Mark Pocan reflects on student loan debt work, dysfunctional Congress
[U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan] credits the Madison-based advocacy group One Wisconsin Now with doing the work that created the foundation for his legislation. [Capital Times]
One Wisconsin Now
Scott Walker slams Hillary Clinton, Democrats hit back
The liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now tweeted on Thursday: “um, @ScottWalker, elected official 76% of his adult life. @HillaryClinton, elected official 16% of her adult life.” The math checks out. [Capital Times]
Good Money after Bad, WI GOP Demands More For-Profit Schools
“Pro-voucher special interests were among the biggest spenders on their behalf, and Assembly Bill 1 stacks the deck in their favor as payback,” said Scot Ross of the advocacy group One Wisconsin Now. [PRWatch]
Daniel Bice politics chat
For the uninitiated, OWN is the liberal group One Wisconsin Now. They have story suggestions and tips, some of which I like and others that I do not. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
Democrats slam Scott Walker’s presidential dreams after State of the State
The governor had planned to travel Wisconsin on Wednesday in a State of the State tour, but an email obtained by the liberal group One Wisconsin Now showed that the trip was canceled. [Capital Times]
Reaction to Walker’s State of State speech
“We see Wisconsin as a state in need of improvement,” said Scot Ross, director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now. “Our schools and workforce are among the best in the nation. But the facts show Scott Walker has failed to deliver, leaving us with lagging job growth and stagnant wages.” [Associated Press]
State has selected developer for massive Hill Farms project
One Wisconsin Now previously accused the Walker administration of steering contracts to campaign contributors. One of the finalists is a company owned by prominent Dane County developer and Walker donor Terrence Wall. There were also Walker donors among the other finalist groups and those cut earlier in the process. [Wisconsin State Journal]
UNSPUN: January 14, 2015
Last night Walker delivered his state of the state address. No mention of the budget but he did touch on a few initiatives. What is your reaction? [WMTV-TV]
UW’s Sara Goldrick-Rab says Obama’s free community college plan is ‘smart and bold’
In Wisconsin, the advocacy group One Wisconsin Now said that the plan reflects the national value that that public education is a public good that the public supports. [Capital Times]
One Wisconsin Now seeks AG opinion on Supervisor’s fundraising
The liberal group One Wisconsin Now raised questions of whether the anonymous donations to Deanna Alexander could buy secret influence in her county government position. [Pierce County Herald]
Group seeks attorney general opinion on Deanna Alexander’s fundraising
One Wisconsin Now, a liberal group based in Madison, on Friday asked Attorney General Brad Schimel for an opinion on whether Milwaukee County Supervisor Deanna Alexander violated state law last year by using social media to solicit contributions for family expenses. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt defends school accountability bill from criticism on left, right
Democrats, on the other hand, see the new bill as bending to the will of the private school voucher industry. In particular, the liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now pointed to the bill’s provisions governing appointments to the academic review board. [Capital Times]
Wis. Supreme Court changes proposed
One Wisconsin Now testified today as well writing that the Republican-controlled legislature is just trying to gain control of the court. [WMTV-TV]
Back in Action: Walker for president?
Democrats and liberal groups like One Wisconsin Now say Walker will use his budget to prove his presidential timber, by pushing policies like drug testing for welfare recipients. [Capital Times]
The political pitfalls of cultural crossover: Scott Walker edition
In an undated letter unearthed by the liberal group One Wisconsin Now during the August release of documents from the first of two John Doe investigations related to the governor, Walker responded to a letter from Milwaukee attorney and chairman of the Wisconsin Center District Franklyn Gimbel… The letter is signed, “Thank you again and Molotov.” [Capital Times]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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 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]
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]