GARVEYBLOG
May 17, 2008
Republican Convention
By Ed Garvey
I spoke to 40 people in Waukesha County yesterday--the heart of the GOP. I asked if anyone knew when the GOP state convention was scheduled. Not one hand went up. (Hint. It started last night.) The Party conventions used to be fun and noteworthy. Today, most legislative leaders skip the conventions and the media does as well.
Why? Because the parties play no role in our money driven system. They used to select, train, staff and fund the candidates. Today it is none of the above.
Feeling smug? OK. When is the Democratic convention? By the way, the group had not heard of Fighting Bob Fest but now will charter a bus for our seventh Bob Fest on September 6. More fun by a mile than a GOP convention.
GARVEYBLOG
May 16, 2008
Golf or no golf?
By Ed Garvey
The president is nuts. In my view, forget impeachment, keep him sedated. A guardian should be appointed and the red phone hidden. This is scary. He gave up golf because a mother who lost a son in Iraq...some solace that would be. Yikes!
A question or two on the Great Lakes Compact. What was being negotiated if it is identical to the Compact language passed in other states? Why was this done behind closed doors? Why, given New Berlin's water needs, are they happy? Why is everyone so happy?
Hello Russ and Herb...we voted for Barack in February. Time to join the parade?
GARVEYBLOG
May 15, 2008
Edwards and Super-Doopers
By Ed Garvey
Got home just in time to watch and listen to John Edwards's endorsement of Barack Obama. He was so eloquent it remains a mystery why he never got more support for his run. But he sure got a rousing response from the Flint, Michigan (yes, that Michigan) crowd.
Why endorse now? Well, one might suggest that the Dems in North Carolina voted for Barack in big numbers but if that was the motivation, why haven't Russ and Herb declared for Wisconsin's favorite candidate?
Maybe Edwards was pushed by conscience as he watched the race card being played by Hillary Clinton but if that were true, why would our two Senators, both on the Judiciary Committee, not jump into the fray shouting "Enough Hillary! Enough!"?
The two Wisconsin College Dems Super-Doopers endorsed Barack yesterday and so did Senator Lena Taylor. So, why are our two Senators afraid of the deep end of the pool?
Compact Passes: We have been urging the Legislature to put aside parochial concerns and pass the Great Lakes Compact. Both houses did just that yesterday. While the process was less than a model of open government, it did pass. Were changes made? Hint--When Republican State Senator, Neal Kedzie, praises the "negotiators" better read it more than once. But for now--congratulations to the Legislature.
Now to the major leagues. When the states out west put a straw in Lake Superior will the Compact save us? Better sleep with one eye open.
ARTICLE
May 15, 2008
Growing smarter
By Tim Swiggum
Grassroots activists in Clark County stemmed the neoconservative tide by -- get this -- changing voters minds and telling them the truth.
GARVEYBLOG
May 14, 2008
Remember and hope
By Ed Garvey
Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and James Chaney were murdered in 1964 because they were bringing change to Mississippi. Two whites, one black, all three heroes. Like Bob Moses, Diane Nash, SNCC and other Civil Rights champions in 1961-1964, they risked their lives to bring the vote to black Americans. Bob Moses was pistol-whipped by the sheriff for bringing middled-aged blacks in to register to vote.
In thinking about their sacrifice, I was saddened to read this headline in the NYT: "Race was an unusually salient factor in Clinton's victory" in West Virginia.
The race card, deftly but transparently played by Bill and Hillary, works--in some places. (Barack won in Nebraska yesterday and Nebraska isn't exactly Harlem. And Vermont, and...you get the picture.) But with pundits, exit pollsters and a candidate willing to play on racial fears, it is suddenly OK to say "hard working Americans, white Americans support me." Or is it OK?
If I could only forget Chaney, Goodman, Schwerner and Moses, I guess I might say, "Congratulations Hillary, you won West Virginia." But I can't. No use shaming the Clintons 'cause they don't listen. So, instead I will focus on the disaster the Democratic Party faces if Barack Obama is defeated because he is black.
Ah, good news: Obama has a commanding lead--1,883 to 1,716.
Anyone heard from Super-Doopers Kohl and Feingold? The Wisconsin primary--58 percent for Barack--took place February 19--about 84 days ago. How long does it take to decide? This would be the perfect moment for our Senators to shout that Democrats don't reward those who exploit racial division. We remember the struggle.
GARVEYBLOG
May 13, 2008
Welcome to Red State Wisconsin
By Ed Garvey
We know that the Republicans want to disenfranchise predictable Democratic voters. Students, Hispanics, blacks and seniors. Been doing it for decades. In 2004, long lines due to inadequate number of voting machines in student and minority areas meant fewer voters. No need to review the grand theft of Florida in 2000.
So, knowing that the new plan is to reduce Democratic voters in 2008, what is the 2008 plan and what's to be done? It begins with phony stories of voter fraud and leads to photo IDs. One must recognize the size of the problem. Bruce Murphy, writing in Milwaukee Magazine, gives us the data needed to get people moving.
Catch this: "The ETI study found 14 percent of Wisconsin residents--558,000 people--lack a driver's license or state-issued photo ID. Forty-six percent of Hispanics and 45 percent of African Americans lack photo ID. And 177,000 senior citizens lacked a driver's license or state-issued photo ID."
Grab your seat, I'm not making this up. The study, conducted by the UW-Milwaukee Employment & Training Institute (ETI), found an incredible 82 percent of 18-20-year-olds in college-intensive neighborhoods in Wisconsin lacked driver's licenses issued for the zip code in which they lived. Will they be challenged at the polls? A hint. What is at stake?
If photo ID were to become law in Wisconsin,it would take a massive effort to get photo ID for these groups of likely Obama voters. Red State column, here we come! I think we had better discuss this at Bob Fest.
Wisconsin would, with photo ID, become a red state. Period.
ARTICLE
May 13, 2008
End Time aid
By Robert Weitzel
The anti-Iran lobby includes fundamentalist Christians as well as pro-Isreal militarists--and is even more influential than it is complicated.
GARVEYBLOG
May 12, 2008
PROVE IT!
By Ed Garvey
I wondered when the hand of Karl Rove would surface. This is his biggest challenge and perhaps his finest hour. A) he was not indicted; B) He is a pundit on FOX Views; and, C) He has hatched a new plan to hold down voter turnout. Like watching a great bridge player make contract with a lousy hand, watching Rove operate is kind of exciting. How will he steal the November 5 election? He knows McCain can't win it on his own. He understands the war is an expensive disaster and the economy is in the tank. So, what's the plan?
Is Wisconsin the key along with Missouri, Michigan and Florida? Like a carney game at the county fair, trying to keep track of the pea is riveting.
In 2000, clearly won by Gore despite the weight of Joe Lieberman on the ticket, Rove & Company used the friendly confines of Florida and the even friendlier Scalialand to steal the election. In 2004, he moved to New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Ohio to "elect" Bush and Cheney. Check out the DVD entitled UNCOUNTED: The New Math of American Elections and you will find part of the answer--the machines!
But there is more. If you thought voter IDs are bad, Missouri is trying to pass a constitutional amendment to require proof of citizenship from all who register to vote. You can bet the farm that Missouri is on the Rove list. Arizona requires proof and the NYT reports 38,000 voter applications have been tossed since 2004. The Mo. Secretary of State thinks the constitutional amendment could disenfranchise up to 240,000 votes. If so, guess who wins the "show-me" state.
Twenty-five states require some form of identification at the polls--seven a photo ID.
While Rove plots along, the Clintons keep the focus on their argument that an African-American can't win. How about some attention to making sure this election is real?
GARVEYBLOG
May 11, 2008
Thank you
By Ed Garvey
Every day for the past five years FightingBob.com has posted a Blog or two and refreshing articles you have sent to us. You are a big part of our success and we thank you. Take today as proof. Read the latest from our regular weekly guest blogger Bill Kraus: "Lawyers in love (with the status quo)." Kraus takes on the lambs in the bar association and forces us to think about the independence of the judiciary. Imagine that!
Then our regular contributor of the written word, John Smart signs in with "Senile as a Fox." He raises the question, will Cheney and McCain team up to invade Iran to help get McCain elected? They are capable of such mischief but could they actually be in the planning stages? John Smart's article will give your Mother's Day brunch group something to chew on.
Cost of War: Lest we forget, the occupation, killing, maiming, and bombing, continues. To this day, the war has cost us $518.7 billion. That is $4,691 per household, 1,721 per person; and $341 million per day. Yikes! Kind of puts a damper on your $600 stimulus package. Gas? $5.00 coming up?
Hooray for Eric Gagne. For non-sports fans he is possibly the best pitcher in baseball to save games. (If the Brewers are leading in the 9th inning, it is his job to stop the other team--and save the victory.) He is not doing so well of late. The blame? Grab your seat, I'm not kidding, he blames himself. He said, "I don't deserve the 9th inning right now." Wow! Imagine if the Bush administration were blessed with that much humility. Gagne for Secretary of State!
We are getting excited about Fighting Bob Fest VII on September 6. A new approach this year as we turn words into action. Stay tuned.
ARTICLE
May 11, 2008
Senile like a fox?
By John Smart
McCain keeps making the same mis-statements about Iran, even after having been corrected in public. Maybe there is a method to his madness.
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