Scott Walker—Two Percent and Desperate

Hang in Scott—Ride tall on the Harley

Scott Walker, the energized-I'll-fight-anyone Scott Walker must be doing some serious praying to the political gods.

A new Washington Post/ABC News poll today has Walker at two percent.

So Walker is targeting the working class and unions in a grand, bold and staggering gesture—with brave, historic passion and determination.

Josh Marshall offers an explanation why Walker appears more and more as a cartoon figure:

[Thirteen] to 2% since July. That's about the best example of a full-blown collapse of a campaign as I've ever seen.

So now, in an effort to regain his footing, he's promising to 'wreak havoc' when he gets to Washington and end unions in the federal government. Good luck with that. The labor movement, particularly in the public sector, is reeling in the face of a new court case which the Supreme Court seems likely to use to get union funding. But as a political matter, I don't see this helping Walker at all - mostly it serves to underline, drive home, and highlight the level of Walker's desperation and panic.

Desperation and panic. That's our governor.

Scott Walker's War on Unions at Odds with Reagan's Support of Solidarity Union, Walesa

Ronald Reagan Radio Address to the Nation on Solidarity and United States Relations With Poland
- October 9, 1982

"Ever since martial law was brutally imposed last December, Polish authorities have been assuring the world that they’re interested in a genuine reconciliation with the Polish people. But the Polish regime’s action yesterday reveals the hollowness of its promises. By outlawing Solidarity, a free trade organization to which an overwhelming majority of Polish workers and farmers belong, they have made it clear that they never had any intention of restoring one of the most elemental human rights—the right to belong to a free trade union."

At Wednesday's CNN presidential debate, someone should ask Scott Walker how he squares his war on unions and workers with Ronald Reagan's address, supporting Lech Walesa and the Solidarity union fighting Communism and government suppression of unionism.

Scott Walker's Voter Obstruction Efforts Highlight Anti-democratic Sentiments

The Republican Party and Scott Walker in particular have long made voter obstruction a major policy objective.

Through cutting early voting, photo voter ID, gerrymandering, and other work on behalf of corporations funneling anti-democratic bills through ALEC, (NBC News) Walker has become a front-man in Wisconsin to stop those politically opposed to him from voting, with a particular animus for ethnic minorities. (McGillis, TNR)

The Republican Party's war against voting is a nation-wide effort, but Walker has taken the lead in Wisconsin for years using public policy and campaign appeals as a means to divide and conquer disfavored citizens.

A grotesque effort, but conquering citizens has a long and sordid history known in the 20th century as fascism.

Walker's political allies are featured in yesterday's New York Times Magazine in a cover piece on the 50-year campaign to roll back the Voting Rights Act. (Rutenberg, New York Times)

Stopping black and brown folks from voting, this is the America Scott Walker wants, where Walker with his hands out to special interest money is considered among the few proper activities.

In 2012 the stakes were high, in 2015-16 the stakes are higher and Walker remains an inadequate personality, and a pathological liar still in fear of facing the Wisconsin people, but scheming to rob them of their rights.

NYT's Account of Scott Walker and a Lie

Dan Kaufman's exposé in the
New York Times of Scott Walker
and his lies to workers, and Walker's
concerted attack on working families.

I looked ... at [Scott Walker], and I said, ... 'If you can tell me that right-to-work will not come on your desk, then I will take you for your word.' He looked me in the eyes, and he said, 'It will not make it to my desk.'

Updated - A prominent Scott Walker flaw is Walker's condition of a pathological liar, a man without a conscience. (John Dean, Verdict) [Another illustration of Walker's pathological tendency to lie: Prime Minister David Cameron disputes an assertion by Scott Walker Cameron spoke ill of U.S. President Obama, after Walker made up a story about Cameron in his overheated talk to a roomful of Republican donors (Miller, Time Magazine]

In Dan Kaufman's explosive and ominous exposé in the New York Times Magazine of the betrayal by Scott Walker of the Wisconsin working class, Walker's deceit and lack of a conscience come to life.

The ease with which people as Nixon and Scott Walker lie and deceive is breathtaking, and is now on record as fact for the 2016 presidential campaign.

Kaufman's description of Walker stands out with an implicit warning that Scott Walker wants to take national the Koch brothers and ALEC's rightwing legislative agenda that Walker used, deceitfully, against the people of Wisconsin:

Writes Kaufman:

Last fall, [Terry McGowan, the president of [International Union of Operating Engineers. Local 139], a statewide union of 9,000 heavy-­machinery operators] met with [Scott] Walker, who was seeking a contribution and another endorsement for governor, at a small campaign office in Wauwatosa, outside Milwaukee. "I looked across the table at him, and I said, ''We are both God-­fearing men,'" McGowan told me. "'If you can tell me that right-to-work will not come on your desk, then I will take you for your word.' He looked me in the eyes, and he said, 'It will not make it to my desk.' He was looking for a contribution, and I was looking for a commitment. We both got what we came for. He kept his, and I lost mine." ...

In early March, I visited Dave Poklinkoski, the president of Local 2304, an electricians’ union, at his office in Madison, where he was drawing up a right-to-work-­compliant union contract. "Divide and conquer, it works," Poklinkoski said. "It works real well." He dug out his iPad from under a pile of papers and pulled up an editorial cartoon by Mike Konopacki that showed a bloodied Terry McGowan, the Local 139 president, with a sword in his back, the hilt and handle in the shape of Walker’s head, labeled "R-T-W."

Ohio Set to Reject Rove and Kasich in Working Families' Win, Wisconsin Next

Photo: Carolyn Tiry / Flickr

Working families are just trying to make it. Sell their labor product at a fair price. Raise families. Maybe even have a home for their children. But not if Karl Rove, the Koch Brothers and John Kasich have their way.

Now, working families are fighting back.

A new poll in Ohio shows overwhelming hostility to the Rove-Koch-Kasich anti-working family bill, Senate Bill 5 [Issue 2], that citizens of Ohio look to reject in a binding election Tuesday, just one week before the start of the recall of fellow anti-family governor, Scott Walker of Wisconsin for his signing a similarly unpopular law with support from anti-family billionaires.

Senate Bill 5 targets health care, collective bargaining, pensions, and is seen as effort to continue the enterprise of attacking private working families by moving the attack against those families working in the public sphere.

As Mike Lofgren, who retired on June 17 after 28 years as a Republican Congressional staffer, said in September 2010,

I left as an act of rational self-interest. Having gutted private-sector pensions and health benefits as a result of their embrace of outsourcing, union busting and ‘shareholder value’ the GOP now thinks it is only fair that public-sector workers give up their pensions and benefits, too. Hence the intensification of the GOP’s decades-long campaign of scorn against government workers. Under the circumstances, it is simply safer to be a current retiree rather than a prospective one.

If you think Paul Ryan and his Ayn Rand-worshipping colleagues aren’t after your Social Security and Medicare, I am here to disabuse you of your naiveté. They will move heaven and earth to force through tax cuts that will so starve the government of revenue that they will be ‘forced’ to make ‘hard choices’ – and that doesn’t mean repealing those very same tax cuts, it means cutting the benefits for which you worked.

This Labor Day, As Unions Face Historic Attacks, It's Time to Stand Together

Paul Robeson with shipyard workers in Oakland, 1942
Photo Credit: NARA via pingnews

Americans' labor product, hard work, made this country grow. Securing the liberty to produce and sell our labor by organizing and freely associating with our fellows made our country grow. Now, labor is under attack ... again, in a manner that would have made 20-century fascists proud.

By Sarah Jaffe

If there was ever a year to think about the meaning of Labor Day, this would be it.

Organized labor has rocketed to the forefront of America's political consciousness, with conservative governors attacking the right to form a union, historic strikes, and a few unexpected victories along the way.

Woody Guthrie

And while the right attacks unions and labor organizes to fight back, unemployment remains high, jobs tenuous, wages depressed and the economy slumping. No new jobs were created in August—that's right, none. The overall unemployment rate held steady, but the labor department also revised downward its jobs growth numbers for the previous two months, so the economy has actually been worse than we thought for most of the summer. Dean Baker also points out that the number of people underemployed, or “involuntarily working part-time jumped up by 430,000, to 8.8 million.”

Continued high unemployment leaves even workers who have jobs feeling desperate, and gives the bosses the upper hand to demand more work, lower wages, and givebacks from employees, while austerity politics has led to public sector layoffs across the country.

As Mike Konczal notes, “Average weekly earnings and average weekly hours both dropped slightly. We need these numbers to be taking off, not holding steady or declining. So the economy isn’t working even for those with a job.”

He continues:

Meanwhile, the average duration of unemployment has dropped while the median has increased. It’s too early to tell, but that’s a troubling sign with weak job growth — it means that we are likely seeing more and more unemployed people simply dropping out of the labor force instead of finding a job. This will continue to make the unemployment rate a less important indicator than the employment-to-population ratio.

The picture is desperate and it's not getting any better. Many Labor Day barbecues this year will be overshadowed by grim economic realities. Many people are experiencing the pressure of being out of work or living in fear that their jobs will evaporate, having to put in longer hours or take a job that pays less, or being forced to take cuts in pensions or health benefits.

There is Power in a Union

Yet, this year has been exciting as well. While the economic picture remains bad, working people thrilled to the sight of Wisconsin's public workers, teachers and progressives occupying the capitol building in protest at Governor Scott Walker's attempt to take away union's rights to collective bargaining. As firefighters marched in solidarity and national labor leaders and rock stars descended on the city, Americans saw a mass, spontaneous pro-labor action that reminded us all of the real power of collective action.

Matt Stoller wrote at the time:

Striking just isn’t in the collective memory of the American public anymore. This kind of highly politicized hybrid political protest/strike walks like an Egyptian these days, which is why Egyptians were sending Wisconsinites pizza and Madison protesters were holding signs lauding teachers, workers, and the new Egyptian flag. In fact, Madison may represent a new kind of American labor model, the melding of old school unions, Howard Dean-style internet-based organizing, Anonymous-style serious pranking, and social media reporting on protests and policy. There’s an anti-bailout class-based fervor here as well, with a simmering anger at Wall Street as subtext. It’s headless and global, though there is leadership. The most powerful moment so far in the Wisconsin conflict didn’t come from the actions of a labor leader, but from a prank call by alt-weekly 'Buffalo Beast' editor Ian Murphy, who pretended to be billionaire American oligarch David Koch and had a frank 20 minute conversation with Governor Scott Walker. Murphy originally wanted to pose as Hosni Mubarak, but couldn’t pull off the accent.

See Sarah Jaffe.

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.

Corrupt Open Meeting Ruling Steels Resolve of Citizens

Ismael R. Ozanne v. Jeff Fitzgerald/State v. Circuit Court for Dane County

is a dark scandal in the Wisconsin justice system.

The four corrupt partisans on the Wisconsin Supreme Court handed the GOP the victory that is has been clamoring for this week.

But the recall and family protection movement will only strengthen.

Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson's dissent blasted the corrupt partisan ruling: The majority " ... reached a pre-determined conclusion not based on the facts and the law, which undermines the majority's ultimate decision."

The majority justices "make their own findings of fact, mischaracterize the parties' arguments, misinterpret statutes, minimize (if not eliminate) Wisconsin constitutional guarantees, and misstate case law, appearing to silently overrule case law dating back to at least 1891," Abrahamson wrote. [MJS]

The case is Ozanne et al v. Fitzgerald, Ellis et al [Case No.: 2011AP000613-LV Ismael R. Ozanne v. Jeff Fitzgerald and Case No.: 2011AP000765-W State v. Circuit Court for Dane County].

From Blogging Blue, State Sen. Chris Larson had this to say: “It is a shame that the partisan agenda of special interest groups and big corporations has seeped into the very foundation of Wisconsin’s court system,” said Sen. Chris Larson (D–Milwaukee).

In March of this year, Republicans forced passage of Act 10 despite their actions violating Senate Rules and Procedures. Act 10 was the first step in Governor Walker’s unprecedented attack on basic worker rights and the middle class.

“Today is a dark day for Wisconsin,” said Sen. Larson. “This legislation and the subsequent ruling by the Wisconsin Supreme Court will undo over 50 years of progress in labor working with management to move Wisconsin forward.”

As Governor Walker and his rubberstamp Republican legislators have already made clear, this attack on worker’s rights was politically-motivated, not fiscal in nature, and will not be tolerated by the People of Wisconsin.

“We are reminded today what is at stake in Wisconsin,” said Sen. Larson. “Wisconsin is at the front of an unprecedented assault on workers and the middle class. Wisconsin voters

From One Wisconsin Now:

I remain here at the Capitol with thousands of other activists protesting Governor Walker and the Republican's continued assault on Wisconsin's way of life, and we have just received news that the four conservative member of our Supreme Court have aided and abetted Gov. Scott Walker's crime against 175,000 working Wisconsinites by overturning the lower court and allowing his disastrous attack on the rights of workers to stand as law.

But we remain unbowed. United. Standing for workers and Wisconsin's middle class.

Do you stand with us?

The disastrous agenda of Walker and the Republicans is fueling an unprecedented mobilization and awoken the middle class to the horrors of government bought and paid for by corporate special interests.

The fight goes on. I pledge that One Wisconsin Now will continue to aggressively fight for the values we share -- of decency, of caring for the least among us, for equal rights, for quality schools and the right to collectively bargain in the workplace.

Do you stand with us? If so, please help our efforts with a contribution tonight. I know that we have asked for your help many times, but you have all been so steadfast with your support so far. I know I can count on you again. Stand with us and speak out with one voice, and tell Governor Walker and his conservatives lackeys that this aggression against Wisconsin's working families will not stand.

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