Political Heat

Allegations against Lois Lerner found to be untrue. Will WISGOP acknowledge the same for Kennedy? Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin, in a desperate attempt to change elections rules to benefit their own interests, are attempting to decimate the nonpartisan Government Accountability Board. They would replace the GAB with partisan-based elections and ethics commissions. In the run-up to their proposal, legislative Republicans made every effort to make Kevin Kennedy, director of the GAB, look like a partisan ideologue himself. In doing so, they questioned his professional friendship with Lois Lerner, who had been at the center of a national Republican witch hunt, having been accused of targeting conservative-leaning groups during the IRS scandal. When State Sen. Chris Kapenga had questioned Kennedy’s professional relationship with Lerner during hearings on the GAB, it summoned memories of McCarthyism-era tactics, of guilt by association. “Have you no decency?” responded Kennedy,...

Democratic candidates and politicians receive higher marks than their Republican counterparts The Wisconsin Survey poll , which was conducted through a partnership of Wisconsin Public Radio and St. Norbert College, shows a general distaste of where things are heading in both the nation and the state. Nationally, Wisconsin residents view things going in the wrong direction, with 62 percent of respondents saying so. The direction that the state is taking didn’t fare much better: 57 percent said they felt Wisconsin was moving in the wrong direction also. But when it came to attitudes on specific candidates and politicians within the state and country, it’s clear to see that respondents overwhelmingly supported a Democratic vision. President Barack Obama received an approval rating from state residents of 51 percent, with 47 percent disapproving. That’s a net approval rating of four percent. To contrast that, Gov. Scott Walker received an approval rating of just 39 percent, w...

Event could galvanize progressives from across the state, using new technology to advance ideas Shouldn’t there be a #wiunion convention? There are plenty of #wiunion followers that attend other progressive events in the state. Presence at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s annual convention and Fighting Bob Fest bring in plenty of revelers from #wiunion and beyond. But there ought to be an event specialized for those that follow the #wiunion hashtag. Progressives, young and old in the state, use the #wiunion banner to champion causes that deserve to be promoted, and to defend the state’s tradition of moving “Forward” throughout its history. Especially in these trying times, when democracy and transparency in the state are being challenged, when women’s health choices are being threatened, when workers’ rights are being whittled away, and when other important aspects of our state’s identity are disappearing, we need to have a serious discussion on how to get back on trac...

Exposure of blemishes is why Republicans plan to do away with nonpartisan elections agency This next week the Republican-held state legislature is set to dismantle the nonpartisan Government Accountability Board in favor of a more politically-charged model. The board would be replaced by two separate entities , a commission on campaign ethics and a commission on elections. It would be comprised mostly of political appointments, members of political parties who undoubtedly will make judgments based on their partisan nature. Currently, members of the GAB cannot be part of the organization if they are currently part of a political party, or have recently donated to a political cause or candidate. Why are Republicans recommending these changes? Because they believe that the GAB has been an utter failure. They are completely wrong . “It's time to reform the Government Accountability Board,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos wrote on his website recently . “It became even more e...

Wisconsin reduced number of unemployed workers at a faster rate under former Gov. Jim Doyle than Walker With another monthly jobs report just released (PDF) this week, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development is bragging about the unemployment rate reaching a 14-year low of 4.3 percent. This is despite the fact that 1,300 private sector workers lost their jobs last month. Nevertheless, we should celebrate this success for what it is, right? Unfortunately, the unemployment rate is a bit of a misnomer at times. It doesn’t tell the whole story of what’s happening in our state. Taking a look at the raw number of unemployed persons , for example, reveals a startling fact. In March of 2008, shortly before the recession began in Wisconsin, we had 135,795 workers that were unemployed. Today, under Gov. Scott Walker’s “bold leadership,” we have 137,400 workers that are unemployed. We have more unemployed individuals now than we had before the Great Recession . That ...

Democratic legislators present a more progressive vision for transgender youth in our state’s schools Sen. Nikiya Harris Dodd and Rep. Sondy Pope Assembly Republican Rep. Jesse Kremer’s bill to require districts to enforce gender barriers in school restrooms across the state creates a separate but (un)equal distinction for students that identify with a gender that doesn’t correspond with what they were born into. These students deal with real struggles on a daily basis . Three-quarters of trans students don’t feel safe at school. Almost 60 percent have been denied the right to use the bathrooms that correspond to their identity. More than 40 percent of transgender students have attempted suicide. These statistics demonstrate that real challenges are posed to schools and administrators across the state. But the answer is not to discriminate or single out these students. Fortunately, Democrats in the legislature have offered up a better way forward than Rep. Kremer’s visio...

Governor touts debunked claim about a process that wouldn't even be changed by proposal he supports Hearings in favor of destroying the non-partisan Government Accountability Board, charged with overseeing elections and ethics violations in the state of Wisconsin, are currently underway in the state legislature . Expressing his support for the measure, which would replace the GAB with two separate partisan boards, Gov. Scott Walker did what he does best -- He took to Twitter and sent out ill-informed tweets to his fanbase . His comments reflected criticisms brought up during his recall election. In one tweet, the governor insisted that the GAB had readily favored accepting recall signatures from fictitious cartoon characters and a long-deceased fascist dictator: And Walker reiterated the claim again the next day, apparently in an attempt to reach fans of Warner Bros. since his previous tweet dealt with Disney: The claim that Walker is making isn’t a n...

Despite evidence to the contrary, Rep. Kremer and Sen. LeMahieu continue to use tired NRA "logic" Wisconsin lawmakers are proposing to force college campuses across the state to allow individuals with concealed carry permits to have weapons inside UW and technical college buildings. Under a bill proposed by State Rep. Jesse Kremer (R-Kewaskum) and State Sen. Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg), state colleges could no longer post signs discouraging weapon-free buildings, and would have to allow guns in the hallways of campuses across the state. “The unfortunate reality is that campus gun-free zones merely serve to concentrate populations of vulnerable targets on campus and surrounding areas,” say the lawmakers in a memo introducing the proposed bill. Kremer and LeMahieu believe that the current policy -- of allowing each campus to provide its own framework of where weapons are allowed -- is failing students. In reality, these lawmakers are failing to realize that conceale...

Rep. Jesse Kremer's proposal seeks to solve a problem that doesn't exist Rep. Jesse Kremer (R-Kewaskum) seems to believe that accommodations to transgender students represents a considerable threat to their peers. His fears are greatly misplaced. Kremer is proposing a bill that would limit the rights of local school districts to grant transgender students the dignity to use restrooms that correspond to the gender they identify with . The lawmaker apparently disregards gender identity and is more preoccupied with anatomy to care about what’s best for students overall. His words towards those students are especially alarming . (Emphasis in bold added) I don't see why they'd [transgender students] like to make a big stink about it. If you're making a big deal about it ... you obviously are inviting harassment and bullying already . Bullying and mistreatment of transgender students, it seems to Kremer, is the fault of those students themselves. His comments ...

Milwaukee Co. Sheriff said gun-free zones were to blame, but Oregon colleges don't have gun-free zones In the wake of the mass killings that took place at an Oregon community college this past week, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke had a solution that he was happy to share with FOX News viewers. His answer wasn’t all too surprising: more guns and less restrictions. “We should get rid of these gun-free zones,” he told host Megyn Kelly . “I think it’s heartless to expect people in these gun-free zones to be lined up and slaughtered with no way to defend themselves. These gun-free zones have become killing fields. That is the one constant in all of these mass murders.” He isn’t alone in this thinking. Within hours of the shooting that killed 13 individuals at Umpqua Community College, cable channel pundits and presidential candidates were already propping out the gun-free zone argument, touting the campus as being targeted because it didn’t allow its students to carry...

Latest Marquette Law School Poll shows a preference for liberal leaders in the state Gov. Scott Walker’s approval rating slipped down once more in the latest Marquette Law School poll , down to 37 percent approval. Nearly three-in-five Wisconsinites disapprove of the governor’s job performance. And can we blame them? Walker has consistently and repeatedly changed his course for the state since taking office in 2011. He campaigned on bargaining with public sector unions as a candidate in 2010, but once elected he led a crusade to dismantle them. He justified doing so because the civil service program would remain intact, leaving in place some important worker protections. Today, he attempts to dismantle that as well . He promised us safety through his deregulation of gun laws in the state, but instead we got more crime. He promised to create 250,000 jobs in the state and 10,000 new businesses. We have yet to reach the first goal (nine months after it was originally “due”) ...