Wisconsin

Van Hollen shows his skewed priorities

By Scot Ross. Van Hollen refused to help local law enforcement in the John Doe investigation that has ensnared top officials from Walker’s Milwaukee County executive regime. Among those involved are people given top jobs in the Walker gubernatorial administration. The two previous Wisconsin attorneys general offered resources and support in similar types of cases involving […] [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Dem proposal would STOP Walker ending health care for 53,000

Delegating power back to the Legislature away from Gov. Scott Walker and ensure 53,000 Wisconsinites don’t lose access to health care? Sounds like a good plan to me: A group of Democratic lawmakers is trying to roll back state law to a time when the Legislature decided all major cuts to Wisconsin’s health care programs. […]

Report: GOP voter ID laws disenfranchise five MILLION

A new report from the New York University School of Law’s Brennan Center for Justice reveals that more than five million U.S. citizens could be impacted by the wave of new voter laws passed over the last year. When it comes to Voter I.D. laws, such as the one passed in Wisconsin, the report says […]

One WI Now’s ‘RecallScottWalker.org’ Flies High Over Camp Randall

Thanks to the generosity of the online supporters of One Wisconsin Now, Badger faithful, Nebraska fans and Gov. Scott Walker were treated to this banner, which flew above Camp Randall for several hours preceding Saturday’s nationally-televised game. We’ll have video later, but here’s a picture of the banner — which turned out to be one […]

Keith Gilkes, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s top aide, resigns

One Wisconsin Now, a liberal organization, recently launched RecallScottWalker.org, a website seeking volunteers to help with the effort. The organization has hired a plane to pull a banner promoting the site across the field during today’s University of Wisconsin football game. “The governor was given everything he asked for, and it is not working,” said […] [Green Bay Press-Gazette]

Walker administration looking to cut $444 million from Medicaid

“There will be thousands and thousands of people across Wisconsin to lose their health care coverage,” One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross says. Liberal group One Wisconsin now is blasting the cuts, which include $100 million from Family Care and $54 million from Badger Care Plus, which helps the uninsured pay for health care […] [MSNBC]

Cody Oliphant: GOP’s unaccountability proposal

Wisconsin’s legislative right wing seems to have a serious problem with the rights of people in Wisconsin. With all the Gov. Scott Walker power grabs, Republican incumbent protection measures and anti-democratic voter disenfranchisement acts being rammed through the Capitol these days, it’s not surprising that a powerful state Senate Republican has hatched yet another unnecessary, […] [Wisconsin State Journal]

One Wisconsin Now’s ‘RecallScottWalker.org’ Plane to Greet Governor at UW-Nebraska Game

MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Scott Walker, who gutted funds for public education, the University of Wisconsin and the technical college system by nearly $2 billion, will be greeted by a plane with a special message from One Wisconsin Now as he attends Saturday’s Badgers vs. Nebraska football game. The message: “RecallScottWalker.org _ One WI Now.” […]

Walker scheme to charge public $50 to hear his job ideas rated TRUE

We stand by all our statements and research, but if you really needed third-party validation, here’s Politifact rating True our statement from a few weeks ago criticizing Gov. Scott Walker for charging the public $50 to hear his job ideas: Gov. Scott Walker tried to take the edge off the latest dreary employment report — issued […]

One Wisconsin Now says Gov. Scott Walker is charging the public $50 to hear his views on jobs

And that caught the attention of the liberal One Wisconsin Now group, which criticized the event and the admission fee. Walker is charging “the public $50 to attend a state-sponsored ‘jobs summit,’” the group said in a news release. Asked to support the claim, Scot Ross, executive director of the group, cited the announcements themselves. He said […] [PolitiFact]

Walker chief of staff resigns to head up recall defense

One Wisconsin Now, a liberal organization, recently launched RecallScottWalker.org, a website seeking volunteers to help with the effort. The organization has hired a plane to pull a banner promoting the site across the field during Saturday’s University of Wisconsin football game. ”The governor was given everything he asked for, and it is not working,” said Scot […] [Wisconsin State Journal]

Gilkes to leave Walker’s staff to head campaign for expected recall attempt

Highlighting the possible recall efforts against the governor, the liberal group One Wisconsin Now announced it would have a plane flying over Camp Randall just before Saturday’s game between the Wisconsin Badgers and Nebraska Cornhuskers with a message urging people to recall Walker. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Air mail: Liberal group looks to make Badger game political

A liberal group working to oust Gov. Scott Walker plans to take to the skies Saturday afternoon, making the epic football battle between the University of Wisconsin Badgers and University of Nebraska Cornhuskers political, according to an email obtained by Wisconsin Reporter. [Wisconsin Reporter]

Big biz finally ADMITS use of extreme tax-avoidance techniques

From the Institute for Wisconsin’s Future “Who Does Not Pay Taxes”: It took awhile, but SC Johnson (SCJ) eventually fessed up to its tax-avoidance schemes. It started when the last issue of this publication disclosed that SCJ paid no state income tax in 2000-2008. This prompted an SCJ insider to release a secret tax-avoidance report […]

Republican Rep. Ribble hasn’t voted in WI since his election

It’s bad enough Republican Reid Ribble doesn’t even live in the district he represents, now we’re finding out he doesn’t even vote. But Rep. Ribble makes it unclear as to whether it’s DC’s fault or his staffers’ fault: Ribble blamed the April 5 voting oversight on his “hectic lifestyle” in Washington, where he sits on the […]

WRTL under investigation for recall GOTV bribery

From Dan Bice at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Details of the secret investigation are sketchy, but it is clear the Milwaukee County district attorney’s office is investigating charges that Wisconsin Right to Life offered rewards for volunteers who signed up sympathetic voters in the recall races. Several people familiar with the investigation said subpoenas were […]

Something stinks: New ‘Cronygate’ details emerge over the weekend

New details surrounding Gov. Scott Walker’s Cronygate have emerged in the last few days. First, there was this from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Three days after Cindy Archer was to have started her job as the legislative liaison at the state Department of Children and Families – and while she was already being paid sick […]

Homegrown’ Tommy! Ad Busted By Fake ‘Teacher’

Tommy! Thompson. Homegrown. Wisconsin. Whatever Tommy! is going to do in the U.S. Senate race, he’s now launched out some slickly-produced interwebs ad.  It’s chock full of claims, quick edits and the latest technology to make the near-septuagenarian the voice of the future. What we also noticed in the video at 28 seconds and 1:15, […]

Outside Scott Walker’s mansion last night. WHAT THE…

One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross was outside Scott Walker’s mansion last night getting the inside scoop at the Governor’s Wine & Wickets fundraiser. Scot was a little disgusted at what he saw, to say the least. In between his live-tweets, he sent this email from his Blackberry at about 7pm last night: Hey— […]

Analysis: Lowest-paid state workers get hit HARDEST

A new analysis shows just lower-paid state workers will have to contribute a higher percentage of their salary to comply with a new state law raising pension and health care costs. It shows that a state worker earning $25,000 a year will see their total pension and health care costs increase from 4.5 percent of […]

FLASHBACK: Darling couldn’t name one job created in her district

The unemployment crisis in our state needs no introduction. The fact that Wisconsin has lost nearly 14,000 jobs over the last two months and unemployment has risen from 7.4% to 7.9% is very well known. The dismal economic situation of the state is not lost on anyone; however, some of our states leadership seems to […]

Van Hollen Refused to Investigate Walker’s ‘Cronygate’

MADISON, Wis. — Republican Attorney General JB Van Hollen, according to a news report today, refused to help the investigation into fellow Republican Scott Walker’s office in the scandal being called “Cronygate.” The refusal and silence of the state’s “top cop” to investigate his fellow Republican raises serious questions about Van Hollen’s conduct and warrants […]

Walker touting 6,000 jobs NOT based in Wisconsin

Gov. Scott Walker, already backing down from his campaign pledge to create 250,000 jobs, is going to have a rough time explaining this one: one-in-five jobs he is touting on a state jobs website are not even located in Wisconsin. More than 32,000 job openings were posted on the Job Center of Wisconsin’s website as […]

Van Hollen REFUSED to investigate Walker’s ‘Cronygate’

Republican Attorney General JB Van Hollen, according to a news report today, refused to help the investigation into fellow Republican Scott Walker’s office in the scandal being called “Cronygate.” The refusal and silence of the state’s “top cop” to investigate his fellow Republican raises serious questions about Van Hollen’s conduct and warrants an investigation, according […]

Walker Latest Scheme: Public Can Pay $50 to Hear His Job Ideas

MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Scott Walker, facing a steadily-increasing state unemployment rate despite passing $2.3 billion in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy, has announced his latest scheme: charge the public $50 to attend a state-sponsored “jobs summit.” Walker’s fee will likely restrict public access, particularly the unemployed and those in need of jobs. […]

Walker policies continue to raise unemployment rate

An article in today’s Capital Times explains the rising unemployment rate in Wisconsin under Gov. Scott Walker. Wisconsin’s unemployment rate rose slightly in August, with the state losing a net 800 private sector jobs last month. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 7.9 percent in August, up from 7.8 percent in July, according […]

Right-wing blogger calls for armed violence against workers

In mid-April, professional blogger Andrew Breitbart came to Madison to show his support for Gov. Scott Walker’s attack on worker rights. He shared a stage with other notable speakers like Sarah Palin and Vicki McKenna. Of course the tea party’s puny turnout was overshadowed by the huge uprising of middle-class workers and labor union supporters, […]

Walker Latest Scheme: Public Can Pay $50 to Hear His Job Ideas

Gov. Scott Walker, facing a steadily-increasing state unemployment rate despite passing $2.3 billion in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy, has announced his latest scheme: charge the public $50 to attend a state-sponsored “jobs summit.” Walker’s fee will likely restrict public access, particularly the unemployed and those in need of jobs. Walker and Lt. […]

Jacque focuses on extreme social agenda as Wisc. loses jobs

As the economy continues to fail after Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican majority gave $2.3 billion in new tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy, Rep. Andre Jacque has turned his focus to an extreme social agenda that actually will do more to lose good-paying jobs. In a column in the Wisconsin State Journal […]

Back to the Failure: Thompson is running… sort of… pt.XXV

Tommy Thompson is back… again. Sort of. That Tommy Thompson filed papers to fundraise for a potential U.S. Sentate run is sure to excite nobody except perhaps those who have for the past 8 years written ad nauseum about the perpetual prospect of a Tommy run. But what should be written about Tommy is not […]

One Wisconsin Now Statements On Latest Walker Failure: 2,300 Jobs Gone

One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross released the following statements regarding the latest failure from Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-controlled legislature: a total job loss of 2,300 from July to August and the unemployment rate rising to 7.9 percent. The news comes after Walker signed into law $2.3 billion in new tax breaks […] [Enewspf.com]

Will WI’s GOP congressional delegation support creation of Jobs in WI?

Under President Obama’s Jobs Act, Wisconsin stands to receive up to $369 million in funding for public schools and tech colleges, if passed by Congress. That means potentially 4,800 jobs for Wisconsin workers to update school buildings. Additionally, Obama’s plan includes tax cuts for businesses who hire workers, cuts in payroll taxes for the average […]

Is Scott Walker backing down from 250K jobs campaign promise?

From his interview this weekend, one might suspect Gov. Scott Walker (R!) isn’t so sure he can live up to the promise he made on the campaign trail in 2010 to create 250,000 jobs in five years. While Wisconsin’s Republican majority still can think of nothing but more tax breaks for big business and overcompensted CEOs […]

Wisc. Official Tells Staff to Keep Quiet About Free Voter IDs

Twenty-six percent of the 91 Wisconsin DMV stations are open one day a month or less, according to [progressive group] One Wisconsin Now. Therefore, argued Ross, making people pay $28 on top of the cost of actually getting to a DMV could be burdensome for many Wisconsin residents. He likened it to a “poll tax” […] [Gawker]

Wisconsin Official Instructs Staff Not To Mention Free IDs For Voting

The progressive group One Wisconsin Now has also filed an open records request for all communication between Krieser and other officials regarding the voter ID law and its implementation. “It’s just absolutely ridiculous that the law would provide free IDs for voting and they would specifically say ‘let’s not tell them it’s free,’” said Scot Ross, executive […] [Huffington Post]

One WI Now filed open records request related to ‘Smoking Gun’ voter ID memo

One Wisconsin Now has filed an open records request with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to obtain all communications and emails related to the issuance of state identification cards for the purposes of voting under the state’s voter identification bill. One Wisconsin Now made the request after a memo surfaced in which the top political […]

Dems and advocates blast Department of Transportation’s Don’t Tell if they Don’t Ask policy for free ID cards for voting

Meanwhile, the progressive advocacy group One Wisconsin Now filed an open records request with the DOT asking for documents related to the memo, which a Wednesday press release calls a “smoking gun.” Says executive Scot Ross in an interview: “This is proof that they are actively trying to prevent people from knowing that those free […] [Wisconsin State Journal]

Wisconsin official told DMV not to push free voter ID cards

Scot Ross, the head of One Wisconsin Now, a group opposed to the voter ID law, called the memo “a smoking gun” that proved the measure was designed to disenfranchise the poor, students and minorities, who are less likely to have state-issued identification and more likely to vote for Democrats. Ross said his group would […] [Huffington Post]

DOT staff told not to offer free IDs

“Their line the entire time has been `This is not about preventing people access to the voting booth,”’ said Scot Ross, leader of the liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now, which fought passage of the measure. “So why would they not be proclaiming from the mountaintops how to get an ID?” [On.Politix]

Wisconsin free ID cards withheld unless requested

“Their line the entire time has been ‘This is not about preventing people access to the voting booth,’” said Scot Ross, leader of the liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now, which fought passage of the measure. “So why would they not be proclaiming from the mountaintops how to get an ID?” [Green Bay Press-Gazette]

Wis. DOT says not to offer free IDs

“Their line the entire time has been ‘This is not about preventing people access to the voting booth,’” said Scot Ross, leader of the liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now, which fought passage of the measure. “So why would they not be proclaiming from the mountaintops how to get an ID?” [Chron]

Governor’s Mansion

An event to raise private money to renovate the governor’s mansion is raising some eyebrows. Scot Ross of One Wisconsin Now says that besides the mansion, Walker is building a private entrance to his office for special interests. But the Republican governor denies trying to giving that kind of access. He said the Executive Residence doesn’t […] [Pierce County Herald]

Once Again, Van Hollen Ignores Internet Sex Crimes

MADISON, Wis. — For the second time in a year, Republican Attorney General JB Van Hollen has declined to join a multi-state effort by law enforcement officials and fellow Attorneys General to combat internet sex crimes. Van Hollen defended his unwillingness by claiming he does not release details of ongoing investigations — something directly contradicted […]

Marie-AnTonette

In a quest to restore Versailles the Governor’s Mansion to it’s historic charm, First Lady Tonette Walker is hosting a fundraiser so poor taxpayers won’t have to foot the bill. “Leading ladies” have been asked to donate handbags filled with their favorite things, which they will auction off to each other, along with playing croquet […]

Walker First, Wisconsin Second

Most Wisconsinites remember when Governor Walker promised to create 250,000 jobs and 10,000 businesses during his term in office. Walker issued this promised shortly after being elected last fall and used it to justify his austere budget cutting measures last winter. Budget items that cut education, public health, environmental regulation, and stripped away over 50 […]

Wisconsin Supreme Court hears campaign ad case

Last year, the state Government Accountability Board adopted new rules to regulate campaign advertising and other communications. Those rules said messages that run within 60 days of an election that mention a candidate’s character, stance on an issue or public record would be subject to disclosure laws. Although only conservatives filed the case in the […] [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

On the News With Thom Hartmann: Mitt Romney to Lay Out Jobs Plan Today, and More

Yesterday – workers around the nation celebrated Labor Day.  But in Wisconsin – the day was spent rallying workers against Governor Scott Walker who declared war on organized labor earlier this year.  The organization “One Wisconsin Now” spearheaded the effort, releasing a statement saying, “We celebrate Monday the many contributions of organized labor and working men […] [Thom Hartmann]