Wisconsin Recalls

Judge Rules Against Wis Dems Intervention In GOP Recall Lawsuit

Eric Kleefeld | December 29, 2011, 4:18PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

A judge in Wisconsin has ruled that Democratic recall organizers cannot challenge a lawsuit brought by the state GOP against election officials -- a suit that claims Gov. Scott Walker's constitutional rights are being violated by the state's petition review process.

This means that barring a hypothetical appeal, any continuing litigation in this matter will be conducted exclusively between the state GOP and the election board's attorney, without the Dems themselves being able to participate and present legal arguments.

"I was a little surprised," said Jeremy Levinson, the attorney for the recall committee, in an interview with TPM. "It's the first time I can recall -- let me rephrase -- it's the first time I'm aware of a recall-related lawsuit where only the official who is being targeted for recall gets to be a party, and the folks who are working to recall that official are shut out of the process."

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2012

Why The Policy Battles Of 2011 Won't Be Settled Until After The 2012 Elections

Brian Beutler | December 29, 2011, 2:25PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and President Barack Obama

When President Obama and the GOP's primary contenders talk up the 2012 election as a choice for voters between two visions for the country's future, it's only about half hyperbole.

We'll see a prelude of this fact in the months between now and November both on the campaign trail and on Capitol Hill as politicians club each other with their past votes and statements on taxes, Medicare, Social Security, and other potent issues. But it's not just rhetoric.

To an unappreciated extent, the legislative whipsawing in 2011 has set the country and the parties up for a major reckoning about the role and size of government at the end of next year. And the outcome of the election will help determine which side of the argument wins.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Walker On The 'Koch' Call: 'It Was Stupid'

Eric Kleefeld | December 27, 2011, 10:35AM

In an interview last Friday with the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, Gov. Scott Walker (R) gave perhaps his most blunt show of contrition yet for the mega-gaffe that could haunt him in the coming recall: His 20-minute phone call in February, at the height of the protests against his anti-public employee union legislation, with a blogger posing as conservative financier David Koch.

The interviewer said that a friend of Walker's has said that the "Koch" call was the only time he saw Walker rattled, to have done something so "stupid."

"Yeah, that's a good way to put it, an accurate summary," Walker responded. "It was stupid. It was stupid -- you know, the call in and of itself, the whole fact that something like that would happen -- it diverted attention from, you know, a debate that needed to be focused on the facts, and instead got off into this hysteria and everything."

Walker also said the controversy served as a wake-up call to him, to stay focused on the issues at hand and not let the story become focused around himself.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Walker Wages Major TV Ad Campaign Against Recall

Eric Kleefeld | December 23, 2011, 11:41AM

Governor Scott Walker (R-WI)

The recall signatures have not yet been filed against Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) -- but he is already running a heavy TV advertising campaign, fighting out the election that is yet to be officially triggered.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports:

At the outset of Wisconsin's historic recall fight, GOP Gov. Scott Walker and his allies are outspending the other side on television by a margin of roughly 4-to-1, an advantage he's expected to maintain in the weeks ahead.

The governor has already aired more than $1 million in broadcast ads since he hit the airwaves in mid-November, according to the ad-tracking firm Kantar Media CMAG.

When you include cable ads and time bought for spots that haven't aired yet, Walker's TV spending easily exceeds $2 million, according to two political sources tracking media buys.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Walker's Holiday Ad: Let's 'Put Our Differences Aside'

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2011, 10:40AM

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has a new TV ad, in his efforts to fight the Democratic recall campaign against him. This one takes on a friendly, conciliatory holiday greeting to the state.

The ad is mainly narrated by Walker's wife, Tonette, as video is shown of the family helping out at a soup kitchen: "The holidays are a time for us to give thanks -- and to reach out to those who are struggling. it's a tough time for many families. But in Wisconsin, we have a long tradition of helping our neighbors. We're grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Wisconsin.

The ad then cuts to the Walker family in their living room: "In this season of peace, our hope is that we can put our differences aside, and move forward together."

Walker himself then adds: "From our family to yours: Blessings of the season."

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Wisconsin Recalls

Wis Dems File Rebuttal To GOP Lawsuit Against Recall Procedures

Eric Kleefeld | December 20, 2011, 7:05PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Wisconsin Democrats late Tuesday filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit that state Republicans filed on Thursday against state election officials, with the Dems seeking to become legal parties to counter the GOP's claims that the procedures in the recall targeting Gov. Scott Walker are a violation of Walker's rights.

A copy of the filing, made in the names of the Committee to Recall Walker and other organizers, was sent to TPM by the state Democratic Party.

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Wisconsin Protests

Wis. Activists Defy Walker's New Pay-To-Protest Rules -- And Nothing Happens

Eric Kleefeld | December 20, 2011, 10:32AM

Cracks are already showing in the new policy from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's (R) administration, seeking to charge protesters money in order to get a permit to demonstrate at the state Capitol. On Monday, when the policy was set to go into effect, a large demonstration was indeed held against Walker, with over 250 people turning out in the Capitol -- without a permit, and also without anything bad happening to them.

The administration has been holding a series of informational sessions on the policy -- which seem to have stirred up only pushback from demonstrators and civil libertarians. But on Friday, the state Department of Administration appeared to back down at least a little, signaling that there would not be arrests.

The Capital Times reports:

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Wisconsin Recalls

Walker Defends GOP Lawsuit Challenging Recall Procedures

Eric Kleefeld | December 19, 2011, 2:30PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) shakes hands with Republican legislative members after delivering his budget address to a joint session of the legislature at the state Capitol on March 1, 2011 in Madison, WI.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) spoke Monday in support of the lawsuit filed by the state Republican Party against state elections officials, demanding that the board (and not his campaign) be tasked with challenging duplicate petition signatures for disqualification in the recall campaign against him.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

At a news conference Monday, Walker mentioned a news report of a person saying he signed a recall petition at least 80 times is a sign that the GAB should take additional steps to review the petitions.

"If people want to sign it -- and they have every right to in this state -- it should be enforced that they can sign it once and they actually have to sign it with a real name related to a real voting location in this state."

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Wisconsin Recalls

Walker Raises $5.1 Million To Beat Back Recall -- $250K From Swift Boater

Eric Kleefeld | December 16, 2011, 4:34PM

Governor Scott Walker (R-WI)

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is clearly preparing to bring his best game against the Democratic effort to recall him from office. And he's raising a lot of money for it.

As the Wisconsin State Journal reports, Walker has raised $5.1 million since this past July -- much of it in the past month, aided by a state law that allows the target of a recall to raise unlimited funds. In all, Walker has received 18,000 donations since November, the month when the recall process was triggered.

Also, $2.4 million of the total has come from out of state -- notably a $250,000 donation from Bob Perry, the Texas businessman who financed the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth campaign of 2004, which spread false information about Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's war record.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Wis Dems To Intervene In GOP Lawsuit Challenging Recall Process

Eric Kleefeld | December 16, 2011, 12:10PM

On a conference call with reporters on Friday, Wisconsin Democrats announced that they will seek to become a party in the lawsuit that the state Republicans filed on Thursday, in which the GOP claimed that aspects of the recall process targeting Gov. Scott Walker are a violation of Walker's rights.

"Next week, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin will file a motion to intervene in the spurious and flailing lawsuit in Waukesha by Scott Walker's dead-end Republican allies trying to forestall the inevitable recall against him," state party chair Mike Tate announced.

"Let's call this what it is," Tate added, "another pathetic attempt by Walker and the Republicans to avoid facing accountability by the people of Wisconsin."

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Wisconsin Recalls

Wis. GOP Files Lawsuit Against Election Officials Over Recall Process

Eric Kleefeld | December 15, 2011, 5:38PM

Governor Scott Walker (R-WI)

Wisconsin Republicans have mounted a new response to the effort to recall Gov. Scott Walker -- filing a lawsuit today against the state Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections, alleging that Walker's 14th Amendment constitutional rights are being violated by the procedures the board uses in verifying, accepting or rejecting petition signatures.

The state GOP's legal complaint argues that the GAB's procedures for recall petitions, which involve the incumbent's campaign challenging duplicate signatures of people who would have signed more than once -- place an undue burden on the Walker campaign. Under the law, the incumbent has a ten-day review period, in which to submit challenges.

"The GAB's position that it is the responsibility of the Walker campaign to identify and challenge duplicate signatures flies in the face of the idea of a fair electoral process," the party said in a press release.

When asked for comment, the GAB gave TPM this statement from Director Kevin Kennedy: "The plaintiffs are challenging the procedures that have been established by statutes and administrative code, and which have been in place since the late 1980s. Since then, these rules have been used in every state and local recall petition effort against incumbents of both parties."

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Wisconsin Recalls

Almost There: Wis Dems Announce 507,000 Signatures To Recall Walker

Eric Kleefeld | December 15, 2011, 1:10PM

Protesters inside the Wisconsin State Capitol on March 10, 2011 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Democrats made a big announcement Thursday afternoon: That after 30 days, they have collected 507,000 signatures in their effort to trigger a recall campaign against Republican Gov. Scott Walker. This puts them almost at the goal of 540,000 signatures, at the halfway point of the 60-day petition period -- and, they announced, they intend to go much, much further.

"The people of Wisconsin have said, enough is enough," state party chairman Mike Tate said in a live Webcast. "In just one month, in just 30 days, in less than half the time granted, you have done something truly amazing." Tate also announced a higher goal of 720,000, which would give the Dems a buffer putting them well beyond any efforts at disqualification or public discrediting by their opponents.

When asked by TPM, state party spokesman Graeme Zielinski said that the 507,000 figure does already take into account the party's own efforts to screen out flawed signatures.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Scott Walker To Deliver Big Speech At CPAC

Eric Kleefeld | December 13, 2011, 5:03PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) shakes hands with Republican legislative members after delivering his budget address to a joint session of the legislature at the state Capitol on March 1, 2011 in Madison, WI.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is clearly both a hated man -- and a beloved one. At the same time as Wisconsin Democrats are organizing a massive recall petition drive against him, on the other end he has been invited to deliver a a keynote speech at the 2012 Conservative Political Action Conference, organizers announced on Tuesday.

CPAC 2012 will be held from February 9 through February 11. Comparing this with the timeline for the recall campaign, this means that Walker's big speech will be held about three weeks after Democrats handed in the petitions to hold the recall election. (This analysis assumes that the Dems will have met the goal, rather than falling short.)

Thus, the state election officials will be in the the middle of reviewing the signatures, a process that will likely take 60 days. Meanwhile, we can imagine that both Democrats and Republicans will be actively campaigning back home in Wisconsin, while Walker is making his appeal in Washington to national conservative activists -- and perhaps more importantly, conservative donors -- for what could be the second most watched campaign of the year.

Wisconsin Recalls

Walker Ad Shows New Slogan: 'Laying The Foundation For Wisconsin's Success'

Eric Kleefeld | December 12, 2011, 12:30PM

Ad from Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI), "Wisconsin Success"

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) has a new TV ad -- his latest answer to the current Democratic campaign to recall him. This one features man named Chris, who is identified in the ad as a business owner, extolling Walker's virtues against a background of uplifting music.

"Governor Walker is a friend of small business, he recognizes that 70 percent of the jobs created in this country and this state are by small businesses," the man says. "He wants all of the people in the state to be successful. It's comforting, and it's been rare, so it's a refreshing change.

"We've got offices and divisions of our own company in other states -- New York, California -- and we can see that if Wisconsin continues on a pro-business strategy, we're gonna grow our staff here."

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Wisconsin Recalls

Man Who Illegally Defaced Recall-Walker Petition: 'I Kind Of Kicked Myself In The Ass'

Eric Kleefeld | December 8, 2011, 3:30PM

Wisconsin has definitely become a polarized environment, with the Democratic effort to recall Gov. Scott Walker being just the latest symptom. But one man who supports Walker found out the hard way that it's not only bad form to vandalize a recall petition -- it's against the law.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

A West Bend man told police he intentionally scribbled over petitions seeking the recall of Gov. Scott Walker with the hopes it would "screw up the petition."

But when Jeffery Karnitz handed the defaced petition back to a recall volunteer, she told him, "I hope you know that's a felony," and from then, he told police, "I kind of kicked myself in the ass."

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Wisconsin Protests

Wis ACLU: State 'Wasted Their Time Today' In Session About Pay-To-Protest Policy

Eric Kleefeld | December 6, 2011, 3:57PM

Protesters inside the Wisconsin State Capitol on March 10, 2011 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's administration held its first informational session Tuesday on the new rules for state Capitol protests -- under which demonstrators would have to pay potentially large amounts of money up front, in order to get a permit.

Stacy Harbaugh, communications director for the ACLU of Wisconsin, attended the session, which was hosted by officials from the Department of Administration -- and in an interview Tuesday afternoon, told TPM that the group is still reviewing its legal options.

"Unfortunately, a lot of our questions continued to be unanswered," Harbaugh told TPM. "The big thing that I think was a problem today was that the state Department of Administration didn't provide an attorney to represent their position.

"People have a lot of legitimate questions, legal questions, about how these rules could even be enforced. So by not providing an attorney and answering their questions, the Department frankly wasted their time today. There are too many questions that are unanswered."

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Wisconsin Protests

Wisconsin ACLU Eyeing Walker's New Policy Charging Protesters Money

Eric Kleefeld | December 5, 2011, 1:07PM

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is beginning to roll out his new policy to require protestors to pay big money if they want a permit to demonstrate against him in the state Capitol -- and the state's civil libertarians are in turn beginning to push back.

Friday evening, the state ACLU put out a scathing press release on the new policy, from executive director Chris Ahmuty:

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Wisconsin Protests

Walker's New Plan: Charge Protesters Big Money

Eric Kleefeld | December 2, 2011, 12:54PM

Protesters inside the Wisconsin State Capitol on March 10, 2011 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's administration is rolling out a new strategy to deal with the waves of protests that have fallen upon the state Capitol, ever since he rolled out his anti-public employee union legislation, and which have given rise to the recall campaigns targeting him and other Republicans: Make the protesters pay for all the costs of the increased event security.

As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, the Walker administration announced the new policy on Thursday, and it will be phased in by Dec. 16. Under the policy, groups of four or more people must request permits at least 72 hours in advance, for events at the state Capitol or other state buildings.

In addition, organizers would have to pay for the extra Capitol police officers, at a rate of $50 per hour per officer -- plus costs for police officers brought in from outside agencies, according to the costs billed to the state. The police payment would have to be tendered in advance, as a requirement for getting a permit. Afterwards, organizers would then be charged for any clean-up costs.

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