Blogging Blue

Any time an election year rolls around, some folks on the conservative side of the Cheddarsphere inevitably start screaming about massive vote fraud perpetrated by the Democrats in Milwaukee while ignoring the fact that an investigation by U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic and former Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann found no evidence of widespread vote fraud.

While there’s been no tangible evidence of vote fraud here in Wisconsin, the same might not be able to be said in Ohio, where roughly 16,000 Republicans
could come under investigation for possible vote fraud in regards to switching their party allegiance solely for the purpose of voting in the Democratic presidential primary, presumably to interfere with the process and aid a candidate they see as being more easily defeated in November.

The investigation comes 10 days after The Plain Dealer reported that more than 16,000 Cuyahoga County Republicans changed parties before voting March 4.

After the election, some local Republicans admitted they changed parties only to influence which Democrat would face presumed Republican nominee John McCain in November. One voter scribbled the following addendum to his pledge as a new Democrat: “For one day only.”

At issue here is the fact that voters in Ohio had to sign affidavits pledging allegiance to their new party in order to change their party affiliation and vote in the Democratic presidential primary. In Ohio, lying on the signed statement is a fifth-degree felony, punishable by six to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine. Here’s to hoping that this concerted effort to interfere in the Democratic primaries - an effort which was encouraged by folks like Rush Limbaugh - will end with some criminal convictions, because our elections should never be tainted in such a manner.

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As the Democratic presidential campaign has heated up, Hillary Clinton’s campaign has touted her wealth of foreign policy experience - as both a First Lady and a Senator - as proof she passes the “presidential threshold” while citing Senator Barack Obama’s relative lack of foreign policy experience as yet another reason he’s not fit to serve. As if to back up her claims of foreign policy experience, Hillary Clinton has taken some credit for a number of accomplishments during the Clinton White House, and she’s also “embellished” her foreign policy experiences in Bosnia as First Lady. Here’s a little clip from YouTube that illustrates my point regarding the visit to Tuzla Air Base in Bosnia:

Faced with proof she wasn’t dodging sniper fire and running to her car, Hillary Clinton is now saying she “misspoke” regarding the visit to Tuzla Air Base. What I love is how despite being caught in a blatant lie, Clinton just can’t be honest and admit she lied, instead using the cop-out phrase that she “misspoke.” What’s worse, Clinton has relayed this same story regarding her visit to Tuzla Air Base on more than one occasion, undermining her claim she simply “misspoke.” On their own, Clinton’s comments regarding her trip to Tuzla aren’t damning, but when combined with her track record of embellishing her record of accomplishment as First Lady, a pattern begins to emerge.

Take, for example, Hillary’s claims to have played a key role in negotiating the Good Friday Accords:

“I went [to Northern Ireland] more than my husband did. I was working to help change the atmosphere among people because leaders alone rarely make peace. They have to bring people along who believe peace is in their interests. I remember a meeting that I pulled together in Belfast, in the town hall there, bringing together for the first time Catholics and Protestants…”

According to biographer Sally Bedell Smith, who spent three years researching the Clinton White House and is author of the book, “For Love of Politics:”

“I noticed in the debate the other night that she said she had played a role in the Irish Peace Process, the Northern Ireland peace process,” Smith said. “But in fact, there really is no evidence that she participated in any negotiations that led to the Good Friday Accords.“

Dick Morris has also refuted Clinton’s claims, pointing out that Clinton makes no mention of her heavy involvement in the Irish peace process in her memoir Living History.

I’m sensing a pattern on Hillary Clinton’s part to pad her record to reinforce her assertion she’s more qualified to lead than Barack Obama, and while she may categorize it as “misspeaking,” I’ll call it what it is - blatant lying.

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Happy Easter everyone!

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The fallout from a wholly misleading and some say racist television ad by Michael Gableman continues, as one of the District Attorneys who endorsed Gableman’s campaign has withdrawn that endorsement. Read the letter:

I am rescinding my endorsement of Judge Michael Gableman for Wisconsin Supreme Court. I endorsed him because he had been a district attorney and I believed he would bring an understanding of law enforcement to the Supreme Court. However, a recent television ad released by him makes me believe that Michael Gableman is unfit for the Supreme Court.

Gableman’s ad states that Louis Butler “worked to put criminals on the street,” and then brings up a case involving Reuben Lee Mitchell and states, “Butler found a loophole and then Mitchell went on to molest another child.”

First, this ad doesn’t tell you that Justice Butler’s involvement with the Reuben Lee Mitchell case was when Butler worked as an appellate attorney for the state public defender and not as a judge or justice. Butler was fulfilling his ethical duty as Mitchell’s appellate defense attorney. He had nothing to do with this case as a judge or justice.

Second, Gableman’s ad is inaccurate. Mitchell served his entire prison sentence. Butler’s legal argument was deemed correct by the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. However, Mitchell was not given a new trial. Mitchell’s later conviction had nothing to do with Butler.

Third, in the United States of America, defendants have the constitutional right to an effective defense attorney under the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution — one of our most fundamental constitutional rights. The accuracy of our criminal justice system to separate the guilty from the falsely accused is greatly reduced without competent defense counsel. Gableman’s ad mocks this fundamental constitutional right which protects us all.

As a prosecutor, I firmly believe in convicting and properly punishing criminals, but I also understand that I have a duty to be certain that a defendant is actually guilty. A competent criminal defense attorney helps me be accurate.

I am troubled that a candidate for our highest court would belittle our constitutional right to counsel which enhances the accuracy of the criminal justice system. I am equally troubled by Gableman’s cavalier disregard for accuracy in his representations to the public through this ad. The integrity of the criminal justice system should not be allowed to be tarnished by one man’s ambitious desire for higher office. Judge Gableman will not be receiving my vote for Supreme Court justice in April.

Steven G. Bauer
District Attorney
Dodge County

DA Bauer should be commended for standing up for what he believes in and making it clear he respects the adversarial nature of our country’s legal system. Whether liberal or conservative, we should all respect the adversarial nature of our legal system as being absolutely vital to ensuring anyone accused of a crime receives good representation and a fair trail, because we all deserve to have our rights protected when we’re accused of a crime.

If you’d like to read more on Michael Gableman and his campaign shenanigans, check out our archive.

H/T to illusory tenant.

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All Politics posted an entry earlier tonight highlighting the differences between Lena Taylor and Scott Walker as election day draws closer. What I found most interesting was this particular blurb:

Taylor also criticizes Walker over escapes and walk-aways from the work-release center. Walker puts the blame on judges, saying greater care was needed in who is sentenced there.

I find that particular blurb to be most interesting because it really highlights Scott Walker’s management style: when something goes wrong, blame someone else. Scott Walker’s assertion that judges - and not he as the County Executive - are to blame for poor management and security procedures at the Community Correctional Center is absolutely ludicrous.

What’s more, Walker has provided further proof that his hypocrisy and willingness to lie knows no limits, as evidenced by this ad:

Sure, it’s a mildly amusing take on the ever-popular Apple ads, but what I found most amusing about the ad is Walker’s assertion that he’s diverted money from parks and transit in order to enhance public safety - an assertion that flies in the face of the cold hard reality of things in Milwaukee County. After all, if Scott Walker’s been putting so much money into public safety, how does he explain multiple escapes from county facilities, one of which ended in a murder?

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