• Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for October 18th through October 19th

    October 19, 2011 /

    These are my links for October 18th through October 19th:

  • Russ Feingold,  Tammy Baldwin,  Tommy Thompson,  Wisconsin

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

    August 19, 2011 /

    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?

    August 18, 2011 /

    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.

  • Michele Bachmann,  Mitt Romney,  Polling,  President 2012,  Rick Perry,  Sarah Palin

    President 2012 GOP Wisconsin Poll Watch: Perry 20% Vs. Bachmann 20% Vs. Romney 13%

    August 17, 2011 /

    According to the latest PPP Poll.

    Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann are tied for the Republican Presidential lead in Wisconsin at 20%…with Mitt Romney all the way back at 13%. Sarah Palin at 11%, Herman Cain at 7%, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul at 6%, Tim Pawlenty (the poll was conducted before he dropped out) at 3%, and Jon Huntsman at 1% round out the field. 

    These numbers make it clear that Bachmann and Perry have all the momentum in the state, while all the other candidates are losing steam. Perry wasn’t even tested when we polled Wisconsin in May and Bachmann’s up 9 points now from her 11% standing then. Everyone else is on the decline- Pawlenty’s fall was the worst, down 8 points from 11% in May to now 3%. You can see why he dropped out. 

    Palin’s support is down 5 points, Romney, Paul, and Gingrich are each down 4, Cain’s down 3, and Huntsman’s down 1. At least in Wisconsin Perry and Bachmann are clearly sucking the wind out of the rest of the field and it’s going to be interesting to see if that’s the case everywhere in polling over the next couple weeks.

    Another poor showing for Mitt Romney in an early GOP primary state after Texas Governor Rick Perry’s recent entrance into the Presidential race.

    And, this poll assumes a Sarah Palin candidacy which at this time would likely be siphoning votes away from Bachmann and Perry.

    If you take Palin out of the picture Bachmann gains even more steam, getting 24% to 20% for Perry, 17% for Romney, and 10% for Gingrich.

    The entire poll is here.

  • Club For Growth,  Tommy Thompson,  Wisconsin

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

    August 15, 2011 /

    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.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for August 15th on 10:07

    August 15, 2011 /

    These are my links for August 15th from 10:07 to 10:09:

    • President 2012: Rick Perry’s political chops – It could have gone very badly. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is an Iowa native. She’s coming off a big win in Ames. But Texas Gov. Rick Perry gave Iowans a chance to compare the two candidates at the Black Hawk County Lincoln Day Dinner in Waterloo, Iowa.

      He spoke without notes and with a broad dynamic range. When he talked in measured tones about his Air Force experience he was making a dual point — he’s seen the world (he rattled off his postings around the globe) and he has military experience. He hit his main themes — jobs and debt. He ticked off the four elements (“simple, guiding principles”) of his success in Texas — “don’t spend all the money”; a tax system as low as possible that still allows the government to provide essential services; regulatory climate that is “fair” and “predictable”; and legal reform. Along the way he wove in a swipe at ObamaCare, using his wife’s experience as a nurse to raise questions about quality of care. He is evolving a positive agenda, rather than simply railing against the incursion of the federal government from the perspective of a governor.

      Mainstream and conservative media present pronounced themselves impressed, suggesting he outshined the hometown girl.

      =======

      Read it all

    • Wisconsin’s historic recall elections wrap up this week – Wisconsin's series of recall elections concludes on Tuesday when voters go to the polls in two state Senate districts where Democrats are being forced to defend their seats.

      No matter who wins, Republican Governor Scott Walker and his Republican allies will retain control of the legislature, where the battle over public workers' union rights was waged earlier this year with public protests, legislative maneuvering and court challenges.

      Republicans have managed to keep control of the state senate — 17 to 16 at last count — because Democrats failed to unseat three Republican state Senators in the key round of six GOP senate recalls last week. But Democrats did pick up two state Senate seats formerly held by Walker allies.

      To many Wisconsin voters, especially Republicans, the special elections have been, as 70-year-old Wade Ellingson of Fond du Lac put it, "a waste of time and money."

      Nevertheless, Tuesday's two final votes, like the seven before them, will be watched closely.

      Two Democrats who opposed Walker's anti-union bill and even fled the state for weeks in an unsuccessful effort to prevent a quorum and delay passage — Jim Holperin of Conover and Robert Wirch of Pleasant Prairie — will be defending their seats.

      "As always in Wisconsin politics, one has to give the incumbent an edge," said Mordecai Lee, governmental affairs professor at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

      "It is likely the two Democratic incumbents will win their recalls — but it is not a slam dunk," he said.

      ======

      The Fleebaggers face the music

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for July 1st on 11:38

    July 1, 2011 /

    These are my links for July 1st from 11:38 to 11:54:

    • Official Calls For Riverside, 12 Other Counties To Secede From California – Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone apparently thinks so, after proposing that the county lead a campaign for as many as 13 Southern California counties to secede from the state.

      Stone said in a statement late Thursday that Riverside, Imperial, San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Kings, Kern, Fresno, Tulare, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa and Mono counties should form the new state of South California.

      The creation of the new state would allow officials to focus on securing borders, balancing budgets, improving schools and creating a vibrant economy, he said.

      “Our taxes are too high, our schools don’t educate our children well enough, unions and other special interests have more clout in the Legislature than the general public,” Stone said in his statement.

      =======

      Shame there is no Ventura County mentioned but LA County is in between geographically.

    • Union curbs rescue a Wisconsin school district – "This is a disaster," said Mark Miller, the Wisconsin Senate Democratic leader, in February after Republican Gov. Scott Walker proposed a budget bill that would curtail the collective bargaining powers of some public employees. Miller predicted catastrophe if the bill were to become law — a charge repeated thousands of times by his fellow Democrats, union officials, and protesters in the streets.
      Now the bill is law, and we have some very early evidence of how it is working. And for one beleaguered Wisconsin school district, it's a godsend, not a disaster.

      The Kaukauna School District, in the Fox River Valley of Wisconsin near Appleton, has about 4,200 students and about 400 employees. It has struggled in recent times and this year faced a deficit of $400,000. But after the law went into effect, at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, school officials put in place new policies they estimate will turn that $400,000 deficit into a $1.5 million surplus. And it's all because of the very provisions that union leaders predicted would be disastrous.

      In the past, teachers and other staff at Kaukauna were required to pay 10 percent of the cost of their health insurance coverage and none of their pension costs. Now, they'll pay 12.6 percent of the cost of their coverage (still well below rates in much of the private sector) and also contribute 5.8 percent of salary to their pensions. The changes will save the school board an estimated $1.2 million this year, according to board President Todd Arnoldussen.

      Of course, Wisconsin unions had offered to make benefit concessions during the budget fight. Wouldn't Kaukauna's money problems have been solved if Walker had just accepted those concessions and not demanded cutbacks in collective bargaining powers?

      "The monetary part of it is not the entire issue," says Arnoldussen, a political independent who won a spot on the board in a nonpartisan election. Indeed, some of the most important improvements in Kaukauna's outlook are because of the new limits on collective bargaining.

      In the past, Kaukauna's agreement with the teachers union required the school district to purchase health insurance coverage from something called WEA Trust — a company created by the Wisconsin teachers union. "It was in the collective bargaining agreement that we could only negotiate with them," says Arnoldussen. "Well, you know what happens when you can only negotiate with one vendor." This year, WEA Trust told Kaukauna that it would face a significant increase in premiums.

      ======

      Read it all

    • President 2012: Bachmann gets nod from fourth Iowa Senator – The presidential hopes of U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) received a third nod from the ranks of the Iowa Senate. Late Thursday the Bachmann campaign announced that it had received the endorsement of Iowa Sen. Nancy Boettger, a Harlan Republican.

      “I’m excited to have Nancy’s support,” Bachman said in a prepared statement. “As a former educator, Nancy understands the importance of raising children to be good stewards in the future.”
      The Boettger family are farmers and also run a bed and breakfast.

      “Michele is the kind of no-nonsense leader that America needs,” Boettger said. “Michele will stand up for what is right in any situation and I’m proud to lend my support to her campaign.”

      The endorsement marks the fourth that Bachmann has received from the Iowa Senate, with Kent Sorenson and Brad Zaun also making their support official this week and Jack Whitver providing his endorsement in advance of Bachmann’s campaign kick-off event in Waterloo

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for June 28th on 11:00

    June 28, 2011 /

    These are my links for June 28th from 11:00 to 11:07:

    • More Details Emerge in Wisconsin’s ‘Chokegate’ – To date, Bradley has not filed any kind of charges against Prosser. Instead, the story was leaked to the George Soros–funded Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, who used three anonymous sources to back up Bradley’s story. There were six justices present at the time of the incident, four of whom would be more likely to back Prosser’s version of the story. That leaves Abrahamson and Bradley as the only two remaining justices present. One source present speculated the third source may have been Bradley’s law clerk, who likely didn’t actually see the confrontation but may have head Bradley shout “I was choked.”

      Speculation is abundant as to why Bradley decided to forgo a criminal complaint against Prosser, deciding instead to go to the press ten days after the event. Some say Bradley’s complaint wouldn’t have stood up if given the scrutiny of a criminal investigation. Furthermore, others speculate that if any formal criminal proceedings had moved forward (a restraining-order filing, for instance), Prosser would be afforded evidentiary hearings, testimony, and discovery.

      Furthermore, sources unanimously believed that it was Shirley Abrahamson who has been the impetus behind the story, managing the press operation from behind the scenes. Justices had been working together regularly since the incident without any signs of rancor until Abrahamson decided to make this an issue, sources believe.

      While Bradley has not filed any charges against Prosser, an investigation was initiated by the Capitol Police, who then quickly turned the case over to the Dane County Sheriff, David Mahoney — who once actually appeared in a campaign ad supporting the reelection of Chief Justice Abrahamson. The ad also included not-yet-famous circuit-court judge Maryann Sumi, whose ruling the Supreme Court had to vacate in order to allow Scott Walker’s collective-bargaining bill to stand.

    • Tom Petty reportedly issuing cease and desist letter to Michele Bachmann – Tom Petty may be taking legal action to make sure Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann stops using his songs at her campaign events.

      “NBC News: @TomPetty unhappy with Michele Bachmann’s use of ‘American Girl’ and in process of issuing [a cease and desist] letter,” Matt Ortega reported on Twitter only hours after hours after Bachmann used the popular song to kick off her campaign.

      NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell confirmed that report Monday night.

      “And details matter, and when Bachmann left the stage here, her campaign played the Tom Petty hit song, ‘American Girl,’” O’Donnell said. “Turns out petty isn’t pleased. His manager says they will ask the Bachmann campaign not to use that song.”

      Petty also issued a cease and desist letter to then-Governor George W. Bush for illegally using “I won’t back down” at his rallies.

      “The impression that you and your campaign have been endorsed by Tom Petty, which is not true,” music publisher Wixen Music Publishing Inc. told the Bush campaign.

      To make matters worse for Bachmann, former RNC Online Communications Director Liz Mair made this observation about the use of the Petty’s tune: “Isn’t that what the kidnapped politician’s daughter was singing in ‘Silence of the Lambs?’

      Mair appears to have since deleted that tweet.

      ======

      Big deal – all of the old has-been rock stars are old lefties. Tom Petty is no exception.

    • NBC Nightly News Reports Bachmann’s John Wayne Gaffe, Ignores Obama’s Fallen Soldier Error – As NewsBusters reported last week, President Obama on Thursday said he had literally awarded a Medal of Honor to one Jared Monti, meaning in person while he was alive.

      Unfortunately, Monti was bestowed this honor posthumously in 2009 having been killed in Afghanistan three years prior. Obama later apologized to the family for his misstatement.

      Despite the seriousness of this gaffe, MSNBC and NBC have yet to report it. In fact, according to LexisNexis, through Sunday, not one television news network has.

      It appears a Republican presidential candidate confusing the names of two small Iowa towns most people have never heard of is far more important than a sitting president mistaking a fallen hero for a live one.

      But O'Donnell wasn't done with the Bachmann bashing:

      O'DONNELL: Bachmann told me she expects greater scrutiny and needs to be more careful.

      BACHMANN: I will make mistakes. It will happen. But I will tell you to the very best of my ability, I'll try and get everything right that is coming out of my mouth.

      O’DONNELL: And details matter, and when Bachmann left the stage here, her campaign played the Tom Petty hit song, “American Girl." Turns out petty isn't pleased. His manager says they will ask the Bachmann campaign not to use that song. They also asked George W. Bush not to use any of his music. But Hillary Clinton did use "American Girl" throughout her campaign in 2008

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for May 31st on 18:20

    May 31, 2011 /

    These are my links for May 31st from 18:20 to 18:49:

    • Panel OKs recall elections against 3 more Wisconsin Republican State Senators – State election officials on Tuesday approved recall elections against three Republican senators but put off decisions on certifying recall petitions against three Democrats.

      That decision by the Government Accountability Board drew cries of partisanship from Republicans and set up the possibility that two sets of recall elections would be held a week apart, rather than all on the same day.

      "This is an example of a supposedly neutral government agency acting in a blatantly partisan manner to further the objectives of a particular political party," said Dan Hunt, who led the effort to recall Sen. Bob Wirch (D-Pleasant Prairie).

      That charge from Hunt and other Republicans comes just four years after every GOP lawmaker in the state Legislature voted to create the accountability board in an attempt to put a nonpartisan agency in charge of elections.

      Board attorney Shane Falk said the board has been working overtime to review all the recall petitions, with half a dozen board employees working on them over the Memorial Day weekend. But they have not had time to fully analyze the challenges to the recalls against Democrats, which are based on different arguments than the Republican challenges.

      "We've attempted to work concurrently on all the petitions but we simply don't have enough staff," Falk told the board.

      The board unanimously approved recall elections for Republican Sens. Rob Cowles of Allouez, Alberta Darling of River Hills and Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls. That follows rulings last week to hold recall elections for Republican Sens. Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac, Dan Kapanke of LaCrosse and Luther Olsen of Ripon.

      Republicans are trying to recall three Democratic senators – Wirch, Dave Hansen of Green Bay and Jim Holperin of Conover.

      The recall attempts – unprecedented in Wisconsin and the nation – were launched in response to the stance senators took on Republican Gov. Scott Walker's now-stalled plan to greatly limit collective bargaining for public workers.

      ======

      Wisconsin's choice but everytime there is a group that does not like what the majority votes into law will there now be a recall?

      Why have elections?

    • Weinergate: ‘Hacked’ but still tweeting away – Politico reports:

      New York Rep. Anthony Weiner has retained an attorney to advise him “what civil or criminal actions should be taken” after a lewd picture was sent from his Twitter account.

      Weiner, who has represented part of New York City since 1998, says online hacking led to a close-up shot of a man’s underwear being sent from his official Twitter account Saturday night.

      You need a lawyer to call the Capitol police or the D.C. cops? Weiner is not exactly being responsive to the press. (“Weiner’s office did not answer specific questions about the photograph, about whether he has contacted authorities or about the Seattle woman who received the photograph. He has said that his Facebook account was hacked and that if his Twitter had the same password, that too could be vulnerable.”) And if you care to follow the investigative blogging on this, there is a good argument that his excuse has some problems, starting with a basic question: Why would a “hacker” delete his own handiwork four minutes after it posted?

      I have just a few observations. First, if he lied he’s toast. As embarrassing as a raunchy tweet might have been, the recipient isn’t a minor, and the requisite “allow my wife and I privacy” would probably have been sufficient to quell the storm for a liberal Democrat in a safe seat. It’s a truism that voters will put up with a lot, unless you lie to them.

      =======

      Has Rep. Anthony Weiner filed a police cmplaint yet? FBI complaint? If he doesn't, he lied. If he does, then there will be an investigation. In any case, there should be an investigation.

  • Scott Walker,  Wisconsin

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

    April 20, 2011 /

    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.

    Previous:

    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