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20 Feb 2012 14:34

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Politics: Koch thinks Walker recall is all that’s standing between trade unions and Highlander status

  • If the unions win the recall, there will be no stopping union power.
  • Billionaire David Koch • Speaking about the Wisconsin recall efforts against Gov. Scott Walker. Koch made the comments during a recent speech after a benefit dinner, and were quickly backtracked by his spokeswoman, who clarified, “[Koch Industries thinks] the best workplace relationships are fostered when the employer works directly with its employees. It is a mischaracterization of our principles to say this means we oppose unions or want to dismantle all unions.” The Koch brothers find themselves under ever-increasing scrutiny for supporting political causes around the country, most notably the recall campaign of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. source
Posted by Scott Craft • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jan 2012 11:21

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Politics: Wisconsin: Scott Walker could face a recall very freaking soon, guys

  • 540,208 signatures gathered source
  • » That’s way more than enough, but … In a huge sign of support for the unions that suffered greatly at the hands of Scott Walker, over half a million signatures were gathered against the Wisconsin governor. The signatures, which will get submitted to the state’s Government Accountability Board today, could be enough to force a recall election against the governor just over a year into his term. However, it’s important to keep in mind that gubernatorial recall elections are rare, and have only succeeded twice in U.S. history. The most recent, though, was the 2003 recall of Gray Davis in California, so it’s certainly not unprecedented in the modern political climate for a governor to lose a recall election. But will there be an opponent formidable enough to defeat Scott? Maybe Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who lost against Walker in 2010 but knows a thing or two about coming back strong after getting his butt kicked.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Nov 2011 14:18

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Politics: WI Gov. Scott Walker says he didn’t cause recall effort

  • Walker to state: Who, me? As the recall push against Wisconsin’s Governor Scott Walker heats up, Walker has pushed back, denying he incited such action: “…we wouldn’t have to spend a penny of that if there weren’t recalls. This is not something we brought on.” To refresh the memory, Walker and the state GOP passed a law stripping union rights from public sector employees earlier this year. Despite the unions agreeing to accept Walker’s benefit cuts if he’d leave collective bargaining alone, Walker wanted the whole hog (he also admitted to a David Koch impersonator that he’d considered planting troublemakers at the Madison protests). source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Nov 2011 13:53

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Politics: Ohio referendum brings good, bad news for President Obama

  • good “Issue 2,” on which a yes vote meant approval of the Ohio state GOP’s stripping of public employees’ collective bargaining rights, was resounding defeated with 63% voting no. Gov. John Kasich’s chastened reply: “The people have spoken clearly.”
  • bad Ohioans also passed an amendment to their state constitution, saying they can’t be forced to buy health insurance. So while a union-backed Obama looks stronger now in Ohio, the health care mandate seems to irk voters in the critical swing-state. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Aug 2011 10:36

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U.S.: Wisconsin Democrats survive recalls unscathed; GOP still has majority

  • Maybe it shows that voters indicated they deserved more time to let their voice be heard on such an important piece of legislation.
  • Wisconsin State Sen. Jim Holperin • Discussing the reasons he felt he and fellow State Sen. Robert Wirch got to keep their seats last night after facing a recall over the controversial anti-union legislation that led to an earlier set of recalls that cost two Republicans their seats. The final tally? Republicans now have a 17-16 majority in the state senate — less than what Democrats wanted, but enough to make Republicans take notice. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jul 2011 11:01

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Politics: Scott Walker: Yeah, we made mistakes on handling that union thing

  • The mistake I made early on is, I looked at it almost like the head of a small business: identify a problem, identify a solution and go out and do it. I don’t think we built enough of a political case, so we let … the national organizations come in and define the debate while we were busy just getting the job done.
  • Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker • Discussing, during the National Governor’s Association meeting in Salt Lake City, the whole anti-union saga that has engulfed his state for a good four or five months now. Walker has faced tons of criticism from the left over the law, which passed in a sneaky behind-the-back way at the end of a lengthy holdout by numerous Democrats in the state senate — and was later upheld in court after a proxy battle over a judge’s election favored Walker’s law. Many Republicans who voted for the measure face a recall vote in August, and Walker could face one of his own in 2012. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jun 2011 10:25

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Politics: Scott Walker: We always knew we could ignore open meetings law

  • I think it was something that we just believed that the legislature has always had the ability to do no matter if it was Democrats or Republicans in charge.
  • Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker • Reacting to the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision (read it here) allowing Walker’s collective bargaining bill to go through because the state’s opening meetings law doesn’t apply to legislators. What did they have the ability to do, Scott, ignore the spirit of the law by holding a vote with two hours notice, because they felt it didn’t cover them, and wait for the state Supreme Court to prove them right? As you might guess, Democrats aren’t exactly thrilled by this decision. Not only the decision itself, but the fact that a law designed to prevent things like this essentially doesn’t apply to legislators, and now the Democrats will have to rewrite the state constitution to put that protection back in. Republicans on the other hand, are thrilled. This situation is a total mess, no matter what way you look at it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

09 Apr 2011 17:11

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U.S.: What’s next in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election dramarama?

  • state Despite the much-wider difference in vote count after Waukesha County’s tally suddenly jumped, it’s still close enough that a statewide recount could take place.
  • county Another option, which would cost JoAnne Kloppenburg money, would be a recount in Waukesha County alone. Incumbent Justice David Prosser is open to this.
  • federal And some, including U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, want Attorney General Eric Holder to scrutinize Waukesha County’s results. Which would be fun. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Apr 2011 09:42

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World: Hotly-contested Wisconsin judicial election faces recount

  • vote A vote for a State Supreme Court seat between incumbent David Prosser and Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg ended with fewer than 600 votes separating Prosser and the progressive Kloppenburg.
  • importance The vote is a key one — and a proxy battle — for Scott Walker, whose contentious anti-collective-bargaining act will likely face the State Supreme Court. The court currently favors conservatives to liberals, 4 to 3. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Mar 2011 20:25

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U.S.: Wisconsin: Judge blocks collective bargaining law once again

  • then Wisconsin-based Judge Maryann Sumi ruled a couple of weeks ago that the just-passed anti-collective bargaining law couldn’t be implemented for procedural reasons. Scott Walker continued to implement it anyway.
  • now Judge Maryann Sumi has ruled again, saying that Secretary of State Doug La Follette can’t do anything to allow the law to take effect. Walker’s folks tried to get around him. With the latest order, they pretty much failed. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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