• Russ Feingold,  Tammy Baldwin,  Tommy Thompson,  Wisconsin

    WI-Sen: Russ Feingold is Out for a 2012 Race

    Former Democratic Wisconsin U.S. Senator Russ Feingold

    The prospects for a GOP pick up of retiring Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl’s seat are looking better all of the time.

    Democrat Russ Feingold has decided he will not be a candidate for political office next year, taking himself out of the running in 2012 for either U.S. senator or for governor in the event Democrats force a recall election against Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

    In an email going out to supporters early Friday morning, Feingold called it a difficult decision but said he wanted to devote his time to teaching full time at Marquette Law School, finishing the book he is writing on the U.S. response to the Sept. 11 attacks and leading the political committee he founded, Progressives United.

    “While I may seek elective office again someday, I have decided not to run for public office during 2012,” Feingold said in the email.

    Some Democrats were looking to Feingold as perhaps their leading candidate against Walker next year in the event of a successful recall drive. His announcement ends that scenario.

    eingold’s lack of interest in running for Senate is not a big surprise.

    Since he was defeated in 2010 in his bid for a fourth term, he has sent no obvious signals about a quick return to the legislative body where he served for 18 years.

    “After twenty-eight continuous years as an elected official?.?.?.?I have found the past eight months to be an opportunity to look at things from a different perspective,” Feingold said in the email, saying he was “thoroughly enjoying the life of a private citizen.”

    His decision leaves the Democratic Senate field wide open, though many Wisconsin Democrats will now regard U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, with her political base in vote-rich Dane County, as the early favorite for the party nomination.

    The latest polling is here and Republican Tommy Thompson who is a former Wisconsin Governor has to be viewed as a front-runner in this race.

  • Polling,  Russ Feingold,  Tommy Thompson,  U.S. Senate 2012,  Wisconsin

    WI-Sen Poll Watch: GOP Pick Up in 2012?

    Quite possible in the latest PPP Poll.

    The Wisconsin Senate seat being vacated by Herb Kohl is looking like a genuine Republican pick up opportunity, with both Tommy Thompson and Mark Neumann leading all the potential Democratic candidates we tested besides Russ Feingold.

    Feingold, who doesn’t seem terribly interested in running, would still be the strongest potential candidate. He has the best favorability rating of anyone we looked at both overall (49/43) and specifically with independents (52/37). He would have the slightest advantage over Thompson, 48-47, and a more healthy one over Neumann at 51-44. Feingold led them by 10 and 12 points respectively when PPP first looked at this race in May so there’s been a good amount of movement toward the Republicans since that time.

    Good news for the GOP and if former Senator Feingold does NOT run, this will likely be a gain for the GOP next year.

    The entire poll is here.

  • Club For Growth,  Tommy Thompson,  Wisconsin

    WI-Sen GOP Poll Watch: Former Governor Tommy Thompson Leading

    According to the latest Club for Growth Poll.

    The poll surveyed 500 respondents with a history of voting in GOP primary elections in the state and has a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.

    In a hypothetical head-to-head matchup against former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann, who is also considering a run, Thompson received 40% of the vote and Neumann received 34%, with 27% undecided.

  • Scott Walker,  Wisconsin

    Wisconsin Medical Examining Board Investigating Fraudulant Sick Notes Written By Physicians for Protesting Public Employees

    As tens of thousands of public employees skipped work last week to attend protest rallies outside the Wisconsin State Capitol, many wondered if they would face any disciplinary action for unexcused absences.

    On Saturday, a group of men and women in lab coats purporting to be doctors were handing out medical excuse notes, without examining the ‘patients.’

    You remember the Flap.

    Now, the physicians are under investigation for their wrist slap.

    The state Department of Regulation and Licensing and the Medical Examining Board said Wednesday that they had opened investigations into eight individuals who allegedly wrote doctor excuse notes for protesters at the state Capitol during rallies in February.

    Last month, the Department of Regulation and Licensing said it had identified 11 people who may have provided the medical excuses, and it asked them to submit information about their activities at the Capitol.

    Three members of the Medical Examining Board reviewed the information and decided to open investigations on eight of the 11, according to a department news release.

    The eight being investigated are all licensed physicians, department spokesman David Carlson said.

    Investigations were not opened against three people because the panel concluded no violations had occurred, the news release says.

    The 11 were identified by complaints to the department. Nine of those named are licensed physicians and two are unlicensed, the department said.

    The investigations will include a more extensive fact-finding process to determine if any violations of law occurred, according to the news release.

    At the conclusion of each investigation, recommendations will be made about whether disciplinary action should be pursued.

    The state Department of Regulation and Licensing previously has said disciplinary action could include a reprimand, license limitations, suspension or revocation.

    Looks like a reprimand is coming and I doubt that anything harsher than this will occur.

    Are the physicians wrong?

    Yes, and they are a disgrace to the medical profession.

    I hope they serve a five year probation though and are required to sit through boring classes on medical ethics.

    Now, that will be punishment.

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    University of Wisconsin Health is Investigating Fraudulent Sick Notes Written by Physicians for Protesting Public Employees

    Updated: Video: Wisconsin Physicians Distribute Fraudulent Sick Notes to Protesting Public Employees

    Video: Wisconsin Physicians Distribute Fraudulent Sick Notes to Protesting Public Employees

  • David Prosser,  Joanne Kloppenburg,  Scott Walker,  Wisconsin

    Video: Backlash Against Wisconsin Supreme Court Attack Ad?

    Remember Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser being accused of refusing to prosecute a pedophile priest?

    Well, in response the victims of the pedophile priest have gone  “on air” defending Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser – being victimized again. See the video above.

    Organized labor has pulled out all of the stops to defame the incumbent Justice so that they can elect their hand-picked minion, Joanne Kloppenburg and repeal Scott Walker and the Wisconsin GOP’s public employee collective bargaining reforms.

    Will there be a backlash by the voters of Wisconsin against the union’s lies.

    I guess we will see next Tuesday.

  • David Prosser,  Scott Walker,  Wisconsin

    Video: Wisconsin Reforms in Peril – The Wisconsin Supreme Court Election on April 5th

    On Tuesday, April 5, Supreme Court Judge Dave Prosser — the swing vote on the court — is up for re-election in Wisconsin. If he loses, the Walker reforms on collective bargaining and education reform die with him. The liberals are in the lead with ads saying Prosser=Walker and phony allegations that he did not prosecute a child molestor. We need to get involved, active, and engaged to save Prosser!

    So, if you live in Wisconsin vote and if you do NOT, then go here and contribute a few bucks.

    “Citizens for Impartial Justice” was formed to insure that the Wisconsin Supreme Court remains impartial and does not become an activist court. Our independent PAC is committed to support the voters in recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of David Prosser, and returning him to the Court for another 10 years. He has established a record of strict construction and adherence to well developed precedent. Justice Prosser does not work to expand the court’s role in our lives; he rejects extreme positions.

    Prosser’s fair and impartial service on the Wisconsin Supreme Court over the past 12 years is a credit to Wisconsin’s long tradition of scholarly and well balanced development of the law. He works to instill collegiality on a Court in the face of an aggressive and manipulative bloc of Justices intent on rendering decisions based on personality and power aggrandizement. He deserves reelection!

    His record is impressive:
    – 12 years –Supreme Court appointed in 1998 by Governor Tommy Thompson
    – 2 years Wisconsin tax Appeals Commission
    – 18 Years Wisconsin State Assembly; 2 years as Speaker.
    – Outagamie County District Attorney
    – United States Department of Justice Attorney
    – Staff of the Honorable Harold Froehlich during the Nixon Impeachment

    A vote for Prosser is a vote for fair and impartial justice with no gimmicks
    and no personal agenda.

  • David Prosser,  Tea Party,  Wisconsin

    Video: The Tea Party and the Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

    State Tea Party Express reminds Wisconsin residents to vote on April 5th. Big union bosses are trying to defeat Justice Prosser and elect their own environmental activist judge. Justice Prosser is fair-minded and principled.

    Political pundits have been wondering if the Tea Party was going to lay down in Wisconsin after the Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker Vs. Democrat Legislators Fleebaggers Flap.

    The ansewr is NO.

  • David Prosser,  Scott Walker,  Wisconsin

    What Is at Stake in Wisconsin Supreme Court Election on April 5?

    Mickey Kaus gives the run down as to what is at stake in the April 5 election.

    In a counter-intuitive way, the RIGHT should hope for a Democratic victory and an overturning of the Wisconsin labor reforms?

    Walker’s (and Kasich’s and Daniels’) anti-union reforms are having an effect nationwide, even in states where unions are strong. In Los Angeles, for example, a coalition of unions just agreed to non-trivial increases in health and pension contributions for existing workers that will save $400 million. One reason they agreed was undoubtedly the fear that anti-union fever might spread even to California. If Walker gets beaten, public employee unions all over the country will stop being so amenable. (Maybe that will be good for Republicans, in a dialectical way,  because government will become more unaffordable and the “blue state model” will move closer to total bankruptcy. The contradictions will be heightened, if you will. But it will be bad for anyone who wants a working government and lower taxes.)

    And, the Democrats politicizing the Wisconsin Supreme Court might actually help Scott Walker as well – giving Walker a political foil.

    We will see.