Character Counts

We learned a lot about the difference between Tom Barrett and Scott Walker over the last week.

On the one hand there was Barrett, concerned about the impact a campaign could have on his family, particularly his kids.

As Barrett said earlier this month, "It's safe to say if I were ever to do it and if I were to be successful, there's no way I'm taking kids out of high school."

Scott Walker? In his last race for Governor he never mentioned pulling up his family as a concern for him. Four years later, Walker has not said a word about taking his two teenage boys out of school in Milwaukee and making them start all over in Madison to finish out their schooling.

We think this says a lot about the character of Scott Walker and Tom Barrett and it's just a glimpse into the contrast that voters will see over the next year.

Tom Barrett has been a public servant for all the right reasons while Scott Walker has been a career politician who is in it for himself.

Friday the 13th

Tonight Scott Walker and Mark Neumann's worst nightmare came to life.

Tom Barrett is in the race for Wisconsin Governor.

Barrett's opponents can and will say anything they want about Barrett's record and positions on the issues but he has something neither Walker or Neumann have or will be able to get between now and election day next year.

Barrett is likable and they aren't.

Good luck guys, you'll need it on this bad luck day and for the days that follow.

It's Time to Privatize Walker

Last week on Mike Gousha's Upfront program Scott Walker made what we believe to be a pretty remarkable statement.

“When you look at saying 'I'm going to hire a new CEO to run a company' and you want someone with experience, I'm the one who's got that experience.”

While we don't know a whole lot about how companies go about hiring CEO's one thing we do know is they might consider the following:

Do you have a college degree?

Walker doesn't, he dropped out of college.

Do you have any private sector experience?

Walker worked part time for IBM during college. What he did there is a mystery, but you can imagine what a 20 something college student might do at IBM part time- "Hey kid, the copier is out of toner again."

After dropping out of college he went to "work full-time in financial development for the American Red Cross." Again, a twenty something, college drop out working at a non-profit in "financial development" is probably another way of saying telemarketing. If every college drop who telemarketed was running for Governor there wouldn't be enough trees in Wisconsin to create ballots they would be so long.

Since 1993, for the last 16 years, Walker has been a government bureaucrat. In essence, Walker is a career politician whose record in the real world is short and unimpressive.

It would be interesting if an enterprising reporter made a couple calls to some companies in Wisconsin and asked them if Walker's resume is the sort of experience they would be looking for in a CEO to run their company.

We hear Madison based Exact Sciences Corp. may be looking for a new CEO soon. We wonder what their response would be if Walker applied for that job.

It's time to privatize Scott Walker, he needs a taste of the real world, lets see if he can sink or swim without a government job propping him up.

For someone who talks a lot about creating jobs, he doesn't appear to have a very good record of creating one for himself, unless you count career politician as a real job.

"America's Conservative Conscience."

Sarah Palin is complaining that legal bills from the ethics investigation against her were not paid by the McCain campaign.

Keep in mind this is the same "Conservative Conscience" that billed the campaign $150,000 for cloths and make up.

Shhh... its a secret

Well, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel got scooped again in its own back yard.

Time magazine's blog reported yesterday that Scott Walker secretly met with Sarah Palin (just blocks from the MJS newsroom) on Friday night seeking her support in his run for Governor.

Thirty dollars doesn't go as far as it used to for the local paper. That's how much the MJS spent to write a promotional piece on Palin and her new book. Of course as we all know by now, the event was closed to media unless they chose to support WRLT's big goverment agenda on women's health. The MJS does since they wrote a check to attend the event and not get an interview with Palin.

But Walker did.

He wants Sarah's support because it proved so valuable in the recent NY congressional race where Republicans lost a strongly GOP district to a Democrat. Or maybe its because Palin's approval rating is 27% favorable- 46% unfavorable.

Perhaps thats why Walker pleaded with Palin to come campaign for him soon because he sure won't want her around in the general election. He must think the women is stupid not realize that all Walker wants from Palin is help winning the primary before he sets up a no-fly zone for her in the general election.

The MJS reported that "Walker is among the Republicans lining up for an endorsement from Sarah Palin," but who are the others?

In both NJ and Virginia the GOP candidates for governor wanted nothing to do with Palin.

As Politico reported a month ago:

"Sarah Palin stands ready to stump for the Republican gubernatorial candidates running in the two most closely watched campaigns in the country this fall, but neither seems to want her help. Less than a month before voters go to the polls, it appears increasingly clear that the former Alaska governor, vice-presidential nominee and conservative favorite will not appear on behalf of either New Jersey’s Chris Christie or Virginia’s Bob McDonnell."

Not Walker, he wants Sarah Palin to decide who the next Governor of Wisconsin is. And if not her how about Newt Gingrich, who is actually more popular than Palin (36% favorable- 39% unfavorable.)

With friends like those, Democrats don't need a candidate to win.

We can think of nothing better than to have Scott Walker, Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich standing together the day before next years election.

How bout you Scott?

Mark Blockhead

Mark Block is up to his old, dirty tricks again.

Block is the State Director for Americans for Prosperity (AFP), the corporate front group founded in the 1980s by Koch Industries billionaires, David Koch and Charles Koch.

Block's AFP, with funding from Koch have been organizing tea bagging events across Wisconsin this year and Koch worked closely with Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) to orchestrate the anti-health reform rally in DC last week.

Today, Block, the head of an "independent" group is throwing a fundraiser for Congressional candidate Sean Duffy at the ever-populist, tea bagger gathering place, the Milwaukee Athletic Club.

Block is the contact person for the event and if you want to reach him he can be found at a number associated with the MacIver Institute, another "independent" group.

So Duffy's campaign is using the director of a 501c3/501c4 organization who can be reached at another 501c3/501c4 organization to raise money for his campaign. Any former DA will tell you this might be a problem, but not Duffy, who appears to be coordinating his fundraising efforts with "independent" non-profits.

But this should all sound familiar. Block was fined and banned from politics for his past dirty tricks.

Mark Block managed the dirty 1997 campaign of Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Jon P. Wilcox, who prevailed with the illegal expenditure of $200,000 in unreported funds. The Wisconsin Coalition for Voter Participation (WCVP) spent this money to promote Wilcox to an anti-abortion mailing list under the guise of a get-out-the-vote crusade. The top sources of these illegal and once-secret donations were all associated with a school-choice group.

Citing overwhelming evidence of illegal coordination between Block and WCVP, the Wisconsin Elections Board unanimously found in 2000 that Block and the Wilcox campaign repeatedly broke state elections law and levied a record total of $60,000 in fines on Block, Pickens and the campaign. “We now have a Supreme Court justice who has essentially pled no contest to the biggest campaign corruption case in the history of the Elections Board,” board member David Halbrooks told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A year after his election, Justice Wilcox cast the deciding vote to overturn two lower courts that had ruled that Milwaukee’s school-voucher program was unconstitutional.

It appears Block hasn't learned his lesson. It will be interesting to see if any Milwaukee media get on over to the event today at noon to ask Block and Duffy about the possibility that Duffy's fundraiser might be banned from politics again.

Tea Bagger Target Coming to Milwaukee

Paul Ryan, Jim Sensenbrenner and Tom Petri will be bringing Texas Congressman Pete Sessions to town tommorrow night at the University Club for $1000 a person.

Sessions is not only the Chairman of the NRCC but he's also the distinguished target of a tea bagger challange back home in Texas.

"David Smith, a corporate financial analyst, has declared his candidacy against Sessions in the Republican primary, citing the budget deficit, federal spending, and Sessions' votes for the Wall Street bailout as his main issues...

"Will he tap into the Tea Party movement, to power his campaign? "Absolutely, absolutely I will," said Smith, saying that the principles of the Tea Party movement are largely in line with his own. "I anticipate that those will be the most active supporters of my campaign, those are going to be the people who will go out for my campaign and wear out shoes, and make phone calls to people in the district."

I guess Ryan, Sensenbrenner and Petri have chosen sides and they are with the master mind behind the Dede Scozzafava campaign in NY-23.

What do the tea baggers in Wisconsin think of them apples? Could Ryan's vote for the Wall Street bailout be next?

GOP Would Deny Coverage to Trig

On Friday night Sarah Palin came to Milwaukee and declared, "Let's simplify, we're pro children."

But Palin's record tells another story.

As governor of Alaska, Palin could have restored health insurance to 1200 Alaskan children and 530 pregnant women for less than one million dollars at a time when her state had a $1.3 billion surplus. She did not do so.

In 2008, Palin had the opportunity to increase access to Alaska's SCHIP program, known as Denali KidCare, a program for families who make too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance. Despite significant public pressure, Palin declined to support the bill that would have extended medical coverage to an additional 1200 children and 530 pregnant women for a mere $875,000.

Let's also take the issue of Palin's son Trig, who was born with Downs Syndrome.

A central element of Democratic plans for health care reform would prevent health insurance companies from denying people coverage based on pre-existing conditions, like downs syndrome. Republicans have proposed a health insurance company plan that would do nothing about pre-existing conditions.

Take the example of Emily Demko. Emily was born with Down Syndrome. After receiving Emily's diagnosis, the family decided that it was important for Margaret to stay home in order to best meet the needs of their child. They explored numerous options after losing their employer-sponsored coverage, but due to Emily's pre-existing condition, the Demkos were denied private coverage. Luckily, they qualified for Medicaid. However, by their 6-month reauthorization meeting, the monthly family income was $135 over the allowable limits.

The medical bills, in excess of $3,500 a month, were devastating, forcing the family to make difficult decisions regarding therapy. Emily's medical condition requires orthotic shoe inserts, physical therapy, and corrective eye treatments, as well as hearing and blood tests. The Demkos cannot afford to incur all the expenses at once.

Without an expansion of the SCHIP program by President Obama and Democrats, Emily would not have coverage and without the Democratic health insurance reform plan, insurance companies would be able to continue to deny Emily coverage.

While Palin has cynically used her son Trig as a prop in her dishonest "death panel' charade, the fact is she supports a health care system that allows insurance companies to ration care and deny her son health coverage.

Let's simplify, not "pro-children," not "awesome."

Journal Sentinel Pays for Night with Palin

This week the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Sarah Palin's Friday night speech, sponsored by Wisconsin Right to Life, and MC'ed by "media personality" Charlie Sykes, would be closed to the media.

"Local media are not being allowed to cover this week's speech by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at State Fair Park.

"'I am sorry to inform you that the Sarah Palin event is private and closed to the media,' wrote Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, which is hosting the 7:30 p.m. event Friday. "

"Sarah Palin will not be doing any interviews in conjunction with her visit to Milwaukee."

CNN, United Press International, and the Wisconsin Radio Network followed suit and the event was kept closed to the media and secret.

But today's MJS "reported" on the speech. Or did they?

The story doesn't report the fact that the event was closed to the media. It doesn't report the fact that the reporter apparently attended the secret event as a secret reporter.

What it does say is that the MJS paid $30 to cover the event. Did they mention where their $30 is going? No.

Did they report on whether Palin was paid for the visit? No. Did they report on whether Journal Communications radio host, Sykes, was paid for his role? Nada.

Did they report on the fact that WRTL has said their money is going to pay for media campaigns and newspaper ads that the Wisconsin Right to Life Education funds bankrolls? Not a word.

The story doesn't report Palin's rambling diatribe against the make believe "death panels" that only exist in her tiny little brain.

The story doesn't report that Palin said, "A baby is a baby no matter the circumstance of her conception."

Translation--- Raped? Victim of incest? Big government should make you have the "baby."

Did they mention the fact that both candidates in the GOP primary for Governor were campaigning at the speech of our country's most divisive political figure? Nope.

We could go on and on but what Palin got from the MJS for shutting out the press was a puff piece.

"My family life is much richer thanks to this beautiful baby boy Trig," Palin said. "He is awesome."

So the MJS pays for it's news. That's a very interesting development and we can't wait for Marty Kaiser and George Stanley to explain that new policy to the public.

It's a really sad state of affairs when the largest newspaper in the state pays $30 to promote a book they haven't even read and that the author probably didn't even write.

Since they are now paying for news we wanted to let them know that we are now accepting offers for the video we have from the event. It's great stuff and your readers might be interested in your reporting on it.

Exclusive Video of Sarah Palin's Secret Speech in Milwaukee

Coming soon...

Palin: "The rest of us are anti-freedom"

Sarah Palin had this to say in her speech tonight in Milwaukee that was closed to the press.

"When the supreme court ruled in favor of abortion it also said that the rest of us are anti-freedom."

We're not sure what that means, but what's new.

UPDATE:

More Palin from the Milwaukee event tonight.

"A baby is a baby no matter the circumstance of her conception."

Not clear if this view applies to "his conception" too.

We think what she is trying to say is that big government should make women have babies when they are the victim of rape and incest.

Is that "anti-freedom?"

We'll have video soon.

UPDATE:

Candidates for Governor, Mark Neumann and Scott Walker are both attending the closed press event.

Does this count as a town hall meeting between the two?

Interesting that Neumann clearly has more support in the room than Walker.

Save Jobs, Return Stimulus Funds

So Scott Walker and Mark Neumann believe that the unemployment rate is what it is because of the stimulus.

They believe that had we not done the stimulus the unemployment rate would be lower, not higher.

If Scott Walker really believes that then he should immediately return the $130 million in stimulus funding requests he put in with the federal government.

After all, those Walker stimulus funds are causing people to lose their jobs.

Right?

Palin Video Coming!

Just 24 hours left till Sarah Palin comes to town to join Wisconsin Right to Life, Charlie Sykes and Heartland Hollar to protest big government getting between doctors and their female patients.

While everyone will be searched at the door and cell phones, recording devices, video or still cameras, photos or recording will not be allowed, Heartland Hollar is working with a State Fair insider and we will be recording the event and posting the video right here on Friday night after the event.

We'll see you for the rally before the event. Get there early and stand up for your first amendment rights.

Since the media won't be allowed in they will no doubt be there outside too. Free copies of "Going Rouge" to the first 100 people who show there support for the 2nd amendment by bringing a gun or rifle.

And make sure to check back after the event for our secretly obtained, exclusive, Palin video.

Join Your Plan

Will Republicans in Congress give up their own tax payer funded health care and join their own plan?

If they did they wouldn't have health insurance.

"The Congressional Budget Office has concluded that the overwhelming majority of Americans would remain uninsured and continue paying higher premiums under the Republicans’ health care alternative. In fact, it’s unlikely that any of the members of the Republican House Leadership would be able to find affordable insurance under their own proposal, should they chose to give up their government-sponsored plans. The six men and one woman in the Republican House leadership have an average age of 52 and, as a group, are more susceptible to cardiovascular disease, different cancers, high blood pressure, and a host of other chronic diseases. The Republican health alternative would allow insurers to discriminate against these conditions and price the Republican leaders out of the market."

More here...

hat/tip think progess

Tea Baggers Next Target: Dede Scozzawalker

As we all know by know by now the tea bagger crowd is taking over the Republican Party.

In the recent NY congressional race the tea baggers purged the Republican candidate from the race for a Conservative Party candidate who ended up losing the race to a Democrat in a strongly Republican district that was held by a Republican for the last 17 years.

What this proved is that while the tea baggers may be big enough to push moderates and independents out of the Republican Party they aren't big enough to win an election.

Now the tea baggers are looking for their next targets and Scott Walker should be worried.

As Cory at Eye on Wisconsin has been covering for months, Walker's record on taxes and spending is just the sort of fuel the tea baggers start fires with.

When it becomes more clear in the GOP gubernatorial primary race that Walker is a phony on taxes and spending, look for Mark Neumman to become the beneficiary in the primary and then the victim of tea bagger extremism in a general election.

In the NY congressional race it's important to note that Newt Gingrich supported the Republican candidate, Dede Scozzafava. She ended up dropping out of the race the weekend before the election and got 5.5% of the vote.

Guess who Gingrich is supporting in the Wisconsin primary? Scott Walker.

While it may not be known to Gingrich, it won't be long before Walker's record on taxes and spending becomes known to the tea bagging crowd.

Take for example these facts Eye on Wisconsin has uncovered:

Walker Proposed Spending in HIS BUDGET for 2003: $1,100,274,125

Walker Proposed Spending in HIS BUDGET for 2010: $1,481,577,120

That is a 35% increase in spending since Walker has been at the helm. You can't blame that figure on the county board or anyone else since those numbers are Walker's from his own proposed budgets.

Walker Proposed Tax Levy in HIS BUDGET for 2003: $218,708,524

Walker Proposed Tax Levy in HIS BUDGET for 2010: $257,637,284

That amounts to nearly a $40 million increase or an 18% raise in the tax levy as proposed by Walker in his own budgets."

If you think that's a record of fiscal conservatism that will play well in a GOP primary race then you probably believe Glenn Beck is member of ACORN.

The tea baggers are looking for their next target and Scott Walker has a big bulls-eye on his back.

48 Hours

Just 2 more days until Sarah Palin joins Wisconsin Right to Life, Charlie Sykes and Heartland Hollar to rally against big government intrusions into our personal lives, liberties and freedoms.

We know times are tough and for those of you with young kids who can't afford to pay the $30 for any child over the age of three, we wanted to make sure to remind you that if you leave the kids at home and make it Friday night date with us, you will be searched at the door and you will not be able to bring a cell phone in the event with you.

Stand Up and Be Counted

The Chamber of Commerce has taken a page out of the Jesse Helms playbook in their fight against health insurance reform.

Message: Reform=white guys getting fired while black guys don't.

Who will be the first business leader in Wisconsin to stand up?

More here...

Hollar Against Big Government!

The Wisconsin Right to Life, Life Voice Blog, has a post up highlighting our earlier call for all of you to join Sarah Palin, WRTL, Charlie Sykes and Heartland Hollar on Friday night at State Fair Park to give a hollar against big government's intrusion into our personal lives, liberties and freedoms.

If a woman is the victim of rape, or a young girl is the victim of rape and incest what makes big government think they should make personal health decisions that are better left to women and their families?

This summer many of you showed your support for the second amendment by bringing firearms to town hall meetings and tea party events so it only seems fitting that we welcome 2nd amendment supporter Sarah Palin by showing our support for her and sending a message to big government that we have a right to keep and bear arms and they can't take it away.

Remember to keep in mind, you will be searched by big government thugs at the door so:

No cell phones, No recording devices, No video or still cameras, No photos or recording allowed, No literature distribution, No posters or banners, No strollers or car seats, and No carry-in food or beverages.

Also, the media is not welcome, it is a closed event to the press.

As Dan Bice reported this week,

"Local media are not being allowed to cover this week's speech by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at State Fair Park.

"'I am sorry to inform you that the Sarah Palin event is private and closed to the media,' wrote Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, which is hosting the 7:30 p.m. event Friday. "

"Sarah Palin will not be doing any interviews in conjunction with her visit to Milwaukee."

We're not sure if the money is going to Sarah, who recently quit her job, or to WRTL's effort to educate the public on why it's a good thing to have big-government make health care decisions for women, but either way it's a good cause.

Everyone younger than three years old gets into the event for free, but everyone is allowed to come to the big government, taxpayer funded exposition center at State Fair Park for free.

Free copies of Sarah Palin's book, Going Rouge will be distributed to the first 100 people who bring a rifle or shotgun to our rally.

Don't be silenced!

54 Year Old Virgin

Glenn Grothman is a single, 54 year old man who has never been married and is a strong supporter of abstinence only sex education.

Has he practiced what he preaches?

It's our guess that for him, it's not a choice it's a reality.

MJS: Rich People Oppose Reform

The MJS reports that people in Elm Grove oppose:

--Strengthening Medicare

--Ensuring that most adults aged 55-64 have access to affordable, comprehensive coverage.

--Slowing the growth in health care costs, and instituting essential reforms in the health insurance market.

--Reducing budget deficits by $104 billion over ten years, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).