Momentum builds in Madison

One of Wisconsin's most conservative newspapers has lost patience with Governor Walker and his allies the Fitzgerald brothers:

The Fitzgerald brothers are complaining loudly about a Dane County judge holding up their collective bargaining bill.

But it's their own fault for winding up in court to begin with.

Had Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald simply given 24 hours of public notice before a key committee meeting and vote last month, their bill would now be in effect.

Instead, because the Fitzgeralds got cute with Wisconsin's open meetings law, the bill is stuck in an exhausting and complex legal battle that could drag on for weeks if not months

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When you get down to it, only some of the Wisconsin Republicans are vehemently anti-union to begin with. The unseemly shenanigans of their party leaders in Madison will certainly diminish their enthusiasm to defend these clowns against the rising tide of discontent in the state. My guess is that there will be more than enough recall signatures gathered for six of the targeted GOP senators, while even the two most Republican districts may yield enough signatures as well.

All of us need to keep fighting hard in Wisconsin, but the momentum is on our side. Now we must direct our attention to Ohio, Michigan, and other states where the GOP is waging war on working people, children, and the elderly.

What's wrong with making Nixon blush?

Here's the text of a letter sent by Wisconsin State Senator Tim Carpenter to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker:

February 23, 2011
Governor Scott Walker
Wisconsin State Capitol

Dear Governor Walker,

I am informed that a tape recording has been released in which you apparently held an extensive discussion with someone you believed to be your campaign supporter, David Koch. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel states that the caller was actually a reporter, pretending to be David Koch, and it has posted a transcript of the recording. It appears that you admit the call occurred, and have not contested the authenticity of transcript. David Koch is the billionaire businessman who reportedly contributed thousands to your campaign and who the media claims is a key source of funding for shadowy political groups that spend hundreds of thousands of dollars attacking your political adversaries in our state.

At a historic moment in our State’s history, brought on by your refusal to compromise with elected officials regarding the elimination of worker’s rights, you still refuse to talk with Democratic legislators. However, you apparently have no problem taking a phone call from “Mr. Koch” and to:

• Discuss your strategy to lay off public workers to seek partisan advantage to pass your agenda;

• Discuss your plan to lure Democratic legislators to the Capitol on the pretext of negotiation, but then state that you would never actually negotiate;

• Discuss your plan to use the pretext of negotiation to get a quorum for legislative fiscal action that Republicans so far have not been able to do;

• Discuss that you considered the “planting” of paid troublemakers into the peaceful protests at our Capitol; and to

• Give your enthusiastic acceptance to an offer from “Koch” to fly you out on a vacation to show you a “good time” once you “crush these bastards.” Your response was “That would be outstanding…” Given that Koch’s businesses could reap vast rewards with the ‘no bid’ sale of the Wisconsin’s power plants that you propose in your budget repair bill, this response is severely troubling.

Governor Walker, this tape would make Richard Nixon blush. If the recording and the items discussed by you are indeed your plans, you have no business being in public office in our State, and should resign.

Sincerely,
Tim Carpenter
State Senator

I have a feeling that this clown Scott Walker may end up serving far less time as Governor than even Sarah Palin. The Koch brothers don't like having their names brought out in public. They will still pour money into getting this union-busting bill passed, but I don't see them having a lot of use for this moron once that is done. Public opinion in Wisconsin is likely to shift, with support for Walker dwindling down to that same 30% of hardcore, plutocracy lovers who thought G.W. Bush was doing a "heckuva job" in 2007.