Wisconsin Dems Need 3 Seats To Take Back State Senate. They Have 2... But Vote Thief Kathy Nickolaus Is Holding Back 10 Precincts In Waukesha Co.

Today was supposed to be an accountability day for native fascists who have infiltrated and taken over the Wisconsin Republican Party-- as well as Republican Parties all over the country. Scott Walker's unrelenting class warfare against working families and against democracy itself was responded to by massive grassroots organizing and an unprecedented get out the vote effort. Before the polls closed in Wisconsin, another special election in New Hampshire was won by a Democrat:

"Bob Perry's victory tonight is a complete and total rejection of Republican House Speaker Bill O'Brien's reckless job killing agenda. In a historically Republican district, New Hampshire voters turned out in the middle of summer to send a loud and clear message to the out of control Republican majority. Its relentless attempts to make cigarettes cheaper but college more expensive, slash women's health care, and kill jobs by taxing hospitals must stop immediately.



"New Hampshire voters have seen enough of the radical Free State agenda this year with bills that would allow guns in schools and courts, would remove support for our United States' Constitution out of the oath of office, and would eliminate public kindergarten."

At 8pm local time the polls closed in the 6 Republican Wisconsin senate district seats. AP called it for Republican incumbents in the 2 reddest districts right off the bat: Cowles and Harsdorf, and Fred Clark ran strong against Luther Olsen but missed out. So to win back the state Senate Democrats Sandy Pasch, Jennifer Shilling and Jessica King all needed victories. Shilling was the first Democrat to win, with a 55-45% victory, with big wins in La Crosse and Richland. Soon after, Jessica King beat Randy Hopper thanks to voters in Winnebago who gave victories to Ron Johnson and Scott Walker last year coming to their senses this year. Early on I saw that the uber-corrupt Republican machine in Waukesha-- where stealing elections is what they do as a matter of course-- was holding back 10 precincts there in case Alberta Darling needed them in her close race with Sandy Pasch. Pasch is way ahead and I'll update that race as soon as the results are in. Why Kathy Nickolaus isn't in prison is an affront to democracy.



This morning Greg Sargent started the day by telling Wisconsin activists what they had already achieved. "Dems and labor," he wrote "have already succeeded in one sense: They reminded us that it’s possible to build a grass roots movement by effectively utilizing the sort of unabashed and bare-knuckled class-based populism that makes many of today’s national Dems queasy."



As Chris Bowers pointed out yesterday at Kos, the path the pushback against fascism took in Wisconsin was an especially steep one. These 6 districts are not exactly Democratic-friendly territory.

1. Despite narrowly winning Wisconsin in 2004, John Kerry lost five of these districts. In our top two target districts, currently held by Luther Olsen and Randy Hopper, Kerry lost by 13 percent and 15 percent, respectively.



2. Obama won Wisconsin by 14 percent, but only won one of these six districts by more than 4 percent. Outside of Kapanke's district, even during a landslide, the best Obama could do was 50-52 percent.



3. In addition to these being difficult districts, recalls themselves are extremely difficult. In the entire history of the United States, only 13 state legislators have been ever recalled. Nationwide. Ever. We are trying to pull off three or more in a few months.



4. Finally, while Democrats had a monetary advantage when Obama edged McCain in these districts three years ago, thanks to Citizens United now we are getting outspent. Daily Kos commenter Korkenzieher, who lives in one of the recall districts, explains what the monetary advantage buys for the other side:

Anyway, you wouldn't believe the shitstorm of blatant lies they're hurling at Pasch. She hates veterans. She hates children. She hates the whole community, except, of course, for illegal aliens. These are ads being run on every media outlet in Milwaukee, and this is just for one race in the Milwaukee suburbs. Now consider how much cheaper it'd be to run those same ads in small-town, northwoods or dairy farm Wisconsin. Honestly, Wisconsin is always a battleground state in presidential elections, and the stuff being thrown at Pasch alone exceeds anything the wingnuts threw at Clinton, Gore, Kerry or Obama in the last few presidential elections. It has an effect. It confuses people.

UPDATE: Vote Tampering In Waukesha... Again



Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Mike Tate following evidence of election tampering in the 8th State Senate District race: "The race to determine control of the Wisconsin Senate has fallen in the hands of the Waukesha County clerk, who has already distinguished herself as incompetent, if not worse. She is once more tampering with the results of a consequential election and in the next hours we will determine our next course of action. For now, Wisconsin should know that a dark cloud hangs over these important results."



UPDATE TO THE UPDATE



Tate's changed his mind about taking vote thief Kathy Nickolaus to court! He issued this disappointing statement:

"Though we believe that Sandy Pasch was able to battle Alberta Darling to a virtual tie, on her turf, we will not pursue questions of irregularities. Those heat-of-the-moment statements came in light of the uncertainties that arose from a recent election, known too well.



The fact of the matter remains, that, fighting on Republican turf, we have begun the work of stopping the Scott Walker agenda."

AFTER TONIGHT'S SPECIAL REPORT, "WOODY ALLEN TONIGHT"

RETURNS TOMORROW WITH PART 1 OF "DEATH KNOCKS"

(Barring unforeseen circumstances, of course!)

#

How Far Will Wisconsin Fascists Go To Win Next Tuesday?

They haven't been held accountable in the past... so why not try it again?

For many of Wisconsin's most vulnerable people, those thrown out of work by the failure of economic bets by Masters of the Universe they had nothing to do with, yesterday's biggest news was another attack on their ability to survive by Scott Walker and his zombie legislature. A week from today, thousands of voters in Wisconsin can go to the polls and turn their state back from Walker's overtly fascist path. That's next Tuesday-- and it's still not too late to lend a hand to progressives like Sandy Pasch running neck and neck with right-wing extremists like Alberta Darling. Yesterday Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman Mike Tate issued this statement:

"The six Republican recall senators need a heart and a lesson. That's because a week is a long time to wait for people who need to pay bills, who are suffering in Scott Walker's unemployment economy, who are up against the wreckage caused by Republican policies of reckless greed. Today, in one of the most heartless acts to have taken place in a season of heartless acts, Scott Walker's lapdogs in the Senate voted to make our state's job seekers wait a week until they are able to receive vital benefits to allow them to feed their families and clothe their children. What these six Republicans did is the ultimate act of kicking the unemployed while they're down."

Hard to imagine the Republicans could simultaneously be doing something even worse... but they are. (And I'm not even talking about burning down activists' headquarters in La Crosse to help the floundering Kapanke campaign.) Last week we mentioned that Scott Walker was on the fontlines-- leading the charge in fact-- in the ALEC plot against democracy itself. This week, his forces were on the rampage. The Koch Brothers' proto-fascist front group, the misnamed Americans For Prosperity, is sending out absentee ballots to Democrats with instructions to return them on August 11-- two days late. Here's what they've been sending to Wisconsin homes with registered Democrats, in order to undermine the campaigns of Shelly Moore and Nancy Nusbaum:


Democratic chairman Mike Tate, again:

"Scott Walker has sought the help of the corporate front group "Americans For Prosperity," and here they come with dirty tricks clearly meant to meddle in our elections and suppress votes against the Koch Brothers' agenda. Wisconsin's election authorities must stop the black hand of the corporate special interests and their front groups who are trying to strangle democracy in our state and support the six Republican senators now facing recall.

These six Republicans must immediately denounce the AFP scheme or it will signal to the public that they endorse the suppression of Wisconsin votes."

They filed a complaint with Wisconsin Government Accountability Board but what about the Justice Department? Does subverting democracy not rise to a serious enough offense for them? Many people think it is:

Americans for Prosperity is funded by David and Charles Koch, who funneled millions of dollars to Scott Walker and his radical allies. Walker’s allies have raised the specter of voter irregularity to further their agenda.

Make no mistake: This is voter suppression-- pure and simple. Americans for Prosperity must be taken to task for this disgusting, immoral, and anti-democratic behavior.

The battle against Big Business dominance is being fought on many fronts, even in Wisconsin. Yesterday, in explaining why he couldn't support Obama's anti-family deal with the GOP, Russ Feingold said "The debt ceiling deal should remove any doubt of the power corporate interests have over our government. That deal, hammered out by the president and Republican Congressional leaders, places the burden of reducing our long-term budget problems on average Americans, while the wealthiest individuals and corporations are given a free pass. Americans are willing to bear their share of the burden of addressing our nation’s long-term budget problems, but those sacrifices should be shared by all." Another front in the class war conservatives are waging against ordinary American families.

TPM speculates this morning that their may be catastrophic unintended consequences for Wisconsin from the abject surrender to the fascists by Obama and the Democrats yesterday.

[T]he perceived progressive failure in DC over the debt ceiling deal could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the wild and crazy Wisconsin recalls, leading to the kind of political domino effect left-leaning critics of the debt deal fear most.

Here's how the scenario works: as they're still licking their wounds from a national fight that in the eyes of many Democrats went the Tea Party's way, progressives in Wisconsin will be trying to pull out their voters for a round of recalls on August 9. That electorate could be underwhelmed now, folks familiar with the recalls say. And that could be the difference between flipping the Wisconsin state Senate away from Governor Scott Walker (R) and keeping it in Republican hands.

"There may be some who are sad to the point that they'll stay home," Charles Chamberlain, political director for Democracy for America, told TPM. DFA has spent well over a million dollars on the recall races, and expects to spend a lot more as the get-out-the-vote work begins in earnest.

The trouble is, Chamberlain said, the deal cut by President Obama and the Republicans to raise the debt ceiling has many of the same aspects as union-busting budget Walker passed through the Wisconsin legislature, firing up what has become one of the most active progressive battlefields in years.

"No real protections on entitlements. Dramatic cuts out of education. No shared sacrifice," Chamberlain rattled off. "That's exactly what happened in Wisconsin."

DFA's research has shown voters in the recalls motivated by cuts to programs like Medicare in Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) House budget (which has been the subject of more than one ad the group has run in contest). Behind that, they're moved by the potential for cuts in education programs as well as policies that adversely affect the middle class workers like librarians and teachers.

Progressive critics have said the deal to raise the debt ceiling could have many of the same effects. And the fact that voters just watched Obama get behind the deal could have a chilling effect on turnout.

Or will Obama's Satan Sandwich have just the opposite effect? Or no effect at all. 7 days. Last minute help is welcome.

Sandy Pasch Pulls Out Ahead In Wisconsin

Early in June Wisconsin state Senator Chris Larson introduced Blue America to progressive Assemblywoman Sandy Pasch. As you can see, 99 of us have contributed to her campaign. Since then she has been steadily gaining on Scott Walker/Paul Ryan zombie Alberta Darling and in the latest polling has even pulled ahead of the longtime incumbent. The GOP threw up an obstacle-- a fake primary where she had to fight off a challenge by Gladys Huber, a longtime official of the Ozaukee County Republican Party, who ran as a "Democrat." Sandy wiped the floor with her, winning 67-33%. But the GOP wasn't counting on winning that one. They were counting on draining Sandy's resources before the real battle next month.

August 9th, Sandy will go head to head with Walker lieutenant Alberta Darling in the race that will decide whether Wisconsin keeps going down Walker's and ALEC's road towards fascism... or not. It's that important.

To keep her momentum going, Pasch needs, desperately needs, to stay on the air with her progressive message between now and August 9th. If you can help, even with $5 or $10, it could make a real difference, not just in Wisconsin's 8th Senatorial District but across America. You can contribute through ActBlue here.

Darling's and Walker's right-wing allies are already inundating the airwaves in the expensive Milwaukee suburbs with negative advertising. A memo from a Democratic strategist in Wisconsin warned, "Past challengers to Darling were doomed precisely because they could not regain their footing, or clear the air of smears, after Darling's preemptive and massive television attack campaign. By smartly choosing to dominate the airwaves early, Pasch was able to eliminate a double-digit gap in the course of less than two months, and establish a beachhead of support. However, this position can ONLY be sustained if Sandy Pasch is able to raise the resources necessary to counter the fury of attack ads that will soon be unleashed by Alberta Darling and her special interest allies."

They come.

Club for Growth, Americans For Prosperity, W.M.C.-- the rogues' gallery of radical conservative special interests understand that Pasch is a direct threat to their agenda, and are, as we speak, plotting to tear down Rep. Pasch in a campaign we have every reason to believe will be conducted through Milwaukee television and will shock the conscience.

That Pasch has been able to come within striking distance of Darling in this District has been a testament to the grassroots fervor that Walker and Darling have spurred, and to the excellence of Pasch's candidacy. But it is also a testament to the effectiveness of Pasch's "strike-first strategy"-- a strategy that has catapulted her into the lead. The resources that have girded the success of Pasch's insurgency, however, have limits. Without immediate assistance a golden opportunity to derail the runaway Scott Walker agenda will be lost.

No less than the majority of the state Senate hangs in the balance. Of all the Republican Senators, Darling is Walker's handmaiden above all others-- removing her from the Senate will be a major victory for us and a crushing blow to Scott Walker. It is our sincere belief that the only hope to sustain the gains achieved by Pasch is an immediate influx of resources.

Sandy Pasch can win. But she needs help to do so. Now.

One more time: the Blue America Wisconsin recall page.

Wisconsin... Microcosm?

Despite a barrage of right-wing money and a relentless robo-call campaign from Republican operatives in Virginia urging Democrats not to vote yesterday and despite Republicans claiming the polls would close early and all their normal voter discouragement schemes, all six Democrats beat the shill candidates the GOP put up against them in the primaries yesterday... by landslides. Despite the tremendous sums of money fascist interests like the Kochs poured into the races, grassroots efforts by ordinary working people pretty much matched or even beat the right-wing onslaught.

Democrat Nancy Nusbaum trounced Republican Otto Junkermann 65-35 and will now face off against recalled state Senator Robert Cowles.

Democrat Sandy Pasch beat Republican Gladys Huber 67-33 and will now face off against recalled state Senator Alberta Darling, the self-professed Paul Ryan wanna be.

Democrat Shelly Moore beat Republican Issac Weix 54-46 and will now face off against recalled state Senator Sheila Harsdorf.

Democrat Fred Clarke beat Republican Rol Church 67-33 and will now face off against recalled state Senator Luther Olsen.

Democrat Jennifer Shilling routed Republican James Smith 71-29 and will now face off against recalled state Senator Dan Kapanke, the incumbent most likely to lose next month. The last poll showed Kapanke trailing by 14 points.

Democrat Jessica King beat Republican John Buckstaff 69-31 and will now face off against recalled state Senator Randy Hopper, a notorious tax cheat (and "family values" adulterer). Take a look at the Hopper ad up top. It's the inspiration for the microcosm idea in the title.

What Scott Walker and his zombies are doing to Wisconsin is exactly what the GOP plans for all of us across the country. Late last night, before the national media was declaring the Republican dirty tricks had backfired and blown up in their faces, I spoke to a jubilant Chris Larson, one of the Democratic state senators who's been out front leading the efforts to stymie Walker's anti-family agenda. "Today," he told me, "was just a distraction by the Republicans in the hope that citizens wouldn't hold them accountable for turning their backs on the middle class. But we've proven that we're more determined than ever to restore the balance in our state. Wisconsin continues to stand up for what's right and we're asking the nation to stand with us on August 9th."

August 9th is the day of the actual general elections and the small contributions from grassroots donors everywhere is what helped the six progressives win yesterday. Please, even if it's just $5 or $10, dig deep one more time for a state fighting for it's life-- and ours.