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28 Feb 2011 14:45

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Politics: WI Gov. Scott Walker tries to exert political pressure on state Democrats

  • 24 hour ultimatum from Gov. Scott Walker to MIA WI Democrats source
  • » He will not be swayed: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s attempt to strip the public employee union’s collective bargaining rights got much rougher after he was hung out to dry by Ian Murphy, a blogger who prank called him pretending to be billionaire conservative contributor David Koch. In that call, Walker explained his scheme to get the vote through; to lure Democrats back with a promise of negotiation, only to use procedural rules to then force a vote regardless of whether they participated. Having thus illustrated he has no interest in good faith negotiation, Walker has moved to plan B, political pressure. Walker announced that if the Democrats don’t return to the State Capitol, Wisconsin will miss its chance to refinance it’s debt, which would cost taxpayers $160 million. As it always bears mentioning, the public employee unions have broadly agreed to compromise on Walker’s proposed changes, if he only won’t strip their very right to collective bargaining. Walker says no dice.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Feb 2011 10:46

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Politics: It gets worse: Scott Walker, GOP in position to turn Wisconsin red

  • This is a multi-front assault aimed at putting Republicans in a commanding position, and it will come as close as you can come to turning Wisconsin into a Republican state. And this is not a red state or a blue state; it’s a purple state.
  • Wisconsin Democracy Campaign executive director Mike McCabe • Suggesting that Wisconsin’s GOP is attempting to use its position to reorganize the state’s political structure to make it a red state. (In case you’re wondering, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign is a nonpartisan group not affiliated with another party.) And beyond the collective bargaining thing, Walker’s law is designed to cut union funding from the source – blocking unions from grabbing the money directly from paychecks, and then forcing people to vote on the union’s very existence each year. (People would also not be required to join a union, which is probably a good part of the bill.) Oh, and it gets worse – the GOP is in a position to redraw Congressional district lines as they see fit, and to force people to show IDs at the voting booth – both techniques used to hurt Democrats. Look, the union mess is one thing, but do you guys see what voters dragged into Wisconsin? That tinge you feel? Regret. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

26 Feb 2011 22:36

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U.S.: Wisconsin: Pro-union protesters party hard today, but drama’s afoot

  • today Madison hosted its largest pro-union protest today since they started nearly two weeks ago – and the largest protest in Wisconsin since the Vietnam War.
  • tomorrow Scott Walker has had enough of this freedom and democracy stuff, apparently, as Capitol Police plan to kick protesters out of the building at 5 p.m. Sunday. source
  • » Oh, and Josh Lyman was there: Bradley Whitford, a graduate of Madison East High School best known for his time on “The West Wing,” had some pretty endearing words for the protesters as he spoke to the crowd. “You wouldn’t believe the impact this is having across the country. … Wisconsin is a stubborn constituency. We fish through ice!”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Feb 2011 16:33

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Politics: Here’s the extent of the GOP’s compromising in Wisconsin

  • deal One Republican state senator, Dale Schultz, made a plan that would force even deeper cuts on the unions, but, in a concession, would allow them to keep their collective bargaining rights.
  • no deal Unfortunately, Schultz never submitted this proposal because every other Republican – along with Gov. Scott Walker – made it clear that there would be zero compromise. They suck. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Feb 2011 11:24

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Politics: Folks across the country protesting along with Wisconsin today

  • 50 states having pro-union protests in solidarity with Wisconsin source
  • » But will Obama join them? Probably not, despite, you know, this speech he made all the way back in 2007. Where are your comfortable shoes now, Barack?
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Feb 2011 23:38

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Politics: Tim Pawlenty 2: Revenge Of The Fallen

  • Tim Pawlenty has another “Transformers”-esque video out, this one rallying support for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. As with his last masterpiece, this movie trail–err, web ad employs shaky archival footage, inspirational words from T-Paw, and an ominous soundtrack implying that the end of the world might be upon us…unless, of course, a savior blesses us with his presence. Perhaps a folksy, Midwestern savior? One with a sometimes-mullet and really hot wife? source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Feb 2011 22:44

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Politics: Scott Walker is a mildly worried about the deficit

  • claim Embattled Governor Scott Walker says Wisconsin is “broke,” and cites the state’s $3.6 billion budget shortfall as justification behind his controversial union-busting bill.
  • skepticismWalker just signed a bill mandating a 2/3 majority vote to raise taxes, making it way more difficult to corral the funds that could help bite into his state’s deficit. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 1 Comment • Permalink
 

24 Feb 2011 22:24

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Politics: PolitiFact: Scott Walker revealed new things during prank call

  • While some of the discussion was old news, and no show-stopping revelation emerged, the chat did produce some revelations about strategy, tactics and Walker’s view of his actions. Most notable was his comparison to Reagan busting the government air traffic union.
  • PolitiFact Wisconsin • Regarding Scott Walker’s claim that his chat with the gonzo journalist pretending to be David Koch produced “no new revelations.” The site, which works with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, has managed to correct a number of various facts about the current budget crisis, specifically when he compared his union-busting abilities to Ronald Reagan. To everyone claiming that there’s a budget surplus and Walker is lying to everyone – we point you to this entry. Regarding the scope of this bill, which Walker has said is exactly what he promised over the past two years – we point you to this one. There is a real issue here, and Walker is dealing with it, but the facts clearly point out that his tactics are way too harsh considering what promised to the press. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Feb 2011 12:49

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Politics: This New Koch just doesn’t taste as good

  • It ain’t the real Koch: Ian Murphy, editor of the website “The Buffalo Beast,” successfully got Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker on the phone by pretending to be David Koch, one of the two billionaire brothers that’s a driving financial force behind the current anti-spending, pro-business conservative movement. One highlight, as pointed out by Slate’s Dave Weigel: Walker seems to lay out a plan he’s hatched to push the vote forward, wherein he agrees to hear Democratic concerns if all fourteen fled Democrats return to the capitol, which he and his team believe would allow them to hold the vote even if the Democrats then recessed and left again. In explaining this plan, Walker states that he’s willing to talk, not negotiate, and if “Koch” hears that he’s talking to the Democrats that’s the only reason why. Getting pranked is bad enough, but revealing your political endgame in the midst of said prank, thus poisoning the well? Pure political calamity. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Feb 2011 10:42

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U.S.: Wisconsin Democrats drown anti-union bill in amendments

  • 200 number of amendments Democrats in the Wisconsin State Assembly plan to attach to that union-busting budget bill they’re fighting against
  • seven number of amendments they had dealt with by 5:30 a.m., after a brutal all-night session with many long, brutal debates source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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