Tuesday we collectively turn in our signatures guaranteeing the recall of Governor Scott Walker and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch. The official number of signatures needed is 540,208. I have heard rumblings of turning in a number far beyond this. The Blood, sweat and tears of thousnds of Wisconsinites who went door to door, stood on corners, collected 2 signatures or 200 will all be culminated when the thousands of pages of petitions are turned in. That is when stage two begins.
Stage Two will consist of two phases. The first part will be deciding who will run against Scott Walker in the recall election. There are many different possibilities (I agree with Heather and want Russ Feingold to run). The Second part is much more complicated. This is where the republican party(they will mistakenly be called the Tea Party). How do we know that they are one in the same? Thats simple, the tea party really does not exist anymore.
Their goal will be to delay, muck up, intimidate, slow down, stop, change, reduce or anything they can to taint the recall process. For these immensely mislabeled “fiscal conservatives” will have no qualms about spending taxpayer money. They also have no problems creating a bigger, more intrusive, less private government by forcing the GAB(to not only spend $100,000 of taxpayer money to set up a database), but put every citizen of Wisconsin, who exercised their rights within our State’s Constitution to sign a recall petition, name and address online.
You might say, and you will hear, whats wrong with that, we need to weed out fraud and keep things transparent. I am one of the biggest advocates for transparency in government that you will find, but this is a special circumstance so lets break it down a little.
First off, There was massive documented fraud in the last round of recall elections perpetrated by republicans, and yet that was met with deafening silence at the time. It is nice to know that they finally realize the error of their ways!
Secondly and most important is the desperation. As we have chronicled too many times to count, there has been too much violence from the right and attempts to intimidate those gathering signatures. How are they going to react when they know that the recall is inevitable?
National Right Wing Extreme Astro turf organizations are moving in:
Tea Partyright wing groups in Wisconsin and around the country have recruited nearly 10,000 volunteers from 49 states to scrutinize the signatures and verify that people who signed petitions are indeed who they say they are.On top of that, the nationally known Tea Party Express is offering its support of the Republican governor and is actively raising funds to defend Walker in a recall. The group is sending regular emails its supporters, imploring them to make donations
(yes I also thought scott Walker was against out of state influence – I guess not so much.)
Anchoring the efforts in Wisconsin are the Wisconsin Grandsons of Liberty and We The People of the Republic (WPR). The two groups combined forces and launched VerifyTheRecall.com to recruit volunteers to vet the more than 540,000 signatures that are expected to be filed with the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board on Tuesday.
Of course, These are the groups(with Reince Priebus) that planned on voter caging in the last election to keep minorities from voting.
Even more troubling than a group “verifying the vote” who wants only white upper middle class people voting, is the hard core scott walker supporters who are wisconsinites. As politiscoop recently focused on one of the leaders, and found out he was a member of the right wing militia(which the Bush Administration classified as domestic terrorists).
Brey recently showed his character with a recent facebook posting:
i saw some recall scumm going door to door here in Beaver Dam. I SOOOO hope they knock on my door.
as if that was not enough he had to really show pure class in the thread:
P T: I think the song is: Somebodys’ knocking should I let em in? Lord, it’s the devil, would you look at him? and then chic chic BANG.
January 8 at 1:57pm · 2MKG: They will not knock here, I already called them and told them my entire rental property is off limits, no solicitation of any kind is allowed. I am openly armed and it is private property. So come at your own risk.
January 8 at 1:57pm · 3Brey: Well we DO have castle doctrine in this state now…
January 8 at 1:57pm · 3
Boy nothing is funnier than threatening to shoot innocent Wisconsinites – Right Kevin? These are the people that your republican party have not only armed and unleashed on the citizens of Wisconsin, but they fought hard to allow them online access to your name and address. While I believe that the vast majority are good Wisconsin citizens who just want the best for our state but are incredibly misinformed, it is a fact that some just are not. How many acts of violence are acceptable? How many have the republican party planned on? Where do we draw the line and how do we stop it once it has started? These are all questions that the republican party must answer and know that they are responsible when these actions happen!
To wrap it all up, the republicans want to spend taxpayer money, and put everyone who has signed the recall petitions, name and address online for all to see. Then they are going to sic their insane group of followers on those who did.
These people are NOT to be messed with, if any of them come to your house, or harass you in ANYWAY call the police. Do not answer calls from them and lock the doors to your house. Do Not engage with them. Scott Walker and the rest of the republican party will not step up and denounce these thugs’ so its up to us to protect ourselves.
Finally in case you think I am just being hyperbolic, check out what the GAB thinks of "tea party"!
The board did not disclose where recall petitions would be reviewed, but Kennedy said the process would take place at a “state-owned building in Madison.” He said GAB staff members still were preparing the location, which will be disclosed next week. The building is surrounded by surveillance cameras and security gates topped with barbed wire, and police officers will be there when GAB staffers are on-site, Kennedy said.
Yes they need to keep them under heavy guard because you never known what the “tea party” is up too!
I also dont want to have too heavy of a post, so I will leave you with one of the funniest lines I have read!
“We want to make sure the people of Wisconsin are the ones who have the choice, and that it’s not left to fraudulent practices. When that happened there was public outcry for someone to do something,” said WPR founder Ross Brown. “We want to emphasize that our efforts are independent, and being done in a nonpartisan way.”
Yes that line cracked me up also!!!
Stay safe and on to the election!
Well let us see. You are fussing about $100,000 when the recall will cost upwards of $10 million…hmmm….
You are quoting one right wing extremist who has threatened violence while ignoring the death threats on your own recall Facebook page…hmmm…
Yes harsh words have been spoken to recall petitioners which was wrong but have you heard of people removing recall walker signs and vandalism? No? Have you heard of people removing supportive walker signs and vandalism if those signs? I have had 3 removed or destroyed in front of my own home! Hmmm…
You don’t even have a candidate to run against walker in the election. Russ has already said on numerous occasions that he has no desire to run and yet you still beg him. This state is in turmoil from both sides.
It is said. No matter what happens it will be sad for half of the population. I just hope after this recall is over we get back to normal whether it is with walker at the helm or not.
Joe, Since you are always so quick to answer – i wanted to make sure and address your points.
* Yes the recall has been estimated to cost about $9 million dollars. Just for comparison, it is actually less than the cost of implementing voter ID bill. IT is unfortunate events that could have been avoided have put us in this spot.
* I do not know what death threats “my own facebook page” your referring to. Please point them out to us.
* I have heard of people removing and vandalizing walker support signs, and I am sure your aware but Zach recently posted a condemnation of whoever did it(there is no proof who did it is on one side or the other). IT RIDICULOUS whoever is doing it.
*PS: i have lost my Recall Walker sign twice but it was the wind and both times someone returned it to my yard.
* There will be a candidate to run against walker, but the recall was not about anyone else but walker so there was no need for anyone to step up and run. I have a feeling by the end of the week there will be.
* I agree th state is in turmoil, the election will be close and its a mess now. HOWEVER that is all the more reason to recall and kick out scott walker. Remember the Koch call? where he said he never compromises and he would love to pretend to to get the democrats back in the state and they could vote his bills in behind their back? hardly the words of someone who wants to repair the divide.
*finally the GIST of my post is that the supposed small government republicans fought hard to get THE GOVERNMENT to put an online database of names and addresses of people who signed this petition. They then angered (and armed) their masses with BS reports of Hitler and fraud and all kinds of BS> If there is any violence or intimidation by anyone on the right towards someone who exercised their right to sign a form – they own that. Vos, Fitzgerald, Walker, etc.. will not be able to wash thier hands of it and pretend they are surprised.
The Republicans want the government in everyone’s business. They want intrusion into the lives of recall petition signers even more than they want government intrusion into women’s wombs.
Yes, it is said: “This is what democracy looks like” many times with gusto.
Every Tea Bagger I have met is a blowhard and a chickensh*t suffering from some form of small-man syndrome. That said, if any of these mouth-breathers come to my house I will let them converse with my dogs. My boys aren’t much for small talk when defending the cave.
Whats the matter little man can’t back up all of your talk need to use your dogs. Thpycal talk biug and then run and hide, punk. trust me I am not a chickenshit and I would not fear your dogs and especially a little runt like you.
Okay, I’ve had enough of the internet tough guy talk.
Odd how you did not say anything when it was ahte message directed at Tea Party but when one of your own gets put in his place you then get all uppity. Very sad Zach.
Who said my message was directed solely at you?
I don’t recall calling you out specifically by name.
You know what they say about assumptions….they make an ass out of you.
I don’t get it, Jeff wants to complain about the extra $100k in waste, but ignore the millions in waste this and previous recalls have cost. He lambasts the teaparty for their efforts “to delay, muck up, intimidate, slow down, stop, change, reduce or anything they can to taint the recall process” which looks eerily similar to what the protestors in Madison were doing during the budget debate.
I agree there was massive documented vote fraud which makes me support voter ID, yet Jeff does not.
Seems to me that Jeff is a mirror image of those he criticizes, ok with everything that is wrong, as long as it is being done by those that he supports. I would call that chickens**t!
Harlan, the recalls aren’t waste – their our Constitutional right.
Inconvenient as that may be for supporters of Scott Walker and his extremist agenda, it’s our right.
I think it should be noted that it’s a constitutional right hundreds of thousands of Wisconsities have signed on the dotted line for. Why does Harlan hate Democracy. . . that’s the pertinent question here.
Harlan, – welcome to BB and thanks for commenting. Allow me to answer your points.
* I personally do not think that recalls are “waste” as they are written into the constitution and are a valuable part of democracy. However if you must blame someone blame the targets of the recall as they were the ones who governed so badlay as to fire up the masses to ignite a recall.
* What the Protestors did in Madison was go to the Capitol (which they own) and attempt to address their elected officials. Hugely different from what the republican party is doing with the recall petitions, not even in the same area code.
* You agree there was massive documented vote fraud? who do you agree with? Scott Fitzgerald? What Isaid was there was massive fraud(well documented here) with the republicans attempts to recall the two democrats. There was no actual massive vote fraud. never has been never will be.
* Here at BB we have been very consistent in criticizing all that is wrong with the whole political process on both sides.
Jeff,
Spin it in any direction you’d like, the entire system is rife with fraud, hypocrisy, deception and waste. Both sides are guilty of all of the above, the difference is that I am against it in all forms, you support it when it justifies your cause.
I doubt I will ever visit again, as I had hoped to find , as you put it “very consistent in criticizing all that is wrong with the whole political process on both sides.”
Unfortunately, to my dismay this appears to be nothing more than name calling hypocrisy at its best.
Now that I am slipping, i will go before falling completely into it.
Harlan, please provide any documentation you have of widespread voter fraud in the state of Wisconsin…any at all!
Jeff, Your concerns of of delays, and court challenges is well deserved comeuppance, I seem to recall 14 State senators “fleeing” to Illinois to delay and obstruct the jobs they were elected to perform. I recall a certain Judge Sumi who went out of her way to ensure a legal delay of implementation, of Act 10. I recall a certain Secretary of State refusing to sign the implementation of the law. I recall the assorted Unions around the State taking advantage of the delay tactics and ramming thru contracts that are costing the taxpayers millions of dollars for another 2 years. The 100,000 software should have been used in the first round of recalls. At least now the State will be ready to use this software to ensure recall integrity. It can also be used to verify signatures of registrars on the ballot. Too bad the GAB is gonna hide behind closed doors. They should scan every document today, and let the process be open to the eyes of every Wisconsinitte..and show how many Dems were willing to cheat and falsify documents. BTW is there enough signatures to recall Rebecca Kleefish??? I hear they are short.. hmmm. Dems blaming Repubs for game playing….. Now that is hilarious!
UP let me answer your points.
* The 14 Senators left so everyone could be heard. Thousands descended upon the Capitol to testify on this bill. Robin Vos cut off debate: i believe his line was “we arent going to talk this bill to death” despite the fact there were hundreds to thousands of people left who wanted to speak up on it. I get that nothing anyone could say would have changed their mind because they had their orders, but what are they there for but to listen to constituents. As an added bonus we were able to find out EXACTLY what was in the bill that they did not want us to find out! What the Senators did was very democratic!
Secretary of State LaFollette was going to publish it when he was supposed to publish it, and Judge Sumi completely upheld the law – check out http://www.illusorytenant.blogspot.com as IT was doing great work documenting this perfectly!
* the contracts the unions tried to pass, included millions in pay cuts and were for the prior 18 months. Scott walker had nothing to do with them and shame on Jeff Plale for selling his vote.
* I will give you credit for this, I respect anyone who would say that this should have been used for the first round of recalls, as you are the first of our right wing friends I have heard say this. Being consistent i respect this point.
* As the post says, I agree that every WISCONSINITE should have access to the petitions if they want. As long as they physically go to a certain place” local county hall maybe and view them there. I absolutely disagree with the internet accesss.
* finally i am guessing there will be enough signatures for rebeccaforreal to recall her and her minivan
It was easy standing in front of liquor stores and lottery outlet places to collect signitures but now the entitlement recall people are going to have to find a way to motivate those people to go out and vote, IF there are enough legitimate names on the recall. I know I am going to be going through my allocation of names with a fine tooth comb and will also be going through as many as possibe looking for family, friends and neighbors and will be contacting each one of them to make sure they actually signed it. With the amount of fraud expected by the unionistas who collected the names getting the actually number will be very difficult for them
Once in a while it’s okay to turn off Fox News.