Video Breaks of Scott Walker Promise to Negotiate with Unions One Week Before Election

Scott Walker and his gang most of whom are criminally charged
or have reached immunity deals

One week before the election of Scott Walker in November 2010, Walker promised to negotiate with unions, as had been done for decades, and explicitly affirmed collective bargaining, as also had been done for decades.

Video released by the Oshkosh Northwestern newspaper shows Walker making the pledge that just months later he broke when he infamously dropped the "bomb" on Wisconsin workers, as stated by Walker himself in an infamous taped phone conversation in which he bragged about halting collective bargaining rights and targeting workers.

Walker's worker-bashing assault presaged his unprecedented, sneak attack on open government and local control.

Jud Lounsbury has the story.

GOP Racine County Officer Assaults Former Police Officer, Recall Volunteer

Caught on camera - Racine County Republican Treasurer,
Tom Bode's car reportedly tried to back up over
a recall volunteer this weekend, a former police officer
who photographed the car in question

The Republican Party in Wisconsin is scared. The rout of Republicans in Ohio looks to be followed by another rout in Wisconsin.

And Republicans have no idea how to react. Writes John Peterson, "Right now, they’re acting like cornered animals."

From Racine, Wisconsin comes this item, first reported in Root River Siren.

Caught on camera! At Right.

A Racine County officer, apparently upset about the Recall Scott Walker movement, tried to back up his car over a former police officer and recall volunteer in a parking lot in Racine, Wisconsin on Saturday - where the volunteers had permission to be.

From Wisconsin LeftyBlogs:



Tom Bode (left) with Gov. Scott Walker and Mrs. Bode
(From the Racine GOP Website)

Racine papers have been buzzing with acts of intimidation toward recallers from the weekend. One involved a guy in a Lexus who tried to back up his car over a former police officer and recall volunteer in a parking lot in Racine on Saturday - where the volunteers had permission to be.

The cop was smart and took pictures of the guy's car and the Siren put it up and within two hours we had confirmation the driver was the Racine County Republican Treasurer, Tom Bode.

A police report was filed yesterday and we are withholding the name until witnesses confirm it from photo's we were able to find of Bode from the county party's own website.

But we already know the car belongs to Bode.

The County GOP Chairman pretty much revealed he knew the person involved but skipped the part about it being an officer of the party

Update: Just A Man And His Lexus?

#1. No Back-up Lights

Well, it seems a police report has been filed against the guy who tried to back up his pretty Lexus SUV over a recall volunteer last Saturday.

#2. In Reverse

The Siren is sad to report the volunteer happened to be a retired police officer, who kinda knows what to do in high-stress criminal-type situations. Like take pictures of the car with license plates and tail lights. Notice in photo #1 the tail light is off, indicating the car is not in reverse. However in #2 it is easy to see the car has now been put in reverse because the tail light is lit up bright white. Photo #3 shows the car has been put back in drive and after a little more verbal abuse from the driver at the retired police officer/photographer (who was clearly standing behind the car) he sped away. Awkward for you Mr. Lexus.

Advice: If you are going to back-up over a pedestrian -and a police officer in particular - you should think carefully about whether a vanity plate is a good idea.

#3. Not in reverse

Apparently this jack-ass believed the petition circulators were wrong to be in the parking lot (which they were not) therefore his verbal abuse, intimidation and flirtation with running them down was completely justified.

In his comments to the article in the Caledonia Patch, Racine County Republican Party Chairman, Bill Folk confirmed the coordinated system of intimidation area Republicans are using against recall volunteers and against property owners who allow recall circulators on their property - something many volunteers have reported.

Folk said the driver told him he had "probably taken things too far". Ya think?

A school teacher who witnessed the incident said not only did the man squeal his car around the area, yelled abusive and profane things to the volunteers and of course tried to back his car up over a retired police officer - he did it all with young children in the backseat of the car. Klassy.

In voter suppression effort, Republicans plan to name poll workers across state

Wisconsin Constitution - GOP's Nightmare

Republicans are pouring resources into suppressing the vote; if you are likely to vote the wrong way.

Clay Barbour gets a killer quote from the GOP: "We are not discussing our internal strategy at this time," said Nicole Larson, Republican Party of Wisconsin spokeswoman.

Ms. Larson, I think the gig is up.

Government is big when it obstructs our right to cast our vote.

By Clay Barbour in the Wisconsin State Journal

The Republican Party of Wisconsin is planning a concerted effort this year to make sure it is represented at polling locations across the state, making use of a little-known state law that allows the parties to name poll workers.

The law, which had been used only sporadically before, allows political parties to submit lists of poll workers to municipal clerks, a rule intended to give each party representation at polling locations to oversee the accuracy of the process. ...

For many years, clerks have been left to choose and train their own poll workers without much input from the parties, state election officials said this week. That is changing this year, though the GOP is not saying why.

"We are not discussing our internal strategy at this time," said Nicole Larson, Republican Party of Wisconsin spokeswoman.

Scott Walker Seeks Recall Law Change to Stop Recall Against: Scott Walker

Update: Poll: Strongly disapprove of Walker - 45; Somewhat disapprove - 11.

No wonder this guy has to cheat, and change the rules in the middle of the game.

Wisconsin's Scott Walker and the Republicans just may be outdoing Republicans in other states in their contest on who can be the most corrupt.

Today, Scott Walker's cronies in the Wisconsin legislature held a hearing on their plot to rig the recall rules to obstruct the recall campaign against Walker beginning Nov. 15.

By Mike Tate

As I write, Scott Walker and his rubberstamps in the legislature are taking an ax to the foundations of Wisconsin's democracy to try and protect their own jobs.

Just days before we begin collecting signatures, Scott Walker's fellow Republicans are attempting to add a new requirement that all recall petitions must be notarized.

Scott Walker knows we have the energy and the support needed to recall him now, but rather than letting your voice be heard, he's trying to put up roadblocks to impede the recall process and sully our democracy.

Rest assured: They will NOT stop us.



Make sure your voice is heard by signing our petition to tell Scott Walker and his cronies to stop abusing their power by trying to rig the recall rules in their favor.

Taped on phone with caller Scott Walker thought was David Koch about the union-busting scheme: "Came home from the Super Bowl ... had all of my cabinet over ... it was kind of the last hurrah before we dropped the bomb."

Scott Walker and his powerful corporate special interests know that they can't stop our people-powered movement. That's why they are resorting to more dirty tricks and political games in a blatant attempt to hold onto power.

In just 10 months, Scott Walker has done everything he can to deny the rights of Wisconsinites at the ballot box. He passed an undemocratic voter ID bill. He signed into law rules that give himself power over the nonpartisan board that regulates Wisconsin's elections. And now he is trying to change the recall petition process itself for his own benefit.

Show Scott Walker what democracy looks like. Sign our petition to save our democracy now and tell Scott Walker that we'll be recalling him soon so he can longer trample our democratic values.

To top it all off? Scott Walker himself voted for the reforms that were put in place in 1999 that removed the notary requirement.

Thank you for your support. Together we will recall Scott Walker.

12 Reasons to Recall Scott Walker

• 1. Attacked working families, stripping away the rights of 175,000 workers
• 2. Slashed $1.6 billion from public schools, while handing out $35 million for private school vouchers
• 3. Made devastating cuts to our health care, including programs for the poor, disabled, and elderly
• 4. Raised taxes on seniors and working families by $70 million, while giving $2 billion in tax breaks to corporations and the rich
• 5. Tuition hikes for college students and massive cuts to the UW and tech college systems
• 6. Joined a lawsuit to repeal federal health care act, allowing insurance companies to drop people when they become sick
• 7. Refused to defend state’s domestic partnership registry
• 8. Racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars to his friends at a pricey law firm over the collective bargaining attacks
• 9. Killed high-speed rail and the thousands of jobs it would have created
• 10. Tried to repeal phosphorous, clean water laws, and pandering to advocates for corporate polluters, like his Koch friends
• 11. Consolidated power in the executive office, including stripping legislative oversight of health care programs
• 12. Passed the most restrictive voter ID law in the nation that will disenfranchise tens of thousands of voters