7 thoughts on “Sunday open thread: the John Doe edition

  1. In next steps, I’m hoping that there is a call for public hearings on what was revealed and a call for Milwaukee County to be reimbursed by the cash-rich Walker campaign for being robbed of honest services. Milwaukee’s electeds are obligated now to call for justice and our poor county to be made whole.

  2. I keep thinking – can Walker still be seriously thinking he can run for President?

    Or is it that there’s a business model of how you make money running for President (think Huckabee, Gingrich, Romney(?)) that makes that enterprise lucrative even in the face of certain failure? God knows there’s probably tax credits to be got for it.

    It’s not the Koch Brother money that bothers me – let them burn it for all I care, though there is better use for it. It’s the hucksterism where Walker gets contributions from people who need every penny that makes this all stink.

  3. I spent the end of the week looking for leftwing radio shows online. Living in Milwaukee leaves very little choice. I especially enjoyed “The Devil’s Advocate” and Sly’s Office. I also posted on C.Sykes fb page, where they tried to change the subject. I was probably impacted most by the comments made about our mental health complex. Even though they were shocking, I was not surprised in the least. That fact to me is incredibly shocking. I am never shocked by Scott Walker and the people who support him.

  4. I want to know the new rule, as defined by Walker & Co. and their supporters. Are all elected officials allowed to use their staff to run their campaigns? Can they ask, and can employees refuse, or is it a required job duty? How will this be described in the employee handbook? Does this right extend to political appointees running their own campaigns, too?

  5. I think if the emails are going to have any impact we should focus solely on those that point to criminal behavior. Kelly Rindfleisch used the ” C ” word, but so did Anthony Weiner’s campaign manager, along with ” slutbag” and ” twat “.

    With the volume of material being scrutinized it’s very possible that the truly damning emails will get lost in the midst of the simply unsavory ones. The public can only handle so much. Let’s stick to those emails that build the case that Walker is a criminal. If Chisholm won’t charge Walker maybe we can convict him in the court of public opinion.

  6. The Guardian did a nice job yesterday detailing the racist emails:

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/21/republican-scott-walker-potential-fallout-leaked-emails

    Even Fox News is jumping off the Walker bandwagon this morning.

    Nationally he can’t recover not least because he provided Cruz, Rubio, Bush, and Paul with the means to take him out, so check that box.

    Now let’s get the job done here. While Democrats can and should push this, why are Republicans ceding the moral and ethical high ground? The issue ads will be merciless once the election season really gets moving. They should be cutting their losses, demanding Walker’s resignation and vetting new candidates.

  7. Excellent discussion, thanks to all.

    IMHO Ms. Burke (and anyone else who wants to run in the Dem primary for Governor) and all other Wisconsin Democrats should be very seriously considering using the “i” word, “impeachment.” Impeachment is not a decision about guilt. It’s an investigative process which (not an expert on Wisconsin law) should be taking place in the Assembly. AFAIK, if the Assembly votes to impeach, the Senate votes on whether the Governor is guilty of the impeachment charges. Those are the kinds of talking points that sell newspapers and imho Dems need to start employing them. More importantly, however, it’s the job of the legislative branch to provide oversight on the Executive. As always, there’s a possible downside. Republican allies of Walker in the Assembly could use an impeachment to queer the current investigations. It could also give Walker a better excuse to dodge questions. I think it’s worth the risk, I don’t think the GOP Assembly would do it this close to November. If you’re buying that, it’s a smart move for Dems.

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