One Wisconsin Now

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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 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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Walker’s fundraiser to restore mansion raises some eyebrows

On Sept. 22, the governor and first lady will hold a private reception and croquet tournament at the governor’s mansion from 5 to 7 p.m. to raise money to help rehab the Maple Bluff facility. Attendees can donate anywhere from $50 to $1,000 to the mansion’s nonprofit foundation. Those who drop a grand get a […] [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Prosser’s Conduct: Next Steps

One Wisconsin Now is filing an open records request to obtain any written and electronic communications between the four conservative justices, David Prosser, Mike Gableman, Annette Ziegler and Patience Roggensack, and Scott Walker’s office, the office of Mike Huebsch, and Scott and Jeff Fitzgeralds’ offices. [Illusory Tenant]

One Wisconsin Now seeks emails between high court, GOP leaders

The liberal group  One Wisconsin Now wants cash so they can go after conservatives on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court — funding that would pay to investigate whether the governor’s office and the Republican-controlled Legislature have an undue influence on the high court. [Wisconsin Reporter]

Justice Prosser won’t be Charged in Alleged “Chokehold” of Colleague

Last month the progressive group One Wisconsin Now delivered thousands of names to the Supreme Court, urging Prosser to resign. The group was upset with him over the alleged “chokehold” case, as well as previous incidents, including one in which he threatened to “destroy” Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson. [KSDK]

In Light of Prosser Case, Chief Justice Wants More Openness for High Court

One Wisconsin Now, which says it submitted more than 10,000 petition signatures last month calling on Justice Prosser to resign, had this to say about the special prosecutor’s decision “The Sauk County District Attorney’s decision that there was not a crime committed by Justice David Prosser prosecutable in a court of law in no way […] [WBAY]

Can case receive fair hearing before WI’s partisan Supreme Court?

Where WI Attorney General JB Van Hollen (R) has alleged, over a period of years, that there is “widespread voter fraud in Wisconsin,” One Wisconsin Now reports that Von Hollen documents only “11 potentially-improper votes cast out of 3 million Wisconsinites who went to the polls in November 2008.” Out of those “11 potentially-improper votes,” […] [Brad Blog]

Koch Industries Securing Anti-Koch URLs Including AntiKoch.com

Progressive activist group One Wisconsin Now points out that, last week, “Koch Industries registered at least three anti-Koch domains:StopKoch.com, StopKochIndustries.com, and AntiKoch.com.” One Wisconsin Now reports the URLs involve Melbourne IT, a firm specializing in “online brand protection.” Visitors to the reserved Koch-bashing domains are redirected to a Melbourne page which states, in part, “This Internet […] [Brand Channel]

Wisconsin’s photo ID law for voters to face lawsuit

A challenge to the law in federal court could also still happen. For instance the liberal group One Wisconsin Now has said it’s considering a lawsuit of its own. Executive director Scot Ross declined to speak about any possible federal lawsuit Friday but said the language of the state constitution showed that its framers saw […] [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Wis. unemployment rate increases slightly in July

Scot Ross of the liberal muckraking group One Wisconsin Now jumped on the latest report. “Gov. Scott Walker and the Republicans controlling the Legislature promised us new jobs and they have delivered nothing but new corporate tax breaks and attacks on Wisconsin’s way of life,” he said in a statement. “This latest startling news, that […] [CNBC]

Will Governor Walker be recalled?

2012 is shaping up to be an interesting political year in Wisconsin. “I think the numbers show Governor Walker’s policies are wildly unpopular, and people want accountability,” said Scot Ross with One Wisconsin Now. [WTMJ-TV]

Wisconsin recalls: Is Gov. Scott Walker next?

On Wednesday, Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now, called for the recall of Walker next year.”The damage Gov. Walker has inflicted on Wisconsin from a public policy standpoint is only surpassed by the painful division he has created in cities, towns, villages and families across Wisconsin. It is clear he […] [Star Tribune]

Recall Recap: The End of the Enthusiasm Gap

As the folks at One Wisconsin Now have noted, Democrats performed better in these recalls than they did in last fall’s gubernatorial election—even though six of the nine recalls were on Republican turf that Walker carried last fall. [Express Milwaukee]

Senate GOP Faces New Reality

The last of the recalls were held Tuesday, but that didn’t silence talk Wednesday from Democrats who have been weighing a recall attempt against Walker.”It is clear (Walker) is the problem and he must be recalled in 2012 so that Wisconsin can heal and we can begin to undo the destruction he has caused,” said […] [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Opposing view: Recalls restore accountability

In the last century, our nation has seen fewer than two dozen state legislators and just two governors removed from office through the rarely used vehicle of recall. Case in point: When Wisconsin voters ousted two Republican state senators through recalls last week, it doubled the number of senators who have met this fate in […] [USA Today]

After the Wisconsin Recalls, What’s Next?

Scot Ross, the executive director of One Wisconsin Now, a left-leaning communications group, described the future of Wisconsin’s young progressive movement with a metaphor any Wisconsinite could love: football. Right now the movement is at halftime, Ross says. The first quarter was gathering more than 180,000 signatures to trigger Tuesday’s recalls. The second was the recalls […] [Mother Jones]

Wis. Dems say recall wins show governor vulnerable

Wisconsin Democrats brushed aside their failure to seize control of the state Senate through recall elections, instead insisting Wednesday that voters rejected the Republican vision for the state and country and vowing to press on with their plan to recall Gov. Scott Walker. “Gov. Walker remains the most divisive elected official the state of Wisconsin […] [WJRT]

Dems Push Ahead with Plans to Recall Walker

But Walker critics said the momentum behind efforts to recall people like the governor continue. “Gov. Walker remains the most divisive elected official Wisconsin has had,” said Scot Ross of One Wisconsin Now. [Wisconsin State Journal]

Walker says he’ll focus on bipartisanship, jobs

To trigger a recall election of Walker, Democrats would need to gather 540,208 signatures, or one-quarter of the nearly 2.2 million votes cast in the 2010 gubernatorial election. Recall petitions cannot be circulated until early November and cannot be offered for filing with state elections officials until Jan. 3 of next year, according to the […] [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Democrats Mull Recall of Gov. Walker

Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now, said he believed there was still an appetite among Democrats to take on Walker in a recall election. “Gov. Walker has divided the state of Wisconsin like no other state official has and I think a recall of Scott Walker is still very real,” […] [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Recall Wins Show Governor Vulnerable

Other leading Democrats and liberal activists were more ebullient about Tuesday’s results, saying the two Democratic wins showed Walker is weak and ripe for recall. “Gov. Walker remains the most divisive elected official the state of Wisconsin has had and people remain outraged about what he has done to divide our state,” said Scot Ross, […] [Houston Chronicle]

Darling Delivers for Out-of-State Billionaires

In June, as Darling was promoting Walker’s budget and new school privatization measures, watchdog groups filed an open records request seeking her office’s correspondence relating to the effort. For two months, Darling refused. Finally, One Wisconsin Now filed a lawsuit demanding that the senator be compelled to obey the law. Darling finally released the documents […] [Capital Times]

Simac’s Career Bulletproof With New Book

Simac faces Sen. Jim Holperin, D-Conover, on Aug. 16. The liberal group One Wisconsin Now now has an entire website dedicated to “Stuff Simac Says,” playing off of her penchant for making controversial statements. [Wisconsin State Journal]

GAB Tosses Complaints About 3 GOP Senators

Olsen’s wife, Joan Wade, heads the educational agency for east central Wisconsin – and the liberal group One Wisconsin Now accused Olsen of drafting a bill that lets his wife profit financially. Olsen called the complaint a stunt to help his recall challenger Fred Clark, but Scot Ross of One Wisconsin now said Olsen got […] [WTAQ]

GE Move Shows Corporate Tax Breaks Are a Failure

Despite Gov. Scott Walker’s six-month sell-off of Wisconsin state government to corporate special interests at the cost of nearly $2 billion over the next decade, General Electric’s X-ray business just announced it is moving its Waukesha headquarters to Beijing, China. Walker and the Republican Legislature just handed out nearly $2 billion in new corporate tax […] [Wisconsin State Journal]

Board dismisses complaints in recalls

Members of the state Government Accountability Board on Thursday dismissed complaints filed against three state senators facing recall elections this month. But Scot Ross, head of One Wisconsin, stood by his complaint, saying Olsen got off on a technicality. “Luther Olsen wrote legislation that will specifically benefit his wife’s organization financially, and this loophole that […] [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Luther Olsen Didn’t Break the Law

Olsen said Thursday that One Wisconsin Now, which filed the complaint, knew that his wife wouldn’t profit from the bill. The measure, he said, would potentially create more work for her and her agency. “Of course, it was a stunt,” said Olsen, who is being challenged by Rep. Fred Clark (D-Baraboo) on Tuesday. But Scot Ross, head of One Wisconsin, stood […] [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]