Wisconsin Total Recall: Democrats 6. Republicans 0.
Total Recall in Wisconsin. Photo Credit - T. Evers.
Democrats made a clean sweep against the fake democrats fielded by the Republican Party of Wisconsin in order to force primaries and grant the republican incumbents an extra month to campaign…and grant them the opportunity to receive plenty of money via independent expenditures from the likes of Americans for Prosperity and other corporate-backed special interests.
Despite GOTV efforts by local republican parties, the GOP failed. Is Governor Walker paying attention while lounging on his taxpayer-funded patio quaffing cloyingly insipid Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy, a beer/lemonade mix from Wisconsin’s number one faux craft brewery. Gotta love a Wisconsin Governor who actively attempts to screw the vibrant and independent craft breweries at the behest of behemoth SAB MillerCoors. Never mind the deliciousness of him tweeting pictures of his sorority-girl style drink, then following it up with a photo of his…toothbrush. At first I thought his twitter account had been hacked. Unfortunately, he’s that shallow.
Anyway, back to the recall elections.
A couple days before the election Wisconsin Right to Life sponsored 10’s of thousands of robo calls to likely voters in what many democrats assert to be an attempt at voter suppression. Here’s the script of the calls that democratic voters received:
“Hello, this is Barbara Lyons from Wisconsin Right to Life. I’m calling today to let you know that you will be receiving an absentee ballot application for the upcoming recall elections in the mail in the next few days. These recall elections are very important and voting absentee will ensure that your vote is counted and that we can maintain a pro-family, pro-life state senate. We hope that we can count on you to complete that application and send it back to us within 7 days.
Now why would anyone send an absentee ballot back to Wisconsin Right to Life rather than say, the county or municipal clerk? Looking a little deeper, the phone number used for the robo calls originates in VA, and it appears to be a number used by The National Right to Life Committee.
Barbara Lyons had this to say to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel when challenged:
In a telephone interview, Lyons said the calls, “as best as we know,” were targeted to friends and supporters of the organization. She said tens of thousands of calls were made.
Right. That’s why scores of democrats were called. Nice try.
Much thanks goes out to every individual and group who has been involved in the recall effort thus far. We Are Wisconsin just reported that they managed to field the volunteers necessary to knock on 37,857 doors during the Get Out The Vote campaign. This is huge.
By any measure, turnout in the recall elections was huge. Even when compared to fall primaries, it was impressive. Former Oshkosh deputy mayor Jessica King received nearly 20,000 votes against her republican-recruited fake democrat opponent John Buckstaff. In her first bid for senate in 2008 she received just 1849 votes in an uncontested democratic primary. In the 2008 general election that saw her pitted against the now sex-scandal-embroiled Randy Hopper, she received 41,688 votes-this during a presidential election that saw enormous turnout around the state.
Only one fake democrat had a respectable showing. Isaac Weix, of Menomonie, realized 46 percent of the vote against legitimate democrat Shelly Moore. This was in large part due to a GOTV effort by the St. Croix Republican party which used automated phone calls and emails to encourage Republicans to vote for Weix, the faker.
Rep. Jen Schilling, D-LaCrosse, won by over 70%. She’ll now take on republican incumbent Sen. Dan Kapanke in the Aug. 9th general election.
The winners of Tuesday’s Democratic primary include Moore; Shilling; Rep. Fred Clark, D-Baraboo, who will run against Olsen; King, who will run against Hopper; former Brown County Executive Nancy Nusbaum, who will run against Cowles; and Rep. Sandra Pasch, D-Whitefish Bay, who will run against Darling.
Democrats Demand that Scott Walker and the Republican Party Must Reimburse Taxpayers for Primary forced by Fake Democrats.
In a press release issued yesterday, Mike Tate, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair stated “The Republicans have brazenly lied to Wisconsin and they must repay the taxpayers for their fraud,” he added “For a party that pretends to care about the tax burden of working families, they are sure willing to spend their money to finance pure political gain. Scott Walker’s GOP is sitting on mountains of corporate cash – they should put their money where their mouth is and repay Wisconsin for their outrageous conspiracy.
All six actual Democrats cruised to victory over their sham opponents. Reports have put the cost of these sham primaries at more than $400,000.
The next battle will take place August 9th, when the Democrats attempt to wrest control of the senate from the republicans. If successful, this will create a stalemate that will prevent the GOP from further remaking Wisconsin in Arizona’s image. Then, it is on to the main event, The Recall of Governor Scott Walker.
Thanks for the update; if you can, give $$$$$ to the recall effort; the right will be pouring lots of money into the August election. I’m so pleased that not one of the fake Democrats won and that the margin of votes was, for the most part >60%, for the “real” Dems. On WI!
I’m okay with Wisconsin for the next two years until My Hawkeyes and the Badgers butt heads in football again.Until then I’m a Badger.
Thanks, Patrick. You’re a peach of a cheesehead.
This is exceedingly trivial, however, why would anybody in their right mind buy premixed shandy? All it consists of is a decent beer (not your bees pee varieties) mixed with Sprite or Seven-Up, most people make it half half but there are no rules, whatever proportion & mixer tastes best. It is even better made with Ginger Beer!
That man is an ass.
Lol Waay Out. And the summer sham by Leinie’s is made with friggin’ artificial flavoring. I mean, we are Wisconsin for chrissake. We love our beer.
The corruption and shenanigans going on in Wisconsin is staggering. Thank you for keeping us posted!
Go WI!!!
Thank you Patrick for the update and all you do. My heart and fighting spirit is with Wisconsin. I hope as Wisconsin goes, the nation goes. Go Wisconsin!
It is reassuring to know that at least in WI people are beginning to wake up. It is to be hoped that reason and pragmatism and democracy will prevail.
Polar Bear – I can understand your point of view in retrospect. I hope your extended family can make the transition without violence, because often, when one realizes the extent to which they have been used and betrayed, they become violent. It is understandable. It is like the 500 years of accumulated strain built up along a fault. At some point it breaks, and the results are not pretty.
And of course when the San Andreas fault sends California to Davy Jone’s Locker-Rethuglicans will say it is because of the Gay perverted lifestyle that was allowed to flourish in the Left Coast.
I support Obama 100%, but right now you guys are “boots on the ground”, and I’ve been with you all the way. I’m in Alaska supporting and cheering for you, and your elections are noted prominently on my calendar. I am so looking forward to them. Congratulations and…ON WISCONSIN!
Zyggy and Patrick, I surely do hope you are both correct in your optimism. I am virtually voting, thus it won’t really count, but it would be great if it did. May the true Democrats prevail in this recall election – and my Walker be next. My heart and soul is in this fight.
I am so excited about the upcoming election in August. I have a very good feeling about all this.
Me too, Zyggy. Me too!
Patrick
When I read history books, I sometimes think about what I would have done if I had been alive then. Would I have been brave enough to help the underground railroad? Would I have supported unions in the 1940s when, in some places, supporting unions could get you killed? Would I have thumbed my nose at McCarthy?
Well, today is tomorrow’s history. Am I brave enough today to push back against the teaparty? To raise my voice in support of commonsense? Will I write letters to the editor, tell my neighbor (politely) that I think he is wrong to support the right wing (and explain why)? Or will be part of the silent majority and risk letting extremists take over my country?
Well said, John! The good thing about today is that we have tools that allow us to reach many more people, politicians, and the media than we had even 10 years ago. Even those of us who can’t contribute much in dollars, can e-mail, virtual phone bank and post information on Twitter and Facebook that can reach thousands of people across the country. There is no excuse to remain silent. In fact, the opposition cannot have failed to observe the power of the Internet in rallying us to the standard of Freedom and Democracy. Failure to fight now for our rights is a guarantee that they will use their power to control us by controlling our access to the Internet. Countries like Iran and others have already demonstrated that they will stop us if they can prevent our communication.
well said to you too Gramiam.
Good point, John, Very well said.
What I want my kids and grandkids to remember about these years of the Great Recession is how our extended family (SE Ohio, NE Kentucky, Alaska) talked and helped each other deal with these times. The politics that counts is local and personal. The economy in SE Ohio, and NE Kentucky lies in shambles. Regional unemployment in the Portsmouth, Wheeling, Huntington, iron belt is over 14%. Schools are closing. Businesses have closed and are not coming back. Unions are under assault. My extended family in this region are mostly Republicans and union members. The Ohio Republican Party, including the governor, recently elected to power in 2010, have destroyed the unions, filled their party coffers with outside corporate money – just like Wisconsin. My relatives are distraught. They trusted the Republicans, and in 7 months were totally screwed by them. But long a region of latent racism, they just cannot trust President Obama. I never hear them object to the Democrats – only to Barack Obama. I have never heard them so unhappy and so distraught. Most of them are military veterans. Most of them work in the public sector, and are hard-working union members. They are just now, at this moment, starting to look at the data. They peek at it, certainly understand the President and his party have done the right things, but they just cannot come clean on it, because it means a truly revolutionary shift in their worldview. They are being rocked to the core. You know, these are folks that I really do love, my extended family, and I see all their faults and all their goodnesses. I know their traditions, how they came into the country, how they served in the military, and their family values. Rock-solid American middle class. I just wanted to say that while we have our dramas here in Alaska, what I am seeing in my midwest family is a strong cultural earthquake shaking them to the core. They are almost there, to seeing things clearly, and when they do, there is going to be hell to pay. I do not know about your family, but big, big cultural change is snapping into place in my midwest family. Just wanted to share. There could be some violence. You cannot take the foundation out from under these people, then basically blow them off, without some violence. I cannot foresee where all this drama is heading, but I do think these folks are going to forcefully take back their state and local democracies and soon.
I’m very much with you here- paternal side of the family (in Kentucky) is very much where your extended family is.
I pray for everyone’s safety and applaud their courage in confronting the uncomfortable truths they are making themselves face.
Thanks for the update,Sir. Rethuglicans are worried about spending taxpayer monies,I wonder if they plan to offset recall election spending with large taxcuts for the wealthy? That seems to follow Rethuglican logic as evidenced since at least 2000. Rachel Maddow reported that a poll said 65 to 68% percent of Wisconsin residents think the state is being governed for the benefit of a few wealthy people/corp. Sounds like the natives are restless and plan to stay that way. Thanks again for the boots on the ground.
Go Wisconsin!