Doesn’t cost the taxpayers a dime. Helps service the greater needs of all members of the community. Improves diversity and public service. Promotes health, education and understanding. But that didn’t stop four Racine alders from voting against a permit for a new Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender center. Thankfully, this quartet: Jim Kaplan, Q.A. Shakoor […]
Voices for Creative Nonviolence, the Chicago-based group that staged a 500-mile Witness Against War walk to the Republican convention in St. Paul, will sponsor a presence from Jan. 1-19, in President-elect Obama’s Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago. It’s called “Camp Hope: Countdown To Change.” It’s called Camp Hope because organizers earnestly hope his presidency will […]
Yesterday, in this space, we took a very tiny poke at Rick Esenberg, Esquire, after WisPolitics announced Atty. Essenberg was not a candidate for the State Supreme Court. We observed that for someone to get elected to the high court some time on the bench, somewhere, has been almost mandatory. And Esenberg has never been […]
From WisPolitics: Marquette University law professor Rick Esenberg has decided not to jump into this spring’s state Supreme Court race. Esenberg, who also writes the blog “Shark and Shepherd,” said he was approached about a run but decided against it. Jefferson County Judge Randy Koschnick is the only candidate to announce that he will challenge […]
Finally, the UW just might have an actual advocate in the State Assembly. Rep. Kim Hixon, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater professor was appointed Tuesday to lead the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee. Who’s spot is Hixon taking? Former chair and enemy of intellectuals everywhere, the venerable Steve Nass. Nass was on a permanent crusade […]
Jefferson County Judge Randy Koschnick wants to take a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court but does he plan to bring the same dissension to Madison that he has fostered in Jefferson? A report in the Captial Times Tuesday reveals a lot about Randy Koschnick. It is based on the comments of his fellow Jefferson […]
Five. Five people remain under investigation for casting an improper ballot on Election Day in Milwaukee County. Five. Out of nearly 500,000 votes cast. And the crusade to criminalize voting continues. The de-facto leader this time around? Milwaukee County Assistant DA Bruce Landgraf. Despite the lack of any substantiated evidence of a ‘wide-spread conspiracy’ to […]
In the most recent edition of The Milwaukee Magazine, former news director of WTMJ radio in Milwaukee Dan Shelley exposes hyper-right-wing radio host Charlie Sykes (and others like him) for what they are’angry right-wing puppets that ‘exploit the fears and perceived victimization of’¦conservative-leaning listeners.’ Shelley explains how these right-wing blowhards use scare tactics, carefully screened […]
In a development that should surprise no one, the lame-duck Bush Administration continues its refusal to comply with Federal records retention laws that require the White House to save and archive all electronic communication. And worst of all, no one knows how many emails are missing, or how we can get them. A recent inquiry […]
Wisconsin’s Iraq Moratorium campaign, which asks people to act on the Third Friday of every month to end the war and occupation of Iraq, continues to grow. A new organizing effort in western Wisconsin, with the theme of “Health care, not warfare,” has sparked new Moratorium events on Friday, Nov. 21, in Rice Lake, Superior, […]
The slime machine behind the infamous and racist Mike Gableman ‘Willie Horton’ ad has a new benefactor ‘ Jefferson County Judge Randy Koschnick. Darrin Schmitz, who continues to serve as a Gableman mouthpiece on the numerous on-going ethics investigations of the newest Supreme Court Justice, was the first to let reporters know Koschnick was gearing […]
Wisconsinites have good reason to be proud as Wisconsin had the second-highest voter turnout among all fifty states in last week’s election. And Milwaukee County can rest easy that the election was fair and accurate given the fact’as explained in a recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article‘that among the hundreds of thousands of ballots cast in […]
Even though I’m hardly surprised when a corporate hotshot at WMC is caught talking out of both sides of his mouth (yes, HIS ‘ still only 2 women on the board’¦), the size of John Torinus’ bullocks must give him trouble walking. Exhibit A: November 1, 2008 ‘ a scant 12 days ago. Milwaukee Journal […]
When toting up the Nov. 4 winners and losers, my friends, let’s not forget the National Rifle Association. The NRA misfired again. The big question is whether legislators will figure out they have nothing to fear from the gun lobby.
At the beginning of the year I openly wondered if the ‘Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights’ (TABOR) was totally and completely dead because the only one attempting to revive it was off the wall State Representative Frank Lasee (R-Bellevue). He announced his intentions even though TABOR and similar proposals had already been repeatedly shot down by […]
Ever since Wisconsin voted to enshrine discrimination against gay families in its constitution, conservatives usually respond to the subject with the same mantra, ‘the people have spoken.’ So it seems odd that many of those very same conservatives have conveniently forgotten that line of reasoning concerning the many progressive referendums that passed all over the […]
Veterans for Peace chapters in Milwaukee and Madison have planned special Veterans Day events this weekend that promote peace rather than militarism. Details: MILWAUKEE VETERANS FOR PEACE: Barred from the city’s Veterans Day parade, Milwaukee Veterans for Peace, Chapter 102, will sponsor its own Veterans Day event at 10 a.m. in front of Milwaukee City […]
Now can we stop hearing the claim that by sending out 50 law enforcement agents to polling places Tuesday that Atty. Gen. J.B. Van Hollen is just doign what Peg Lautenschlager did four years ago? Here’s what Lautenschlager herself says: In 2004 Peggy Lautenschlager, now an attorney for Lawton & Cates, said she also used […]
MADISON, Wis. — Donors to the lawbreaking All Children Matter have just made an unprecedented 146 last-minute legislative contributions totaling $79,725 to 33 Republicans and 4 Democrats over two weeks in mid-October. These individuals, who have given All Children Matter more than $10 million, made 134 maximum contributions allowed under Wisconsin law during this final […]
Donors to the lawbreaking All Children Matter have just made an unprecedented 146 last-minute legislative contributions totaling $79,725 to 33 Republicans and 4 Democrats over two weeks in mid-October. These individuals, who have given All Children Matter more than $10 million, made 134 maximum contributions allowed under Wisconsin law during this final barrage. The 146 […]
After repeated problems involving door-to-door sales crews in Wisconsin, legislation was proposed in the state legislature that would regulate the practice. That legislation was almost singlehandedly blocked by the Eau Claire state Rep. Terry Moulton who chaired the committee responsible for taking up the measure. Blocking such common sense legislation is bad enough, but doing so with […]
Last week I wrote about Republican State Senate candidate (18th SD) Randy Hopper and how he was complaining about taxes and suggesting that the current tax structure has been unfair to him. In that blog, I wrote that he has a credibility problem on the issue since he only paid Wisconsin personal and business income […]
There’s been a noticeable silence on the part of the right wing Wisconsin blog community about the vanished postings of the previously-oft frothing Jo Egelhoff, who regularly peppered liberals and pro-family economic and social policies on her FoxPolitics.net blog-n-site. For a walk down memory lane, you can visit One Wisconsin Now’s http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/content/foxpoliticsrevealed/ to see all […]
Former State Rep. Debi Towns continues to receive the backing from All Children Matter, an organization that remains under a legal cloud in Wisconsin after the State Elections Board determined in November 2006 that they violated rules about express advocacy. Top donors to the lawbreaking pro-private vouchers group have given Towns over $8,000. They have […]
After media reports revealed former Appleton City Council member Jo Egelhoff had removed the library of blog posts she had written from the ‘Fox Politics’ website she owns, One Wisconsin Now managed to retrieve nearly 180 posts and have cataloged the extremist and often-disturbing full library at FoxPoliticsRevealed.com. OWN is happy to provide people with […]
That slimy commercial that Michael Gableman ran against Louis Butler in the Supreme Court race — the one roundly condemned as false and racist? It was simply a matter of the script being “poorly worded.” That’s what Jessica McBride says, and she should know. More here.
MADISON, Wis. — Former State Rep. Debi Towns continues to receive the backing from an organization that supported her last-minute attempt as she left office in 2006 to help divert tax dollars from the over $100 million four-year-old kindergarten system to for-profit private school operations. Top donors to the lawbreaking pro-private vouchers All Children Matters […]
Apparently right wing blogger turned state assembly candidate Jo Egelhoff is confused about her various positions. Dan Bice reports in Friday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that she pulled down many of her blog postings prior to starting her current campaign. With good reason, as the story points out, she has written many things on her blog […]
Republican State Senate candidate (18th SD) Randy Hopper is running a pretty standard campaign for a conservative. In a recent debate he complained about taxes and suggested that the current tax structure has somehow been unfair to him. The only problem with that claim is revealed in a report today by the Fond du Lac […]
Mayor Tom Barrett opposes the referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot to require paid sick leave, saying it would make the city uncompetitive. It’s a federal issue, he says. As a good faith gesture to show he wants to make Milwaukee more competitive, Barrett agrees that he and other members of his administration will give […]
MADISON, Wis. — One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross released the following statements after a judge today dismissed Attorney General JB Van Hollen’s partisan lawsuit against the state of Wisconsin. “Today’s decision was a complete rejection of Republican Attorney General and John McCain for President Co-chair JB Van Hollen’s partisan lawsuit which could have […]
Statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on Voter Suppression Attempts October 23, 2008 It is deeply ironic that Republican operatives are working so hard to tarnish the most dynamic voter participation in our country in decades-apparently to justify and camouflage their most organized attempt yet to deny Americans the right to vote. The right wing […]
If there were any doubt about whether John McCain — or the Wisconsin Republican Party — had a shred of decency left, the answer is no. As forecast yesterday, the GOP mailer tries to make it look like Obama is a terrorist who wishes he had planted more bombs. Pardon the expression, but it should […]
Two conservative groups trashing Democrat Trish O’Neil with an onslaught of inaccurate and racist ads have curiously ignored her Republican opponent, who told a video interviewer the plan was “great.”
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been focusing all week on the serious problem of drunken driving in Wisconsin. In Wednesday’s portion of the continuing report, they focus on the fact that Wisconsin is the only state where first time OWI’s are not charged criminally. They specifically point to the Tavern League and their successful lobbying […]
Despite his long fealty to an annoying no new taxes pledge, Sheldon Wasserman discovered the hard truth that Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform is nothing but a shill group for Republicans. Y’know, Republicans like convicted crook Jack Abramoff and moral sleazebags like Ralph Reed, and well, Norquist himself ‘ all long associated with ATR. […]
It has certainly become an important question. Just Who Will JB Van Hollen Disenfranchise if the partisan lawsuit that he has filed is successful? According to the Government Accountability Board the answer could be over one million Wisconsin voters. We already know that Van Hollen’s office communicated with Republican Party of Wisconsin officials about the […]
On Friday healthcare workers represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) were joined by Healthcare United, Change to Win members, and Citizen Action of Wisconsin as they gathered in front of John McCain’s campaign office in West Allis. They were there to protest McCain’s proposed tax on health insurance. The McCain healthcare plan will only […]
Republicans have been busy slandering ACORN in recent weeks improperly alleging ‘voter fraud.’ One has to wonder how these same people will respond to the fact that the California Republican Party hired a firm whose owner has been arrested for possible voter registration fraud. Reports state that Mark Jacoby, owner of Young Political Majors, was […]
I was recently reminded that during the 1950s, the marginal tax rate was over 90%. Yet the 1950s were a period of tremendous economic growth for the US. Clearly, high tax rates are not, in and of themselves, a growth killer, as many folks proclaim today. In addition, due to the growing strength of the […]
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker may have inherited a less than perfect situation but he has managed to make it so much worse. Rather than make sound budgetary decisions he has opted to manage by political calculation and blind ideology. Walker ‘s latest budget is certainly no exception as he is now proposing to cut over 300 […]
Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen filed a legal brief with Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi on Wednesday. In it he asked the judge not to dismiss his partisan case against the Government Accountability Board (GAB). As we have already learned, Van Hollen’s office first communicated with Republican Party officials about the matter before the suit was filed. We […]
The Election Protection Coalition is sponsoring a public hearing tonight to discuss protecting the vote on Election Day. This is even more important considering recent news that the Republican Party of Wisconsin is trying to recruit law enforcement and others to challenge voters at the polls in Milwaukee. People need to know their rights and […]
John McCain’s attempt to frighten people into voting for him sank to a new depth today. This autocall message was left on our voicemail by a male announcer this afternoon: Hello, I’m calling for John McCain and the RNC because you need to know that Barack Obama has worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, […]
Just thinking as I read about Badger State Repubs looking for some tough guys to watch the polls: The Washington Post reported it first: The Wisconsin Republican Party has issued a call for volunteer poll watchers for Election Day, and the criteria is a little specific, seeking especially folks made of sterner stuff. Jonathan Waclawski, […]
Early in the third 2008 Presidential debate, John McCain introduced Joe, an Ohio plumber who wanted to buy the business in which he had worked for many years. He was supposed to become the poster child for all that was wrong about Obama’s policies. But on health care reform, Joe became a poster child for […]
I had the opportunity to join hundreds of people at the ‘No More Cuts’ rally at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) led the event but were joined by several other unions, and by many other supportive residents that oppose Scott Walker’s drastic cuts. While looking over […]
I just concluded my most recent blog by saying that the right wing had very bad intentions regarding our right to vote. Shortly after I got that blog posted I came across a news item from the Washington Post that not only confirms what I just said, but also carries it even further. The Washington […]
Leading up to every presidential election conservatives make wild accusations about rampant voter fraud in Wisconsin, even though all objective views show that those charges are false. In addition, with the coming of each new election, conservatives always seem to find a new ‘boogy man.’ One year they attack gay people while the next they […]
This appears to be a roadmap for the RPW’s possible election day voter intimidation strategy. Voter intimidation is a felony and can be punishable with a fine of $10,000.