Political Heat

Deceased father of Democrat signs petition for Democratic Senator Though some recall petitioners on the right have acted in an admirable fashion , some have done just the opposite, engaging in fraud in order to add names to their numbers. Within the recall effort against Bob Wirch, a Democrat from Kenosha, it's been discovered that the names of deceased Wisconsinites have been appearing in a blatant attempt by petitioners to buoy up their signature numbers. One of the names included is particularly disturbing -- the deceased father of Mark Pocan, a Democratic representative from Madison, was on the petition against Wirch as well. There seems to be no decency left within the conservative movement ( save for one individual ). Whether they're trying to justify violating open meetings law, removing the rights of workers to bargain collectively, or even considering placing trouble-makers within peaceful protests, conservatives in Wisconsin this year have engaged in a disturbing tre...

Local committee against Mark Miller won't merge with Utah group You won't hear me complimenting many conservatives often on this site. As a progressive liberal, there aren't many things I find terribly humbling about the conservative movement or its propositions for our state's and country's futures. But organizers for the Committee to Recall Mark Miller, though against one of the state senators I personally support, acted in a very classy way this week. As reported in the Wisconsin State Journal , Jeff Horn, lead organizer heading up Miller's recall efforts, was shy of getting the necessary signatures for Miller by about 260 names. Even if he had attained that amount, it's likely that Horn's petitions would have been challenged. So Horn had two options: admit defeat and hope for Miller's electoral loss next year when he's up for re-election, or merge his recall petitions with another group going after Miller, the American Recall Coalition. That ...

In a disgusting attempt to get names on their recall petitions, Republicans place the names of the dead on them, including Mark Pocan's deceased father.

Billionaire reality TV star "proud" of his escapades Donald Trump is not a hero. Not one to exercise an ounce of modesty or humility, Trump made a spectacle of himself earlier this week upon the release of President Barack Obama's long-form birth certificate . Trump had previously demanded that Obama release the document, joining a fray of "birthers" who were dissatisfied with the short-form certificate Obama had released during his campaign for president in 2008. The short-form version is suitable for applying for a driver's license or using to verify your identity when applying for a job -- but it's apparently not good enough for birthers, at least when the president has a funny-sounding name. Rather than admitting fault, however, and instead of taking an honorable approach towards recognizing he was wrong, Trump congratulated himself for helping settle the matter. "Today I am very proud of myself because I have accomplished something that nobody...

Republicans eye-up changing registration, absentee ballot rules A legislative proposal by Wisconsin Republicans would make drastic changes to several election laws within our state. Under current law, you’re able to register on the same day as the election so long as you have proof of residency (a lease or a utility bill, for example). You may register at your current address if you’ve lived there for 10 days or more, and you may even vote absentee without giving any reason for doing so up to 30 days before the election. But a new bill introduced by Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale) would change nearly everything listed above, making harsher restrictions for voters in Wisconsin. Stone’s bill leaves in place same-day voter registration – a provision that Republicans had previously wanted to abolish – but requires that registration to be supplemented with a photo ID. You could only register your current address if you’ve lived there for a month, and you’d have to supply a reason for why you...

Document released in an attempt to end "birther" debate “We do not have time for this silliness,” President Barack Obama stated today . “I am confident that the American people and America's political leaders can come together in a bipartisan way and solve [our] problems... [But] we're not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers.” Obama’s statement regarding rumors of his non-citizenship, and his subsequent releasing of his official birth certificate this week, shows a man who is ready to work but frustrated with the bipartisan clamor from critics who don’t believe he was born in the U.S. It was, in fact, a non-issue to begin with: Obama had already proven his citizenship long ago, before he had even won the office of the presidency. Apparently not satisfied with the certificate of live birth, however, so-called “birthers” required nothing short than an actual birth certificate to prove Obama’s citizenship. Neverm...

GOP Chair Reince Priebus blames Obama for birth certificate distraction. A comment on that, plus the new voter ID bill, tonight on Political Heat.

"Liberal bias" meme a tired excuse for conservative lies and mistruths Last Friday, FOX News aired a special hosted by Sean Hannity alleging a radical liberal bias within American media . The special, however, was riddled with errors. For example, Hannity brought up a long-debunked claim that Katie Couric had called Ronald Reagan an "airhead" in 1999. Couric was, in fact, quoting someone else who had written a book on "the Gipper," who had made that claim himself. At no point during the segment did Couric make any reference to her own personal opinions of Reagan. Hannity's program was, by all accounts, a complete fabrication, hardly a "report" by any stretch of the imagination. The problem with the "media bias" meme that conservatives constantly push is that there isn't a media problem at all, but rather that conservatives today make wild and blanket accusations based on little, skewed, or non-existent facts. It's as Stephe...

Two events mark importance of protecting state's democratic fixtures It is indeed an exciting time for Wisconsin politics. Eight recall elections submitted thus far -- five for Republican officeholders and three for Democrats -- could potentially change the leadership roles for the state Senate. If Democrats net three additional seats, they will control one-half of the legislature, providing a much-needed check on Gov. Scott Walker's policy initiatives. More recall elections could also be on their way, though the deadline dates for filing them are fast approaching. Meanwhile, a statewide election recount is set to start that will determine whether sitting justice David Prosser, a judicial ally of Walker's, will remain on the state Supreme Court. Prosser won the election by more than 7,000 votes, but only after tens of thousands of "missing" ballots in Waukesha County were discovered . Other voting irregularities have also been spotted within Waukesha, including ...

American Exceptionalism is a phrase which gets batted around in American politics with astounding regularity. It reflects the notion that America as a nation, is subject to a unique set of circumstances. It is not enough to be successful. One’s success needs to be promoted and hopefully duplicated with a missionary zeal. In light of this Wisconsin, middle of the road in both population and industry is often forgotten and ignored. Since World War II California has served as the model for a successful American state. California had many natural advantages, a sunny climate, fertile soil, and abundance of natural resources. Its economy boomed, as it became a global leader in aerospace, electronics, biotech, and media. California’s population swelled enormously, and so did its political influence. It is no accident that California gave us the presidencies of both Reagan and Nixon. But for most observers California’s glory days appear to be over. California is now faced with high unem...

Recount assures voters across the state their votes count The Government Accountability Board is announcing that Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg is requesting a statewide recount following her initial loss to sitting Justice David Prosser. Kloppenburg lost to Prosser by a margin of less than one-half of one percentage points, which allows her to make the request without having to pay any fees. Besides losing by less than .5 percent of the vote, Kloppenburg's request for a recount makes sense on a separate level as well, regarding the confusion over ballots cast within Waukesha County, both this year and in years' past. An error by the Clerk of that county, Kathy Nickolaus, gave Prosser a victory of more than 7,000 votes two days after the election took place . The discovery of more than 14,000 "missing" votes, which flipped the victory to Prosser's favor two days after he had been losing, warrants a recount on its own. But the fact that Waukesha County...

Recall elections are in store for three (or four) GOP lawmakers Writing to you live from Orange Beach, Alabama... It seems that there will be at least three recall elections in the state, possibly a fourth one, forcing Republican State Senators to explain why they deserve another chance to keep their jobs. Luther Olsen, Randy Hopper, and Dan Kapanke will all officially face a recall election , with each recall campaign receiving around 150 percent of the signatures needed to start the process (the extra names on the recall petition ensures that any contested signatures won't result in the recall being rescinded). A fourth Republican, Sheila Harsdorf , is also close to being recalled, with her recall campaign stating it has more than 110 percent of the signatures needed. This is extraordinary news for the state of Wisconsin. If three of the four Republicans can be removed from office -- a feat that would be unprecedented for our state -- the state senate will flip Democratic, ensuri...

The two forces in society shouldn't be ignored, can indeed form common good Religion is a beautiful thing to many people, and inspires a great force of good for millions around the world. It is true, however, that it has done a lot of bad too, usually when placed in the hands of those who choose to abuse the practices of a belief structure to an extreme, carrying out a skewed version of their faith’s principles in a way that causes harm to others. But for the most part, religion serves a common good for a like-minded community to engage in, oftentimes enhancing the notion of charity in order to help those truly in need. Politically speaking, religion is a mixed bag -- while seen by many as a positive influence on several peoples’ lives, the use of religion in government can mean an endorsement of one belief over another, an unfair advantage by one group of people versus a different group with equally valid “truths.” The liberal view on religion is quite simple: it’s a choice to be ...

Starting Sunday, I will be absent from Political Heat for a full week. I will be at Gulf Shores, Alabama, for a much deserved vacation (my first in a long while). While I am away, new writer Crescent Parker will fill in with blog posts, as will two friends of mine, whom I will allow to introduce themselves if/when they'd like to. Just thought I'd give you all a heads up -- didn't want you wondering where's Chris during the entirety of next week! Happy reading, Chris Walker

Bill prevents municipalities from extending rights beyond state standards Originally posted at Dane101.com There seems to be no level too low for Republicans to stoop to, even disregarding their own belief structure, in order to appease their corporate benefactors. The GOP in our state has made it clear that they intend to make Wisconsin a corporatist state, where “big business” can “live” without concern over pesky laws designed to benefit workers and consumers. Whether through removal of bargaining rights for public employees or simply raising taxes on the working poor , Wisconsin Republicans have made it clear: the “shared sacrifices” we all have to make need not apply to corporate elitists. The disrespect for workers’ rights transcends even some of the core principles of the Republican Party itself -- such as the belief in local autonomy versus central government. The latest example of this is a bill passed recently by the state legislature that limits the rights of municipalities ...

Rights derived from "natural law" rather than legislative mandate Gov. Scott Walker recently gave testimony on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on the issue of state governments and their budgets. During that testimony, Walker made an interesting comment.

While discussing the rights of workers to bargain collectively, Walker insisted that “Rights come from the Constitution.” His argument, therefore, was that since no explicit right to bargain collectively existed in the document, it wasn’t constitutionally protected. Walker, as usual, is completely wrong. Rights aren’t derived from the Constitution -- they never have been. Even our founding fathers knew that the rights they proscribed in the Constitution weren’t derived from their pen, but rather from nature. Look at the wording from the First Amendment as proof: the phrase “Congress shall make no law” is more than just fancy wording, but an admission by the founders that Congress doesn’t have the authority to deny people cer...

Hello, readers. This is Crescent Parker, your new blogger here at Political Heat. I'm very thankful to Chris for letting me join in as one of the new writers, and for letting me share my political insight and opinions. So, who am I? To give you a brief introduction, I'm a girl of many interests. Born in Milwaukee, WI and raised in Kenosha. Public School attendee, Daughter and Granddaughter of four teachers. Sister of two wonderful, intelligent, and physically challenged brothers. Owner of one adopted black and white weinerdog. Theatre student turned Legal Studies major. Lifelong Wisconsinite, and Democrat. Democrat, Super-Liberal, Young Progressive, Whatever you'd choose to call me, it all roughly means the same thing to me. Lover of Democracy. Yes, I'm a girl who completely values her Democracy. If there's anything I've learned within the past 3 months, it's that I have never known how much I love something until I'm faced with the prospect of losing it...

Dear Readers: There's a few new changes coming to Political Heat -- be rest assured, however, that this blog will remain a place for political opinion from a liberal point of view. First, the most obvious change: the layout of the blog. It was a long time coming, and I have received many good comments about it thus far. If you see something wrong with it, or have an opinion you'd like to share regarding the layout, please message me and I'll see what I can do. Second, and a bit more significant, the blog isn't going to be a "sole" project of my own anymore. After some serious consideration, I came to the conclusion that it was time to involve more voices at Political Heat, more perspectives that can perhaps explain better what "is" liberalism and why we support it. I will remain the "proprietor" of Political Heat as well as the "main" author. But with my limited schedule allowing me to make only one, maybe two, posts per day, I fe...

Comments by governor overstep their bounds Gov. Scott Walker once again made the threat of layoffs for state workers if the budget repair law continues to be delayed. We're used to these threats by now, and know that Walker isn't afraid to make them. He's made them to the people, and he's made them to legislators. It's an inexcusable tactic of threatening people's jobs and lives to get his way, without consideration of other options that are on the table for balancing the budget. In short, it's using the working class people of Wisconsin as hostages in order to get everyone else to bend to his whim. Using it to influence the judicial branch, however, is a new low, even for Walker. An impartial branch of government (such as the judiciary) shouldn't be influenced by anything other than the Constitution, stare decisis , and the law before the judge(s) that's in question. Scott Walker, however, feels differently, believes that his threats are sufficien...

There is a lot of talk going on about defunding Planned Parenthood. Conservative lawmakers both in Washington and all across the country want to end federal grants given to the organization because it performs abortions for women who want them. However, the federal grants in question are specifically tailored so that they don’t actually fund abortion procedures – they give Planned Parenthood money based on other projects, such as dispensing contraceptives to lower-income individuals or health screenings for those that can’t afford them. In fact, the vast majority of services Planned Parenthood performs aren’t abortions at all but rather programs and services dedicated to maintaining the good health and well-being of women and men ( less than three percent of the services Planned Parenthood provides are abortion-related ). But conservatives maintain that any funding given to Planned Parenthood is helping women pay for abortion services. The costs, they say, offset, making it easier for ...

A fresh perspective of what drives the "two Wisconsin's" in our state The rant from last night continues... The first four months of Gov. Scott Walker's gubernatorial career have been less than stellar. The governor's insistence on balancing the budget upon the backs of state workers and poor Wisconsinites while favoring the rich and corporate elite has driven a sharp debate in the Badgerland, one that has been both heated and passionate. Conservatives, of course, have been dismissive of the backlash against these Republican policies. Following the initial results of the election for State Supreme Court justice (before the results were reversed by a questionable discovery of 14,000 ballots in Waukesha County), Gov. Walker suggested there were two ideas pushing very different political agendas in Wisconsin: one from Wisconsin overall and one derived from Madisonian interests . Of course, the very notion of "two Wisconsins" in this sense neglects the fac...

A friendly reminder of the counts against our government "leaders" This could be called a rant, it could be called a review. Read it with that in mind... In the span of six short months, our state has seen a terrifying series of events. We've changed from one of the most respected states in the country, set to become a leader in clean energy, high speed rail, and continued low unemployment rates compared to other parts of the U.S.; and in that time, we've turned into a laughing stock, a failed government led by a pro-corporate, anti-worker Republican governor. It wasn't enough that Scott Walker drove high speed rail and clean energy out of our state -- along with the jobs they'd create. It wasn't enough that he introduced a bill that, not only stripped the rights of workers within it, but under the auspices of balancing the budget may actually increase the state's deficit (while also losing the state jobs ). It didn't seem enough, either, that ...

Kathy Nickolaus' history, ineptitude, cast doubts for many in the Badger State There are too many questions surrounding the “ Waukesha Surprise ” that came out yesterday, involving the “discovery” of tens of thousands of votes that netted sitting Supreme Court Justice David Prosser a 7,000+ lead over challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg. Kathy Nickolaus’ troubled history, both during her time as a county clerk and as a staffer within the State Assembly, doesn’t inspire much confidence in her ability to count votes efficiently or correctly. Nickolaus had previously served under Justice Prosser when he was Speaker of the Assembly back in the mid-90s. That conflict of interest wouldn’t ordinarily matter, so long as she performed her job function in an impartial way. But under the circumstances that we now find ourselves in, and given her involvement in the state caucus controversy , it suddenly becomes something to think about for the average voter. Whether by her own incompetence, malfeasa...

Waukesha Co Clerk "finds" 14,000 additional votes, including net gain of 7,000+ for Prosser New developments in the battle for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race leaves sitting Justice David Prosser in the lead, but under very curious circumstances. Almost 29 hours after the initial results from around the state were released, Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus announced that more than 14,000 votes hadn't been included. The net result of those votes was a 7,000+ gain for Prosser, giving him the lead (should the results indeed hold up). From Blogging Blue : Having watched the news conference where the “discovery” of these missing votes was announced, I can’t help but wonder why it took something in the neighborhood of 29 hours after these votes were “discovered” for Kathy Nickolaus to make the announcement regarding the votes. What’s more, how is it that Christian Schneider of right-wing Wisconsin Policy Research Institute broke this story before anyone else? What inside ...

7,000 votes are 'found' in Waukesha County...what this means and is it believable, tonight on Political Heat.

New progressive movement leads to new Supreme Court justice; Walker blames Madison for change Tuesday’s Spring Election results provide us a glimpse of what to expect in the near future for Wisconsin politics. It’s clear that the electorate is upset with the current state of things -- if the protests in Madison weren’t proof enough of the disdain for the Walker administration, the results of several races throughout the state surely give us reason to consider a surge in progressive ideals throughout the Badgerland. The results of the Madison mayoral election could be interpreted as a sign of area progressive voters’ intent to send Walker a message: we’re going to fight, and we’re not going to back down easy. Soglin was seen by many Madisonians as the candidate more likely to challenge Walker directly, though Mayor Dave Csieslewich was also a formidable candidate in regards to his willingness to stand up to the governor. In losing his bid for re-election , Mayor Dave’s service to this c...

Tonight on Political Heat: Is Madison no longer a part of Wisconsin? A rebuttal to Gov Walker's brash assumptions.

UPDATE: Brian Deschane, the lobbyist's son appointed to a government job within the Walker administration, has resigned from his position.

Demotion of lobbyist's son ignores reality of problem A quick comment on the Brian Deschane situation, the son of a lobbyist who, despite lacking any educational degree or relevant experience, received a political appointment to a state job with a salary of $81,000: Yesterday, Gov. Scott Walker announced he would be demoting Deschane back to his previous job within the Department of Regulation and Licensing. With his demotion, Deschane goes back to his previous salary of $64,000. That’s all fine and everything, but Walker’s ignoring the point entirely: it wasn’t Deschane’s promotion that was the problem. It was the fact that he was hired at all. By giving a college-dropout with no experience whatsoever a cushy $64,000-a year job, the Walker administration is making it clear that its hires are based on allegiance, not merit. Most of all, it proves that money talks: when an organization gives a candidate more than $90,000 in campaign contributions over two years, a kid like Deschane ...

Check out an article I wrote for a site called Illuminate Me, about a document written by founding father John Adams: Thoughts on Government . Adams isn't my favorite founder -- in fact, he's among my least favorite presidents. But his framework for our government, of the checks and balances he describes in this document 235 years ago this month, set the course for our country to become one of the most respected democratic republics the world has yet seen.

Son of Wisconsin lobbyist earns $81,000 per year, despite lack of degree, experience It's infuriating how Gov. Scott Walker and his Republican cronies have run our state thus far. Between the gross negligence in the adherence of basic state laws and the disrespect for constituent wishes and the rights of workers, Walker & Co. have made it clear: their agenda is purely meant to favor those that got them into power, not the people of Wisconsin. The word "crony" isn't one I like to thrown around lightly -- it needs to be used only when the situation rightly warrants it. But this morning a story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel provided ample reasoning for use of the word in describing the Walker administration. A man in his mid-20s received an administrative, government-appointed job overseeing environmental and regulatory issues within the Department of Commerce. This man, the Sentinel points out, lacks a college degree, has very minimal managerial experience, an...

Violent rhetoric of area woman not justified I've discussed at great lengths the problems I've had over the past couple of weeks with Republican lawmakers in this state, with Scott Walker, the "Brothers Fitz," and the budget repair bill in general. I feel that I've made valid points against said bill, and have also made strong arguments on why the statewide Republican leaders are failing Wisconsin on several fronts. It's easy to point out the foibles of your political opponents. It's also not wrong to do so either, especially if they're behaving in a way that reflects poorly on the rest of the district they work for, or are hurting those whom they're meant to represent, as it is the case among several Republican leaders lately within the Badger State. But when someone on "my side" -- that is, when someone politically aligned with myself -- makes a judgment error or acts in a way that I'd ordinarily find reprehensible, it'd be wron...

Almost anyone with a fourth grade education understands how a bill becomes law. Both chambers of Congress -- the House of Representatives and the Senate -- must pass identical bills, which then get sent to the president for his signature (or veto). If both bills passed aren’t the same, a compromise must be made between the House and Senate versions, which can involve serious give-and-take from differing political factions. With today’s Congress being bitterly divided (the House under Republican control and the Senate led by Democrats), it’s apparent that compromise won’t come easy. Rumors of a possible government shutdown are heard daily, reminiscent of the Clinton-era crisis when a similar situation was forced by another stubborn GOP-controlled Congress. In the end, the Republicans received the scorn of the American public -- Clinton’s approval rating rose during the crisis, and he went on to an easy re-election campaign against then-Sen. Majority leader Bob Dole. Apparently not wanti...