Scott Walker, Wisconsin Republicans Exposed as Frauds at Voting Rights Trial

A long-time and now-ex Fitchburg, Wisconsin chief election inspector voted in the Wisconsin Spring Election and Presidential Preference election held on April 5, 2016.

Al Potts resigned from the contract position because he wanted no part of perpetuating a fraud on voters through the imposition of Scott Walker and the Republicans' photo voter ID law because the law is intended to suppress voters and render voting as burdensome a process as possible, (Woodward Communications, Inc.).

After exchanging pleasantries with his former colleagues on April 5, Potts had to produce an acceptable photo voter ID to prove he really was Al Potts, a political moderate active in municipal and civic politics, but publicly apolitical in state and national politics.

Potts and voting rights advocates have been proven correct in their assessment of the Republican-enacted law which was found constitutional by Republicans on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in February 2104, and in federal court where a challenge to the law failed on a five-to-five vote at the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in late 2104, (Sommerhauser, WISC-TV), (Mal Contends).

The U.S. Supreme Court denied the petition to grant cert challenging the constitutionality of Wisconsin's voter ID law as a qualification to vote in March 2015, (USA Today).

A federal trial that began May 16, 2106, (One Wisconsin Institute v. Nichol), for the first time introduces evidence of the intent of Republicans to use photo voter ID to block voters by citing the words of Republican legislators, particularly citing voiced intent to frustrate and destroy the vote in "Milwaukee" and on "college campuses" to help win elections for Republicans, (Sneed, TPM; Opoien, The Capital Times).

A motion to hear testimony, evidence and exhibits citing the public and private words of Republican lawmakers to use the voter ID law to win elections by blocking disfavored voters was granted by U.S. District Judge James Peterson on May 13.

On May 16, testimony by one witness, former Republican staffer Todd Allbaugh, offered what appears to be just the beginning of devastating evidence against Wisconsin Republicans' illegal and outlandish intent at the trial.

Al Potts joins voting rights activists, and Judge Richard Posner of the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in sounding the alarm about Wisconsin Republicans' destroying votes in Republicans' "efforts to disenfranchise voters likely to vote for the political party that does not control the state government," (Posner, Frank v. Walker).

The bench trial is scheduled to end on Thursday, May 26, 2016, (One Wisconsin Institute, Inc., et al v. Nichol, et al, p.1).

Wisconsin Voting Rights Trial: Ex-GOP Staffer Names Republican Senators Who Cheered Voter Suppression

"The former staffer to a Wisconsin state Republican senator who went public last month with accusations that the state's voter ID law was passed by GOPers looking for a political advantage elaborated on the claims in federal court Monday and identified the previously unnamed legislators he said were gleeful over the law."

Todd Allbaugh, testifying in a case challenging the law, named then-Sens. Mary Lazich, Glenn Grothman, Leah Vukmir and Randy Hopper as being 'giddy' in a 2011 private caucus meeting about passing the bill," (Journal Sentinel), reports Tierney Sneed, TPM. See also Opoien, The Capital Times.

The expected two-week trial, (One Wisconsin Institute v. Nichol (U.S. District Court of the Western District of Wisconsin (Case 15-cv-324)), began today and is expected to focus attention on Republican Party efforts to suppress as many perceived non-Republican voters as possible through a variety of changes to election law, supported by Republicans and only Republicans against unanimous Democratic Party and voting rights activists' opposition.

Though national political chatter often speaks of a crack in Republican Party unity, stopping non-Republican voters from voting is universally acclaimed, and supporting voting suppression is part of the price of admission to Republican politics.

U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson is presiding over the One Wisconsin bench trial.

The Democratic Party remains the party of voting rights, not a particularly popular position in the American political culture.

Earlier this month, Wisconsin's Democratic congressional delegation requested a U.S. DoJ review of the Wisconsin Voter ID law and other voter suppression tactics enacted into law by Wisconsin Republicans since 2011, (Mal Contends).

Updated: Randy Hopper-owned radio station censors news of DWI arrest

Randy Hopper booking mug. Photo courtesy of Fond du Lac County Jail

Update: The Randy Hopper-owned KFIZ radio station has now run the Randy Hopper DWI story at the top of its web news page Tuesday morning, though the piece omits mention that Hopper "refused to take a breathalyzer test following [the] drunken driving arrest Sunday, according to a Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office report," as was reported by the Fond du Lac Reporter Monday.

The late posting of Hopper's arrest followed several Wisconsin bloggers' items noting the failure to report the Hopper's DWI story.

Hopper is described as "very cooperative" in the KFIZ report, a description attributed to Fond du Lac County Chief Deputy Sheriff Mark Strand, though refusals to take a breathalyzer test in these instances are not characterized as 'cooperative,' according to a municipal police officer speaking on background, serving in Wisconsin outside the Fond du Lac jurisdiction, who is known to harbor critical views of Gov. Scott Walker and Randy Hopper.

No word from KFIZ on an explanation for the tardiness of the news item, and a phone call to KFIZ Monday afternoon was followed by some six minutes on hold, after which the phone call was terminated by the caller. It is not unsual for local news-talk radio stations to have slim or no news staff.
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Recalled senator Randy Hopper's Fond du Lac news radio station is blacking out news of Hopper's weekend DWI arrest that occurred early Sunday evening while in the company of his young mistress.

The Fond du Lac Reporter reports:

At 5:30 p.m. Sunday, a citizen dialed 911 to report a black Suburban [that Hopper was driving] 'all over the road' on Highway 151 near County Trunk WH in Peebles, said Chief Deputy Mark Strand.

But don't look for the Fond du Lac radio stations owned by Hopper to run any breaking news of the incident though the story is all over the Fox River Valley news outlets.

Fond du Lac's KFIZ, which has a news-talk radio format and is owned by Hopper's Mountain Dog Media, has not run any mention of Hopper's arrest as of mid-afternoon on Monday.

KFIZ' webpage has 17 other local news stories as of the time of this posting: 3:20 P.M.

KFIZ features programming from Fox News Radio.

King-Hopper Race by the Numbers

2011 Recall Election             Votes Percent

Jessica King (D)                      28,188   51.11%
Randy Hopper (R)                   26,937   48.86%

Candidates - 2008 Race      Votes Percent

Randy Hopper (R)                 41,904   50.05%
Jessica King (D)                    41,741   49.86%

Just 65 percent of the 2008 presidential general election total showed up at the polls to oust Randy Hopper in senate district 18.

Still considering an election held in early August, a period when one never launches a marketing or political campaign, the turn-out was significant showing a general disgust with Hopper's turning his back on his community and family.

Jessica King

Against this lying, sleazing, Scott Walker-loving politician of Randy Hopper [the people who know him best in the City of Fond du Lac gave more votes to King], we may have just seen the birth a coming political superstar: Jessica King, who genuinely believes that government by and for the people shall not perish from the great state of Wisconsin.

"It is an honor to have the support of the people of the 18th State Senate district," said King on election night. "I look forward to going to Madison to stand up for the working families, seniors and students of Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Black Wolf, Waupun and all across the 18th District. Their voices will be once again heard."

Updated - Election Day in Wisconsin

Solidarity for Wisconsin families

Update V: Live recall election results at Journal-Sentinel and Mother Jones.

Update IV: Gilbert Brown, Famed Green Bay Packer, Urges Wisconsin Voters to Recall Republicans - We Are Wisconsin released a robocall campaign on Tuesday featuring mammoth former Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Gilbert Brown. The call urges voters to replace six Republican state Senators who supported Governor Scott Walker's controversial budget bill:

"Hello this is Gilbert Brown, defensive lineman for the '97 Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, calling on behalf of We Are Wisconsin. I have a message for you about Tuesday's election, I know a little bit about playing defense and right now it is time to defend Wisconsin. We are holding the line, putting our children's education before big corporate tax giveaways. It is up to voters like you to make the difference. Please gather your friends and neighbors and go to the polls on Tuesday from 7 am to 8 pm and support Nancy Nusbaum for Senate."

Update III: Walker signs gerrymandering bills redrawing political boundaries, hours before the deadline. "It is now clear that Gov. Walker signed these redistricting maps into law in a manner intended to hide his actions with only one goal in mind: giving himself and his fellow Republicans a monopoly on power in our state and dodging accountability for their anti-middle-class extremism," said Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha).

Update II: From a Fond du Lac voter this morning: "I wonder if I’m the only person who gets so upset at poll workers having to ask for picture ID.  The man behind me in line, said 'Well, there’s no trouble here, but in Milwaukee (read black), there’s thousands of cases of vote fraud.'  I told him that’s not true, and asked if he could even conceive of people wanting to vote so much that they would actually commit fraud (that’s not the right word anyway).  I told him it’s been my experience that you cannot get people to vote easily enough. I think people just  believe what they are told, don’t question anything and march in lockstep.  I guess he’s a Republican."

Update: Presidential-election turn-out level in Fond du Lac. At Rosenow Elementary School, 385 people had already voted at 10:20 A.M, with a 30-minute wait in line.

For continuous updates, see Uppity Wisconsin and look back here.

The order of the day is: Get Out the Vote [GOTV].

Today is election day for Wisconsin recalls.

In one race rated a toss-up, Rep. Sandy Pasch (Whitefish Bay) has volunteers already lining up outside the doors this morning to challenge Sen. Alberta Darling in Senate district 8 just north of Milwaukee.

Because of the enormous outpouring, an insider this morning is now saying Pasch is likely to knock off Darling.

Democracy is coming

For continuous updates, see Uppity Wisconsin and Blue Cheddar, TeamsterNation and look back here.
The order of the day is: Get Out the Vote [GOTV].

As a life-long Wisconsin citizen I can tell you the recall race for Senate district 18 (Sen. Randy Hopper's (R-Empire) seat) is a bellwether for the other five recall elections in  Republican state senate districts, all of which one should bear in mind were gerrymandered after the 2000 Census to stay Republican.

Hooper narrowly defeated Jessica King by 163 votes for the same seat in 2008, and Hopper is facing King again in this historically leaning Republican area.

Candidates - 2008 Race             Votes    Percent

Randy Hopper (R)                         41,904   50.05%
Jessica King (D)                            41,741   49.86%

Enough signature were gathered to recall Randy Hopper in just a matter of weeks after the recall registration date [from which citizens have 60 days to gather recall signatures], far early of the deadline for the required 15,269 signatures and petition to be delivered to the GAB on the deadline date of May 2.

The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB) staff verified 23,127 signatures to recall Hopper.

Sources close to the recall effort told me that after that, signatures gathered by the 100s of the recall volunteers also served effectively as campaigning for voters hostile to Randy Hopper for the majority of the 60-days period prior to May 2.

All of the signatures are open to the public on the GAB site.

Some 55 percent of Hopper's 2008 vote total was gathered in recall signatures against Hopper alone.

Randy Hopper Faces Voters Tuesday

Hopper and young Mistress

Field operation rout of Randy Hopper has working families confidentially predicting his doom on Tuesday

A top Wisconsin recall target, State Sen. Randy Hopper (R-Empire (formerly Fond du Lac)), faces Democratic nominee, Oshkosh Deputy Mayor Jessica King, August 9 in a rematch of their 2008 election narrowly won by Hopper.

Hopper is a leading political ally of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and has been facing a near-constant stream of allegations that he turned his back on his working-class constituents.

Hopper has also come under heavy criticism after it was revealed in March that Hopper no longer resided at his Fond du Lac [Fondy] home, rather with his then 25-year-old mistress in Madison.

"Family values" hypocrisy is a political charge with which Hopper has had to contend ever since.

Turn-out

Though Hopper has aroused opposition on several levels, knowledgeable sources in Fond du Lac County point to an effective Republican turn-out machine that could make the race on Tuesday a relatively close call.

Wisconsin recall Rally, March 12 - Photo: Leon

Turn-out, even with the efforts of a powerful Democratic field operation, will determine the winner who certainly remains in doubt.

However, almost giddy optimism remains the sentiment among working family-aligned volunteers against the millionaire Hopper who is seen - even among some of his friends - as having turned his back on his district and his family as he made common cause with an extremist Republican administration.

Phone conversations with sources close to the recall effort this weekend confirm a frenetically paced recall field operation with one long-time aide saying, he was "in the middle of a GOTV [Get Out the Vote] canvas" at approximately 9:00 local time Saturday morning in which some 50 volunteers were already knocking on doors in Fond du Lac.

Rallying in the cold, March 11


"There's very little middle ground from people we have talked to. And most of the people talking are breaking our way. A polarized electorate spells a win for Jessica King," said one long-time working-class man from Fondy. "I mean no one is taking anything for granted, which is precisely why Randy Hopper will lose and Jessica [King] will win."

This perception of a field operation rout against Randy Hopper is the object of efforts to portray Hopper as finally hitting the doors (Schneider, National Review Online), though this perception will not likely change this late in the game.

Other Recall Targets

GOP sources say that Sen. Dan Kapanke and Hopper "are toast."  However, they express confidence Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon) will prevail, a sentiment contradicted by a recall-Olsen source. The other three races are regarded as toss-ups.

Three net wins are needed to flip the Wisconsin Senate to Democratic control.

Recall groups say they will win all six races Tuesday.

Ambush

Scott Walker with the help of Hopper targeted Wisconsin families when Walker "dropped the bomb" in an ambush on public employee unions, as described by Walker in a taped phone conversation in which Walker believed he was speaking with far-right billionaire, David Koch, and in which Walker bragged that he was scheming to first threaten and then fire public workers in a politically timed fashion.

Since that display of corruption and cynicism went public, Hopper has been operating under a cloud made darker by revelations that his mistress secured a $43,000 state job with the Walker administration. [Bice]

Hypocritical - even by Randy Hopper standards.
Hopper is in the middle wearing an AFSCME shirt

Scott Walker and Hopper have demonized public sector workers, but Hopper is featured in a photo wearing a public employee union t-shirt in what most people regard as another display of political hypocrisy first revealed by Blogging Blue in March.

It's now conventional wisdom that had Hopper and Walker been honest with Wisconsin citizens about plans to attack public workers and their families, they never would have been elected in their close 2008-10 elections.

Divorce

Hopper is divorcing his wife in a contested legal proceeding listed as being presided over by Judge Robert J. Wirtz, Circuit Court of Fond du Lac County; and the Fond du Lac County Family Court Commissioner.

Legal information on the online Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA) site is sketchy and dynamic on these proceedings, with no explanation for the changing information available on the WCCA site.

E-mails Reveal Randy Hopper Coached Mistress on Scoring State Job

Randy Hopper has denied helping his mistress score a job in the Scott Walker administration. But e-mails obtained by Eye on Wisconsin reveal Hopper advises his mistress "might congratulate [Keith Gilkes, Scott Walker's chief of staff]" on Walker's victory, among other career assistance for Valarie Cass' getting a state job as Walker told Wisconsin, 'we're broke'. Turned out to be good advice for the communications specialist - girlfriend

By Cory Liebmann at Eye on Wisconsin

In March we learned that state Senator Randy Hopper (R-Unknown) left his wife and filed for divorce last year. According to his wife he had taken up with 20-something Republican operative Valerie Cass. It didn't take long for additional reports to surface showing that this girlfriend was hired by the Walker administration under questionable circumstances and at a questionable pay rate.

Some have wondered if Randy Hopper played a role in getting his girlfriend the taxpayer funded job. A number of newly obtained emails now provide a closer view of some of his involvement.

Based on a November 30th email Hopper and Cass wasted no time in trying to score a state job for her.

See the full report at Cory Liebmann at Eye on Wisconsin.

Wicked Pro-family, Anti-Randy Hopper Mailing

Here's a scanned copy of one/half each of two pieces on recall target, Sen. Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac).

The mailing is funded by the the Greater Wisconsin Political Fund.

No comment from the Hopper campaign.

Maybe Hopper will be spending most of the recall campaign season avoiding public appearances for 'security' reasons, as he likes to bs. There's one appearance coming up, and but don't get used to it.

Hopper Scandal Playing Loudly in Fondy

Sen. Randy 'Bed' Hopper's (R-Fond du Lac) affair with a 20-something former state Senate committee staffer and GOP lobbyist is playing very badly in Fond du Lac.

It's the family values hypocrisy that grates on folks. 

Add to that the fact that Scott Walker's top ally is targeting Wisconsin working families, and it's easy to see how every family is feeling betrayed by, and let's be honest, a craven liar.

One Wisconsin Now is raising money to run the ad below, as the Greater Wisconsin Political Fund is mass-mailing a first-rate piece merging the cheating Hopper with the tax-cheating Hopper who, it bears noting, voted to target the middle class, health care and education while getting his girlfriend [while he was still married] a tax-payer-funded $40,000-plus state job.

GOP PR Operative: "No chance" Randy Hopper Survives Recall

Update: Randy Hopper (R-Empire (formerly Fond du Lac)), defeated in recall election by Democratic nominee, Oshkosh Deputy Mayor Jessica King, on August 9, 2011.

Recall Election Results
Jessica King ,   28,187  51%
Randy Hopper 26,937  49%
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Well-known (and well-liked) writer and PR specialist James Wigderson at Wigderson Library and Pub says recall target State Sen. Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac) is toast.

A head faint? No.

There is no chance Hopper can win the recall election. Is he watching Weiner get roasted? Hopper’s randy behavior makes him toasted. (It’s funnier because it rhymed.)

Blogger and Republican activist Kevin Binversie has suggested Hopper resign now to give the party a fighting chance to save the seat. My only addition to that would be that the Republican Party would have to be stupid to try to save him.

This Is Why We Fight Scott Walker and the GOP Eight

Via Zach

Randy Hopper's Fall

For an excellent accounting of Sen. Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac) who used to be known as a nice guy, but who fell hard for the Republican Party and told his community to go to hell, see: A Brief History of how Randy Hopper Lost Touch with his District.

Hopper GAB Voting Address in Fond du Lac Raises More Questions

Update III: See also the Capital Times (Jessica Vanegeren) report that the alleged Fond du Lac apartment at which Hopper's office claims he is residing is a "$600,000 home owned by a high-ranking employee of Hopper’s media company, Mountain Dog Media."

Update II: A phone call to ask about Sen. Hopper's voting IDs, residency and voting fact base made to Hopper's legislative office [(608) 266-5300] this morning at 8:11 was directed to the phone voice mailbox. Hopper continues to make himself unavailable; not sure what 'threat' a phone conversation would pose.

Update: WISC TV reported yesterday a complaint has been filed with the attorney general's office claiming state Sen. Randy Hopper hasn't been living in his district. Even if Hopper has been living at a Fond du Lac apartment vis a vis a Madison apartment, Hopper still is not living at his listed voting residence, according to the GAB voting database and Hopper's own office.

The GAB voting database as of this morning still lists State Sen. Randy Hopper's (R-Fond du Lac) voting address as: W5192 RIENZI RD:

Search Criteria Data are:
Last Name First Name Birthday
Hopper,       Randal          01/23/1966

Does this not constitute voting fraud? Voting from a place where you no longer reside?

Hopper's office says he's living in an apartment in Fond du Lac.

This raises the question: For how long has he lived there? Why isn't he registered with the GAB at his Fond du Lac apartment, address undisclosed.

Maybe it's those 'security concerns' his office has relayed to the media. Seems a sham though, a way to avoid facing the people he is supposed to be representing.

The filing date on the divorce indicated in Hopper's legal filings [Fond du Lac County Case Number 2010FA000374] reads "08-18-2010."

I'm guessing Hopper was not living in the W5192 RIENZI Road house in October and November, 10 days before the November 2010 election day.

But the GAB says he was legally a resident at this W5192 RIENZI Road house?

Former GOP tool, U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic for the Eastern District of Wisconsin (2001-08), was all too happy to file voting fraud charges even when as Dan Bice points out, there was no intent to break the law. See Bice, April 12, 2007 (MJS).

Why is not Hopper facing an investigation? Is he not part of the alleged massive voting fraud from which the GOP says they must protect us by restricting voting access for Wisconsin citizens?

As the Republican Party pursues the most stringent voter ID bill in the nation, and seeks to end same day registration, I believe it's fair to ask if Hopper's voting IDs, residency and voting fact base would bear up under the absurd anti-democratic, exclusive requirements sought by the GOP.

Maybe the GOP will write in an exception in the voter obstruction legislation for cheating GOP legislators having affairs in Madison with 25-year-old ex-GOP operatives.

Seems a lame excuse for voting from the wrong address, though.

WTMJ (Milwaukee) reported March 14:

TODAY'S TMJ4 received a letter from a woman claiming to be Randy Hopper's wife, Alysia Hopper. The letter arrived in a letterhead envelope from Alysia Hopper's business. The letter claims Randy Hopper, 'started an affair in January 2010 with a then 25 year old Republican aide.' It claims 'Randy moved out' and 'now lives mostly in Madison.'

Living either in Madison with his girlfriend or in Fond du Lac in the undisclosed apartment, Hopper is not residing at the RIENZI Road house listed this morning in the GAB database.

Personally, if Hopper did cast a vote from the wrong address, I believe there was not intent to commit fraud, just a mistake made in a difficult situation.

But with the GOP targeting Democratic-leaning voters now in the proposed voter fraud witchhunt, why don't the proposed rules apply to Republicans? Just wondering.

Randy Hopper, the Hypocrite from Fondy, with Video and Hopper Wearing an AFSCME shirt

Two recent pieces point to Sen. Randy Hopper, recall target, and the problems he faces surviving the recall.

• Sen. Randy Hopper's 2008 TV AD Featured Extensive Footage of Young Family
• Hypocrisy, thy name is Randy Hopper

"I don't know about you, but Republican State Senator Randy Hopper sure doesn't look too upset about putting on an AFSCME shirt to show his support for some of his constituents on lobby day last year," writes Blogging Blue