Scott Walker

Scott Walker Supporter Releases 'Stand With Governor Walker' Ballad

David Taintor | January 23, 2012, 5:55PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

An apparent supporter of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has recorded a hymn of sorts to lift up the embattled Republican governor facing recall. Titled "Stand With Governor Walker," the song features soaring melodies and balladic piano riffs.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Wisconsin Democrats Submitting Recall-Walker Petitions Today

Eric Kleefeld | January 17, 2012, 5:44AM

It's the big day in Wisconsin: After two months of collecting petitions, state Democrats will officially turn in a vast number of signatures collected in order to trigger a recall election against Gov. Scott Walker.

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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

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

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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Wisconsin Recalls

Wis Dems Say They're Already Halfway There On Walker Recall Signatures

Eric Kleefeld | November 28, 2011, 8:46PM

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

Wisconsin Democrats have made a huge announcement in their effort to recall Gov. Scott Walker. They say that in the first 12 days of the petition effort, up through this past Saturday night, they now claim to have collected over 300,000 signatures -- more than halfway to the goal that they have 60 days total to meet.

In order to trigger a recall against Walker, the Dems must meet a high bar: Signatures of at least 25 percent of the number of voters in the previous gubernatorial election must be collected in a 60-day window. That means the Dems must get over 540,000 signatures -- over 9,000 per day, statewide -- plus some significant buffer that campaigns routinely collect in order to protect against signatures being disqualified over one imperfection or another.

But even against that lofty requirement, the Dems are claiming that in the 12 days since the recall launched, they have collected over 1,000 signatures per hour. Put another way, when measured against just the 9,000-per-day requirement, they claim to have taken only 12 days to reach where they had to be at about Day 33.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Wis Dems Shopping For Recall-Walker Signatures On Black Friday

Eric Kleefeld | November 25, 2011, 2:03PM

Black Friday is a big day for the American economy, with businesses starting off the holiday shopping season with big deals. And in Wisconsin, another bargain is on offer: Signing petitions to recall Gov. Scott Walker!

On Wednesday, the state Democratic Party announced that volunteers would be collecting signatures near shopping centers during Black Friday, in their effort to recall Walker.

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Wisconsin Recalls

New Walker Ad: 'I'm Not Big On Recalls'

Eric Kleefeld | November 23, 2011, 4:40PM

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is out with his second TV ad against the effort by state Democrats to recall him, featuring a teacher seeking to persuade the state's voters to stick with Walker and not sign recall petitions.

This follows Walker's first ad, which was released last week just as the Dems were officially kicking off the petition campaign. The key for Walker in these ads is that there is no such thing as a petition to not hold a recall election.

Thus, there is no base of his own supporters to get out at this stage -- instead, he must seek to persuade people in the middle who are unhappy with him, to not sign up for a recall.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Dems Claim Over 100,000 Signatures For Walker Recall

Eric Kleefeld | November 21, 2011, 11:03AM

Wisconsin Democrats, after last week's official launch of the campaign to recall Gov. Scott Walker, made a major show of strength over the weekend.

United Wisconsin, the group managing the recall, announced on Saturday that during the first four days of the effort -- from Tuesday through Friday -- they had brought in 105,000 signatures, nearly a fifth of the threshold they must legally meet: 540,208 signatures in a 60-day window.

There are, of course, two important caveats: First, after months of build-up to the recall campaign, it is natural that there would be an initial rush to sign in the first few days. Second, the Dems will have to gather even more than 540,208 signatures in real terms -- for a buffer that campaigns routinely collect in order to protect against signatures being disqualified over one imperfection or another.

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Wisconsin Recalls

'Uncharted Territory': How Long Could The Walker Recall Campaign Take?

Eric Kleefeld | November 18, 2011, 9:30AM

With the Wisconsin Democrats having officially kicked off their recall campaign against Republican Gov. Scott Walker, the state is set for the political battle to come next year. So the question is: How long will it take?

Late Thursday night, the recall group United Wisconsin announced that they have already collected over 50,000 signatures, in the two days since the launch on Tuesday: "Over 50,000 Wisconsin residents signing recall petitions in the first 48 hours is a clear sign that Wisconsin is not going to stand for Walker's lies and destruction of our state."

Of course, after months of build-up to the recall, we should expect an initial rush of signatures in the first few days. As such, the situation needs to be continually observed, to see whether the Dems can make the goal.

And then, if the Dems do make the threshold, there's no clear timetable for how long an election might take. In separate interviews with TPM, both the state Democratic Party spokesman Graeme Zielinski and state Government Accountability Board (which oversees elections in the state) spokesman Reid Magney used the same phrase to describe the situation: "Uncharted territory."

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Wisconsin Recalls

Walker Blames 'Big-Government Unions,' Says Recall Campaign Isn't 'Organic Movement'

Eric Kleefeld | November 16, 2011, 2:18PM

Governor Scott Walker (R-WI)

Gov. Scott Walker did a radio interview Wednesday morning on NPR's Tell Me More, responding to the recall drive that was officially launched Tuesday as a backlash against his anti-public employee union laws.

During the interview, Walker stood by his policies as an important set of fiscal reforms and changes in government flexibility for the state. Later on, host Michele Martin asked Walker what the appropriate role should be in the recall campaign for interest groups outside Wisconsin, both those who favor and oppose him.

Walker began by demurring on the matter of the appropriate role for outside groups, correctly pointing out that it will happen no matter what. And then he ripped into the unions, accusing them of artificially kicking up the recall campaign from out of state.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Recall Papers Officially Filed Against Scott Walker

Eric Kleefeld | November 15, 2011, 2:32PM

The Wisconsin recall drive (Part II), targeting Gov. Scott Walker and other Republican officials, is now in full swing.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports that the Dems kicked off the recall drive at midnight, as they had scheduled earlier, with a celebration of sorts:

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin hosted a petition pickup party Monday night, and more than 40 recall supporters wore party hats and blew kazoos as they counted down the final seconds before 12:01 a.m.

The first completed petition was then turned in at the Dem office, at 12:42 a.m. CT, and the recall committee itself was formally filed this morning:

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Wisconsin Recalls

Can Anti-Recall Ads During Packers Game Save Scott Walker?

Eric Kleefeld | November 14, 2011, 6:23PM

Wisconsin Dems are kicking off their efforts to recall Gov. Scott Walker, starting at midnight -- but even before that, Walker is set to run a TV ad defending his record, and urging against a recall.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Walker campaign has purchased more than $300,000 of air time between Monday and Sunday, according to sources, in the Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison and Wausau media markets.

Tonight's ad will run during tonight's football game, between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Wis Dems And Unions To Kick Off Walker Recall Effort At Midnight

Eric Kleefeld | November 14, 2011, 4:38PM

The Democratic effort to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, in a backlash against his anti-public employee union legislation and the state budget, isn't just set to begin tomorrow -- the kickoff will now happen right after midnight!

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

"We are going to be filing online (with the state) just after midnight that will allow us to start collecting the signatures," Meagan Mahaffey, executive director of United Wisconsin, said. "There are some midnight collection events around the state. People are ready to go and want to start as soon as possible. There's a lot of excitement about it."

United Wisconsin, which is helping lead the recall efforts against Walker, will also make a paper filing with elections officials at the state Government Accountability Board in Madison Tuesday morning, Mahaffey said.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Wisconsin Dems Kicking Off Walker Recall Effort Tuesday

Eric Kleefeld | November 14, 2011, 10:42AM

Wisconsin Protests

This is a big week in Wisconsin -- with the state Democrats officially kicking off their effort to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

Under the Dems' official game-plan, the effort to recall Walker will begin on Tuesday, November 15. For the last few weeks, the Dems have been holding a series of training events and kickoff rallies, with even more happening today and tomorrow. They will need all that effort and preparation they can muster.

In order to trigger a recall, the Dems must meet a strong threshold: Signatures of at least 25 percent of the number of voters in the previous gubernatorial election must be collected in a 60-day window. That means the Dems must get over 540,000 signatures -- over 9,000 per day, statewide -- plus some significant buffer that campaigns routinely collect in order to protect against signatures being disqualified over one imperfection or another.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Key Wisconsin Republican Opposes Change To Recall Law

Eric Kleefeld | October 31, 2011, 11:24AM

An effort by Wisconsin Republicans to make things harder for Democrats in any potential new state Senate recalls in the coming year appears to be out of the running -- with state Sen. Dale Schultz, a moderate Republican who holds a key swing vote in the 17-16 chamber, announcing that he will vote against the measure.

The Associated Press reports that Schultz will vote against a bill that would make new recalls apply under the newly-redrawn districts -- which were passed as part of a Republican-friendly map, following a GOP takeover of state government in 2010 -- instead of the older districts:

Schultz says he opposes it because he feels voters who elected him should have the say on whether he is recalled.

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Wisconsin

Next On The Wisconsin Agenda: Concealed Guns In The Capitol

Eric Kleefeld | October 27, 2011, 3:28PM

The Wisconsin legislature is divided once again, on a new hot-button topic: Whether citizens should be able to carry guns in the state Capitol, into legislators' offices, and into the Assembly and Senate chambers themselves.

The state Capitol has, of course, been the site of massive protests against Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation. Amazingly, tens of thousands of people swamped the Capitol at various times in passionate, and very loud demonstrations -- but without any major disturbances of the peace.

But would an armed state Capitol also be a polite state Capitol?

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Wisconsin Recalls

Wisconsin Republicans Eye Change To Recall Law

Eric Kleefeld | October 27, 2011, 11:40AM

There's new controversy in the push to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker: Which district maps will be used it, and for any further state Senate recalls.

Under Wisconsin's recall law, elected officials must have served at least one year of their current term before being recalled. And because half of the state Senate is up each two years, this exempted earlier this year the half of the Senate that was just elected in 2010. However, with that ceiling now lifted going into next year, the state Dems are aiming to launch more state Senate recalls, in addition to their goal of recalling Walker.

The next wrinkle, then, is the fact that 2012 is a redistricting cycle -- and the state Republicans, who gained control of both legislative chambers and the governorship in 2010, passed a very GOP-friendly redistricting map earlier this year.

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Wisconsin Protests

Poll: Walker Leads Possible Challengers, State Still Split On Recalling Him

Eric Kleefeld | October 26, 2011, 3:32PM

Governor Scott Walker (R-WI)

A new survey of Wisconsin from Public Policy Polling (D) has some mixed news for Republican Gov. Scott Walker. On the one hand, a narrow majority of the state's registered voters disapprove of his performance. However, the voters are also split on whether they would want to recall him -- as the Democrats are aiming to do -- and he leads various potential Dem opponents.

The new poll finds Walker with an approval rating of 47%, compared to a slightly higher disapproval of 51%.

However, a later question asked: "Would you support or oppose recalling Scott Walker from office before his term is up?" The answer here is 48% in favor, to 49% opposed.

"It won't be easy for Democrats to recall Scott Walker," writes PPP president Dean Debnam. "Voters aren't as angry with him as they were earlier in the year and if Russ Feingold's really out of the mix there's not an obvious Democrat to pit against him."

In a previous survey released in August, PPP speculated that there could be an anti-recall bias among a key section of swing voters, who would be inclined to vote for an incumbent in a recall.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Wis. Dems Kicking Off Rallies And Training For Recall-Walker Effort

Eric Kleefeld | October 25, 2011, 4:50AM

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

Wisconsin Democrats are gearing up for their petition drive to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker, in the wake of his anti-public employee union legislation, with a series of public rallies and closed volunteer-training sessions.

The opening rally will be in Madison, on Tuesday.

The Madison event will feature some high-profile special guests: Former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, who ran for governor in the Democratic primary in 2002, and was the narrowly unsuccessful Dem nominee for attorney general in 2006; state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, who was one of the 14 Dems to flee the state and temporarily block passage of Walker's legislation; former Congressman Dave Obey, who is a potential gubernatorial candidate in a recall, and the current Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. Plus, it will be emceed by local talk radio personality John "Sly" Sylvester.

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Wisconsin Recalls

David Obey Would Consider WI-GOV Recall Bid -- But Wants Kohl Or Barrett To Run

Eric Kleefeld | October 20, 2011, 12:02PM

Former longtime Congressman Dave Obey (D-WI) is joining the call among Democrats to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker in 2012. He would also consider running as a candidate himself in such a recall -- but would prefer to see candidacies by either Sen. Herb Kohl, who is retiring in 2012, or Milwaukee Mayor and unsuccessful 2010 Democratic nominee Tom Barrett.

However, Obey also said that when he has talked to the other two men about running for governor, they politely told him to stop "pestering" them about it.

Obey told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board that "there is so much anger out there" against Walker, predicting that Democrats would successfully collect enough signatures for the effort. (The Dems need to collect over 540,000 signatures, plus a significant buffer that campaigns routinely collect in order to protect against signatures being disqualified over one imperfection or another.)

At the same time, Obey touted Kohl and Barrett as alternative candidates to himself:

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Wisconsin Recalls

Wis. Dems To Launch New Round Of State Senate Recalls

Eric Kleefeld | October 14, 2011, 10:43AM

Wisconsin Democrats just recently announced their official campaign to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker, following their near-miss earlier this year to recall their way to a majority in the state Senate. But that's not all: The recall-Walker campaign will also include another bite at recalls for the state Senate.

Under Wisconsin's recall law, elected officials must have served at least one year of their current term before being recalled -- thus exempting earlier this year the half of the Senate that was just elected in 2010. With half of the state Senate up for election every two years, this meant that only those senators who were last elected in 2008 could be targeted for recalls during this past year (and also that the attempt to recall Walker would have to wait). But now, headed into 2012, that ceiling has been lifted.

"There is an opportunity here, given the large-scale effort under way, to target some of the senators who stood by Walker," state Dem spokesman Graeme Zielinski told the Wisconsin State Journal. "You will know in time who we're targeting."

On the other side, Republicans are in turn eyeing recall counter-efforts against Dems. "At this point, no decisions have been made, but all options are on the table. We will wait and see what the Democrats decide to do, and then weigh our options and move forward," said Dan Romportl, executive director of the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Scott Walker's Chief of Staff Resigns -- To Prepare For Possible Governor Recall

Eric Kleefeld | September 30, 2011, 2:30PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) is gearing up for a potential recall election in 2012, with his chief of staff, Keith Gilkes, now departing in order to become a lead adviser to Walker's campaign.

It's a return of sorts to Gilkes' previous role as campaign manager in the regularly scheduled election that Walker won in 2010.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

Gilkes disclosed his plans to top Walker aides during a cabinet meeting Friday at a Madison hotel. In an interview, he said he would serve as lead adviser to Walker's campaign, but also take on other clients for campaign work. He said he would not go into lobbying.

His departure comes at a time of strain for the administration, with Democrats poised to try to recall the governor next year and a widening John Doe investigation of current and former Walker aides.

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Wisconsin State Legislature

Wis. Election Officials: Waukesha County Clerk Failed To Follow Election Laws -- But Did Not Tamper With Court Race

Eric Kleefeld | September 28, 2011, 3:40PM

Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus (R), April 7, 2011.

The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections in the state, has released its report on the controversial April election for state Supreme Court -- where vote-counting problems in Waukesha County resulted in the announced discovery of un-tabulated votes, putting incumbent conservative Justice David Prosser ahead in the state Supreme Court race against his liberal-backed opponent JoAnne Kloppenburg. The report finds probable cause to believe that Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus (R) violated the laws and procedures for administering the count -- but that her actions were not willful, criminal misconduct.

Notably, the report concludes that Nickolaus could not have possibly manipulated vote totals, as some members of the public came to believe -- because the City of Brookfield, the center of the vote-counting controversy, had in fact independently reported its correct vote totals to local media sources on election night. However, Nickolaus may have violated the law requiring county clerks to post all detailed results that night, when she made the mistake in calculating the county's spreadsheet.

From the GAB's publicly released report:

As a result of the investigation, the G.A.B. has issued an order requiring Clerk Nickolaus to conform her conduct to law and take certain steps to ensure accountability and transparency in her Election Night reporting practices prior to the February 2012 spring primary. Those steps include releasing detailed results on Election Night, instead of only county-wide figures. Had Clerk Nickolaus reported all results separately on Election Night, her failure to include numbers from the City of Brookfield would have been apparent immediately, rather than the next morning when she discovered the problem.

"Your actions following the April 5, 2011 Spring election did not conform to the legal requirements imposed on county clerks," G.A.B. Chairperson Thomas H. Barland said in a letter to Clerk Nickolaus. "When one election official fails to act consistent with those responsibilities, steps must be taken to correct the failure in order to prevent it from recurring, and to restore public confidence and trust in the administration of elections."

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Wisconsin

Walker's Win: Major Public Employee Unions To Lose Official Status

Eric Kleefeld | September 22, 2011, 3:34PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's (R) legislation stripping public employee unions of most collective bargaining rights, and imposing new restrictions on their organization, is set to have its logical conclusion on Thursday -- when the major state employee unions officially decline to seek recertification.

As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, today is the deadline for unions to file petitions seeking a recertification election, and to pay a fee to the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission. And that is a process upon which the larger unions are not embarking, with only a few locals thus far taking on the challenge. The unions can continue to exist, but will lose many important advantages of certification.

The paper reports: "The decertification won't happen, however, until it's requested by either the employer or a citizen, [Employment Relations Commission chairman James Scott] said. That's in part because the agency doesn't have a master list of all the public employee unions in the state, he said."

The law requires that unions win new certification elections each year -- with the added threshold for victory being 50%-plus-one of all affected workers, not just a majority of those who turn out to vote. As the Journal Sentinel and others have pointed out, this is itself a much higher bar than Walker and the Republican state legislators who passed the law must themselves meet in order to win their offices.

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Wisconsin

Teacher Exodus In Wake Of Anti-Union Law In Wisconsin

Eric Kleefeld | September 1, 2011, 6:30AM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Today begins a new school year in Wisconsin - but not, as it turns out, for a perhaps record number of public school teachers.

According to documents obtained by the Associated Press, about double the number of Wisconsin public school teachers have retired this year when compared to the past two years, before Scott Walker's anti-union law -- which stripped away most collective-bargaining rights for public-sector unions, and required greater contributions by public employees for their healthcare and pensions -- was ever proposed or much less passed.

"It wouldn't make sense for me to teach one more year and basically lose $8,000," said Green Bay teacher Ginny Fleck, age 69, who has 30 years of experience.

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Wisconsin Protests

Local Wis. Union Backs Down, Will Allow Republicans In Labor Day Parade

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2011, 10:04AM

The local AFL-CIO council in Wausau, Wisconsin, has now backed down from its previous declaration that local Republican politicians would not be allowed to march in the city's Labor Day Parade -- following a response by the mayor that the labor council would have to reimburse the city for its share of co-sponsoring the annual public event.

The Wausau Daily Herald reports:

In an email statement issued shortly before midnight, Marathon County Labor Council President Randy Radtke said everyone will be permitted to march in the parade "because we don't want to have community groups and school bands affected."

"We didn't start this fight in Wisconsin, but were responding to anti-worker positions and policies supported by local Republican politicians, including those who have complained about not being invited," Radtke's statement read. "With the track records that [state Sen.] Pam Galloway, [U.S. Rep.] Sean Duffy, [Gov.] Scott Walker, and [state Rep.] Jerry Petrowski have all put together this year, they should be ashamed to even show their faces at a Labor Day parade."

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Wisconsin Protests

Local Wisconsin Mayor To Unions: Don't Kick GOP Out Of Labor Day Parade -- Or Pay The Costs

Eric Kleefeld | August 30, 2011, 1:21PM

The local AFL-CIO council in Wausau, Wisconsin, is getting some pushback for its decision to disinvite local Republican politicians from the upcoming Labor Day parade as a result of Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation. Now, the mayor of that city is demanding that the unions re-invite the Republicans -- or reimburse the city for the costs it has agreed to bear for the public event.

On Monday, Wausau Mayor Jim Tipple released the following statement:

The City is a co-sponsor of the Labor Day parade event, because we provided the payment for the insurance premium for the event, and we agreed to erect a stage and provide city services at no cost to the Marathon County Central Labor Council.

The banning of a political party from participation at any event co-sponsored by the City is against public policy and not in the best interest of all the citizens of the City of Wausau. And therefore, we encourage the event organizer to invite all interested parties, or reimburse the city for other costs.

In an interview with TPM, Tipple said that the city's costs for the parade could vary, based on the parade route, but typically range from $1,500-$2,000.

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Wisconsin Protests

Labor Council In Wisconsin Tells GOPers To Stay Away From Local Labor Day Parade

Eric Kleefeld | August 29, 2011, 9:43AM

It seems not even the annual Labor Day parades are immune from partisan polarization in Wisconsin, in the wake of the political battles over Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Republican politicians in the Wausau area have been told to stay away from this year's parade.

"Usually they've been in the parade, but it seems like they only want to stand with us one day a year, and the other 364 days they don't really care," said Randy Radtke, president of the Marathon County Central Labor Council, which organizes the parade.

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Wisconsin

Feingold: I Will Not Run For Public Office In 2012

Eric Kleefeld | August 19, 2011, 9:25AM

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), June 12, 2011.

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), who lost his seat after three terms in the 2010 Republican wave, has announced that he will not run for office in 2012 -- either in the race for state's open Senate seat, or in a potential recall against Gov. Scott Walker -- a development that could possibly lower the chances for success of the latter possibility, or the likelihood of a recall even occurring.

"This was a difficult decision, as I thoroughly enjoyed my tenure in both the State Senate and the U.S. Senate, and I know that progressives are eager to reverse some of the outrageous policies being pursued by corporate interests at both the state and federal levels," Feingold wrote in an e-mail to his supporters.

"I am also well aware that I have a very strong standing in the polls should I choose to run again for the U.S. Senate or in a recall election for governor. After twenty-eight continuous years as an elected official, however, I have found the past eight months to be an opportunity to look at things from a different perspective."

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Wisconsin Recalls

Dem Incumbents Win Last Two Wisconsin Recalls, GOP Holds Slim Senate Majority

Eric Kleefeld | August 16, 2011, 11:01PM

The Wisconsin state Senate recalls of 2011 -- in which tens of millions of dollars and countless man-hours were spent, almost resembling Congressional races -- are officially over. Tuesday night, Democratic incumbents Jim Holperin and Robert Wirch fended off their Republican challengers, for a final state Senate margin of 17 Republicans to 16 Democrats, just shy of the Dems' original goal of taking control of the chamber via recalls.

The Associated Press has projected both Holperin and Wirch as the winners in their respective races. With 78% of precincts reporting in Holperin's race, he led Republican opponent Kim Simac by 54%-46%. With 99% reporting in Wirch's race, he won by a margin of 57%-43%.

Holperin was always considered the most vulnerable Democrat. As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's rankings of the state Senate districts shows, Holperin represents the most Republican-leaning district that is currently held by a Democrat. It voted 57.4%-40.8% for Scott Walker in the Republican wave of 2010, though before that Barack Obama carried it 52.7%-45.7% during the 2008 Democratic wave. But in the end, he pulled through the challenge, and by a wider margin than his original 51%-49% election to the seat in 2008.

Another fun fact: This was Holperin's second recall of his political career. Back in 1990, then-state Rep. Holperin faced a recall election in a backlash over the more local issue of newly-reinstated Native American spearfishing rights. Holperin won that election, later went on to be state Tourism Secretary, and in 2008 was narrowly elected to the state Senate by 51%-49% in an open-seat race, to succeed a retiring Democrat.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Poll: Wis. Voters Unsure On Walker Recall

Eric Kleefeld | August 16, 2011, 12:41PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Is it still possible for Wisconsin Democrats to recall Gov. Scott Walker, following their narrow failure last week to take control of the state Senate via recall elections? New survey numbers from Public Policy Polling (D) suggests that the answer is unclear -- and a lot would seemingly depend on whether they can recruit a top candidate, such as former Sen. Russ Feingold.

Walker's approval rating is still underwater, with 45% approval to 53% disapproval. However, a later question asked: "Would you support or oppose recalling Scott Walker from office before his term is up?" The answer was 47% support, to 50% oppose -- down slightly from a 50%-47% support margin in a PPP survey from late May, though both are within the margin of error.

However, Wisconsin recalls do not function as an up-or-down vote on the incumbent. Instead, if a number of people equal to 25% of the number of votes in the last gubernatorial election were to sign petitions (plus a buffer for disqualified signatures), then the election would be called. At that point, it would effectively become a special election, with the incumbent challenged by other candidates.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Today: The Last Two Wisconsin Recalls (For Now)

Eric Kleefeld | August 16, 2011, 6:00AM

Today will be the end of the great Wisconsin recall saga - at least for 2011 - with Democratic incumbents Jim Holperin and Robert Wirch facing the voters, though after last week, majority control of the chamber is not at stake.

Wisconsin Democrats, faced with a 19-14 Republican majority in the state Senate, attempted to mount a backlash against Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation, by recalling their way to a majority. However, they were also hampered by the fact that the only recall-eligible districts were ones where the incumbent had won their terms in 2008, even during that year's Democratic wave. Last Tuesday, when six Republicans were on the ballot, the Dems picked up two seats, just short of the magic three.

Democrats still hope to go for the big target next year, of recalling Walker himself. For now, it remains to be seen whether they will be able to sustain the kind of political momentum and enthusiasm necessary for that task.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Poll: Incumbent Dems Lead In Final Two Wisconsin Recalls

Eric Kleefeld | August 15, 2011, 12:11PM

The Wisconsin recalls -- in which Dems narrowly failed in their ambitious uphill effort to win control of the state Senate by targeting GOP incumbents -- aren't over just yet, with two more races on Tuesday targeting Democratic incumbents. And in the latest polling from Public Policy Polling (D), commissioned by Daily Kos, the two Dems are favored to win their races.

Of course, in a way these races have much lower stakes than last week's contests, in which Democrats gained two seats, short of the magic three needed to take control. But the question tomorrow is whether Dems will consolidate those gains, for a new Republican majority of just 17-16, or be busted back down to the 19-14 margin that existed at the start of the year.

In the 12th district, Democratic state Sen. Jim Holperin leads Republican Kim Simac by 55%-41%, with a ±2.6% margin of error. In the 22nd district, Democratic state Sen. Robert Wirch leads Republican Jonathan Steitz by 55%-42%, with a ±2.9% margin of error.

An obvious caveat is that these recall elections have been very unusual, lacking a normal statistical model to make projections, and are thus difficult to poll. With that said, PPP's pre-election polls for last week's races were within a few points of the actual results.

Wisconsin Recalls

Walker Says Wisconsin Doesn't Want More Recalls (Against Him)

Eric Kleefeld | August 10, 2011, 4:39PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Coming off of Tuesday's state Senate recall elections, Democrats remain determined to recall Gov. Scott Walker next year, though they were unsuccessful in their ambitious goal of taking a majority in the state Senate. But for his part, the prospective recallee Walker says the people of Wisconsin don't want yet another election.

"I think setting aside me, if you went around and talk to the average voter, the best thing they like about today is the ads are gone, at least outside of these two remaining Senate districts," Walker said, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

"I've heard repeatedly from people who are just disgusted at all the ads, disgusted at all the money. They're tired of seemingly year-round campaigning, and whether it's a gubernatorial recall, any other recall, I don't think there's a whole lot of enthusiasm for having a whole 'nother wave of ads and money come into the state of Wisconsin."

Democrats had hoped to flip the Republicans' 19-14 state Senate majority by gaining at least three seats. When the votes were counted in the six Republican incumbents' districts, though, the Dems gained two seats for a 17-16 GOP majority, with two remaining recalls next week in districts held by Democratic incumbents.

Wisconsin Recalls

Priebus Toasts Wis. Recalls: 'We Need To Have A Country Of Makers, And Not A Country Of Takers' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 10, 2011, 2:14PM

Republican National Committee chairman and Wisconsin native Reince Priebus is very upbeat about the results of Tuesday's state Senate recalls, in which Republicans were able to retain their majority. And what's more, he says it presents a valuable lesson -- and a pocket-sized John Galt speech -- for the whole nation.

MSNBC host Contessa Brewer asked Priebus what message could be 'extrapolated' from the recalls, which were launched by the Democrats and organized labor in a backlash against Gov. Scott Walker's new law eliminating most collective bargaining rights that public employee unions had previously enjoyed. Democrats picked up two seats, just short of the three that they needed in order to flip control of the chamber.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Wis. Dems: The Recalls Were A Win For Us!

Eric Kleefeld | August 10, 2011, 1:38PM

Wisconsin Democrats are proclaiming great news from Tuesday night's state Senate recalls -- in which they were unable to pick up the needed three seats to gain control of the chamber, instead picking up two seats. And moreover, they are still bullish in their pledge to launch another recall -- this one against Gov. Scott Walker next year.

"Last night's recall elections were tremendously historic," state Dem chair Mike Tate said on a conference call with reporters Wednesday afternoon. "I think they show how vulnerable the Republicans are going into 2012, and how vulnerable Governor Walker is going into a potential recall himself."

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