Political Heat

Embattled governor made headlines on several fronts Monday Monday was a major news day for Gov. Scott Walker, for three different reasons. First, the Walker campaign announced that it would not seek to challenge any of the recall signatures against him, making the election certain to happen in a faster time-frame than predicted. John Nichols, on his Twitter account @NicholsUprising, observed: Yet, there is a caveat to the announcement. As it turns out, Walker is hoping to use the challenges from the "Verify the Recall" group , a move the Government Accountability Board has yet to deem as legitimate or not. The GAB had previously said they didn't want outside organizations (i.e. that weren't directly affiliated with those being recalled) to submit signature challenges. The issue could likely go to the courts. Next: Walker made headlines again when he stood up against a recent statement by a Republican presidential candidate . When Rick Santorum said last week that Pre...

Collective bargaining allowed arbitration process, facts of the case to come forward When Ryan Braun tested positive for drug enhancement last year, the National League MVP stated right away that he would be vindicated, that the results (and his 50-game suspension) would be overturned. This past week, that's precisely what happened. Call me biased for saying so -- my favorite team has always been the Milwaukee Brewers, in good times and in bad -- but the decision to overturn the suspension was the right one to make. The circumstances surrounding Braun's testing were very circumspect , allowing for reasonable doubt over whether his urine sample had been tampered with (or otherwise affected by strange "travels"). Immediately following Braun's vindication, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin weighed in, commenting that the results were aided by the collective bargaining process: There was a rush to judgement after the suspension was first announced, and Braun has said...

Republican lawmaker chastises voter "fraud" while voting on behalf of colleagues A Republican legislator is taking flack for casting votes in the state Assembly on behalf of his fellow lawmakers. Joel Kleefisch, husband of Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, was caught on video making votes for other Republican legislators not physically in the Assembly. When confronted by the issue, Kleefisch defended himself, stating that it wasn't a practice wholly unknown to that body : The bathroom counts as the chamber. And the parlor counts as a chamber if you are going to eat. Kleefisch's defense is that his colleagues are technically present when he's casting their votes. But that defense runs counter to what his views on voting supposedly are. Earlier last year, Kleefisch authored a bill that would have put immense burdens on how citizens in the state could vote in elections, a bill that was "watered down" (yet still controversial) to the voter ID restrictions we have...

State Republicans make "purse-snatching" in the workplace easier to accomplish A bill passed last night in the state Assembly would effectively dismantle the state's Equal Pay Act, making it more difficult for women across Wisconsin to remedy situations against their employers if they receive less pay for the same work performed as their male colleagues. The bill had previously passed the Senate, and now goes to Gov. Scott Walker's desk for his approval. If signed into law, women in the state could only sue their bosses (in cases of workplace discrimination) to receive back-pay and legal fees. In other words, the law would strip women of their right to seek punitive damages from their employers. Republicans who supported the bill claim that it will remove an undue burden on businesses, freeing up capital to create jobs in the state. But that assessment is wrong for two reasons. First, an increase in capital doesn't lead to job growth on its own; only demand for a ...

Former county executive has the experience to lead and the vision to repair our state On both the national and state levels, Republicans have overplayed their hands, pushed an extremist agenda that has alienated a great deal of people. The worst thing that liberals could do right now would be overplaying their own hands. Fortunately in Wisconsin that won't be much of a problem. The most progressive of candidates, former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk , is a rational, decisive leader who can still appeal to a diverse voting bloc of people, especially one that is fed up with the performances of Gov. Scott Walker and his Republican allies in the legislature. Falk brings a breadth of experience as a candidate, having previously served as County Executive for over a decade. She knows how to run a government effectively, has experience in managing budgets, and has successfully negotiated with unions during fiscal crunches, saving taxpayers tens of millions of dollars over the years ...

Being "close" doesn't make Rubio's statements true, despite Politifact's assessment Assessing politicians' statements isn't a perfect science -- there are contextual things to consider that make their words appear in that "gray" area from time to time. And while we'd like to rate their statements to be true or false, they can sometimes be partially true or partially false. That's the idea behind Politifact's ratings of political statements. The website that has charged itself the duty of determining the validity of what our leaders say created a system that places their statements on a scale, ranging from "True" to "Pants on Fire," a position that goes beyond "False" for being extraordinarily out-there. Between those three are also "Mostly False," "Half True," and "Mostly True." It's not a perfect system to say the least. But you would think that, when analyzing a statem...

Elections matter, and have consequences...VOTE! Tomorrow (Tuesday, February 21) will be the first official election under the new districts formed ( in secret, as it were ) last year. Nevertheless, it's still important to have the information you need in order to vote tomorrow. Since boundaries have been changed, so too have the places where you will vote (for instance, my personal location has changed by several blocks, from a school to a municipal building on the opposite side of my neighborhood). Even though it's only a primary election, you should still consider voting. And if you don't know where to vote, that can be a problem. Fortunately, you can find out very easily where you're supposed to vote, online or through a quick phone call to your Municipal Clerk. If you live in Madison, you can go to this site , plug in your web address and see where you are supposed to go (it's that easy!). If you live outside of Madison, find your Municipal Clerk's office a...

State senator aims to codify "nonmarital parenthood" as a "contributing factor" to child abuse and neglect Amid debates on environmental deregulation, secret GOP emails, and the impending recall election against Gov. Scott Walker (and other Republican legislators), State Sen. Glenn Grothman circulated an email to his colleagues hoping to garner co-signers for a bill to address child abuse in our state. A noble cause indeed -- in 2010 alone, there were nearly 40,000 reported cases of child abuse , and undoubtedly countless more that went unreported. Every day nationally, four children die as a result of abuse and neglect. The subject is nothing scoff at. Yet Grothman's aims within this bill aren't to increase penalties on those that commit abuse on the weakest in our society. No, his plans call for something entirely different -- legally codifying non-married households as more likely to engage in abuse of children. In an email sent to state lawmakers , Grot...

GOP emails reveal intent to redistrict illegally The emails that Republicans tried their very best to conceal were ordered, yet again , to be released today. Here's one such email, in which it's revealed there's a "plain-as-day" intent to use gerrymandering techniques in a Hispanic part of the state: (click on image to enlarge) It can't get any clearer than using the words "wildly gerrymandering" to get your point across. The Republicans were out to create a stronger map to their advantage, an act that is morally and legally reprehensible.

State flag not "union emblem," but contains positive elements of labor traditions Recently, the website Politico published a story regarding President Barack Obama's visit to the Badger state, and his support for the union presence here. There's no doubt that Obama likely supports the progressive uprising, but the author of the article, Donovan Slack, had a different take on why exactly it was more evident on that day than any other: It's very clear what side President Obama is on here in Wisconsin. Behind the stage where he will speak today are two flags: an American one, as usual, and right alongside it — and a flag for the local union, Wisconsin 1848. Here's the scene as Slack saw it, with both the U.S. flag and the "union" one next to it (in blue): Yep, that "local union" flag is in fact...the state flag of Wisconsin. Whoops. Knowing the different state flags isn't basic knowledge (did you know Ohio's flag isn't even rectan...

Do we invest in corporatocracy, or in Wisconsin? The choice is ours to make As we edge closer to the impending recall election, citizens of Wisconsin must ask themselves: in which direction should we go? We stand at a crossroads, but our destiny made by our own hand.

Republicans refuse to adhere to court order, keep 84 redistricting documents hidden from the public The Journal Sentinel reported on Monday that Republican lawmakers are attempting to keep hidden 84 documents relating to the redistricting bill that passed earlier this year, despite a court ruling ordering them to release those documents. Citing attorney-client privilege, Republicans are attempting to keep this information out of the public's eyes -- this, following revelation last week of another document that essentially told lawmakers dealing with the redistricting bill that what they heard their leaders say in public wasn't necessarily what the bill would eventually entail. The attorney-client privilege is indeed an important one to keep private. No one is disputing that fact. But a judge has already ruled that the documents' importance to the public supersede that privilege, and that the Republicans (and their lawyers) must make them public immediately. The Republican...

Reasons for restriction of marriage rights to gays, lesbians lack logical bases Social issues have dominated the headlines as of late as the Republican nomination for president has heated up. One of the issues that continually comes up (thanks in part to candidate Rick Santorum's extreme views on the subject ) is the issue of same-sex marriage. In the wake of the GOP "conversations" on the subject, as well as passage in Washington state of same-sex marriage rights (and legislative passage of a same-sex marriage law in New Jersey ), it behooves us to review the subject matter, to examine what's behind the debate and why same-sex partners deserve to have the same recognition that straight couples are afforded. Background Marriage is involved in two separate aspects of our society. On the one hand, there is a traditional sense of what a marriage is, usually viewed as a religious ceremony that links two individuals together as one. This is what is argued over when the ri...

A message of thanks from Political Heat A special message from Political Heat. As we approach the first year anniversary of the historic protests in Madison (and all across the state), we owe many thanks for those involved with this people-powered movement.

Restoration of union rights shouldn't be based on "if-then" functions Some unions in the state are insisting that, whoever the eventual nominee against Gov. Scott Walker may be for his impending recall, they should pledge to veto any budget passed by the legislature that fails to restore collective bargaining rights for state workers. Both of the Democratic candidates who have announced their intentions to run against Walker have weighed-in on the issue. Former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk has made the pledge, while State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout has declined. Pledges have become a recent fad within the world of electoral politics, mostly a fixture of the right but not unheard of to be part of progressive politics either. Signing onto a pledge gives a candidate a double incentive: they assure funds and a mobilized group of people will be willing to support them during their election run; and they lessen the chances of a primary challenge from within that group down ...

Vinehout, Falk lead the way "Forward" for Wisconsin State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout made it official today, announcing that she would run against Gov. Scott Walker in the impending recall election later this year. Of course, she will have to survive a recall primary round with her Democratic colleagues first. Thus far, only one other Democrat has formally entered the race -- former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk . Though more candidates are likely to surface (Democratic as well as independent ), it's encouraging to see the first two official contenders for the Democrats are both progressive women. In fact, this follows the trend from last fall's senatorial recalls, when five of the six Democratic candidates (and both of the successful challengers who won) were women. This isn't to say that men aren't qualified to challenge Walker -- both genders are fully capable of producing sound candidates, and the idea that a man/woman can do better than the other is ba...

Behind closed doors, legislative leaders plotted to purposely misinform voters If you are still one of those Wisconsinites struggling to find legitimacy within the senatorial recalls set to commence later this year, listen up: aside from all the right-wing assaults on our values, and deliberate violations of rules and law within their chambers, there's now significant evidence that shows the Republican leadership intended to say one thing to the public while saying something entirely different behind closed doors . In other words, Republicans were told by their leaders that they were going to lie to the people of Wisconsin on purpose . It all involves the redistricting maps that Republicans rushed to pass earlier this year, plans that, in their haste to enact them sooner, were both flawed and disenfranchising to thousands of citizens. The memo said in language that can't be misunderstood: "Public comments on this map may be different than what you hear in this room. Ignor...

Governor lies on issues of taxes, balancing the budget The latest installment of Video Heat focuses on Scott Walker's claims that he's 1) balanced the budget and 2) done so without raising taxes of any kind. Both claims, it turns out, are flat-out lies.

Study from a year ago foresaw job losses coming from Act 10 In March of 2011, shortly after Gov. Scott Walker and his Republican allies in the legislature forcibly passed Act 10 into law, UW economist Steven Deller predicted that the reduced purchasing power of state employees would create a loss of more than 20,000 jobs within the state of Wisconsin in the next year or two. Following the publication of that study, there were three months of job gains and six months of continuous job losses. The net result was 20,400 jobs gone since the study's release, including 35,600 jobs lost since June . It should also be noted that the three months of job gains came about during a time when Walker's predecessor's budget was still in play. Net job losses began in July, the first month that Walker's own budget was implemented. It was also the first full month that paychecks for state workers saw diminished wages, following a three-month court battle over whether Act 10 was passed ...

Proximity to those arrested raises reasonable questions over Walker's involvement UPDATE (Feb 3, 5:30 PM): Gov. Walker set to meet with prosecutors . (Original post) I have stayed relatively mum on the subject of the growing John Doe investigation, commonly referred to as " Walkergate " in some circles. The reason for this silence is that each new development that came out created new questions, never really any answers, and any assessment I could have made would only be speculation on my part. Yet, with the latest round of arrests in the investigation (involving the illegal campaign activities of several county employees from the time Gov. Scott Walker was Milwaukee County Executive), there's ample room to speculate with some degree of certainty, to wonder aloud, "What exactly was Walker up to at that time?" So what can we extrapolate from the latest arrests? The mere fact that Walker's proximity to those involved (both physically and politically) lea...