Obama and Wisconsin: 'Vilify'

Obama is a hypocrite.

Today when addressing the National Governors Association, Obama suggested that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Republicans, and their supporters are "vilifying" public employees.

From the Los Angeles Times:

President Obama on Monday waded into the labor standoff in Wisconsin and warned that the rights of public employees should not be infringed upon.

Speaking to the National Governors Assn., Obama noted that many states as well as the federal government face tough economic choices. But the president, who has been criticized by some labor allies for not speaking out more forcefully on the Wisconsin situation, noted the fight between Wisconsin's public unions and the Republican administration in Madison.

"I don't think it does anybody any good when public employees are denigrated or vilified or their rights are infringed upon," Obama said in televised remarks. "We need to attract the best and brightest to public service. These times demand it."

When Obama was interviewed by TMJ4's Charles Benson way back on February 16, Obama said something very similar.

Transcript

CHARLES BENSON: Wisconsin has its own budget crisis right now. Thousands and thousands are marching on Madison even as we speak. Unions and state employees, they're angry right now at Governor Walker. Walker's talking about potentially bringing out the National Guard. They're worried about they're going to lose their right to bargain, and they're going to be asked, forced to pay more in benefits.

Others, on the other hand, are saying Walker's doing the right thing, and suggesting maybe you should do the same thing as well when it comes to benefits, cutting benefits, having workers pay more.

OBAMA: Well, I'd say that I haven't followed exactly what's happening with the Wisconsin budget. I've got some budget problems here in Washington I've had to focus on. Um, I would say as a general proposition that everybody's got to make some adjustments to new fiscal realities. Uh, and I think if, uh, if we want to avoid layoffs, which I want to avoid, I don't want to see layoffs of hardworking federal workers. We had to impose, for example, a freeze on pay increases for federal workers for the next two years as part of my overall budget freeze. Uh, you know, I think those kind of adjustments are the right thing to do.

On the other hand, uh, some of what I've heard coming out of Wisconsin, where, uh, you're just making it harder for public employees to collectively bargain generally, uh, seems like more of an assault on unions. And I think it's very important for us to understand that public employees, they're our neighbors. They're our friends. These are folks who are teachers, and they're firefighters, and they're social workers, and they're police officers. You know, they make a lot of sacrifices and make a big contribution. And I think it's important not to vilify them or to suggest that somehow all these budget problems are due to public employees.

So, I think everybody's gotta make some adjustments, but I think it's also important to recognize that public employees make enormous contributions to the well being of our states and our cities.

I said it twelve days ago and I'll say it again--

Governor Walker isn't vilifying public employees, though Obama has a terrible habit of shamelessly vilifying the private sector. Governor Walker has praised public employees.

They aren't being denigrated or vilified.

Obama shouldn't be lecturing anyone about vilifying others. He's a master at vilification.

When it comes to talking about "rights," Obama is extremely inconsistent.

He hails Hu Jintao but he takes a swipe at Governor Walker.

If Obama really cares about the "rights" of public employees, then he needs to speak out about federal employees not having collective bargaining "rights."

With all due respect, the guy makes a fool of himself when he trots out his rehearsed remarks and repeats his carefully chosen words.

He's the one doing the vilifying here.

Tell the rest of the story, Barack.
_________________

UPDATE: Governor Scott Walker's office issued a statement in response to Obama's remarks.

“I'm sure the President knows that most federal employees do not have collective bargaining for wages and benefits while our plan allows it for base pay. And I'm sure the President knows that the average federal worker pays twice as much for health insurance as what we are asking for in Wisconsin. At least I would hope he knows these facts.

“Furthermore, I’m sure the President knows that we have repeatedly praised the more than 300,000 government workers who come to work every day in Wisconsin.

“I’m sure that President Obama simply misunderstands the issues in Wisconsin, and isn’t acting like the union bosses in saying one thing and doing another.”

Yes.

Eleanor Clift and Scott Walker

Apparently, Eleanor Clift doesn't understand elections in the United States. She doesn't get how the process works.

From Noel Sheppard, NewsBustsers:

Newsweek's Eleanor Clift on Friday amazingly asked, "Since when does Scott Walker represent 'the people'?"

Such happened during a heated discussion on PBS's "The McLaughlin Group" about the goings-on in Wisconsin....

Video.



Transcript, from NewsBusters:

PAT BUCHANAN, MSNBC: You've got to stop the, they call it collective bargaining. It is collusive bargaining. What you've got is a union puts enormous amounts of money in, they get their buddy in the governor’s chair, then they get together, they cut a deal, give them a sweetheart contract and give it to the taxpayers. What this Governor Walker is saying, “Those days are over. We've got somebody representing the people now, and this is going to be an adversary proceeding between you folks and us.”

JONATHAN CAPEHART, WASHINGTON POST: None of these deals are over unless you’re police or firefighters.

ELEANOR CLIFT, NEWSWEEK: Since when does Scott Walker represent "the people"? He’s representing…

BUCHANAN AND MONICA CROWLEY TOGETHER: He got elected!

CLIFT: …the money interests that helped him get elected including…

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, HOST: Let her finish.

CLIFT: …including lots of money from the Koch brothers.

First, about the Koch brothers--

I am so sick of the Leftists like Clift sliming the Koch brothers. They have every right to donate to candidates and causes.

They donated $43,000 to Governor Walker. Relatively speaking, that was a drop in the bucket in terms of all that Walker raised for his campaign.

Second, about "the people"--

I AM "THE PEOPLE."

I voted on November 2, 2010. I helped elect Scott Walker to be governor of Wisconsin. I voted for Republicans in the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly.

I also voted for Ron Johnson to represent me in the U.S. Senate. I helped to fire Russ Feingold.

Sweet success.

These politicians took their messages to the people and we voted.

WE chose Walker to be our state's governor.

It really angers me that 14 AWOL Wisconsin Senate Dems and a mob of Leftists, some using thug tactics, are trying to overturn the results of the election and ignore the will of the people.

Clift should be ashamed for saying Walker doesn't represent "the people."

WE, THE PEOPLE, elected him.

Gordon Hintz: 'You Are F---ing Dead'

UPDATE, March 1, 2011: Wisconsin State Representative Who Was Told She’s ‘F**king Dead’ Speaks Out with Laura Ingraham

Here's the audio of Laura Ingraham's interview with Michelle Litjens:


________________

DEMOCRAT Wisconsin State Representative Gordon Hintz has serious behavioral issues. He does not conduct himself in a manner befitting an elected official.


Photo: Gordon Hintz

He has an abusive streak when it comes to how he interacts with women.

Last week, we learned that Hintz was cited under a city sexual misconduct ordinance.

From the Appleton Post-Crescent:

Appleton police say a municipal citation they issued to state Rep. Gordon Hintz earlier this month is connected to a prostitution investigation involving an Appleton massage parlor.

The 37-year-old Oshkosh Democrat was arrested Feb. 10 and cited the next day under a city sexual misconduct ordinance. He is scheduled to appear April 27 in front of an Outagamie County court commissioner.

...Records say Hintz was accused of violating an Appleton city ordinance against touching or offering to touch sexual parts.

Police searched Heavenly Touch Massage Parlor, 342 W. Wisconsin Ave., and a nearby residence, 1319½ N. Division St., on Jan. 28. Investigators had staked out the properties for several days after receiving a tip that illegal activity was taking place at the home.

The raid netted six arrests, and police seized a vehicle and other property. Four women were booked into the Outagamie County Jail and two other women were arrested but not jailed.

"We made a number of arrests … and now (we issued) the ticket to Mr. Hintz," DeWall said. "But it's still an open investigation."

OK. That's creepy.

As creepy as Hintz's alleged behavior at the Heavenly Touch Massage Parlor is, I find what he said to REPUBLICAN Wisconsin State Representative Michelle Litjens to be even worse.


Photo: Michelle Litjens

Last Friday, after the Assembly engrosssed Governor Scott Walker's budget repair plan, DEMOCRAT Hintz threatened Litjens.

Hintz said to Litjens: "You are f---ing dead!"

Hintz didn't just use an expletive when speaking to Litjens. That's bad enough. But what's worse is how he bullied her in a very frightening fashion.

"You are f---ing dead!"

"F---ING DEAD"!

What is wrong with him?

Does he aspire to be Rahm Emanuel?

Hintz treats women abusively. Clearly, he fails to show a female colleague in the Assembly the respect she deserves.

"You are f---ing dead!" is not an appropriate way to express disagreement on a matter before the Assembly.

Has Hintz been spending too much time hanging out with the union thugs and socialists occupying the Capitol?

Speaking of unions, I wonder if the "workers" at the Heavenly Touch Massage Parlor are protected by a union. Do they have collective bargaining rights for wages? What about health care and pension benefits?

Certainly, Hintz reacts very passionately when it comes to protecting workers.

I assume Hintz cares very deeply about the working conditions at the Heavenly Touch Massage Parlor.


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UPDATE: Wisconsin Rep. Gordon Hintz apologizes for comments made on Assembly floor following budget vote

Hintz Monday said he called Litjens to apologize but said he could not “confirm that quote.” He said his comments came following 58 hours of debate on the Assembly floor and after the Republicans broke procedural rules in taking the vote before many Democrats had a chance to vote.

“I believe my response was shock. The only way they were going to pass this bill was by ignoring and shredding rules of the Assembly,” Hintz said. “I apologized when I learned my comments may have been taken personally by someone.”

That's not much of an apology.

"You are f---ing dead."

His comments MAY have been taken personally?

Hintz, when tell someone "You are f---ing dead," expect the individual to take it personally.

Good grief.

Madison Protests - Socialists (Video)

This video provides some perspective on those protesting in Madison.

There are factions participating that are interested in dramatic revolution.

Socialists are seizing the opportunity to press their anti-capitalist agenda. They're going far beyond showing support and maintaining allegiance to unions. They're engaging in a movement to change our economic system in America.

We've reported on campaigns for social change and economic justice in the U.S. and around the world--from the movement against South African apartheid in the 1980s to the one against Israel's apartheid against Palestinians today; from the soldiers' resistance in Iraq and Afghanistan to the LGBT movement for equality, and much more.

SocialistWorker.org is committed not only to reporting from the front lines of these struggles, but to providing a forum for discussion and debate of the political questions facing activists.

We also seek to present a socialist analysis of world news and events, and to keep alive the rich and too-often-hidden history of working-class struggle and the socialist tradition. You'll find left-wing and Marxist analyses of important questions of the day from a broad range of voices on the left.

Video.



From SocialistWorker.org:

Read "Time to show our power."

Read "Class war in Wisconsin." It gives an account of how Wisconsin Dem Senator Chris Larson and his Dem colleagues were "assisted" out of the Capitol to flee the state.

Democratic state Sen. Chris Larson's exit from the Capitol was assisted by dozens of protesters who blocked his office with a sit-in midday February 17. Earlier, that same group--teachers, students, some building trades workers--scuffled repeatedly with Republican state senators and their staffers for two hours as they tried to reach the senate chambers through a nearby back staircase.

"It was the most militant action I've been involved in for a long time," said Shaun Harkin, a Chicago-based socialist and activist. "The woman leading began chanting, 'This is class war.' The guy next to me said, 'She's a kindergarten teacher.' We locked arms and sang, 'Solidarity Forever.'"

The sit-in outside Larson's office was a preview of a much bigger action a couple hours later outside the senate chambers. Although word had circulated that the Senate Democrats were safely out of state, protesters weren't taking any chances.

Anticipating the possibility that state troopers could seize control of an elevator located near a side entrance to the chamber, hundreds of students from the University of Wisconsin and area high schools and middle schools jammed the area. A large man in a United Steelworkers jacket made a point of putting himself between the elevator and the door--and got a large cheer of appreciation from those nearby.

At the same time, those blocking the main senate chamber entrance led the thousands of people in the Capitol in chants--"This is what democracy looks like!" "People power" and "Union power." With protesters covering the Capitol floor and all three circular balconies, the chants at times made normal conversation impossible.

...[T]he one-sided class war is over. Unions in Wisconsin are fighting back--and they're doing so across union lines that have traditionally divided and weakened them. Around the Capitol, it's common to hear conversations from veteran unionists that they'd never seen anything like this from the labor movement--and they couldn't be happier.

But the struggle is far from over--and despite the powerful mobilizations, victory is by no means assured in Wisconsin. Walker has a Republican majority in both houses of the legislature to rely on if he can get a vote. "If this passes, it's going to be nationwide" said Dahnert, the highway worker. "You're going to see the quality of life go way down."

Asked if that means workers have to be prepared to escalate their action, he said: "I believe that's the only choice we have."

Make no mistake about it, the socialists taking part in the protests in Madison view this as much more than opposing Governor Walker's budget repair plan. They're at war with capitalism. They're militant and prepared to escalate their action.

Read "Solidarity City."

Elizabeth Schulte and Lee Sustar report on the outpouring of support for Wisconsin public-sector unions--and a debate over continuing the occupation of the state Capitol.

...Outside the Capitol, workers, students and families marched in contingents large and small, in what even police called the largest day of demonstrations yet against Walker's assault. Inside the building--which has been occupied by workers and students for nearly two weeks--protesters are also in control.

At the end of Sunday evening, there was a threat to the movement as police prepared to clear the building. But protesters maintained their occupation inside the Capitol--thanks to hundreds of activists who refused to heed calls by some movement leaders to surrender the site. The police backed down from threatened arrests.

"Occupation"?

Sounds like a military operation.

The socialists believe they won a significant battle by not being removed from the Capitol on Sunday.

It appears they believe they're winning their war against capitalism as well.

These people are really radical. They're extremists.

WHERE THE struggle goes next is anybody's guess. The loss of the Capitol would be a major setback. It would deprive the movement of its focus, energy and organizing center and make it easier for Walker to pressure Senate Democrats into coming back to Madison and making a deal at the unions' expense.

Keeping the occupation going, by contrast, allows the movement to continually draw new people into activity, engage them in political debate, and further the organizational reach of the movement.

The other key question is whether unions are prepared to use the muscle that they showed from the beginning of the fight, when teacher sick-ins shut down schools in Madison and across the state. Walker's hard-line stance on NBC's Meet the Press--in which he insisted that he was unmoved by the protests--will only raise the pressure on the unions.

Yet despite the splendid show of union power on Saturday, labor leaders have already agreed to Walker's demands for higher employee contributions on health care and pensions--as long as he agrees to maintain collective bargaining and allow the collection of dues that sustains the union apparatus. In other words, union leaders are willing to call for militant job actions to protect their own economic wellbeing, but not that of the membership.

That contradiction has rankled many union activists, who are frustrated that officials don't fully challenge Walker's claim that workers must make sacrifices to help close state budget deficits.

For that reason, National Nurses United organized a February 27 forum at the Madison Labor Temple on the theme of rejecting any more concessions for workers. Speakers included Jim Cavanaugh, president of the South Central Federation of Labor; J. Eric Cobb, executive director of the Building Trades Council of South Central Wisconsin; nurse Jan Rodolfo, national outreach coordinator of National Nurses United; Jesse Sharkey, vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union; and John Nichols, a writer for The Nation magazine. About 60 union members and supporters attended and agreed to keep organizing against all anti-worker cuts in Wisconsin and across the U.S.

Whether or not working people in Wisconsin agree that concessions to Walker are necessary, they recognize that this is a fight not just for members of public-sector unions, but all workers. At the mass rally on February 26, there was a widespread sentiment that the stakes are high.

The lib media are running with the narrative that Governor Walker and the Republicans aren't really concerned about the budget. The Dem mouthpieces are reporting that Governor Walker and his allies are actually interested in busting unions.

Going almost completely unreported is the fact that some protesters aren't focusing on the specifics of Governor Walker's plan. For them, the issue is much, much larger. They're out to bust capitalism. This is their revolution.

Academy Awards Politics: Unions

On at least two occasions during last night's ceremony, winners of Academy Awards thanked members of unions in their acceptance speeches.

First, Wally Pfister thanked his "fantastic union crew" when he won for Best Cinematography.

From ABC News:

At the Academy Awards tonight, best cinematography winner Wally Pfister made a point during his acceptance speech of thanking his union crew on “Inception.”

Backstage he went further, expressing shock at Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal, which would limit union’s collective bargaining powers. Opponents of the plan have been protesting at the state capitol for 21 days.

Here's video of Pfister's backstage remarks:

WALLY PFISTER: I think that what's going on in Wisconsin is kind of madness right now. I've been a union member for 30 years and what the union has given to me is security for my family. They've given me health care in a country that otherwise does not provide health care, and I think the unions are a very important part of the middle class of America. So I stand strong behind any of the union members in this country and any other country, 'cause all we're trying to do is get a decent wage and have medical care.

Obviously, Pfister doesn't know what's happening in Wisconsin and doesn't at all understand the truth of the situation. The madness in Wisconsin right now is the camping inside the Capitol, the drumming, the dancing, and the utter disgrace of the 14 senate Democrats hiding out in Illinois in order to obstruct the will of the people. Note to Pfister: You don't have to be a union member to get medical care or a decent wage or security for your family. In addition to Pfister, the winners for Best Sound Mixing, Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick for Inception, voiced support for unions when they accepted. From the Associated Press:

Gary Rizzo, who won for sound-mixing on "Inception," thanked "all the hard working boom operators and utility sound people that worked on the production crew. Union, of course.

I bet those "hard working boom operators and utility sound people" don't get the sort of benefits the public school teachers and public employees in Wisconsin get. I don't think Rizzo has a clue. I wonder if these Oscar winners are concerned that federal employees don't have collective bargaining "rights." Is what's going on around the country on the federal level "madness"? I didn't hear Pfister call out Obama. More politics:

Another winner said that it was wrong that executives whose banks were bailed out by the U.S. government had not gone to jail. Charles Ferguson, whose winning documentary "Inside Job" analyzed the causes of the global financial crisis of 2008, told the audience that those behind the crisis were criminals. "Not a single financial executive has gone to jail and that's wrong," he said to applause. Backstage, he offered reasons why they hadn't been prosecuted. "The financial industry has become so politically powerful that it is able to inhibit the normal processes of justice and law enforcement," he said.

Slamming financial executives -- same old, same old. I didn't hear a single winner or presenter make any statements about the war. Do they remember that we're at war? Where's the outrage? Has Hollywood become filled with hawks in the past couple of years?

Oscar: Randy Newman

Randy Newman, perennial Oscar nominee, won this year for Best Original Song.

From CBS:

Randy Newman won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3." It was his 20th Oscar nomination and second win. As he quipped, "My percentages aren't great."

Congratulations to Randy Newman.

I wasn't online during the show, but I checked Twitter afterward.

I thought this was a really funny tweet from A.D. Miles:

Wonder what this Randy Newman song is gonna sound like? #oscars

Scott Walker and Olive Branch

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board writes that the Wisconsin State Senate Democrats should return but Governor Scott Walker should offer them an olive branch.

Let's be clear. What Senate Democrats have done in fleeing the state to halt the public's business and jeopardize its precarious finances is not just some harmless parliamentary procedure. It is unethical and constitutes dereliction of duty.

But the question here is not who blinks first; it's who is big enough to make the next move, the first being the unions' concession on benefits.

Republicans have been wrong to try to ram through a deeply flawed bill. But unfortunately, this isn't unusual. Two years ago, it was the Democrats who passed a budget-repair bill on a party-line vote. The bill raised taxes by more than $1 billion.

There was no public hearing; the bill passed the day after it was introduced.

Republicans were livid. But instead of racing off to Rockford, Ill., they stayed in Madison, complained about the way they were treated and then used the tax increase as a bludgeon in last November's election. It worked for them.

Now, Gov. Scott Walker holds the cards - and can find a compromise if he wants to - to bring the Dems back. One idea: Leave in provisions to take benefits off the bargaining table, but strip out other provisions that clearly are aimed at neutering unions. We're talking here about recertification annually, for example. Debate that separately. In other words: Declare victory. We concede that after his faux chat with "David Koch" this week, trust is a problem. But he should try.

"Faux chat"? That's woefully inadequate.

If the Editorial Board really wants to be clear, it should give the details on Ian "F--- the Troops" Murphy. The Board should be clear that David Koch and Koch Industries are Murphy's victims. It should be clear that Murphy is unscrupulous, unethical, a liar, a disgrace.

I agree with the Board that the behavior of the Wisconsin Senate Dems is "unethical and constitutes dereliction of duty."

I don't agree that Walker owes them any cover whatsoever. These AWOL Dems have literally dismissed the will of the people by fleeing.

...Democrats are setting a dangerous precedent that does not bode well for future standoffs. Will the Republicans be the next to bolt if they don't get their way? The Dems have compared their act to a filibuster. It's way beyond that. It's wrong - and their actions have nothing to do with good government.

The Democrats should return.

But Walker should offer an olive branch, too.

In addition to being embarrassed for my home state because of their tantrum, I'm angry. Their obstruction of the democratic process is inexcusable.

ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES.

They don't deserve an olive branch from Scott Walker.

They deserve to be fitted with GPS ankle bracelets when they return. Each one is a flight risk.

Chris Larson: State Senate Dem Campaign Paid for Hotel

Stephen Hayes tweets:

AP reported that WI State Sen Chris Larson (D) admitted that Dem Campaign Cmte paid for at least one hotel night.

From the Associated Press:

Four Democrats who were reached by The Associated Press said none of their daily expenses would be charged to taxpayers, and none will accept any per diem funds. Larson did say his hotel room Monday was paid for by the State Senate Democratic Campaign. He said the group might pay for more nights depending on how long he stays.

Others have donated food, he said, but he declined to name them.

"Let's just say the senators have friends over here who've been more than generous in sharing with us," Larson said.

This is no surprise that the AWOL Dems are being paid to stay away and receiving "generous" assistance while they shirk their responsibilities as elected officials.

Of course, Larson is used to not paying for what he wants.

Paul Ryan and the 14 AWOL Dems

On February 23, 2011, while speaking at the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Business Day in Madison, Paul Ryan commented on the 14 Democratic Wisconsin state senators' cowardly stunt.

Video



Transcript

PAUL RYAN: I find this episode in Madison and Indiana really curious. I didn't like the legislation that was moving through Washington in the last two years. I didn't like cap and trade. I didn't like ObamaCare. I didn't like the stimulus. But I didn't walk out.

We stayed and did our jobs. We voted. We tried to amend. We made our debates. We put the votes, and elections have consequences. They won. We lost. That's the way it works. So I just don't understand this lack for respect for the rule of law.

And I want to tell you, right now, it's kind of a time here in Madison of partisan controversy. This does not have to be partisan. This does not have to be Republicans versus Democrats. This has to be honesty and truth versus empty promises. Do we want real security and an opportunity society with a safety net? Or do we want the cradle to grave social welfare state?

...This does not have to be a partisan issue. This has to be about what is it that makes us great, what are the principles that have made America so exceptional, and how do we reapply these principles to the problems of the times today so that we can reclaim this.

The whole purpose of putting out this roadmap I put out before, the whole purpoe of us putting a budget out that leads in the absence of leadership in Washington, is to prove and show the nation that we can fix our problems, that we can have prosperity, that we can have economic growth, that we can get it back.

That is, afterall, why you sent us to do these jobs. And I just simply want to say to you: Those of you who are out there in industry taking risks, hiring people, putting up with the paperwork, clearing the hurdles of tax rates, doing what you do not knowing whether the future's going to be successful or not -- thank you. Thank you, because that is the nucleus of opportunity, that is the nucleus of our society and our economy. Thank you for doing that. And if we stick together, I have no doubt in my mind that we will overcome these hurdles.

It's that simple - a responsible public servant does not run away.

The 14 Wisconsin Democrats are irresponsible and selfish. They're tools of the unions and offering no fix to our problems.

Patrick McIlheran - John Batchelor Show

Patrick McIlheran, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, is on the John Batchelor Show right now, talking about Scott Walker, the protests in Madison, and the situation in Wisconsin.

Simon Constable and Amity Shlaes are hosting tonight's show.

Listen online here.

John Batchelor Show podcasts are also available if you're interested in listening later.
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Read McIlheran's latest column: Sincerity just isn't enough

The state genuinely is out of money, legislative accountants certify, and all our opposition party has done is crawl on various political ledges with no idea how to get back down.

"They've boxed themselves in," contends state Sen. Leah Vukmir, the Wauwatosa Republican. Indeed, the 14 vanished Senate Democrats were reduced to sending communiqués from Illinois that they'd return only if Gov. Scott Walker gave up his central means of controlling future government labor costs, a limit on collective bargaining. They offered no alternative means of cost control.

In the Assembly, the Democrats' plan was to drag out debate for 61 straight hours before a vote they always knew they'd lose. When that inevitability came, they shouted theatrically at the surprise of it.

In the rotunda Thursday, the diminished crowd was drumming and shouting as it had for days. People took turns with a megaphone; at one point, a man in his early 20s started in about "bottled beverage companies." He led the crowd in shouting, "This is democracy! Not a plutocracy!" His neck muscles bulged with rage and his voice broke.

Very sincere, but it was no plan. The drummers, like the Democratic lawmakers, have in place of a plan an unshakeable feeling of moral justification.

...Nothing wrong with thinking you're right, but their self-evidently moral cause consists of, first, insisting public servants should get compensation most of us can only dream of and, second, asserting a right to pit their own interests against the public's in collective bargaining. If the fourth-hardest taxed population in the country doesn't grant this, they feel justified in shutting down schools in protest.

In fact, if moral rightness asymmetrically rests with unions, you have to wonder why their cause must excuse so many little supporting lies. From doctors signing fake excuses to the lie of calling in sick to get a day to protest, deceit has a central role. A group of disabled people mobbed the Republican HQ last week; one told cameras that she was informed by a state senator the budget bill would cut off her chemotherapy. A spokesman for state Sen. Bob Jauch (D-Poplar) called it unlikely he'd have said that. But either way, someone fueled a moralistic rage with a supposed fact that wasn't true.

..."Even these people who are here," Vukmir said, referring to shouting protesters outside, "we represent their interests, too, and protect their jobs." They're taxpayers who need a staffed, solvent government, and 14 of Vukmir's colleagues ran away from the responsibility of providing it. The rotunda drummers haven't the least clue about solvency and apparently believe it's wrong to think about it. I think it's immoral not to.

One quiet block from the Capitol, I saw a woman, maybe 60, dressed for the office. She carried a sign that read, "Resist!!! Boycott!!! Protest!!!" as if extra exclamations conferred sincerity. As if sincerity was a plan to pull the taxpayers out of a $3.6 billion hole.

It's time for the protesters and the Democrats to be realistic and grow up.

It's time to be part of the solution and not the problem.

Obama's Union Bosses

Public Sector Unions vs. America

We need reform, not the Democrat-Union status quo that's breaking the backs of taxpayers and crippling the states.

Hideaway in Rockford

Looking for someplace to hide?

From the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau:

Are you a State Senator from Wisconsin? Well, even if you're not, you're still welcome to Hideaway in this Little City with a Big Life!

Video



This is a great ad. Good job seizing on the national attention the AWOL Democrats from Wisconsin have received.

When are the Democrats going to realize that the 14 Wisconsin Dem senators in hiding are a national joke?

Love the sock monkey!

"Are you a state senator from Wisconsin?"

I can understand why the question was posed.

Recall Robert Wirch

A petition to recall AWOL Wisconsin State Senator Bob Wirch was filed yesterday.

A petition to recall Sen. Robert Wirch, who represents Burlington and most of Kenosha County, was filed Thursday.

Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie, is one of the 14 state Senate Democrats who fled to Illinois last week, halting a vote on Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to essentially eliminate collective bargaining for public workers.

A group called Taxpayers to Recall Robert Wirch out of Pleasant Prairie filed the petition with the state Government Accountability Board on Thursday.

The group has 60 days from now to collect about 15,000 signatures, 25 percent of the votes cast for governor in Wirch's Senate District 22, to force a recall election, according to GAB.

There will be a rally tomorrow at the Brat Stop.

This Saturday Feb 26th.
1 PM
Brat Stop, Hwy 50 & 94 (West of 94)

The state forms have been filed, the press conference has been held and now is the time to send a strong message! We are already over 300 strong! And all of us banded together can accomplish our goal of 18,000 signatures to let Senator Wirch know he should show up for work just like all of the hard working people he represents.

To help send this message to Senator Wirch we will be having a kick off rally this Saturday February 26, 2011 at the Brat Stop in the Parkway Chateau Building (Entrance B) on Highway 50 in Kenosha (at I94) at 1PM

Come be a part of history.

Recall Jim Holperin

Here's information on the kick-off event to recall Wisconsin Sen. Jim Holperin:

Recall Senator Jim Holperin sets Petition Drive
Kick-off Saturday
February 26, 2011

Growing Number of Citizens Organize to Gather Recall Signatures

EAGLE RIVER, WI -- Senator Jim Holperin is hiding out of state to avoid a vote on Governor Scott Walker’s budget repair bill. Northwood citizens will stage a district wide petition drive this Saturday across the north east tier of the great state of Wisconsin. “The district is huge,” says Simac, “but we have had an overwhelming show of support since these individuals decided that retreat was their best option.”

With the needed paperwork filed and taxpayers lining up in every county, city and town, average citizens are ready to send a clear message to their AWOL elected official. “Senator Holperin has failed to carry out his official duties in the State Senate,” said Kim Simac, leader of the recall committee. “Jim Holperin needs to know that while he is hiding out in Illinois, voters in his district are taking the steps to remove him from office.”

This Saturday hundreds of disappointed taxpayers will take to the pavement and remind those who seek elected office that such positions require integrity, responsibility and a devotion to all they represent.

“Local Tea Party groups, GOP members and a cross- over of all political spectrums, are on board with this movement. “Our problems are serious and Senator Holperin has left his constituents with no representation in Madison during these conflicting times,” says Simac.

To recall Senator Jim Holperin, the committee anticipates needing to collect over 20,000 signatures.

The given time to collect needed signatures is sixty days. Simac says, “Give me ten; I am going to try to do it in ten.” “While these Senators are thinking this is a mini vacation and funds are being raised to support their insubordination, people like me are wasting our precious time away from our own businesses working on recalls.” Simac says, “Who really are the true leaders in this state?”

For more information visit recalljim.com.

Wisconsin Assembly Passes Budget Repair Bill (Video)

Is it time to take off the orange t-shirts now, Wisconsin Assembly Democrats?

I think so.

It's time to go home and take a shower.

Over the beat of the protesters' drums, one can hear the sweet voice of the fat lady singing.

Governor Scott Walker's budget repair plan was approved.

From the Associated Press:

The Wisconsin Assembly early Friday passed a bill that would strip most public workers of their collective bargaining rights — the first significant action on the new Republican governor's plan.

The vote put an end to three straight days of punishing debate, but the political standoff over the bill is far from over.

The Assembly vote sends the bill on to the state Senate, where minority Democrats have been missing for a week. No one knows when — or if — they'll return from their hideout in Illinois. Republicans who control the Senate sent state troopers out looking for them at their homes on Thursday, but they turned up nothing.

Gov. Scott Walker's proposal contains a number of provisions he says are designed to fill the state's $137 million deficit and lay the groundwork for fixing a projected $3.6 billion shortfall in the upcoming 2011-13 budget. The flashpoint is language that would strip almost all public sector workers of their right to collectively bargain benefits and work conditions.

Naturally, the lib media are dutifully reporting this story from the perspective of the mighty unions.

Rather than stressing the bill's passage as a victory for the taxpayers and an important step in getting Wisconsin back on track, they're calling it an anti-union bill.

Look at the headline of an AP account of the story in the New York Times: "Wis. Assembly Passes Bill Taking Away Union Rights."

Here's the headline from Reuters: "Wisconsin Assembly approves bill to curb union power."

FOX News has this breaking news alert banner on its website: "Wis. Assembly OK's bill stripping public workers of collective bargaining rights."

The alert could say "Wis. Assembly OK's bill providing public workers with collective bargaining rights for salaries; public protections for state employees remain; thousands of public jobs saved."

It could but it never would.



Yeah, whatever.

Bang the drums.

The bill passed.

Time for the Senate Dems hiding out in Illinois to come back and vote.

They have to come back eventually. They aren't Roman Polanski.
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Don't buy the libs' spin. Get the full story. Read the FACTS about Governor Walker’s Responsible Budget Repair Plan.
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UPDATE: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel offers more details about the vote.

The early accounts of the bill's passage said nothing about the Dems' screaming and the anger.

The first reports didn't mention the complete lack of decorum.

After a bitter, 61-hour debate that was the longest in living memory, the sleep-starved state Assembly voted in just seconds early Friday to approve a watershed proposal repealing most union bargaining rights held by public workers.

Just after 1 a.m., Republicans cut off debate on Gov. Scott Walker's bill and in pell-mell fashion the body voted 51-17 to pass it. In the confusion, nearly one-third of the body - 28 lawmakers including 25 Democrats, two Republicans and the body's lone independent - did not vote on the bill at all.

All Democrats voted against the proposal along with four Republicans - Dean Kaufert of Neenah, Lee Nerison of Westby, Richard Spanbauer of Oshkosh, and Travis Tranel of Cuba City.

Democrats erupted after the vote, throwing papers and what appeared to be a drink in the air. They denounced the move to cut off debate, questioning for the second time in the night whether the proper procedure had been followed.

"Shame! Shame! Shame!" Democrats shouted in the faces of Republicans as the GOP lawmakers quietly filed off the floor and a police officer stood between opposing lawmakers.

"Cowards all! You're all cowards," yelled Rep. Brett Hulsey (D-Madison) as another Democrat tried to calm him down.

Most Republicans had no comment on the vote afterward and some were escorted out under police protection. Earlier in the night, Majority Leader Scott Suder (R-Abbotsford) said that Democrats had been given more than two full days and nights to make their case - effectively turning the debate into a filibuster - and that Republicans had done nothing wrong.

"It seems clear our side wants to vote and I challenge anyone watching to say we have not held out for an adequate debate," Suder said.

“The democrats were clearly stalling,” said Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc). “That’s why Assembly rules allow for a vote on final passage. We took that vote and did what the people of this state asked us to do on Nov. 2 – get spending under control.”

Charles Benson, TMJ4, and Jay Sorgi, 620 WTMJ, report:

To Republican Assembly members, it was time. From Democrats to their counterparts, it was "Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame!"

As Republicans walked out of the State Assembly chambers early Friday morning following the passage of Governor Scott Walker's budget repair bill that - among many other provisions - would strip most public workers of many of their collective bargaining rights, the repeated screams of "Shame!" were the words screamed by orange-shirted Democratic counterparts.

It was very dramatic. Pandemonium. Chaos inside the state assembly.

After more than 60 hours of debate, Republicans said it was time to vote.

Shortly after 1:00 a.m., after more than 60 hours of debate on this, the Republicans quickly called for the vote, which ended all debate.

Some of the Democrats were so taken aback by what had happened, they didn't get a chance to vote.

The vote happened so fast, within seconds, that the bill pass with Republican voting for it, but while they were voting, Democrats kept yelling, "No! No! You can't do this!"

Republicans kept on voting, and within seconds, the bill had passed 51-17. Four Republicans voted against the bill.

Some Democrats never had any time to vote on this because they were screaming and yelling to try to stop the vote, but it passed. It happened so fast, so suddenly, they were caught off guard.

"I'm incensed. I'm shocked," said Rep. John Richards, D-Milwaukee. "What a terrible, terrible day for Wisconsin."

There might have been one or two Republicans that might not have had the chance to vote.

After it passed, Republicans started walking off the floor, and the Democrats started yelling "Shame! Shame! Shame!" as Republicans walked off, one by one, and left the Assembly floor.

Many Democrats claim it was an illegal vote, because they started talking about a rare procedural movement that they thought the Republican were going to use. It's still unclear whether the Republicans played that card. That's why the Democrats think this was an illegal vote, and they were going to meet and see if there was any sort of wrongdoing.

Republicans say there was no wrongdoing.

Oconomowoc Republican Assemblyman Joel Kleefisch told TODAY'S TMJ4's Charles Benson that Democrats were holding the taxpayers of Wisconsin hostage. To him, it was time to vote, and the time came shortly after 1:00 a.m.

"The vote we took wasn't the easy thing to do, but it was the right thing to do," Suder, R-Abbotsford, said.

Eventually, state troopers had to escort Republicans outside the State Capitol. Democrats went into the Rotunda, and protesters applauded them, cheering, saying "Thank you."

Read the complete breakdown of the VOTE.

AYES - 51
NAYS - 17
NOT VOTING - 28

Watch VIDEO of TMJ4's early morning coverage of the overnight events in the Assembly.

Watch RAW VIDEO of the vote as it happened.

Yes, I would call it pandemonium.

Bottom line: It was a given that the Dems would react with a lot of drama when the vote took place. They did.

It was a given that the bill was going to pass. It did.



Looks like the elected Dems have taken lessons from union thugs.

How embarrassing!

Not a proud moment for the Democrats.

Mike Tryon: Tax WI Senators

Crystal Lake State Rep. Mike Tryon says if Illinois can, then it should, tax fleeing Wisconsin lawmakers who have come to Illinois.

WI Dem Senators: 67% DISAPPROVE

Hey, Wisconsin media!

Next time you interview the runaway, cowardly, democracy thwarting Dem senators, ask them what they think of the results of this Rasmussen survey:

67% Disapprove of Legislators Fleeing Wisconsin to Avoid Vote

Half of America’s voters favor public sector unions for government workers, but they strongly oppose the tactic by Wisconsin state senators to flee their state to prevent a vote that would limit the rights of such unions.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that only 25% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of this tactic, while 67% disapprove. State legislators in Indiana have used the same approach to avoid a vote in their state.

That's bad news for Democrats Tim Carpenter, Spencer Coggs, Tim Cullen, Jon Erpenbachk, Jim Holperin, Robert Jauch, Chris Larson, Julie Lassa, Mark Miller, Fred Risser, Lena Taylor, Kathleen Vinehout, and Robert Wirch.

America does NOT stand with them.

Question: Why doesn't Obama comment on the behavior of the runaway Wisconsin Dems? Why doesn't Obama object to their assault on democracy?

Maybe Obama should demand that they step down, the way he did with Hosni Mubarak.

Is Obama pro-democracy or not?

Cameraman Adam Cole Attacked at AFSCME Rally

Some protesters at union rallies across the country are not presenting themselves in a good light.

Michelle Malkin writes:

At AFSCME’s “solidarity” rally in Providence, Rhode Island on Tuesday, a cameraman was accosted by a fuming pro-union protester. The cameraman had his back to the goon, who appears to accost him unprovoked. The goon screams:

“I’ll f**k you in the ass, you faggot!”

His shouting escalates and other union supporters try to intervene as he threatened the cameraman, but he continues to foam at the mouth.

The “solidarity” mob finally starts chanting “Hey, hey, ho, ho, union-busting’s got to go” to drown out the goon’s snit fit. He yells that he will “follow you out of here.”

Here's the video:



Thugs!

Against my will, I was a member of AFSCME.

Workers should have the choice to join, not be stripped of their rights.
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Here's more classy behavior from the thug protesters in Madison--

Charlie Sykes tweets:

#newtone Chant on Capitol Square: "F---k Scott Walker, Union Buster." Keeping it Classy.

Was Fred Levenhagen spotted participating in this chant?

Wisconsin Assembly Vote

UPDATE, February 25, 2011: Wisconsin Assembly Passes Budget Repair Bill (Video)
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The Dems have cracked.

Wis. Assembly reaches deal to end debate, vote

Wisconsin Democrats in the state Assembly agreed to a deal in the pre-dawn hours Thursday to limit debate and reach a vote, perhaps by midday, on a bill taking away public workers' collective bargaining rights.

The deal announced shortly after 6 a.m. was designed to force a vote on Republican Gov. Scott Walker's bill following more than 42 hours of debate that began Tuesday morning.

...Passage of the bill in the Assembly would be a major victory for Republicans and Walker, but the measure must still clear the Senate. Democrats there left town last week rather than vote on the bill, which has stymied any efforts there to take it up.

...The marathon session in the Assembly was grand political theater, with exhausted lawmakers limping around the chamber, rubbing their eyes and yawning as Wednesday night dragged on.

Around midnight, Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, accused Democrats of putting on a show for the protesters. Democrats leapt up and started shouting.

"I'm sorry if democracy is a little inconvenient and you had to stay up two nights in a row," Pocan said. "Is this inconvenient? Hell, yeah! It's inconvenient. But we're going to be heard!"

Time to put on the big boy pants and vote.

Brett Hulsey at Scott Walker Press Conference (Video)

Since when did it become appropriate for the end of a governor's press conference to become akin to an open mic night at a comedy club?

Brett Hulsey, a Wisconsin Assembly Democrat from Madison, lunged at the microphone and hijacked the media event after Governor Scott Walker had left the room.

Video, from WLUK:

Lawmaker jumps in front of mic: fox11online.com

More, from WLUK:

A couple of hours ago, Republican Governor Scott Walker re-stated his message about the budget changes he wants to make.

“If we're not able to pass the bill by the end of the week, for us that ultimately means at risk notices will have to go out and ultimately that would affect 1,500 individuals,” said Walker.

Following his remarks, Walker took a few reporter questions and left. That's been the governor's daily routine.

However, what happened next was different. A first term Democratic Assembly member, Brett Hulsey from Madison, took the podium.

During Hulsey’s remarks, he called the governor a dictator, not a leader and said this budget bill is about union busting, not about balancing the budget.

“The budget despair bill that we have right now, according to our non-partisan fiscal bureau does not have to happen. We do not have a budget emergency in this state except the one that he is creating by creating union busting,” said Hulsey.

During Hulsey's comments the governor's staff left the door to the conference room open, which ironically allowed Democratic supporters to drown out his voice.

Can you imagine if Obama was making a statement from the Rose Garden and taking a few questions from the press, and then a freshman Republican congressman commandeered the microphone and called Obama a dictator and declared Obama was speaking nonsense?

It's unfathomable.

Hulsey actually claimed that Wisconsin doesn't have a "budget emergency in the state except the one that [Walker] is creating." That's a lie.

Hulsey said, "[Walker] is acting like a dictator, not a leader."

Civility? New tone? What? Huh?

Disgraceful.

He said, "The guy's a megalomaniac." He spoke of his "tyrannical rule."

Watch Hulsey, in his probably very ripe prison orange t-shirt.



Hulsey's gibberish is an embarrassment.

Before Hulsey actually took questions, he informed the press, "I'm sorry I have not had a shower. I've been on the floor for about a day and a half."

We're all sorry about that. Yuck!

I worry about the Dems' mental health and their physical conditions.

Cleanliness is next to godliness.

The Dems are really dirty, literally.

Hulsey, please take a shower.

Lawrence O'Donnell: Scott Walker 'Punk'd'

Lawrence O'Donnell, MSNBC, lauds Ian Murphy (aka the Buffalo Beast).

In a segment titled "Punk'd," O'Donnell idolizies liar Murphy.

Video.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

MSNBC is like a state-run TV network, an arm of the Obama administration Dem propaganda operation.

O'Donnell adores some liars but despises others he accuses of dishonesty.

O'Donnell's "Creepy Liar" meltdown on MSNBC's Scarborough Country on October 22, 2004, still stands as one of the most bizarre moments on cable TV.



Bottom line: O'Donnell is a Democrat hack, not a professional journalist.

Wisconsin Assembly Democrats - Orange T-Shirts

Why did the Democrats in the Wisconsin State Assembly choose orange as their color for their rally t-shirts?

To me, they look like they're wearing orange prison jumpsuits. They look like crooks.

In addition to the goofiness of Assembly Dems trotting around in matching t-shirts, the color choice was very poor.

Ian Murphy: Prank Call to Scott Walker

Liberal blogger Ian Murphy should not be considered a hero by anyone.

He's an unethical liar.

He labels his positions as "extreme left wing." No surprise there.

It's also no surprise that Dems and the liberal propagandists at MSNBC are embracing Murphy.

Making a prank call isn't a good thing.

Why elevate Murphy to hero status?

Good grief, how twisted!

From the Washington Post:

Meet Ian Murphy, 33, of Buffalo, who writes for a site called BuffaloBeast.com and on Tuesday purported to be conservative activist David Koch in an effort to provoke Walker into making embarrassing remarks.

Murphy, who describes his politics as "extreme left wing," said in an interview that he was stunned at how easily he was patched through to Walker. Initially, he said he was connected to an administrative assistant, who then connected him with another senior aide, who arranged a time Tuesday afternoon for the conversation.

"I joked with [the aide] that my maid Maria threw my phone in the washing machine, and that I'd have her deported but she works for almost nothing," Murphy said. "So I told them it wasn't really possible for them to call me back and I better call him."

"I thought it was so ridiculous, and there was no way I would get through," he said. But when he called back at the appointed time, "I got right through to Governor Walker."

Murphy said he conducted the interview from his house that he said he shares with his girlfriend and a roommate, using Skype to record it.

Murphy said he was acting alone in plotting the prank. He said he initially thought about calling in as former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, to wish Walker well, but after reviewing YouTube videos, he decided he could not master the accent.

Wisconsin Dems are trying to exploit Murphy's stunt to attack Walker, but Walker said nothing embarrassing.

Did Murphy master David Koch's speaking voice?

I doubt it.

I guess Scott Walker isn't too familar with Koch's voice or style of speaking. If Walker is as personally chummy with Koch as Dems make him out to be, I don't think Murphy would have been able to fool Walker.

The call reveals two things:

1. Ian Murphy is an unethical jerk.

2. Scott Walker's public statements are the same as his private ones.
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Statement from the Society of Professional Journalists (aka not MSNBC employees):

The Society of Professional Journalists, through its Ethics Committee, strongly condemns the actions of an alternative online outlet this week when an editor lied and posed as a financial backer in a recorded phone call with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

...“This tactic and the deception used to gain this information violate the highest levels of journalism ethics,” said SPJ Ethics Committee Chairman Kevin Z. Smith. “To lie to a source about your identity and then to bait that source into making comments that are inflammatory is inexcusable and has no place in journalism.”

Michael Capuano: 'Get Bloody' (Video)

DEMOCRAT Michael Capuano, a U.S. congressman from Massachusetts, is a thug. He's promoting violence.

What was that about the "new civility"?

Watch the video.

(h/t The Right Scoop, via Mark Levin.

Capuano to unions: You have 'get a little bloody'': MyFoxBOSTON.com

Transcript

MICHAEL CAPUANO: I'm proud to be here with people willing to stand up. I'm proud to be here with people who understand it's more than just sending an e-mail to get you going.

Every once and awhile you got to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary.

Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful.

With a Tea Party rally taking place across the street, Capuano made these comments about the participants:

CAPUANO:Today is a great day for all of us. But let's be serious. It's not about just one rally. It's not about a couple of nuts in the background who want to take it all away....

Tea Partiers are nuts but Capuano is a civil, reasonable individual.

I don't think so.

These are totally unacceptable statements from an elected official.

They are shockingly inappropriate.

Speaking at the union rally in Boston, Capuano encourages violence.

What a hypocrite! Capuano denounced the sort of rhetoric that he's spewing.

FOX 25 has the video of remarks made by Capuano the day that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot, January 8, 2011.

CAPUANO: It's fine to have strong differences of opinion. That's fine. That's actually I think good and healthy for this country, but it's not good and healthy to think that you should impose your will on someone else through violence.

I guess Capuano isn't "good and healthy."

While it's good that he regrets what he said, he can't take it back. He can't make people forget the glimpse of the REAL Capuano.

Here's a statement issued by Capuano:

"I strongly believe in standing up for worker rights and my passion for preserving those rights may have gotten the best of me yesterday in an unscripted speech. I wish I had used different language to express my passion and I regret my choice of words."

So Capuano regrets his choice of words. He wishes he had used different language, but he doesn't apologize for the gist of his remarks - use violence to impose your will on others.

Capuano is a thug.

Mike Langyel and Fake 'Sick' Notes

Mike Langyel, president of the Milwaukee Teacher's Education Association, had a problem answering a very simple question posed by Megyn Kelly.

Watch.



Langyel refused to comment on the matter of doctors handing out fraudulent "sick" notes to teachers who left their classrooms to protest in Madison.

Megyn Kelly did a terrific job of exposing Langyel and the union agenda.

Leno: Rachel Maddow - Video - February 22, 2011

On Tuesday, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow was on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno to talk politics.

Is that entertainment?

Actually, it is in a way.

Much of what Maddow had to say was absolutely ludicrous, and watching Leno accept what she had to say as intelligent analysis was rather amusing.



Maddow's comments on Ronald Reagan and the Republicans were crazy.

Transcript

RACHEL MADDOW: Politics shift every year further and further to the Right. The conservative movement sort of tugs the Republican Party to the Right, and the Democrats follow. And so, you know, if Ronald Reagan were running for president today, he would be drafting, like, Dennis Kucinich to be his running mate. Politics have shifted so far.

She wasn't kidding. For the most part, it was a very serious segment.

Maddow was seriously saying Ronald Reagan was a Dennis Kucinich-type liberal compared to today's Republicans.

Sorry, but that's really ridiculous.

Maddow spent a good deal of time talking about the upheaval in the Middle East, specifically Libya.

Then, discussion turned to Wisconsin.

JAY LENO: How about what's going on in Wisconsin? Like you said, you have Egypt, Tunisia, Libya - now Wisconsin. What's happening? Tell me about Madison, I mean, that is really the battleground. What happens in Madison will pretty much decide what happens in the rest of the country as far as dealing with unions and all. This is like ground zero for this, isn't it?

MADDOW: It is. Whatever happens in Madison, and we saw it in Indiana today and Ohio, similar things happening. We were talking about the '50s. In the '50s, 30-something percent of the country was in a union. Now, that's only true in the public sector. And in the private sector, it's about 7 percent that are in unions. So, you know, business interests have always wanted to get rid of the unions. That's the whole idea. They don't want the competition.

But, if you look at the last election cycle, of the top ten people donating money in that election, seven of them were giving to Republicans, those were all corporate interests and Right-wing PACs and stuff. Seven of the ten were all Right-wing, and the only three that weren't were unions.

So, if Republicans can get rid of the unions, particularly these public sector unions, they can run the table in every election from here on out. This is the only competition they have for actual big contributors in politics. So, they want to get rid of the unions for partisan reasons.

What's happening in Wisconsin, why Governor Scott Walker has proposed the budget he has, is not some grand scheme to get rid of unions.

The state is broke. We have no money. He's trying to prevent layoffs, spare people from unemployment, not bust the unions so the Republicans "can run the table in every election from here on out."

That's what the battle may appear to be to her and her liberal cohorts -- eliminating unions. But Maddow is ignoring the fact that we have a fiscal crisis in Wisconsin. Governor Walker is addressing the crisis in his budget repair plan. That's getting lost in this national debate and the union power struggle.

The state of Wisconsin has to deal with its problems. For us, this isn't about the entire country. I'm concerned about my taxes, what I pay to government and how it's spent.

LENO: Our middle class came about because of all these unions and everything, 'cause unions aren't so much about how much you can pay people, it's about how little you can pay people.

MADDOW: That's right.

LENO: Isn't that sort of it really, how little we have to pay you to do a job?

MADDOW: Yeah. Unions don't set the wages for everybody but they sort of set the standard for what's an expectation of how to make a living and a job. And it's the way we got a middle class in this country. There were 30-something percent of the country in unions in the '50s and that's what we built the middle class on. And so you can have problems with unions and stuff, but it's a real attack on the idea that people ought to be able to make a living if they work full-time. And that's an American idea that I still really believe in.

The notion that today unions are a necessity to allow people to work full-time and make a living is silly. The existence of the middle class in America doesn't depend on unions.

I also think it's important to recognize the role of free enterprise in the rise of the middle class.

Back to what's happening in Wisconsin--

LENO: The Democrats left the state. This is something I find a little confusing. I think a lot of people do. They just left. They're gone. Now they can't vote without them, is that it? How long do they stay away?

MADDOW: That's a question. When do you guys start getting restless, or bored or something? I mean, they, as long as they're out of the state, then the state law enforcement authorities in Wisconsin can't compel them to go to the state house. And if they don't go to the state house, there's no quorum. There aren't enough people there to vote, and so it can't proceed.

LENO: OK, here's my question: If the Democrats came back and they voted, would they lose?

MADDOW: Yes.

LENO: OK. Well, is that the will of the people of Wisconsin, to be devil's advocate? I mean, if they voted this man in, this is what he wanted, the majority of the people want this....

MADDOW: What they're saying is the thing that, the reason that they have left is because it is a reasonable demand - no matter how big your majority is - it is a reasonable demand to say we want to renegotiate the contracts under which people who work for the state work. It is not a reasonable demand to say you will never be negotiated with again, and we are taking away your rights.

Oh, good grief!

What a load!

It is completely unreasonable for the Democrats to flee the state. That is not how democracy works.

We have elections and we don't expect the minority party to run away when it's time to vote.

There is NO way Maddow would defend Republicans if they pulled such a cowardly stunt and obstructed the will of the people in such a brazen fashion.

Furthermore, it's completely inaccurate for Maddow to say the bill means "you will never be negotiated with again and we are taking away your rights."

Politifact would rate that claim as a "pants on fire" lie. (Well, with Politifact's Leftist bias, I suppose it would be rated as "false," but it definitely deserves a "pants on fire" rating.)

Government employees can still negotiate on salaries and they have protections under state laws.

MADDOW: It's kind of amazing for the government to say, 'We, the government, know best. And if you guys want to be in a union, we're taking away your rights to be in a union. We're taking away that choice from you, because the government needs to do what it wants, and you guys are getting in the way.'

For the Tea Partiers to come in and say, 'You know what? Government does know best. The people ought to lose this right because government needs something here.' When did that become a conservative idea? I mean, talk about a big government! So to see the Tea Partiers here taking the side of the government taking away the people's rights, I think calls into question the whole idea of conservatism.

Maddow is spreading so much disinformation here.

No "rights" are being taken away. When it comes to "choice," the bill gives people the ability to choose to join a union rather than being forced or bullied into paying dues to the bosses.

Certainly in that sense, the bill gives workers choice and is empowering.

Governor Walker's budget repair plan reins in government. It doesn't expand it.

Maddow really didn't know what she was talking about.

Will Leno give equal time to a conservative to speak on the Wisconsin issue?

Not a chance.
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Video

Leno: Gaddafi and Keith Olbermann

JAY LENO: Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi went on TV today. He was angry and defiant. Then, he went off the air and no one has seen him since. Kind of like Keith Olbermann.

Walker: Stay the Course

Aaron Rodgers and Ellen DeGeneres (Video)

Aaron Rodgers' dream has come true. He meets Ellen DeGeneres!

Here's video:



Complete video, two segments:


_________________

Watch Clay Matthews and Ellen.

Medical Fraud in Madison

Video, from Breitbart.



This is a disgrace. This fraud in Wisconsin is being exposed to the nation.

The fact that doctors are willing to behave unethically and the fact that Wisconsin public school teachers are willing to lie to skip out of work is truly disgusting.

How can union members think that this is winning over the hearts and minds of taxpayers?

Bottom line: Public employees are accountable to the public. WE pay their salaries and benefits. Unions don't pay them. The government doesn't pay them. WE do.

Wisconsin Recall Facts

Michael Haas, staff attorney with the Government Accountability Board, explains recalls in Wisconsin:

Under state statute, local and state elected officials cannot be recalled until a year after they have started their terms. That means Gov. Scott Walker and all of the members of the Assembly are immune from being recalled until January.

However, state senators including Sen. Robert Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie, who have been in office for more than a year, could be recalled.

In order to recall Wirch or any other state senator who has been in office more than a year, petitioners must collect signatures equal to 25 percent of the votes cast for governor in that particular senate district.

For Wirch’s district, Senate District 22, that would be approximately 15,000 signatures.

Governor Scott Walker cannot be recalled in 2011.

Assembly members cannot be recalled in 2011.

Two Dem state senators cannot be recalled in 2011 - Tim Cullen and Chris Larson. Recall efforts for the 12 other AWOL Dem senators can begin now.

DSCC E-Mail: Walker and Wisconsin

Guy Cecil is the Executive Director of the DSCC, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Here's an e-mail from Cecil on behalf of the DSCC:

Here’s the latest from Wisconsin:

Democrats are continuing to stand up to Gov. Scott Walker and the radical Republican agenda, and people from all over are voicing their solidarity with Wisconsin’s teachers and other workers. But Walker is pushing back hard. The billionaire Koch brothers have even gotten involved – busing in tea party protesters.

I wanted to make sure you had the chance to sign our petition.

Click here to join the more than 47,000 people who are standing with Wisconsin’s workers. Budgets shouldn’t be balanced on the backs of people who teach our children and keep our communities safe.

I’m inspired by what I’m watching in Wisconsin. Let’s make sure they know we’re in the fight, too.

Guy Cecil

The Democrats are watching what's happening here in Wisconsin very closely.

There's no doubt about it, they're afraid.

There's no doubt about the fact that the national Democratic party is involved in Wisconsin's state budget fight and spreading disinformation.

There's no doubt about the Dems fear of empowering workers and freeing them from being forced to pay union dues. So much for Dems being pro-choice.