ProfitShip Learning
According to a report by One Wisconsin Now, the Milwaukee-based Bradley Foundation is a major underwriter of this propaganda effort. [The Progressive]
Earned Media
Wisconsin Lawmaker Plans To Introduce Right-To-Work Bill, In Echo Of 2011 Union Battles
Scot Ross, executive director of the progressive group One Wisconsin Now, said he thought Kapenga’s right-to-work bill was really a political ploy to get concessions from Walker during the negotiation over Wisconsin’s next budget. [Huffington Post]
Conservative group will push to make Wisconsin a right-to-work state
Walker says anything to get re-elected and now he and his Republican front groups are ready to launch a frontal assault on Wisconsin's middle class working women and men. [Capital Times]
Right-to-work group launches after governor, legislators say issue not a priority
“It’s the same playbook from four years ago that tore Wisconsin apart,” Ross said in a statement. “Gov. Walker says anything to get elected and now he and his Republican front groups are ready to launch a frontal assault on Wisconsin’s middle class working women and men.” [Racine Journal Times]
Conservative activist launches push for Wisconsin ‘right to work’ law
Wisconsin Right to Work will seek changes in state law to prohibit businesses and unions from requiring workers to pay union dues as a condition of employment… Scot Ross criticized the new group for its out-of-state ties. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
Assembly Speaker’s comments on Bucks arena funding causes controversy
"I thought it was just a really blatant and unmistakable message that Speaker Vos was sending to people in Wisconsin and that's, 'you play by my rules or you don't get to play." [WKOW-TV]
New ‘jock tax’ proposal for Bucks arena stirs up controversy
Vos says he wants to keep the Bucks in Milwaukee. But political visits are not making his job to convince law makers across the state any easier. The liberal group, One Wisconsin Now, has requested Vos be criminally investigated for breaking a state law that does not allow any political moves to be made, based […] [WITI-TV]
One Wisconsin Now slams Scott Walker’s tech school tour
Scot Ross of One Wisconsin Now questions Governor Scott Walker’s motive as the Republican tours five of the state’s 16 technical colleges just two days after being elected to a second term. “He’s using technical colleges as a photo-op as he prepares to make another run for higher office and it’s a sad indictment on […] [Wisconsin Radio Network]
Republicans Smear Mary Burke, Sneer at Minimum Wage
“The wallet and fingerprints of Scott Walker’s campaign co-chair Michael Grebe are all over this last-second desperate smear against Mary Burke,” says One Wisconsin Now executive director Scot Ross. [The Progressive]
Degrees of risk: College is a financial gamble for too many
Activists like Scot Ross of One Wisconsin Now are arguing that student loans should be a deciding issue in the Nov. 4 election. Democratic challenger Mary Burke is making college affordability a pillar of her economic recovery plan. [Capital Times]
Liberal group says Brad Schimel ‘trying to have it both ways’ on abortion laws
A liberal advocacy group contends that Brad Schimel, the Republican candidate for attorney general, has voiced conflicting intentions regarding his approach to laws struck down by the courts. “Brad Schimel has been caught in a lie, and he seems to be having trouble deciding who to admit he is lying to,” Dye said. [Capital Times]
Scott Walker scores big PAC donations after limits lifted
“Half of the $80 million Scott Walker’s raised comes from outside of Wisconsin, and we all remember when he when flew to Las Vegas, hat in hand, to beg Sheldon Adelson for his support,” said Scot Ross. [Capital Times]
Candidates Court ‘Basement Grads’ Who Struggle With Student Debt
Scot Ross, the executive director of One Wisconsin Now, believes the issue could one day be as important as Social Security or Medicaid. Nearly three quarters of college students leave school with loans, and the average debt load is about $30,000, according to government data. More than one in 10 borrowers is in default. Student […] [Wall Street Journal]
The War for Wisconsin Heats Up
Bill Clinton joins the fray in the tight race for governor in Wisconsin, as incumbent Scott Walker and contender Mary Burke face off. NBC’s Chris Todd and Executive Director of One Wisconsin Now Scot Ross explain why the stakes are high. [MSNBC]
In 2010, Scott Walker’s campaign sought to keep IBM ‘happy’
Liberal group One Wisconsin Now accused Walker of “hypocrisy” because he was copied on those emails while at the same time promising on the campaign trail to “restore Wisconsin’s reputation for clean and honest government through transparency in the state contracting process.” [Wisconsin State Journal]
Scott Walker’s Corruption Problem
New documents released show that Walker helped his longtime campaign treasurer get inside information for a bid to lease office space to the county. Ross, who describes Walker’s administration as “arguably one of the most corrupt in recent history,” is calling for those aides, Cindy Archer and Jim Villa, to resign [The Progressive]
Mary Burke, others question ethics of information given to Scott Walker campaign treasurer
One Wisconsin Now called for Archer and Villa to resign from their posts, calling their exchanges with Hiller a “massive violation of the public trust.” [Capital Times]
Letter to Wisconsin Family Action reveals Scott Walker’s opinions on abortion, gay marriage
“Just like his wink and nod with the radicals at Pro-Life Wisconsin, Gov. Walker’s trying to have it both ways,” Ross said. “It’s a pattern of deception from Gov. Walker, a career politician who is willing to mislead the people he’s supposed to serve to advance his own political ambitions.” [Capital Times]
The Lost Generation
According to a report from the One Wisconsin Institute, the devastating effects of student loan debt “may reduce new vehicle spending by as much as an estimated $6.4 billion annually in the US.. [Truth-Out]
Does Wisconsin Have a Work Problem?
The first red flag is a claim from the nonpartisan watchdog group One Wisconsin Now that 13,000 of the jobs posted aren’t in Wisconsin but in neighboring states like Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. [Shepherd Express]
Who Will Be Wisconsin’s Next Attorney General?
One Wisconsin Now sent Schimel a complaint about the deal, but Schimel declined to investigate. “Isn’t that the essence of representative government?” Schimel said of the Kleefisch-Eisenga relationship. [Shepherd Express]
Scott Walker campaign staffer OK’d statement denying political activity by county staff
Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now, called the email exchange “Exhibit A” for how Walker, a Republican up for re-election, put politics ahead of public service. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
Scott Walker puts miles on state vehicles for job — and campaigning
The people of Wisconsin are paying Walker's salary to work for them, but for over a year of his time in office, he has been on the campaign trail working only for his own political ambitions. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
AG candidate Brad Schimel says contributions don’t buy access
In January, One Wisconsin Now emailed Schimel, requesting that he investigate state Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, and his bill to cap the amount of child support that can be imposed on the wealthy. [Capital Times]
Walker’s campaign site touts Pro-Life Wisconsin endorsement he didn’t receive this year
One Wisconsin Now executive director Scot Ross said touting the endorsement of a group that didn’t grant it for this election is an example of “the alarming pattern of deception with Scott Walker when it comes to women’s health,” noting the governor’s past support of Pro-Life Wisconsin and of laws the group supports. [Capital Times]
Where’s the Ground Game to Overcome Voter ID?
One Wisconsin Now is urging Wisconsin media to donate air time and ad space for photo ID education. “This is a great opportunity for the broadcasters that use the public airwaves to step up and do a great public service, helping ensure legal voters are able to cast their vote in November,” says One Wisconsin […] [The Progressive]
Liberal group files complaint against Brad Schimel
One Wisconsin Now filed a complaint against Brad Schimel yesterday. It alleges that the Republican attorney general hopeful used 500-dollars in campaign funds for his children's baby-sitters 16 times between 2009 and February. [Pierce County Herald]
UNSPUN: October 08, 2014
[WMTV-TV]
Justices face questions as ‘John Doe’ probe lands in Supreme Court
One Wisconsin Now said the four-year-old rules are a “get-out-of-court-free card” for powerful interests that spend heavily in Supreme Court races. His group has called on the four justices to recuse themselves from any John Doe case. “There’s an $8 million weight on the scales of justice spent to elect these justices,” Ross said. [Wisconsin State Journal]
Americans for Prosperity’s trail of voter misinformation goes far beyond NC
One Wisconsin Now recorded speakers at a meeting of state Tea Party leaders talking about mailing minority and student voters inaccurate information in an effort to prevent them from voting. [Institute for Southern Studies]
Scot Ross: Brad Schimel wrong to turn blind eye to corruption
“Why can't a legislator press for legislation that benefits a person who has contributed to their campaign? Isn't that the essence of representative government?” [Capital Times]
Wisconsin lawmakers, business group fight over pay equity
Lawmakers, along with representatives of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now and the women’s rights organization 9to5, called on the state chamber to remove an offensive, anti-equal pay image from its website. [Associated Press]
Long-term student debt is a drag on economy
As if we didn’t already have enough evidence of the ill effects of the heavy burden of student loan debt, there was new evidence last week that the damage isn’t just confined to students themselves. [Racine Journal Times]
Real threat to Wisconsin voters worse than ‘militia’
“The sad thing is that the real threat to voting are actually much worse, and have been put into place by Scott Walker and his Republican allies,” Scot Ross, executive director of One Wisconsin Now, told MSNBC. [MSNBC]
Analiese Eicher on WORT-FM to Discuss Voter Photo ID Law
On Tuesday, September 16th, our host Carousel Bayrd was joined by Analiese Eicher from One Wisconsin Now to discuss the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to reinstate Voter ID. [WORT-FM]
Wisconsin one of three states to reject food-stamp increase
“Once again, the people of Wisconsin pay the price for Gov. Walker’s presidential ambitions,” said One Wisconsin Now executive director Scot Ross. “We’re dead last in the Midwest in jobs under Gov. Walker, and apparently he doesn’t care what this is doing to Wisconsin families.” [Capital Times]
Groups Fighting Wis. Voter ID Law Ask Full Federal Appeals Court to Intervene
One Wisconsin's Saul Newton to students: “If you don't have the proper ID to vote, make a plan today to get the ID.” [WUWM]
What College Republicans get wrong about Higher Ed, Lower Debt
The Higher Ed, Lower Debt bill was something substantive that dealt with student loan debt from a long-term perspective, and Republicans killed it without even a second glance. [Badger Herald]
A Major Blow to Voting Rights in Wisconsin
According to an amicus brief filed by One Wisconsin Institute, 257,000 voting-age Wisconsinites don’t have a car in their household. Moreover, only thirty-three of Wisconsin’s ninety-two DMVs are open full-time during business hours. [The Nation]
Lawsuit challenging teacher contracts politically motivated, says One WI Now
A lawsuit accusing the Madison School Board of engaging in illegal collective bargaining to the detriment of children and taxpayers was filed by a Milwaukee-based conservative legal group that is a “front” for Gov. Scott Walker, says the director of a Madison progressive advocacy group. [Capital Times]
Study shows minority students take on more debt
One Wisconsin Intern Miles Brown, an African American who is now a senior at UW-Madison says he grew up in poverty, in a family where no one had a 4-year-degree. [WKOW-TV]
Walker discusses UW affordability at UW-Eau Claire visit
One Wisconsin Now is blasting Walker because he hiked tuition, flat-lined financial aid, and let legislation that would have helped current student borrowers refinance their loans die. [WEAU-TV]
Court to hear arguments on secret Scott Walker investigation
Gov. Walker has refused responsibility for his actions or to be held accountable for his bad decisions. [MSNBC]
Ivory Tower film screening sparks debate on student loan debt crisis
Mayor Tom Barrett will discuss the impact of student loan debt on the City of Milwaukee and student loan debt reform advocate Scot Ross, Executive Director of One Wisconsin. [WDJT-TV]
Student loan debt movie makes Milwaukee premiere
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was also on hand for Monday's discussions along with student loan debt reform advocate Scot Ross, Executive Director of One Wisconsin. [WDJT-TV]
Wisconsin Group Wants to Turn Student Borrowers into Activists
Through the recession, college tuition skyrocketed at public universities to make up for flagging state funding. Some students who borrowed to keep up with rising costs face crushing debt repayments. [PBS]
One Wisconsin, Mark Pocan featured on PBS NewsHour
Could the country's more than 40 million student loan borrowers become a voting bloc with a voice? One Wisconsin Now, the liberal advocacy group headquartered in Madison, says yes. [Capital Times]
Jacob Schimmel: Walker breaks ‘covenant’ with students
Common sense would tell you that when crucial educational programs are cut, people are going to make a lot of noise. But under the noise, Gov. Scott Walker was able to swiftly yet quietly eliminate a program that this state’s students are in dire need of — the Wisconsin Covenant Scholars program. [La Crosse Tribune]
Outsourcing’s new frontier: Scott Walker’s campaign ads
“Gov. Walker is so committed to outsourcing that’s he’s even outsourcing stock footage jobs overseas,” said Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now. [Capital Times]
More heat than light in flap over Schimel’s response to One WI Now
Brad Schimel, the lone Republican candidate for state attorney general, ignited a firestorm with his response to a letter alleging pay-to-play politics… One Wisconsin Now called Schimel’s response, which it received in January and made public in June, “shocking and disappointing.” Schimel’s remarks were also blasted by the three Democrats vying in the Aug. 12 primary for […] [Isthmus]