedom suppressing liberals. Scott Walker's divide and conquer scheme oddly turned conservatives into Borg-like voters.

So Republicans have turned elections into a form of political intimidation, bullying. They won't give in to the Democratic Party's pleas for a wage hike and health care. Party unity and leadership mean so much more.

Citizen Action of Wisconsin accumulated the vote totals from referendums around the state, and it's clear Republican Party leadership doesn't care what the public wants. There's an ideological principle to uphold, despite the lopsided support for both BadgerCare (on left), and the Minimum Wage (on right):

"Red" Rural Areas struggling with school funding and closings, can find another shoulder to cry on.

I've been a big defender of public schools in the state...but not anymore when it come to those crimson areas you see below.

From now on, using the map below, I'm going to be pointing out how in certain parts of the state experiencing heart breaking school closings, "stand with Walker" voters can thank themselves for destroying their communities. School districts can live with the fruits of their own voting records. I don't care to defend them or their kids anymore. Enjoy statewide vouchers suckers:

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.

Election Suppression #1....Tidbits of Election Violations Hit the Fan!!

Tidbits of election violations hit the fan:

SunTimes: Mysterious calls giving thousands of election judges false information leading them not to show up in the city on Election Day, warrants a criminal investigation, Chicago Board of Election Commissioners spokesman Jim Allen said. The calls indicated that the judges had to vote a certain way in order to work on election day and that additional training was required of them — which was not true. In one case, election authorities had to break down a door to open a polling place where no judges showed.

There's more...too quick on the draw at just 6%?

Fox News couldn't resist this violation on exit polling...

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...

Republicans have it both ways, no questions asked.

I knew there was a reason why I saved reporter Charlie Pierce’s clip below. For one, the guy clearly articulated the problem we’re seeing with Republican fear mongering and flip flopping positions. 

Having it Both Ways GOP Politics: Republicans are allowed to have it both ways. Like my conservative friend in Milwaukee who doesn't like the Affordable Care Act because government is involved. When I asked him how he would deal with preexisting conditions in the private market, he said government should mandate coverage for that too. Huh? Conservatives have no self-awareness when it comes to their contradictory positions. And don’t confuse their "answers" with actual solutions, because they don’t have any. Politicus USA:

Joni Ernst Goes all Palin, Calls Obama an Apathetic Dictator: MSNBC’s Ben Terris reported yesterday that Joni Ernst’s latest foray in self-contradiction is that President Obama, whom she has previously called a dictator, is “apathetic.”

“We have an apathetic president,” she told a crowd in Newton, Iowa. When the press got to her afterward, she tried to explain, relates Terris, without much success, what she meant: “He is just standing back and letting things happen, he is reactive rather than proactive,” she said. “With Ebola, he’s been very hands off.”

Esquire blogger Charlie Pierce asked her: “What should he have done about Ebola? One person in America has Ebola.”

Ernst: “OK, you’re the press, you’re giving me your opinion.”

Pierce: “It’s not an opinion, only one person in America has it.”
Ernst: “But he is the leader, he is the leader of our nation. So what he can do is make sure that all of these agencies are coordinating together, to make sure he is sharing with the American people he cares about them, he cares about their safety.”

Pierce: “You don’t think he does?”

Ernst: “I don’t know that he does, he hasn’t demonstrated that.”

Pierce: “You don’t think he’s demonstrated that he cares about the American people?”

Ernst: “He hasn’t. I’m done. So anybody else?”

This is the woman who, back in January of this year, was saying Obama should be impeached for acting without the approval of Congress. As Yahoo News reported:

Ernst told a crowd that she believed Obama had “become a dictator” and that he needed to face the consequences for his executive actions, “whether that’s removal from office, whether that’s impeachment.”“He is running amok. He is not following our Constitution, and unfortunately we have leaders who are not serving as leaders right now, they’re not defending the Constitution and they’re not defending you and me.”

MSNBC’s Steve Benen quipped: “Oh, I see. Joni Ernst wants Obama to lead more and lead less. She wants him to be more proactive without Congress and more reactive waiting for Congress. She’s looking for him to do exactly what he’s already done, but Ernst pretends not to notice.” (Ernst) is all too common in a media landscape where Republicans are allowed to lie with impunity, no matter how divorced from reality their comments.

Dumb Ron Johnson: "Put it all in perspective. Are we spending too much money on Halloween candy? Are we spending too much money on free speech...?"

Yes, Dumb Ron Johnson did make that comparison, including what we also spend on peanut butter ...on the MIC 92.1 Devil's Advocates show:

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:

No Cap on Teacher Pay may strain school Budgets.

The Mic 92.1's The Devil's Advocates talked to Poynette School Board President Kathleen Lucey about Act 10's unintended consequence; the uncapped individual teacher salaries and bidding wars between the wealthier districts and rural schools. Guess who wins and guess who sees their budgets explode?

Most of us would love to see teachers get higher pay, they deserve it, but under the old uniform system. I'm curious to see if other states have seen their teachers wages strain school budgets. Especially if those districts have revenue limits. Or will there be an unfair wage gap?

Mary Burke lost 130,000 jobs after she caused the Great Recession.

Okay, this is an obsession of mine and I can't stop posting stories it. I'm talking about Scott Walker's unbelievable lie: Former governor Jim Doyle and Mary Burke caused the Republican Great Recession that wiped 130,000 jobs in Wisconsin.

It's ridiculous of course, but the media has resisted correcting Walker for the last 4 years...yes, a whole 4 years. Only a few times was Walker asked about the absurdity of the claim, like this from Upfront with Mike Gousha, but even then he was able to word salad his way out of it:



Here's the latest attempt to get people to forget how the Republicans caused the Great Recession, and shift the blame to Mary Burke. Maybe it's her fault, says Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce:

Mitch McConnell's Election Information Fraud Alert....

This "fraudulent information" warning is utterly evil, and amazingly creative:

Click to Enlarge

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:  

Even before the Election, Scott Walker tries to limit access to Birth Control!!!

Scott Walker said he supports women's rights and loves a debate on abortions? All gentle reelection words. But even the election won't stop Walker's wheels from rolling over access to birth control drugs. He really couldn't wait?

WSJ: Two family planning providers serving low-income women say their operations will be at serious financial risk if state auditors stand firm on claims that they overbilled Medicaid by $3.5 million, largely for birth control drugs and devices.

Department of Health Services Inspector General Alan White defended his auditors’ choice of targets and their findings. “This administration, this agency has put a great deal of effort into improving program integrity,” White said. “And protecting the taxpayers of Wisconsin is their predominant responsibility.”

"Integrity." A Republican buzzword for “your next” for cuts, in this case the end of contraception for low-income women. The state has decided to change and interpret the rules differently for contraception, even though providers were never told or given the ability to itemize their services with the state. Here's the basics of Walker's scheme to supposedly "protect taxpayers:" 

The auditors are challenging a reimbursement price for oral contraception that providers say the state itself set and is what their peers use. The claims concern the clinics’ use of Medicaid’s 340B drug-pricing program, in which pharmaceutical companies are required to provide discounted drugs to safety net providers. They say the state never asked them to track those costs individually, and instead told them to bill for each monthly pack of birth control pills the “usual and customary charge up to the maximum allowable fee,” which the state set at $26.02 in 2009 … the higher reimbursement rates help the clinics avoid losing money. The auditors faulted the providers for failing to bill Medicaid for the actual cost of each pack of oral contraception, plus a dispensing fee.

Here's their sneaky way to go after contraception for low income women:

Office of Inspector General’s White argues that the rate does not apply to the 340B drug-pricing program — it was directed at “family planning clinics” — and so is irrelevant. But virtually all of the family planning clinics are enrolled in the 340B program.

Jennifer Waloway, NEWCAP’s director of community health services said NEWCAP may have to close; “I don’t understand how they can expect anybody to be sustainable in a business when all you can charge is acquisition price,” Waloway said. “Nobody can run a business like that.”

And it gets even more transparently obvious:

The state is also claiming money on the grounds that the providers entered claims incorrectly. It states the providers did not note the invoice price for medications. But providers say the state’s own computerized claim-entry system does not include a way to enter the cost. Public policy director Nicole Safar said, “This is a very under-the-radar way to block access to birth control.”

And as usual, Democrats were silent in their outrage, working behind the scenes I guess:

Two Democratic lawmakers, Rep. Chris Taylor of Madison and Sen. Dave Hansen of Green Bay, wrote the inspector general last week saying “there appears to be no legal basis” for the claims.

If this had happened to the Republicans, we wouldn't be hearing the end of it.

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.

6th District Candidate for Congress Mark Harris casually wipes the floor with grumbling Glenn Grothman on Drug Testing!!!

I think I could listen to Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris, a Democrat from Oshkosh, talk all day about his solutions to today's problems. He was the adult in the room, with Republican State Sen. Glenn Grothman down the table from him.

Grothman looked uncomfortable, irritated and inconvenienced, throwing off answers only because he had to.

The highlight was Harris' answer on drug testing. It was the only major applause line that prompted a warning from the moderator. This is gold:

Harris: "But there's a presumption here that people that are poor are more likely to be abusing drugs, and I'm not sure we have any evidence to support that. I think it's a little insulting that we jump to that conclusion. I bet you none of the business men that are going to get your manufacturing tax credits are going to have to pee into a bottle before they get it." 

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.”