Over the years I have heard hundreds of heart-wrenching stories about individuals and families who suffer as a result of health insurers failing to provide the same coverage for mental illnesses as they do for physical ailments. One Wisconsin woman shared with me an especially poignant story that illustrates the imbalance of the current system. […]
“Have you no sense of decency, sir?” Said more than 50 years ago by Joseph Welch in the famed Army-McCarthy hearing, the phrase should be directed this Wednesday morning to Charlie Sykes, the WTMJ radio talk nut. Justice Louis Butler was unseated by a narrow margin from the State Supreme Court in voting yesterday and […]
Even Charlie Sykes, who has no shame, is embarrassed — not by the kind of campaign that WMC and Mike Gableman ran, but by the candidate. He posts this comment from someone he calls a “savvy listener”: Shame on conservatives from letting 2006 hangover result in putting up such a completely lame slate of candidates. […]
Paul Singer has come to Wisconsin in the form of $40,000 in late contributions to Judge Mike Gableman from himself, an executive at his company and couple of people with Singer’s same last name. Singer is the slug who’s made his money by operating so-called ‘vulture’ funds, where he purchased government bonds from poor counties […]
Exactly one year ago, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel thundered with rage at Linda Clifford. The Supreme Court candidate had the temerity to use the name of the might Journal Communications newspaper’s name in an autocall going to potential supporters that referenced, well, the Journal Sentinel’s endorsement of her. In virtually the last seconds of the […]
Direct democracy is a necessity in this country. Being able to vote in open, free elections is important and everyone should have a voice to decide who works in their government. However sometimes appointments should be left to the governor and not to the voice of the Wisconsin voter.Such is the case in the current […]
You can tell a lot about a political candidate by the enemies he or she makes. In Pedro Coln’s (D-Milwaukee) run for the Milwaukee City Attorney’s race, Coln has gained the enmity of the usual suspects on rightwing radio. Both Charlie Sykes and Mark Belling ripped into Coln Monday though not offering any argument against […]
Over the weekend the Associated Press ran a story pointing out the striking similarities of the current fight for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court and a new John Grisham novel, The Appeal. I have not read the book but just hearing some of the details, it seems like someone at Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) got an […]
Honestly, is this some kind of a sick joke? The guy that has been running around the state claiming to be tough on crime sat on a murder case for two years or more? Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Dan Bice has revealed the details of a homicide case while Michael Gableman was Ashland County District […]
Mike Gableman’s largest donors come from Colorado it turns out. John & Carolyn Saeman of Denver wrote $20,000 in checks to Wisconsin’s Gableman a couple of weeks ago. The Saeman’s, who run an investment company in the Rocky Mountain State, are also big fans of George “Macaca” Allen and Rick “Man on Dog/Savage Love Noun” […]
It was just last week that the state media did blanket coverage on issues of open records and open government. It is part of a tradition that they call Sunshine Week. Apparently after only a week they are already burnt out from open records issues. Yesterday the Burnett County District Attorney began looking for a […]
What can bring together the Milwaukee mayor, the DA, and virtually the entire City legislative caucus in a divisive election season? Pedro Cola³n running for City Attorney. Reads the Shepard-Express endorsement: (Mu)ltiple conversations with Colon, and really listening to his plans for the office, have won us over. We enthusiastically support state Rep. Pedro Colon […]
Hey Scott, Thanks so much for explaining to me what’s wrong with Milwaukee County in your latest mailer. You know the one I’m talking about, with the little blond girl on the front, in a police uniform with a badge that reads ‘City of Toyland.’ Now, it all makes sense to me’you’re not playing around’the […]
The Burnett County District Attorney has contacted law enforcement officials to serve as a ‘special prosecutor’ regarding Mike Gableman’s refusal to release his public records.
Citing this week’s comprehensive FamiliesUSA report showing five uninsured adults between ages 25 and 64 die each week due to no health care insurance, The Monroe Times editorialized on the importance the state legislature act on real health care reform. The Times, the home town newspaper of Rep. Brett Davis an opponent of the $2 billion health care cost […]
Two terrible milestones in March: The five-year anniversary of the Bush attack on Iraq, making our adventure there longer than any in the U. S. history of wars; The 4,000th death of a U. S. soldier, sailor or Marine during the occupation.Two Milestones Too Many Two terrible milestones in March: The five-year anniversary of the […]
Several newspapers have noted Michael Gableman’s inability to let go of his constantly repeated talking points. Even when a conservative paper tried to ask him about a case that he has used to criticize his opponent, he remained evasive. We can now see with less than a week to go, that Gableman simply refuses to […]
There is less than a week before Milwaukee County chooses a County Executive and the incumbent has been all over the place with his campaign talking points. He has been shoving his way to nearly every camera and open mic that he can find, to ‘put lipstick on the pig‘ that is his administration. Although […]
Earlier this week John McCain finally decided to address the housing crisis that has been devastating for so many people and to the entire economy. Unfortunately his speech offered no actual solutions for the many families feeling the full weight of the crisis. The great plan offered by the man that ‘doesn’t really understand economics?’ […]
Heirs of the Wal-Mart fortune have given at least $6,000 to Mike Gableman’s campaign for Wisconsin State Supreme Court. Who knows how many countless dollars they may have given to the right wing front groups like WMC to churn out sleazy ads? So why would out of state fat cats from the world’s largest corporation […]
Wisconsin, the People’s community Re: lobbyist’s and special interest’s contrary to Wisconsin Interests We people of Wisconsin have the responsibility and the authority to make the rules and decisions of our Wisconsin Community. Our Government is the infrastructure which is to carry out our demands. The Wisconsin Manufactures and Commerce represent only business and business […]
For Release On: March 25, 2008 For more information contact: Jennifer Epps 414-443-0682 Fed up with Injustice, Milwaukee Residents “Rise Up” More than 1,000 city residents unite to solve Milwaukee’s economic crisis Milwaukee is facing harsh economic times. In response, residents are “Rising Up.” At 5 pm on Saturday, March 29th, just 3 days before […]
Supreme Court candidate Michael Gableman has traveled around the state complaining about specific cases in which incumbent Justice Louis Butler rendered a decision. Although Gableman repeatedly fails to offer a legal argument that Butler applied the law incorrectly, he and his allies continue to use these selected cases as a basis for removing Butler from […]
You won’t find it in the newspaper, but Scott Walker’s campaign for Milwaukee County executive was just caught lying to the Journal Sentinel about the use of actors in a new television commercial. Only political junkies who read the “All Politics” blog on the paper’s website will get the story, and even then it will […]
It’s happened. The American death toll in Iraq has reached 4,000. Across the country, antiwar activists will mark that grim milestone with vigils, marches, and other actions. In Milwaukee, Peace Action Wisconsin and Veterans for Peace will hold a vigil and procession of caskets from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, at the VA […]
There seems to be a theme developing in the media regarding Michael Gableman. It is not one that would surprise those that have been paying close attention. Apparently they are just beginning to get a clue that this guy is little more than a walking breathing list of talking points. A couple weeks ago I […]
Roundly criticized for his Willie Horton-style race-baiting TV spot, Burnett County Judge Mike Gableman got more bad news yesterday. Dodge County District Attorney Stephen Bauer officially yanked his support for Gableman, citing the ad and calling the ad “revolting.” According to Bauer: “This is not a factual ad. …This crossed the line. It was revolting, […]
Yesterday One Wisconsin Now was forced to file an open records complaint because Michael Gableman has refused to turn over emails from his state account. He claims that eight of those emails are personal even though they fit our search criteria of mostly political names and words. Yesterday the Associated Press reported on our struggle […]
*UPDATE BELOW*Way back in September, One Wisconsin Now made an open records request of Burnett County Judge Michael Gableman. In it we asked for copies of emails from his state email account that fit a very specific set of keywords and phrases. Most of them were political which included both names of individuals and organizations […]
Don’t mind me, I’m just practicing my hand at writing a Gableman/WMC style attack ad. You see, the United States Supreme Court threw out the murder conviction of a man yesterday because they found that the prosecution improperly kept African Americans off of the jury during the African American defendant’s trial. I can already see […]
We already know that when Michael Gableman was working in Appleton as an Administrative Law Judge, that he traveled to a Republican fundraiser some 250 miles away without taking off from his state job. While he was being paid by the hardworking people of Wisconsin, he was busy traveling the state to help raise cash […]
*UPDATE* I learned after posting this item that John Torinus decided not to serve on the WJCIC after all. I am only aware of one news source that reported this change in his status and missed the development. The Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee made a few late additions to their ranks, both of which […]
Heckuva job, Scottie. That must be what Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker told himself, before rewarding himself with a $50,000 a year pay raise. Walker wouldn’t use the term “raise.” But, as Gertrude Stein would say, a raise is a raise is a raise. Walker’s announcement that if he is reelected on April 1 he […]
Today is the fifth year of the War in Iraq. People are gathering at events all over the state to demand an end to the War. Below are the details on those events: Appleton: Vigil, sponsored by Fox Valley Peace Coalition. At the corner of College and Appleton Streets. Begins at 5:30 p.m. Elm Grove: Commemoration, […]
Later this afternoon, on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the War in Iraq, national security and economic experts will reflect on the true cost of the war in a press conference. The event is sponsored by the Iraq Campaign 2008 Coalition and will feature Nobel prize winner Joseph E. Stiglitz and Harvard professor […]
Last week the leadership in the State Assembly killed two bills that would have restored Natural Resources Board appointment authority of the DNR Secretary. They did this despite the overwhelming support for the bills by hunters, anglers, and a broad array of legislators. The Senate version of the bill passed by a strong bipartisan 21-12 […]
The One Wisconsin Institute has completed a comprehensive online library of information about Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s largest and arguably most influential corporate lobbying organization. At WMCWatch.org, visitors will find information about the priorities, people, corporations and contributions of WMC. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce has an enormous amount of influence on state policy. […]
The League of Women Voters says it all in this MJS editorial. “…it is shocking that proponents of voter ID are citing a report which rolled out old findings that appear to point to widespread illegal voting in Milwaukee in the 2004 election. The truth is that virtually all of the irregularities identified in the […]
State Senator Mark Miller today announced a public hearing by the Senate Committee on Finance, which he chairs. The public hearing will take place in Milwaukee at 10 am on Wednesday, March 19 on the University of Wisconsin ‘ Milwaukee campus. The goal is to get input from the public on the governor’s budget adjustment […]
As Cory pointed out, Mike Gableman’s unconscionably slimy ad about Louis Butler is a knock off of the race-bating Willie Horton ad that ran during the Bush-Dukakis race of 1988. Any thoughts on the next old inflamatory ad they’ll borrow from? Maybe this one?
Last year I went to the Online News Association conference and blogged about the experience. The highlight for me was when Jim Pugh joined a panel discussion on polling. Jim is the resident mouthpiece for Wisconsin’s corporate lobby, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC). As I reported last year, Pugh was nearly laughed out of the […]
Our wacky neighbors at Pro(foundly deluded)-life Wisconsin are either really, really against both birth control and women, or they are really, really spoiling for a new fundraising campaign. Most likely it’s both columns A & B. In an article about the celebration at the signing of the Compassion Care for Rape Victims, the Cap Times offered the following: […]
When Michael Gableman refused to sign a clean campaign pledge that simply sought to reinforce the judicial code, I wondered what he had in mind in this race for our high court. Now we know, he is intent on dragging it into the lowest gutter. Michael Gableman did not use his very first ad to […]
Next week will mark year five of the war in Iraq. According to the database at the National Priorities Project, Wisconsin taxpayers have paid $8.3 Billion for the war. With those same funds Wisconsin could have provided health care to over 5.3 Million people, retro-fit over 10 million homes with renewable electricity, or build over 500 […]
Mike Gableman has been touting his crime prosecuting prowess. While on the loathsome Vicki McKenna’s show in December (fyi — she called OWN “soulless”), Gableman said, ‘I did prosecute everything from child sexual assault cases, arson cases, white collar crime, and domestic abuse.’ But two media outlets have analyzed Gableman’s claims, which are currently being […]
After seven years of Republican-control in Washington, DC, the orgy of special interest spending, led by Bush and McCain’s abominable Iraq policy, has plunged the country into a $9 trillion debt. John McCain, the “stay the course Senator,” wants to end federal earmarks. It’s all in the timing, I suppose. I fail to recall McCain seeking a permanent ban on earmarks when his party called […]
Hispanic and Black separatists have been spearheading national debate on the issue of Black and Brown coalitions. The debate has become intense now that Barack Obama has become the democratic front runner for President of the United States. As the election season continues, separatists will develop more reasons for creating divisions between African-Americans and Latinos, […]
Milwaukee will mark the fifth anniversary of the war and occupation of Iraq with a march and rally on Saturday, March 15. Please put it on your calander. The rally starts at 1 p.m. at O’Donnell Park, at the east end of Wisconsin Avenue, near the orange sunburst sculpture. Speakers will include Rep. Gwen Moore, […]
Recently, Madison has won the bid to host an international stem cell summit that will bring in over 1000 top researchers and investors to the city. This bid will continue the state’s leadership in the stem cell industry. Hosting the event will bring international notoriety to the state’s outstanding advocacy to the issue. Wisconsin, with […]
In early debates and speeches, Michael Gableman has continually suggested that he has gone toe to toe with arsonists and other criminals. It has been very clear that Gableman and his corporate supporters are trying to make him into a crime fighting super hero. Even though the high court does not exist to lock up […]