Scott Walker Proclaims God Put Him in Office, as GOP Powergrab Proceeds

Scott Walker is mistaking billionaires and polluters for "God."

Not surprising when Walker has received and given so much for these special interests who are devastating Wisconsin's environment, public school system, the City of Milwaukee among other sectors of the state Walker's benefactors see as evil.

"I think with what I’ve had to go through in the last four years, both politically, but also in terms of the policies, certainly I feel that there’s a reason God put me in a spot to do the things that we’ve done and take on the kind of challenges we’ve done," Walker said on the "Hugh Hewitt Show." (Peter Sullivan, The Hill)

Walker mentioned God when asked if he is considering a run for president.

Walker said, "And it’s certainly something I’m going to take seriously, and really look at it closely over the next month or two."

Guess Walker needs to pray on this and hope the almighty gets back to him in two months on whether Walker should form an exploratory committee.

GOP Targets Wisconsin Supreme Court

Meanwhile, Walker and Wisconsin Republicans are fast-tracking a measure that would force the resignation of two rule-of-law (what the GOP calls 'liberal') Wisconsin Supreme Court justices because the justices are 75-years-old or older, an age prohibited by the GOP-crafted legislation without a name or number yet. (Hall, Wisconsin State Journal)

The GOP measure passed on a party-line vote last session and the legislation likely will pass on a party-line vote this session.

The rush is the GOP needs the legislation passed so a referendum on the resulting Constitutional Amendment on can be placed on the ballot in the April 7 (Spring) general elections—low turnout affairs dominated by Koch brothers, Club for Growth and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce money, among other GOP interest group money.

The April election will likely draw no more than 20-some percent of the Wisconsin electorate.

On January 8, the GOP measure will go before the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

Today, the GOP will likely adopt a rule limiting debate in the State Assembly so GOP legislation can be passed more quickly and quietly with the Wisconsin public distracted by the Packers and the January cold. (Stein, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

No guarantee the GOP's Constitutional Amendment referendum will pass April 7, but Wisconsin state party Democrats have to this point shown themselves feckless against Scott Walker and his dark money funding apparatus, a criminal investigation of which was halted by a corrupt federal judge.

"League of Women Vultures," Says Koch brothers-funded Wisconsin Club for Growth

Updated - The GOP project of obstructing Americans voters in disfavor with the Republican Party has for years come with the GOP attack on campaign finance laws meant to halt corruption in government.

It was no surprise to read that African-Americans, Latinos, students, Jews and gays are hit with bigoted jokes and disparaging comments behind closed Republican doors.

Such voters tend to vote non-Republican, thus are illegitimate to the contemporary Republican powers that be, a group that now openly boasts about its distaste for non-whites.

The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, founded by the suffragists who fought for 75 years to win the right to vote for women, are known as "Vultures" by the Wisconsin Club for Growth which funds GOP candidates.

Vultures. [Wisconsin Club for Growth source code reads: "<meta property="og:title" content="League of Women Vultures"/>."

The text of an e-mail sent by Melanie G. Ramey of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin illustrates the disdain Scott Walker and his allies have for those committed to universal suffrage and a government of the people.

By Melanie G. Ramey

We don’t often write about other organizations, particularly when we disagree with many of their positions. However, that has not stopped the Club for Growth from writing about us a number of times. An organization with ties to the Koch brothers, Club for Growth (CFG) is currently under investigation for possible campaign finance violations. It sent out an ugly April 2 email with the not-very-original subject line “League of Women Vultures.” Really.

The email took issue with a League of Women Voters® of Wisconsin statement objecting to Governor Walker’s signing of a law banning evening and weekend hours for early voting.

The CFG email reads: “Demonstrating that it doesn’t know or doesn’t care what it’s saying, the League of Women Voters said, “If lawmakers truly want to be fair for voters across the state, they will scrap this regressive law as soon as possible.””

Their snide comment notwithstanding, CFG did quote exactly what the League said. We know that by treating all municipalities equally the new law does not treat all voters equally. Each municipality is allowed one early voting site, regardless of its population. It’s hard to ensure “one person, one vote” when, for example, Milwaukee election officials will have only 9 seconds to process each early ballot under the new restrictions.

This week the Governor signed more bad election bills into law. One will allow election observers to stand as close as three feet from the table in our polling places, where they will be hovering over the voting process, compromising voters’ privacy and adding to the stress of our local election officials.

Another new law will make it virtually impossible for many qualified citizens to register to vote, including students and anyone else who does not have a document such as a Wisconsin driver’s license or bank statement with their own name and current address.

The Governor’s signing statement glossed over the impact of this restrictive new law, stating only that it requires clerks to record the type of document submitted as proof of residence. Either the Governor didn't read the amended bill he signed or he wasn't proud of signing it.

Don’t be fooled. These new laws signed by Governor Walker are extreme. Founded by the suffragists who fought for 75 years to win the right to vote for women, the League of Women Voters® knows suppression when we see it. While our 17 local Leagues will educate and assist voters in complying with the new restrictions, we are also looking into all possible ways to reverse these unfair laws, including legal action.

Kochs Brothers Freed-up to Spend Unlimited Money on Elections

Five GOP justices on the U.S. Supreme Court have opened the flood gates for huge-moneyed interests to spend without limit on political campaigns, as news broke the common American voter is being targeted by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) and Wisconsin governor Scott Walker in a newly rolled-out initiative and signing of two new anti-voter laws.

In McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, U.S. Supreme Court (12-536), the five-four majority ruled that placing limits on the total amount someone can spend in an election cycle is unconstitutional.

The old doctrine limiting vast amounts of money spent in political campaign as a check against corruption and the appearance of corruption has been rendered void with this ruling.

Any limit on campaign spending is in jeopardy, Court observers say. "Nothing is safe," said Rick Hasan. a professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Law.

In dissent, four justices note the Court’s decision "eviscerates our Nation’s campaign finance laws, leaving a remnant incapable of dealing with the grave problems of democratic legitimacy that those laws were intended to resolve." 

Meanwhile, Paul Ryan, a long-time foe of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, demonstrates anew that Ryan does not understand what Social Security is, but he wants it gone anyway.

As the news came the Koch brothers poured money into the small County Board races in northern Wisconsin and won five local races, the result of the McCutcheon ruling is that the Kochs could pour money into every municipal, county, state and national political race in the country without limit.

News also broke yesterday that Scott Walker quietly signed two more election bills into law, designed to make registering to vote more difficult and making it impossible for many students, elderly and low-income individuals to vote.

Walker also signed a bill giving election observers the right to stand three feet behind election poll workers, a law that gives GOP election observers effective license in a high turn-out election to harass voters and poll workers, sowing confusion for voters and creating disturbances at the polling place in another effort to obstruct voting.

From Andrea Kaminski, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin:

Apparently restricting early voting was not enough for Governor Walker. Today he signed more extreme election bills into law, including measures that will make it virtually impossible for many qualified citizens to register to vote and will make our polling places more contentious.

Act 182 (formerly SB 267) requires citizens to show proof-of‐residence whenever they register to vote, ending the current practice of allowing the clerk to check residence for people who register early. This will impact many people who have recently moved or are temporarily living with family or friends and who do not have a document such as a Wisconsin driver’s license or bank statement with their own name and current address. It will have a disproportionate impact on students, elderly and low-income individuals.

The Governor’s signing statement glossed over the impact of this new law, stating only that it requires clerks to record the type of document submitted as proof of residence. Apparently the Governor either is not aware of the content of the amended bill he signed or is not proud of having signed it.

Act 177 (formerly AB 202) allows election observers to be as close as three feet from the table where people are checking in or registering at their polling place. That is right behind the election official’s chair and close enough to see a birth date or account number on a proof-of‐residence document.

The League of Women Voters has trained and placed hundreds of election observers in polling places in our state, and we can attest that observers do not need to be that close in order to do their job. Having them hovering over the voting process will compromise voters’ privacy, put pressure on poll workers and make polling places more contentious.

For decades our state has been known for its policies that encourage citizens to be active participants in their government. That begins with voting, and our high voter turnout is something we can be proud of. These extreme new laws signed by Governor Walker will take Wisconsin backward by making it more difficult for many citizens to participate.

As an organization founded by the suffragists who fought for 75 years to win the right to vote for women, the League of Women Voters knows suppression when we see it. While our 17 local Leagues in the state will work to educate and assist voters in complying with the new restrictions, we will also be looking into all possible ways to reverse these unfair laws, including legal action.

Hopper buys new home, throws new fundraiser

GOP Hypocrite, Randy 'Bed' Hopper

WKOW TV reports State Sen. Randy Hopper brought a new home, and among the first things he did was hold a fundraiser.

House-warming gifts:

• Raising money to screw his constituents 
• Ditching local, community control
• Sleeping with real constituents, Scott Walker and the Koch brothers

No news on whether his GOP mistress is moving in to Fondy from Madison.

Hopper buys home, throws fundraiser

Fond du Lac County records show Sen. Randy Hopper purchased a home on the eve of a scheduled, political fundraiser at the residence featuring former republican governor Tommy Thompson.

Records show Hopper (R-Fond du Lac) finalized the purchase with a deed filed on June 22. Records show Hopper bought the Fond du Lac home from former owner Victoria Sadoff for $240,000. The property’s 2011 assessed value is $269,000.

Robert Reich: Why the Republican War on Workers’ Rights Undermines the American Economy

Workers’ share of national income

Update: See also Workers’ share of national income plummets to record low.

By Robert Reich

The battle has resumed in Wisconsin. The state supreme court has allowed Governor Scott Walker to strip bargaining rights from state workers. ...

This war on workers’ rights is an assault on the middle class, and it is undermining the American economy.

The American economy can’t get out of neutral until American workers have more money in their pockets to buy what they produce. And unions are the best way to give them the bargaining power to get better pay.

For three decades after World War II – I call it the "Great Prosperity" – wages rose in tandem with productivity. Americans shared the gains of growth, and had enough money to buy what they produced.

That’s largely due to the role of labor unions. In 1955, over a third of American workers in the private sector were unionized. Today, fewer than 7 percent are.

With the decline of unions has come the stagnation of American wages. More and more of the total income and wealth of America has gone to the very top. The middle class’s purchasing power has depended on mothers going into paid work, everyone working longer hours, and, finally, the middle class going deep into debt, using their homes as collateral.

But now all these coping mechanisms are exhausted — and we’re living with the consequence.

Some say the Great Prosperity was an anomaly. America’s major competitors lay in ruins. We had the world to ourselves. According to this view, there’s no going back.

But this view is wrong. If you want to see the same basic bargain we had then, take a look at Germany now.

Germany is growing much faster than the United States. Its unemployment rate is now only 6.1 percent (we’re now at 9.1 percent).

What’s Germany’s secret? In sharp contrast to the decades of stagnant wages in America, real average hourly pay has risen almost 30 percent there since 1985. Germany has been investing substantially in education and infrastructure.

How did German workers do it? A big part of the story is German labor unions are still powerful enough to insist that German workers get their fair share of the economy’s gains.

That’s why pay at the top in Germany hasn’t risen any faster than pay in the middle. As David Leonhardt reported in the New York Times recently, the top 1 percent of German households earns about 11 percent of all income – a percent that hasn’t changed in four decades. ...

The current Republican assault on workers’ rights continues a thirty-year war on American workers’ wages. That long-term war has finally taken its toll on the American economy.

It’s time to fight back.

Wisconsin! Not Mississippi and Alabama

Some years ago on a trip to New Orleans, a friend and I routed over to Biloxi.

In sum, as befitting the region's Republican politcal-cultural domination, the public libraries, public schools, public electoral system, health care, and living standards spurred by corrupt government permeating all branches and levels is kept in power by a racist, repulsively ignorant citizenry that is a disgrace to first-world countries.

This state of affairs is the vision of Wisconsin Republicans led by Scott Walker who thinks God guides him in the machinations of his corrupt regime.

But Wisconsin is better than Mississippi and Alabama. Count on it.