At the suggestion of a commenter, I’d like to follow up on an entry I wrote yesterday noting the thousands upon thousands of dollars incumbent State Sen. Jeff Plale (“D” – South Milwaukee) has received from his good friends in the cable TV and power & energy industries. While yesterday’s entry was rather long and detailed, today’s is short and sweet.
Here’s a breakdown of the conduit contributions received by both Sen. Plale and his opponent, Milwaukee County Supervisor Chris Larson:
| The conduit money train | |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Conduit Contributions |
| Chris Larson | $9,278 |
| Jeff Plale | $22,845 |
It’s also worth noting that not one of the conduit contributions Chris Larson received came from anyone associated with the power & energy or cable TV industries, while Sen Plale…..well, let’s just say he received more than a few conduit contributions from folks associated with those industries.
So we only care about certain conduits?
Looks like Larson’s got the bloggers support in that haaas, greg k, xoff just to name a few.
also the union leaders are clearly with Larson….
But there not evil right? So thats OK?
Oh….and look Candace Owley did show up as had been mentioned earlier!
I think it’s safe to say that having the support of a few bloggers is not the same as taking tens of thousands of dollars from utilities and telecommunications companies, among others, letting them help write the bills you introduce, and voting for their interests even when it is not in the public’s interest. That’s why people are fed up with Plale. He has sold us out. (And, yes, I live in his district).
Cmon Bill
Lobbyists writing bills?
This has never been done before?
You, most of all, know much much better!
So Shep, how is the support of some bloggers via a small-dollar conduit donation the same as a big-dollar conduit donation from a high-ranking executive with Wisconsin Electric?
Upon Further Review…… 2 more items stick out.
Larson Has The Black Support….as in Spencer Black giving a whopping $1000. Not from his campaign, but a personal donation.Guess he still,like others here, holds Plale responsible for the demise of his Clean Energy bill even though Black couldn’t even get it a vote in the Assembly?
Also noticed that Zach had earlier questioned why the Dem Party Hierachy was against Larson running in this race.
That seems to not hold true since a Peter Rickman is doing Press Releases for Larson.
There is also a Peter Rickman as the contact Person For Dana Schulz fundraiser invite i got yesterday in Madison?
Dana is the Dem Establishment candidate in the 87th?
are there 2 Peter Rickman’s ??
Are both Dem operatives?
i think not.
So clearly Larson is using this anti establishment
as a campaign issue while in reality, he’s using the same party infrastructure that Plale is using!
Shep, does Peter Rickman draw a paycheck from the DPW? According to what I’ve been able to find, he doesn’t. What’s more, if you bothered to actually read the press release you’re referring to, you’d know that Rickman isn’t “doing press releases for Larson;” he issued the press release announcing the endorsement of Larson by the TAA PAC, which Rickman happens to be the chair of.
As for your assertion that Larson’s using the same party infrastructure as Sen. Plale, I know for a fact that the DPW has not made their voter database available to Chris Larson, as they have to other Democratic candidates.
Any more grand conspiracy theories you’d like me to completely and utterly destroy and debunk?
No, I don’t draw a paycheck from the DPW. I’m the elected chair of the Democratic Party of the 2nd Congressional District. There’s a big difference between someone being elected by the rank-and-file members of one congressional district and being part of the machinery of the broader party apparatus.
And you are correct that I did help organize a fundraiser for Dana Schultz in Madison. And yet again, no, I don’t get a paycheck for that either. Actually, I do a lot of stuff because I care a lot about progressive politics — and Democrats. You’ll note that it was Progressives for Dana Schultz, not Corporate Lobbyists for Dana Schultz.
To be unable to draw a distinction between real operatives and rank-and-file activists who are involved in politics for the love of it is to either relish in ignorance or disingenuousness. Or it could just be plain old confusion. I’m always up for giving people the benefit of the doubt.
Finally, yes, the political action committee of my union local, in which I’m a rank-and-file activist, endorsed Chris Larson. We endorsed Chris because he’s a progressive champion for working people, not carrying water for corporate lobbyists. And this isn’t some goo-goo, good government, process-oriented stuff — we back strong progressives who are pro-labor and pro-education — this is about sticking with corporate lobbyists and sticking it to working folks, something that has happened too often by Democrats. Our party can’t forget our base, and who we are. We’re supposed to be the party of working people, not corporate lobbyists.
So while some folks can argue about process stuff or whether or not corporations should have speech freedoms that natural persons do (they shouldn’t), I care about what policies members of our party push. And this is where the real distinction gets drawn. And guess what — that’s the thing I kept hearing on the doors talking to working class Democrats up and down Cudahy and South Milwaukee this weekend.
Quite the expose. Hold page one!
Of Course it’s only worthy news to you when it fits your agenda.
wow
somebody hit some nerves!
just a note… that conduit seems to be ActBlue, the online progressive site for small-dollar credit card donations… so, actually, these are small donations from activists, mostly in-district as far as I can tell
Yeah, it appears that you’re correct. ActBlue does appear to be the conduit.
I just checked on Jeff Plale’s website and he uses ActBlue as well. Some of his conduit donations are probably from them as well.
What, no headlines touting Plale’s strong numbers and momentum?!
If there’s polling showing Sen. Plale has “strong numbers,” I haven’t seen it.
Who said anything about polling numbers? I am referring to his strong fundraising numbers, which apparently is bad here but not when you say it here: http://bloggingblue.com/2010/07/22/dems-outraise-republicans-who-really-has-momentum/
Wait… Rickman, Spencer Black an TAA are all from Madison last I checked. I’m pretty sure Madison isn’t in the 7th senate district…
So it’s bad when Plale takes money for his campaign from people out of district, but when Larson does it it’s just a bunch of progressives helping David beat Goliath.
Talk about hypocrisy.
The difference is that we’re supporting Chris because we want him there to fight for real people — you know, what the Democratic party is supposed to be all about — as opposed to the executives and managers who support Plale’s desire to rent out government policy-making for the benefit of private corporations.
I took some time to do some thinking and research this weekend, which I think is timely given Mr. Rickman’s comments about his response at doors on the south side this weekend…
Like most things in politics, the spin on fundraising in never black or white. In painting this awful picture of Plale, you’ve failed to acknowledge the pages of $10, $15, and $50 donations from people in Plale’s district. These people are forking over $10, because they support him. And yes…..most of them are loyal Democrats. They’re not part of the awful conspiracy that you portray.
You also don’t get very specific about Larson’s report. Here is one stat that struck a chord with me. While Larson touts himself as the grassroots, man of the people candidate, he raised a total of $129 dollars from Cudahy, St. Francis, South Milwaukee and Oak Creek combined. $129 dollars from two thirds of the district he seeks to represent. Only $129, yet he managed to raise $24,000. Where is the rest of his money coming from?
Quick question: How many $10 contributions does it take to add up to equal the thousands of dollars in conduit contributions and the checks that came from Jim Haney and Jim Buchen at Wisconsin Manufacturer’s & Commerce? What’s a Democrat doing taking Big Business/Chamber money anyhow? I can’t imagine that’s the kind of Democrat folks on the South Side want — and that’s certainly what I’ve heard knocking on those doors.
Mr. Rickman – thanks for making my point. The people in the 7th senate district are supporting Plale with their donations. If you had ever spent more than a weekend south of the interstate in Milwaukee, St. Francis, Cudahy and Oak Creek you’d know these aren’t a bunch of liberals. They sent Mark Honadel to the state assembly for Pete’s sake!!!
Jeff Plale is a productive, thoughtful legislator who i think just so happens to have the most politically diverse senate district in the state. The fact is Plale can raise money and get votes from blue collar folks (you know who blue collar folks are right – they work a Ladish and Bucyrus and a handful of other manufacturing businesses).
Larson has only raised $129 from two thirds of the district yet you say he’s got a ton of support?? I think the nice folks of the seventh were jus being polite to you this past weekend.
I certainly don’t need to be lectured about who working class or blue collar people are. Make sure you know who are attacking on the internets before you do it — otherwise you’re liable to look the fool.
And this is far from the first time I’ve ever spent on the South Side or on the South Shore.
You’re thinking about the politics of working class folks through the lens of conventional wisdom. That’s a surefire way to miss the point completely. Working class folks are downright progressive on socioeconomic issues (some call it populism) — and they just hate when politicians are out there for corporate interests instead of fighting for working people. It’s the corporate conservative approach that has created crappy policies that send jobs overseas through unfair trade deals and keep the tax burden off of anyone with wealth and power (and on working class folks). The progressive approach to policy is the working class approach to policy.
Sort of ironic that the crappiness of labor markets for working class people is so intense because of the policies favored by the Plales of the world, advantaging corporate interests; and the jobs that should be at Allen-Bradley (I can’t call it Rockwell after all these years) or at the old Delphi plant in Oak Creek are gone because of right-wing economics that advantage corporate interests. So if this election is about anything, it’s about whether or not a candidate is carrying water for corporate interests and their lobbyists, or fighting for working folks. The question every voter and activist should ask of politicians is “Which side are you on?”
Also, sidenote: No, the people of the South Side and the South Shore have sent Chris Sinicki to the Assembly, and Mark Honadel has won in the past not simply for ideological reasons.
Mr Rickman –
I mean no offense, but if you think Chris Sinicki is bleeding heart liberal and that Mark Honadel won because of his good looks or boyish charm you’re sorely mistaken. The southern 2/3 of that district is working class, blue collar democrat if not slightly republican leaning. Socioeconomics is not the only driving factor – you need to also look at the issues of health care, education, transportation (not just bus routes), and social justice no to mention voter demographics and election trends.
Just because you think these people should all be huge liberals doesn’t make it so. Don’t get me wrong, I wish they all were- but that’s a fantasy. And if there’s something I know about folks in the 7th senate district is that they don’t want a senator who’s taking orders from people in Madison.
Furthermore, when one actually looks at Plale’s record you will see he’s voted to expand gay rights and domestic partner benefits in the budget, supported expanding access to health care, was opposed to the gay marriage ban, an helped create jobs through supporting programs and grants to large and small businesses and nonprofit orgs. He’s put people to work building new facilities at UWM and Marquette as well as MSOE.
And the fact is Plale is beating Larson at raising money. If you don’t think that is significant right now In this economy I would argue that you’ve missed the point. This time of year people vote with their pocketbooks and overwhelmingly they are voting for Plale on the south side of the interstate.
As to your point about right wing corporate interests driving jobs and asking people who their elected officials stand with, look at the endorsement list – it’s got a lot of labor on it as well as local elected officials:
The Wisconsin Laborers Distric Council
The Professional Fire Fighters
Milwaukee County DA John Chisholm
The United Transportation Union
The Steamfitters
The Wisconsin Pipe Trades
Operating Engineers
WEAC
Chris Sinicki
Jon Richards
No, I definitely don’t think Sinicki is a bleeding heart liberal, as you put it. But ideological labels like “liberal” don’t mean what they are purported to mean in conventional wisdom. Working-class, blue-collar voters do have some degree of social conservatism, if you want to call it that — but they are still economic progressives, populist in their beliefs (I’m painting with a broad brush here, obviously). In that conceptualization, working-class voters most certainly will support a candidate who isn’t carrying water for Big Business and the corporations, not to mention to socioeconomic ideology, that have destroyed any semblance of security, opportunity and dignity for too many of us working class folks.
Honadel wins for other reasons, and a lot of it is the background of his family and himself in the district. The 21st certainly can be carried by a strong working class, populist progressive. It’s important not to ascribe to a group of voters their political profile based upon the partisan affiliations of the legislators who represent them.
As far as endorsements go, not all support is based upon programmatic considerations. Plale is for vouchers; WEAC is a sworn enemy of vouchers, yet they endorsed Plale. Might that have something to do with the dynamics of how the Senate operates? Same deal with the building trades. Legislator endorsements? That has more to do with personal relationships and unwritten rules than about testimonials on who will be the better representative, programmatically or otherwise.
A separate note: It’s not just about how someone votes — although I’m certain that Chris Larson will be a reliable progressive, Democratic vote. It’s also about who leads and champions what — or what gets a vote and what gets killed. Chris will be a champion for a progressive Democratic agenda that is focused on working folks, not on the desires of corporations and Big Business. This race is about what kind of leader folks in Milwaukee deserve and should have.
It’s a falsity to equate a few hundred dollars in contributions with the broad political aspirations of thousands of voters. The working folks I talk with every day don’t have money to put into elections right now — that’s because their disposable income and economic security have been ruined by terrible public policy. That’s exactly why we need more strong Democratic leaders like Chris Larson, so that working folks can get a fair shake and so that we can get our economy on track for working people.
Fundraising is simply a means to an end, really. Can you put on a viable campaign? Chris is proving his mettle here; and in doing his fundraising, Plale is showing where his allegiances will lay — with Big Business, corporations and their lobbyists, not working families.
Buster, over 50% of the money Chris Larson raised in contributions came from inside the district he wants to represent. That means roughly $12,000 was raised from contributions inside the district, while on the other hand Sen. Plale managed to raise just over half that amount – approximately $6,650 – from inside the district he currently represents.
By your logic, that means that Chris Larson should have twice as much support within the district than Sen. Plale does.
Is Jeff a Democrat?
Republican billionaires & alleged S. Milwaukee blue collar support VS. Democratic values
Mark Honadel & Plale should share the =R= ticket, with all the help Jeff ISN’T showing the Dem fighting against Honadel. Yes Jeff hails from “the most politically diverse senate district in the state,” but it just happens to vote solid-Dem at election time. Certainly, Jim Sullivan and other conservative Dems aren’t from as diverse of areas… oh wait; EXCEPT THEY’RE DIVERSE SWING DISTRICTS. The diversity of the huge Dem majority? What exactly are you talking about? Also most of the 180,000 people served in the District are from Milwaukee, not Cudahy, St. Francis, South Milwaukee or Oak Creek. So when you say 2/3 of the district, you refer to surface-area? Or voters represented?
Jeff didn’t “put people to work,” he earned the district pork any Repub or Dem senator would bring back home to the district. CORPORATIONS vote w/ $$$, I vote w/ a ballot. Plale takes orders from Madison, from lobbyists. Again, the orders from Madison on the Larson front are orders to foster a healthy environment and fight for small businesses and new jobs, not threatening the loss of the few manufacturing jobs left. What’s the add/loss of in-district or manufacturing jobs since Plale came in? Anyone? NET GAIN!??! Think not sir…
Jeff Supports:
-big-business, union-bashing, pollution supporting WMC
-concealed carry of hand-guns
-Pro-Life Wisconsin’s anti-choice agenda
-deregulation and tax-cuts for monopoly utilities
-right-wing, climate change denying viewpoints
Who are the real Friends of Jeff Plale?
-Jeff has raised less than 19% of his money in the neighborhoods he wants to represent, south ‘burbs or MKE
-Senator Plale hired (the infamous) Katy Venskus as chief-of-staff, after she let AT&T write a deregulation bill in Jeff’s office, she left to lobby for AT&T… the bill hurt consumers instead of the creating savings promised by the industry
-Disgraced Republican Scott Jensen, former Wisconsin Assembly Speaker, will join Republican billionaires from around the U.S. pouring money into this September race to fight for school vouchers & a for-profit take over of the Milwaukee Public School system
Former Republican leader to help Jeff Plale:
1) Pro-voucher forces to dump money into Senate race, according to Journal-Sentinel:
…the former Republican Assembly speaker is re-emerging in political circles even though his criminal case remains unresolved.
“He’s got his hand in a lot of stuff,” said one Madison lobbyist who talks with the Waukesha Republican.
Starting earlier this year, Jensen became a senior adviser for government affairs for the American Federation of Children, a newly formed national organization that advocates using tax dollars for school choice programs. The group is expected to be active in some Wisconsin political races, particularly the primary contest for Sen. Jeff Plale, a Milwaukee Democrat who supports the city’s voucher program…
…Sources in Madison have said Jensen is raising money for the choice group so it can help out Plale, a moderate being challenged in the Democratic primary by Milwaukee County Supervisor Chris Larson, a liberal.
“He is going to be doing the pro-Plale independent (expenditures) in the primary through the school choice vehicle,” said one well-connected politico. “That appears to be where the money is being directed.”
Since 2004, Plale has received more than $17,000 in donations from those tied to school choice organizations. He also had Katy Venskus as one of his legislative aides for several years. After leaving his staff, Venskus went to work for School Choice Wisconsin and, more recently, Education Reform Now Advocacy, which supports charter schools and the mayoral takeover of Milwaukee Public Schools.”
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/noquarter/99732794.html
2) Plale Takes Money from Global Warming-Denying Koch Company Lobbyist:
…And if you go back to Plale’s January 2010 report, you’ll find that he took $1,000 from Alice Walton and $1,000 each from Gregory Penner and Carrie Penner of Menlo Park, Calif., in November 2009. Alice is the heiress to the Wal-Mart fortune, and Gregory Penner is a general partner in “a private investment firm affiliated with Rob Walton and his family.” Rob Walton’s the chair of Wal-Mart.
Not exactly the kind of folks you’ll meet at a Grant Park fish fry, hey?
Wal-Mart, of course, loves to fund school voucher reform and meddle in MPS affairs. And Plale’s pro-voucher and supported the mayoral takeover of MPS so it all makes sense.
http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/blog-5641-plale-takes-money-from-global-warming-denying-koch-company-lobbyist.html
3) Notable out-of-state Republican supporters of Jeff Plale:
-Richard Devos, Republican Amway CEO, chose to max out $25,000 to R.N.C
-Richard Sharp, Republican CarMax CEO, gives max contribution of $25,000 to R.N.C.
-thousands of dollars from Walton family (heirs to Walmart fortune) to sponsor for-profit voucher schools
-AT&T is one of Jeff’s key supporters
link: http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Jeffrey_Plale
I think these people should all be huge liberals,
& my voter education will make it so,
CRAZY la la la la liberal
ps lefty’s and progressives from Madison are being portrayed as the bad guys on this blog… are we Democrats?