May 31, 2012
Expensive hug
When the camera showed Scott Walker arriving at the estate of billionaire Diane Hendricks of ABC fame, the billionaire was ready for a hug and he was ready for a plea. Her plea was, you will recall, to make Wisconsin a red state--get rid of all unions. She wants all unions dead and buried, he wanted her money and he was in agreement with her anyway. How to accomplish the goal? "Divide and conquer."
Now it turns out that she paid no state income taxes in 2010! Zip. Nada. No wonder she was ready with a hug! Hell, I know lots of people who would give a hug for a million dollars or two. She gave him more than a hug--she gave him half a million dollars; $500,000! I'll bet she is also in agreement that her contributions could be used for Walker's defense fund.
Lies, damned lies and pollsters. If you had unlimited resources to run a campaign you would send out direct mail, over-sized postcards, you would purchase radio and TV spots, and robo calls. You would also purchase a polling operation or create your own. My advice is pay no attention to polls that pop onto the scene without any indication of who is picking up the tab. The Journal Sentinel won't say who is paying for the Marquette polling operation nor will Marquette. (They are outside Open Records laws so there is no legal way to force them.)
All we can tell you is that this race is too close for honest pollsters to predict.
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What are polls for? Intimidating opponents? Exciting supporters? Motivating the masses? Skewing results?
Let's hope all the polls are wrong come next Tuesday.
-Maria Caliente | Middleton, Wisconsin | May 31, 2012
As a freelance journalist, I am aware that certain non-governmental entities are not subject to open records laws and/or do not have to reveal their contributors -- such as Marquette University about their polling operations. Such as third party groups paying for ads in election campaigns.
HOWEVER, there are no laws that PREVENT such groups from disclosing such information. So... Perhaps a good strategy in doing interviews would be to ask ever-so-politely, Professor Franklin, who pays for your polling operation?
Be persistent. Ask him why not. And when he says he is not required to disclose the information, keep at it. But you can if you choose to, is that correct?
And then the story becomes, Professor Franklin refuses to say who is paying the bills. He is not required to give that information. He is exempt from open records laws. But no laws prevent him from saying. He still refuses...
But EVERY interview should include the polite question, so every story should include the tale of the refusal.
Do the same with these "shadowy" third-party groups buying our elections. Keep asking, and keep publishing the information that they were asked and that they refused to give the answers. Keep making it clear that they CAN answer if they choose.
Just like Gov. Walker. Prosecutors have said that he CAN release e-mails and other John Doe related information if he wants to. So keep hammering him with that. He CAN choose more transparency, but he prefers secretiveness!
-Linda Wyeth | Curtiss, WI | May 31, 2012
Isn't Ms. ABC from Beloit? Doesn't Walker and all the other Republicans refer to the 1% as the "job creators" and that if we give them even more money, such as paying their taxes that they will create even more jobs? I just spent two minutes Googleing Beloit unemployment rates and poverty rates in Beloit and was reminded of what most of us in Wisconsin know, that Beloit has had and continues to have high end rates in both categories.
-dd | hudson,wi | May 31, 2012
Never mind the polls. Where are the Democrats in this race? What has Falk been doing? Where, and for that matter, who, is the Democratic National Chair and what is he/she doing for Barrett? Then we have, or rather don't have, Obungle. Would it kill any of the defeated primary Dems like Falk to come out swinging? Or do they have "recall fatigue"?
Looks like the old saying is true. When you run as a Democrat you run alone.
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | (Glad) I Escaped, WI. | May 31, 2012
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