Open Thread – Wisconsin Speaks for the Nation
~The Right’s Vision of America
The much anticipated recall election is happening today in Wisconsin. Six Republicans in the state senate may be recalled. There are two camps in this fight, each with a radically different vision for America, the role of government, and the rights of workers to organize.
When Gov. Scott Walker introduced anti-union legislation early this year, hundreds of thousands of protesters poured into Madison, the state capital. As the story unfolded, legislators hid in neighboring states, demonstrators moved into the capitol building, and the national media broadcast the story to the world. Voters petitioned to recall lawmakers on both sides of the aisle – prompting this month’s elections – and some of the battles wound up in the state Supreme Court.
There have been many boots on the ground, including some from Alaska, who are working hard for not only the people of Wisconsin, but workers everywhere. As Wisconsin goes, so goes the nation. Thanks to those out in the trenches. Your efforts are not wasted.
If you are a Wisconsin Mudflatter, now is the time to get to the polls and bring a few apathetic friends. You are representing many more than you know.
I can’t hold my breathe any longer!!!!!!!!!!!
Why is that woman still in office that is losing the ballots?
Is this Waukesa County?
OMG !! It’s coming down to Waukesa county again !! and they aren’t releasing results for another hour !! same county that gave it to Prosser 2 days later with 14000 votes….
Go Wisconsin!!
I read that the Obama Administration is considering giving Shell Oil Arctic Drilling permits. Wow. So soon after the Gulf Oil spill too.
I believe they already have the permits and they have a rig on the way as I speak. Another country,might be Australia has leases and they have a rig on the way for next year. Don’t quote me on all this.
Weird day at work today. This morning I was informed that our store is closing. I have been asked to stay on through the liquidation and will be offered overtime and a big bonus at the end. I have also been assured I will have a position at another store at the same rate of pay. (that’s nice cuz I sure would miss these poverty wages don’tchaknow.) Our store manager isn’t staying past this Friday so things are going to be changing from one day to the next. Give me some good news.
Sorry to hear that MC…. at least you will have a new job somewhere…
Okay-you are much prettier than I am. How am I doing?
Aww thanks Mike!
(GadZOOKS!, but you tickle my funny bone, mike from iowa. beth.)
had to wait until after work to say this…….
Mike… EVERYONE is prettier than you ! …ben runs for the hills, as mike prepares to unload ….hehehehhehehhe!! 🙂
There is something gawdawful hanging on the stairway wall. I am fairly certain it is some sort of alien lifeform. Himself is due home in a couple of hours, and I have posted signs on all possible points of entry asking him to please in the name of all that is holy get rid of it. Yep, that is me. Mother of juvenile hawks, person who totes snakes back to the danged woods, now perfectly happy in her study with no plans to vacate same in the near future. I am sorry your store is closing. I wish you the best.
That’s not exactly good news, but it is funny. I have a picture of you in my mind, holed up bunker style surrounded by provisions of the yummy kind and reading with your feet up, sipping on an iced adult beverage.
http://www.adn.com/2011/08/09/2007405/judge-throws-out-lawsuit-against.html
here’s good news!!!
I’m glad you still have a job even if it’s not a wonderful job. take best of care 🙂
That is good news!
Well, merrycricket, it’s good news that it’s on jimzmum’s wall and not yours, dontcha think? 😉
All progressives and blue-to-the-bone liberals in Alaska are standing w/those in Wisconsin! Fingers crossed for a very blue outcome!
This is a clip of a speech made by Michael Douglas in the movie “The American President”. There’s a section of it that could be used today to describe the right wing of our government. Just replace the name of ‘Bob Rumson’ with any Republican’s name (or Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, O’Reilly….).
“We have serious problems to solve and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving them. He is interested in two things and two things only – making you afraid of it and telling you who’s to blame for it”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWRVbWMvi7c&feature=youtu.be
I love that movie. Whenever I watch it I wish that I could vote for him. But then, that’s the way I always felt when I watched West Wing. And now that I think of it, that’s the way I felt about voting for Barack Obama in 2008. I’m trying hard to hold onto that hope and that feeling for 2012. Some days are better than others.
Thank you. I just love this movie. Wish it were a documenatry!
And now for a Moment of Geek (h/t to Rachel Maddow):
Here’s a link to a NASA webpage that shows how the tsunami in Japan caused icebergs to break off from…wait for it…Antarctica!
Yes, that’s right, swells from the tsunami hit the ice shelf EIGHT THOUSAND miles away and broke off two large icebergs and many smaller pieces. The largest is approximately 4 by 6 miles (about the same surface area as Manhattan).
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/tsunami-bergs.html
(See…who knows what kind of impact the little ripples being made in Wisconsin can have on the rest of the country!)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-rosenbaum/get-live-wisconsin-recall_b_922159.html
live blog update of the Wisconsin recall election for anyone that wants to know.
Thanks- been looking at it now that polls are closed.
results starting to come in faster. JR is saying these
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/elections/2011/by_county/WI_Page_0809.html?SITE=AP&SECTION=POLITICS
seem to be the best so far
This is yucky- I don’t know which precincts have how much sway in WI’s districts. 3 Rs win as of now, one D who bounced one of the guys Patrick said was a particularly raunchy twit, 2 running ahead for Ds right now but not enough precincts in yet to make a call…
Oh make that another D wins…!
Go WI!
that last race is looking better for the D but not enough precincts in yet
I better go do something for a bit- GO WI- good job so far!
It’s down to Wauksau county AGAIN !! no results from them still – and they “found” 14,000 for Prosser two days later…. gee… what are the odds,,,,,,,
yup- County Clerk needs to be reassigned to Public Works… picking up litter on the street somewhere?
I want to know how that woman still has her job? That is disgraceful!
Hey, wouldn’t it be great if the reason Kathy Nickolaus is so late with reporting her results is that there were thousands of votes for Sandy Pasch that she was trying to figure out how to hide?
Yeah, yeah, I know…not gonna happen, but a girl can hope, can’t she?
After hearing some of the things Darling said the past few days, I was particularly hoping that she would go down in defeat. Well, we have two new Dems that we didn’t have yesterday so that’s a good thing.
‘Night all…
The Huff Po live blog is saying state party Dem chair is saying the same twit County Clerk is sitting on votes in that last race as had all the shaky “found” votes and all in Supreme Court election there.
But they mostly all just popped up on AP site and shifted the race some.
Whatever happens now, you did a good job WI.
I guess I’m having my own lil party here. 🙂
Would love to have seen them all go, 2 is good , 3 would be better but it’s a darn long time to have kept the steam going to get this done and you all did good!
Getting that last one means control of the State Senate?
Holy moley, that last big county in the remaining race has more people in it than the whole state of Alaska!
How come there are only 30k total votes for 39 out of 51 precincts showing?
Even more proud of the wins in other 2 districts- looks like is really hard to get folks out to vote.
Go WI!
“TPM has been reporting for weeks about the effect of the debt debate on individual political leaders and the subsequently low ratings of Congress. But new data from a CNN poll shows that there’s been a difference in the minds of many Americans: the Democratic Party is getting a split on approval/disapproval at 47 – 47, but the Republican Party disapproval rating is all the way up to 59%, against a 33% approval.”
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/08/cnn-poll-grand-old-party-downgrade.php
I started collecting badger figurines when I was 8 and finally realized they are my totem animal. In Japan, badgers are seen as jovial tricksters, In Ireland and Great Britain, they are traditionally held to be protectors of the land. Here in the American southwest, Native cultures consider Badger to be a healer and the traditional guardian of the southern direction, Great Badger – may your protective, healing energy be with the people of Wisconsin today. I summon badger energy to heal the state that has also chosen you as its collective totem. On Wisconsin!
I’m rather surprised Granny $arah hasn’t tweeted news of her first granddaughter’s birth. From what I understand, Kyla Grace Palin was born to Track and Britta Hanson Palin on Sunday night. Then again, maybe I’m not surprised…it wasn’t until about a week after the T&B wedding in May that she finally tweeted about that happy event. When it comes to tweeting about family, I’m beginning to think she only tweets to squelch rumors (as she did with the wedding of her eldest child to Britta.) Still, would’ve been nice for her to at least acknowledge the wee bairn’s birth… even though it might set folks off to counting the months between the wedding and the gestational periods for a human being, discussing the merits of abstinence only as a form of birth control, family values, and all. beth.
The world now has a half-track Palin. Go you Badgers. Root out the evil that permeates your state and give Americans hope for a much brighter(literally and figuratively) future.
Britta’s parents have apparently talked to the media and have expressed their delight with their new granddaughter.
I suppose, with the Palins, it gets harder with each pre-wedding conception, to find excuses why abstinence doesn’t work. This now makes FOUR (at least) in the immediate family. Sadly, instead of taking the spotlight off of the three-month miracle gestation, it just makes them seem heartless and unfeeling towards their own children and grandchildren. Regardless of the circumstances, a healthy new baby who’s wanted and loved should ALWAYS be a cause for celebration.
There also seems to be some interesting speculation in the blogging world that the ‘marriage’ never actually took place, at least not in the legal sense. There seems to be no marriage license filed for the couple, despite the picture of the ‘wedding’, according to numerous people who have perused the public records. Something else to make you go Hmmmmmmmm…
Legally married or not, I am hopeful that the choice of a real name that’s actually pretty is an indication that Track and Britta will be charting their own course for a family life removed from the dysfunction of the Palin clan. Fingers crossed for all of their sakes.
Well, congrats to the couple and how nice that they chose such a pretty name for their new daughter. I wish them all the best. It is odd, however, that the other grandma hasn’t said anything. Maybe she’s miffed that they didn’t consult her on the new Palin’s name.
I had what I believe may have been a major “A-ha!” moment watching today’s local mid-day news — the topic, again, was the national deficit and what possible measures might be taken to remedy it. Raising taxes to ease the national shortfall were discussed, but being in a die-hard red state, the overwhelming consensus from all those many interviewed was — and is– NO! Not only “NO”, but “HE// NO!”
Being of a librul (ptui!) and more progressive (ptui!) bent, I never could understand the logic of those who dismiss out of hand the option of taxing the uber-richest amongst us and large corporations. It just doesn’t make any kind of sense to me that folks would be content to allow the uber-wealthy and corporations to use write-offs and ‘gimmicks’ to keep from adding to the national coffers while shouldering the (tax) burden for running the nation through *their* taxes — the middle class just can’t sustain the weight! Republican and Bagger leaders say any taxing of these two groups –uber-monied and corps– is a bad thing, although I, personally, do not see it that way. But what do I know…
So, OK…fast forward to three segments later in the local news cast; a segment on county property taxes. They are going up 20% across the board! People are, rightfully, mightily pixxed off about this — and I don’t blame them! 20%! On *e.v.e.r.y* property, no matter its valuation. Every one pays it — if you own property, you’re going to be taxed an *additional* 20%…on top of what you already pay to the county. Not, by any measure, a good thing.
And that’s when it dawned on me: Are all those who listen to the leadership of the R and B parties who say “No” to raising (or instituting) taxes on targetted groups, *confusing* that with raising taxes across the board? Is *that* why they’re all so adamantly against any talk of using taxes from the super-rich and mega-corps (targetted groups) at the national level to draw down the national deficit? beth.
I think the message does get blurred, sometimes intentionally by those in the media and in politics who want to promote a particular point of view, and other times due to the kneejerk reactions of uninformed people who don’t have all the facts and get their news/propaganda from Faux or World Net Daily.
However, I think there’s also a portion of the lower- and middle- middle class who looks at the rich and truly believe they might be one of them someday. Considering how the gap between the uber-rich and the rest of us is widening by leaps and bounds every day, that is an absurd hope for the vast majority of us, but perhaps it is the only thing that helps these people keep muddling along with their difficult lives.
Whatever the reason, the right wing political leaders and their media supporters use this delusion to their advantage, as well as the threat that once the rich are forced to give up all their money, those eevull libruls will be coming for yoooouuuuuu!!!
It’s important to take note that Wisconsin does not stand alone in its fight because the far right is not just setting its sites on them. It is obvious around the country that the far right has exhibited behavior that tells us that they are bound and determined to take the country down in its quest for power. They scream freedom (can’t you hear Bachmann and Palin now) but they want control. They want the country to live by their faux-Christian standards taking away choice and in essence taking away freedom. They will do and say anything to get their way, lying their way to the top. There is not bigger evidence of this than in the latest attempts to bury the president by claiming that their recklessness in the debt debacle was his fault. Andrew Sullivan has a great piece that’s worth passing around:
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/08/how-obama-can-win-the-fall.html
Who would have thought that the momentum in Wisconsin that started so long ago would still be so strong. I’ve been so impressed and inspired by all those who have done the work to get the shameful republicans in Wisconsin recalled. But it’s only really going to be worth it if all those people who stood and marched day after day get out and vote today. The rest of us are with you just as we have been for months. Go Wisconsin!
Go Wisconsin voters, our positive thoughts are with you! We are all counting on the people’s voices resounding as it has done for months, only this time at the ballot box. I am so nervous about these results that I’m going to wait until later tonight to check on them. This is going to be a looong day!
Wisconsin, we stand with you. Now, get out the VOTE!!
I am very proud of the people of Wisconsin and will also be following the election today….hoping for an overwhelming victory…..to send a message to the rest of those newly elected, outrageous governors….and to show the people of this country that we do count, that we still have a voice that can’t be silenced by Citizen’s United.
Go WISCONSIN! I’ve had knots in my stomach continually since this started. I’ve been taking Tums all day today. This election is SO very important for the entire nation. If the Thugs somehow manage to steal enough of the elections to stay in power, I fear for our future. It will be grim indeed. I’ve always been the eternal optimist, believing (unrealistically at times) that good will always triumph. The evil maniacs running the show are pulling out every dirty trick in the world to defeat us. I still have faith in our ultimate victory, largely because of the wonderful, courageous people of Wisconsin. You folks bring hope to us all. Thank you more than I can ever say. I’m with you all the way. The Dominionists have made prayer a dirty word, but I will be praying for you good people and for all of us.
{{{{{Kat}}}}}
The GOP gets down and dirty in Wisconsin’s recall elections
Wisconsin Republicans have used every trick in the book, even redrawing the electoral map, to halt Democrats’ recall campaign
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/aug/08/wisconsin-us-politics
JERKS! And yes, I AM SHOUTING!
I’ve had this date circled on my calendar for weeks now. My company from Germany is leaving this morning, and I plan to spend the rest of the day tuned in to both internet and CNN.
If those folks in WI keep the bad guys in, they deserve whatever comes. Sounds really crass, doesn’t it? I don’t mean it to, just that progressives, moderates, independents etc. better get out and vote!
I was surprised that some contests were really close, let’s prove the pollsters wrong!
Go WI!
Keeping fingers, toes, hands, feet, eyes (ouch!) and other assorted body parts crossed today, and sending positive thoughts your way, Wisconsin. Like ks sunflower, I am so proud of what the people of WI have accomplished in the past few months, and I hope that the recall is more successful than you even imagined.
We need to join together to fight the hateful minority on the far right that is bringing our nation ever closer to a theocracy run solely for the benefit of the corporations. Thanks to the decisions of the SCOTUS and the local and state right wing leaders, the control of our country has bee turned over to the corporations and the uber-wealthy, and it’s time to fight back and return it to the majority of the citizens.
We will all be watching WI closely, hoping to send the message that We The People still have power over We The Billionaires.
Go Wisconsin!
I’m with you, Lennie, and may I say that it is exceedingly difficult to type with crossed fingers and eyes. Also, too, I’m so proud and inspired by the good people of Wisconsin that have kept up this fight against corporatocracy!
Cheeseheads!!! + 3 Tuesday
All eyes on Wisconsin.
A bellwether for Decision 2012.
May it fall in favor of the kind of America where faith and patriotism does not have to be worn on the sleeve; that Americans can chose whom to consensually show love to, marry and have children (or not) with; that paying taxes or a show of collective voice is not painted as a sin or breaking a law; that charity does not only belong in the churches; and that our individuality can not be regulated by those that seek power to crush our privacy and freedoms.
Wisconsin, our hearts are with you. I’ve been so proud of everyone who has protested day after day. So proud of everyone who has said “enough!” So proud of everyone who intends to use the voting booth to stop an uncaring and abusive GOP.
Wisconsin, may you set the example for all of us on how to ensure our voices count, our needs matter, and our hopes can be fulfilled.
I hope the election in Wisconsin goes well today. This will be a true test for giving people the rights they deserve——-also that money from the Koch brothers and Murdock can’t buy our country.
Synchronicity.
Today is Tisha B’Av.
Jews traditionally read the Book of Lamentations [in Hebrew, “Eicha”] on Tisha B’Av, the day of memorial for the destruction of the Holy Temple.
Arthur Waskow of The Shalom Center says, ” Today is that day, and today the Temple that is burning is the Earth.”
“Ancient rabbinic commentary asked, When was the first “Eicha”? and answered, “In the Garden of Eden, when God asked Adam and Chava, ‘Ayekka? Where are you?’ after they had tried to gobble all the Garden’s abundance with no self-restraint: an act that shattered the abundance.”
“This is the story we Humans are living today.” Arthur Waskow.
So today I Will reread the book of Lamentations.
What else will I Do to restore the Temple/our Earth?
I say my prayers; my life is a prayer as I walk in this world.
Tikkun Olam, Shalom.
I invite you all to join me today, to take a few moments to appreciate the world around us, to think of those who are fighting to be heard today, to perform those Small Acts of kindness and generosity and caring that add up to Big Changes for the better.
When was the first lamentation?
“after they had tried to gobble all the Garden’s abundance with no self-restraint: an act that shattered the abundance.”
ahem. Rupert/Koch/ALEC/CitizensUnited?
Can you hear me now?
thatbadgercrowwoman
Tikkun olam shalom, indeed. I get the Shalom Center’s emails, too. Appreciating our world …
Without the depth of a Jewish heritage, without any scholarly understanding, I am somehow deeply touched by your post. Thank you so much, thatcrowwoman. Your crow-self reaches out to all of us!
This is what Democracy Looks like!!
I loved this chant when they did it in side the Capitol building for days on end.
Go Wisconsin! You are giving substance to the idea that this is indeed OUR country, of the people, by the people and for the people.
On, Wisconsin!
Recall the *&%$*!
*summoning my inner badger and donning my mighty cheesehead*
Gov. Walker Rewrites Wisconsin Fight Song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5RwbXnsN_s
On, Wisconsin
and Beyond Wisconsin, also, too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOYus1BE7jk&feature=related
in solidarity,
thatbadgercrowwoman
We are all Wisconsinites today!
Our cheesehead hats and badger shirts look great with our yellow wellies, also, too, you betcha!
🙂
Oh Yeah! A veritable fashion statement! Go Cheeseheads!
Go Wisconsin! May you see a change for the better today.