GARVEYBLOG
February 3, 2012
'Smart, tough and sharp'
By Ed Garvey
So sayeth "the Trump" in describing Biff Romney (Oops! It is Mitt not Biff). "One more clown joins the circus" should have been the lead, but you know that already. Trump, who last April, in describing Romney, said, "He would buy companies, close companies and destroy jobs." So much for Mr. Job creator
Some pundits thought Trump would endorse Gingrich because two egos that size could cause some damage. But, no, Romney, lucky Romney, gets Trump's endorsement! Does anyone give a damn?
Romney doesn't care about the "very poor" or "the very rich." Just don't talk when he is lining up a putt.
Bishop Raymond Burke is teaming up with Madison's Bishop Morlino. Look out! Remember Burke, when he was in Lacrosse, told Catholic office holders they could not receive communion if they support a woman's choice? We were so delighted when he was sent to St. Louis I offered to help him ship his goods down the Mississippi.
Morlino is not commenting on the enormous scandal in Milwaukee of sexual abuse cases, so numerous that the Milwaukee Archdiocese has filed for bankruptcy! No, that is too close to the heart of the matter. Morlino is really up in arms that employers must provide health insurance that covers morning-after pills, sterilization and abortion. After doing all he could to defeat Obama, he says they feel "betrayed." Whoa Nelly!
Morlino says there is a war going on: secular anti-Christians vs. regular Christians. Morlino apparently believes we are headed toward persecution of the Christians! Wow.
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GARVEYBLOG
February 2, 2012
The people are angry and ready
By Ed Garvey
As I walked up the steps at the Alliant Center it was disconcerting to realize I was only the second person in the area. Lily was first. Would this be a disaster because we were meeting on a work day? Well, people started coming in and soon we had a good crowd. Whew!
And what passion! They had been out in the cold getting petitions signed and they want a new governor. So do the people! The Democratic candidate will start with 1.1 million votes--that would be like a football team starting on the 30 yard line of the opponent. Now the task is to motivate them to vote so we can close the circle.
Candidates came and roused the crowd. Kathleen Falk, Doug La Follette, Peter Barca, Kathleen Vinehout, Mahlon Mitchell. They were up to the task. Of course we had help: Ruth Conniff, John Nichols, Mike McCabe made the case for a new approach to the race--no out-of-state or Super PAC money; forums throughout the state; no corporate or union money. Risky? Yes, but the old-fashioned way can't work given the Koch boys and their $40 or $50 million.
No candidate can match it, so let's rely on people power! Motivate the million who signed petitions to get out the vote.
We are off to a great start. Everone agrees that the system is corrupt and out of control. We have a plan to change that! Another meeting is a must. We have a chance. Let's not blow it.
[5 letters]
ARTICLE
February 2, 2012
Broken record
By Dave Zweifel
The worse Walker's record becomes the more he spins.
[1 letter]
EVENTS
January 31, 2012
The People's Legislature to Reconvene: 2/1/12
Fighting Bob Friends:
We have had three sessions of The People’s Legislature, and now is time to call for the most important one we have held:
February 1st at the Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Halls, the People’s Legislature will reconvene. The agenda? Discuss a process for naming a candidate to oppose Scott Walker and to list the key issues that must be addressed.
This session will not be an endorsement. Rather, it will try to develop a road to a wide-open primary. Let the people decide who should run—we will focus on the issues and the process.
This open meeting will go from Noon to 4:00pm. I plan to chair; Mike McCabe will keynote; other speakers to be announced.
Can you make it? We have to continue the uprising.
Everyone thinking of running or supporting a candidate is welcome.
No speeches on behalf of any candidate: only speaking to the process of how to select the best person. This is a grassroots movement and we are all part of it.
We will ask you to contribute a few bucks as we always do.
Best Regards,
Ed Garvey
GARVEYBLOG
January 31, 2012
When you think it can't get worse
By Ed Garvey
It can get worse but not much. Congress is about to pass a bill into law that instructs members of Congress to avoid using insider information not available to the public in purchasing or selling stocks. Yikes! We need a law for that? Whoa Nelly!This gives weight to a call by one pol to say throw them all out!
Of course, as one Wisconsin congressman noted (hint: he defeated Julie Lassa) it is a hardship to live on a congressional salary. Oh yeah? A salary of $174,000 plus a very generous package of benefits is a hardship? I guess it would be like forcing Mitt to live in one home. But, hey! Cut them some slack. How can a member become a millionaire without cheating? And keep in mind--living on a couple hundred thousand a year ain't no picnic.
Marty Beil was quoted in today's MJS. Beil had AFSCME write a speech for Tommy delivered in Puerto Rico bragging about how well negotiations with public sector unions worked in Wisconsin. So pleased was Beil that his union endorsed Thompson in 1998. Now, as the Walker Blitz wiped out public sector unions and AFSCME is in trouble thanks to Scott, Tommy is cheerleading for Walker! Beil said he cannot understand how Tommy could do such a thing. There is an old saying about dogs and fleas and pols.
Want another Lake Winnebago albeit polluted? As the mining thievs push for a revised mining bill to give them carte blanch to Wisconsin's air and water an argument has broken out.
How big would the new lake, created by the iron ore mine, be? Well, some say it was an exaggeration to say it will be two-thirds the size of Lake Winnebago unless you include depth as well as length and width. In that case, says PolitiFact, it will have the same volume of water as Lake Winnebago. Holy cow. Now you know why the mining companies wrote the bill; now you know why they don't want open debate; now you know why this thing must be stopped. The size of Lake Winnebago my foot!
MARQUETTTE POLL: Once again, MJS quotes the Marquette law school poll without question. Suddenly there is a Marquette law school poll that is funded by____?
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ARTICLE
January 31, 2012
The 1 Percent's Legislature
By Bill Berry
Money and politics are driving Representative Dick Spanbauer out of politics.
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GARVEYBLOG
January 30, 2012
People's Legislature here we come
By Ed Garvey
A little history: Our first People's Legislature was held in a snow shower, but 1,200 showed up to demand public financing of elections and more. Our second featured the wonderful spirit Doris "Grannie D" Haddock. Grannie D had us cheering, clapping, and there were a few tears as well. At the time she was 98 and still giving it her all. And her "all" was a lot.
Our third was in the early stages of the uprising over Walker's perfidy. We focused on the gap between those who have too much power and those who should have more power.
So here comes number 4! Some say it will be a smaller crowd because it is on a work day. I say everyday is a work day when taking on the Koch brothers, Walker and Fitzgeralds. We have to complete the circle, and to do that we must join arms and go for it! Will you attend a session on a work day? All I can say is we had that day available and we keep our fingers crossed that you will be there at noon on Wednesday. You stood in rain and snow, knocked on thousands of doors, froze your buns at demonstrations...let's finish the job!
How about the John Doe? Deja vue!
Marquette Poll: As we predicted, the "new" Marquette poll is cited for all sorts of things. Walker is ahead, people support the photo I.D. bill, etc...Rarely if ever do reporters mention that this is not a "new" Marquette poll. It is their first poll ever! And is it Marquette or the Bradley Foundation feeding the beast?
You can bet that the next one will whitewash the Walker administration on the John Doe.
[write a letter]
GUESTBLOG
January 29, 2012
The costs of redistricting
By Bill Kraus
Everybody knows what big money is doing to political campaigns, candidates, and politics itself. Most people don’t seem to like it. But five of the big nine on the Supreme Court do, and no one else counts.
Everyone also knows and dislikes the reconfirmation of the McLuhan premise that the medium is the message and that the campaign medium is TV commercials. Quick, simple/simplistic, pervasive. Most people don’t like this either, except, of course, the TV station owners and the producers and purveyors of commercials whose livelihood is dependent on or greatly enhanced by this phenomenon.
There is little or nothing that can be done about the flood of money masquerading as free speech or the popularity and power of TV as a medium.
There is another democracy destroying phenomenon, however, that is working below the radar of public notice that is doing as much or even more to diminish our democracy and the people we elect to run it.
It’s called redistricting. Redistricting determines which voters will get to vote for which candidates.
The rules are that each district will have the same number of voters, racial minorities will be given a chance at representation, the physical districts will be compact, and something called community of interest, which is vaguely defined, will be respected.
Competitiveness, if any, is not a criterion. If it happens, it will be inadvertently.
The hidden criterion is non-competitiveness. Given the high cost of campaigning and the fact that the burden of raising the necessary money needed to compete has fallen on the legislative leaders who have the blue chips in this mostly white chip game, non-competitiveness is more than a criterion. It’s an objective.
When one party controls the legislature and the executive office, that party will create as many safe seats for their candidates as the courts (who are charged with enforcing the aforementioned rules) will allow.
When power is split within the legislature, collusion raises its ugly head. Party leaders scratch each others' backs in pursuit of safe seats for both. This has been most visible at the congressional level in Wisconsin. After the 2000 census, the 1st and 2nd districts, which had been competitive, were rearranged in ways to make one safer for a Democrat and the other for a Republican. After the 2010 census, collusion led to a 3rd district which was more Democratic and the neighboring 7th district which became more friendly for the Republicans.
This is a diverse country, but we do tend to cluster. Ethnically, economically, racially, and politically. This makes reducing the number of districts which are truly competitive possible. In a few areas it is inevitable. But should it be an objective? I don’t think so.
The consequence of conceding or advancing party preferences is that we are elevating the importance of primary elections and making more general elections irrelevant. Fewer people vote in primaries, and those who do vote are usually more partisan and predictable. The less committed, less rabid voters tend to wait till November. This is too late in too many places. The November results are more and more a foregone conclusion in legislative races.
Redistricting in the hands of the incumbents has filled a lot of safe seats with too many unambitious ideologues who are interested less in governing than in staying in office.
This diminishes an honorable trade which attracts superior people into the Congress and legislatures we have come to love to hate.
The route back to putting problems not political advantage on the top of the priority lists of those elected to represent us starts with competitive general elections.
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GARVEYBLOG
January 29, 2012
People's Legislature
By Ed Garvey
I have had only positive responses to the suggestion that we demand a wide-open Democratic primary to select the Democratic candidate for governor; then demand that the nominee refuses all PAC money, all corporate money, all union money, and all out-of-state money. The focus is then on Walker and his pals the Koch brothers who are trying to purchase the entire state government. They can't spread the lie that "big labor" is competing with their check-books.
I think our gamble is paying off. I have talked with a number of Fighting Bob folks, potential candidates, people on the street, and others, and all are enthused about Wednesday's session of the People's Legislature (noon until it ends--but we're shooting for ending at 4:00). We need your voices and your input. I urge you to join the crusade.
If we give hope to the thousands who signed recall petitions we can truly recapture our state.
We are planning candidate forums and debates to provide media opportunities as well as the chance to engage the million who signed the recall petetions.
[write a letter]
ARTICLE
January 29, 2012
Grand Old Projection
By Joel McNally
Walker and his backers obsess over imagined dirty tricks as they flood the state with the real thing.
[write a letter]
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