Hell freezes over! Grothman disses Walker plan

Lucifer's probably strapping on his ice skates right now.  In what seems like an absolutely stunning move, my senator, Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend), called Governor Walker's "Jobs Funds Now" program "the most dubious giveaway I've seen since I've been in the legislature." (JS Online)

Um, and he's right. Walker's plan (to create jobs, of course), as described by Kathleen Gallagher of the Journal Sentinel, "would provide hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks to insurance companies, while giving control of a $250 million fund to out-of-state financial management companies that would not have to pay back the fund's principal and would keep up to 80% of its profits."  I think that's like giving money to your rich brother in the hopes that he'll give some of it to the other brother that really needs it.

Grothman cited similar failed Republican legislation from 2003 in his testimony to a joint committee last week.  The mere fact Grothman (as conservative and anti-everything as any Wisconsin legislator since possibly Joe McCarthy) was the sole objector out of 26 people testifying, really is amazing.  It's gotten me to thinking one of two things: He's got a hidden reason for doing this, or the guy from over the weekend missed doomsday, but not by much, for surely this has to be one of the seven signs of the apocalypse. But, don't get me wrong, Grothman is still a major d-bag, even if he once-in-a-while rightly criticizes Walker.

When Grothman (who called protesting teachers "slobs)" reinstates education funds, collective bargaining rights, money to too-many-to list programs to help people and not business, and then changes his deplorable views against women, single mothers, and minorities, then he'll deserve real credit.

UPDATE (8:15 PM): In response to some inquiries, Grothman is (unfortunately) not up for recall in this very Republicanized district. My apologies for not mentioning that in the post.
Read more about "Jobs Fund Now" at Democurmudgeon or from any of probably three million bloggers today.


Photo of Gothman from politifact.

Recalls and a house divided...

At a rally here to recall my State Senator Glenn Grothman, people told me of changes in their lives since Scott Walker arrived.  I heard about friends who no longer spoke to one another, and sleepless nights for public workers wondering how to make up a shortfall of hundreds of dollars per month.  Twenty-something Austin was there--as he was in Madison--to "fight a good fight," showing support for his mom, a public school teacher.  There were stories about educators with family members that openly express derision towards teachers and public education, sentiments that weren't even in the conversation three months ago.  And I thought of the distrust and the acrimony of the Supreme Court election, and the misinformation that spews daily on the Internet.

Republican Abraham Lincoln once said, "A house divded against itself cannot stand."  Republican Governor Walker recently said, "Sometimes, bipartisanship is not good."  To those ends, Walker has continued to divide, not unite.  As a result, we'll have maybe nine recall elections this summer.  I can't imagine that will initially bring anyone together.

I spoke with a Walker backer protesting the Grothman recall rally, a very nice guy named Mike.  He's been laid off a painfully long time, hoping for the promised creation of jobs, and tax rates that won't take any more out of his already-too-empty pockets.  His parting comment was,"They talk about jobs and unemployment--both sides--and to them, I'm just a figure, and I'm not.  I'm a real person."

And I couldn't help but hope that no matter which side ends up running the show, they remember Lincoln's words and not Walker's, that instead of dividing, they work to unite all of us, public workers like me and nice guys like Mike.

If you have any stories you'd like to share, to commiserate, to inform, please click here to visit the Talk About It page and post a comment.

Dem14 Sen. Jon Erpenbach talks with MisLeading Wisconsin

Senator Jon Erpenbach spoke with me tonight (Fri.) before a Recall Glenn Grothman rally in West Bend.  Sen. Erpenbach (D-Middleton) is known to Wisconsin workers as one of the courageous Wisconsin Dem14 Senators who went to Illinois to deny a quorum and stop a too-hasty passage of Walker's budget repair bill on Feb. 17.  The italics are the questions I asked him in our short interview.

Do you have any regrets about leaving for Illinois?  "Not at all. It was the only way to slow things down.  It was the only way to give people a chance to see what was in (the budget repair bill)."  The Senator added that it was expected the Republicans would consolidate power, "but not in only one guy's hands."

"They went way too far."

Do you think the time in Illinois had any affect on some changes in Republican stances on current budget issues? Erpenbach nodded.  "Take Senior Care.  91,000 people depend on Senior Care and it's a wonderful program, a program that runs a surplus."

And is there any hope for teachers?  "Yes, there is.  More than not, people want friends and neighbors teaching their kids, not corporations."

Erpenbach expounded on several points during his speech, including his time in Illinois.  "They said to come home and we can have the debate--by the way, which is not negotiable.  We were offering proposals, they were taking away our paychecks, our parking spaces...they sent the State Patrol to our homes."

Regarding the non-re-passage of the budget repair bill: "We haven't been called back because they either don't want to put Glenn through that vote again, or they don't have the votes."

"This whole issue, it's not a right/left thing or a liberal/conservative thing, it's a right and a wrong thing. "

A crowd of 200-300 filled the pavilion in Regner Park, with a handful of Grothman supporters ringing the perimeter.  Supporters cheered "Thank you, thank you" to Sen. Erpenbach as well as another speaker, local television personality Gus Gnorski, whose employer Fox 6 News, said he could either speak at such union rallies or keep doing reports for the station.  Gnorski said goodbye to television and chose to speak at union rallies instead.  His hit-the-mark points included the hypocrisy of Grothman's mantra "I share your values," and the realization that jobs in the state need to be added jobs, not just those moved from place to place.

Also sharing the dais, were Tanya Lohr, the local high school teacher heading up the Grothman recall campaign in Washington County,  Rick Aaron, Democratic candidate for the 60th State Assembly District--now, suddenly with a chance to make a race of it in his Republican-heavy district-- and local columnist Waring Fincke.

Grothman petitions will be collected by 9 PM Sunday night.  The committee is still shy of the 20,061 signatures needed to trigger the recall.  If you haven't signed, check out the website here.

Grothman's gotta go

If there's anyone who thinks State Senator Glenn Grothman  (R-West Bend) speaks for Wisconsin, we should be very afraid for Wisconsin.  During the politics of the last few months, Grothman has shown disdain for Wisconsinites that have dissented with him by calling them names such as "smelly" and "slobs" , and labeling an obviously cognitively-challenged man as "a socially-inappropriate lefty."

Even his political moves for his own district are questionable, at best, as is shown in how the Walker budget cuts Grothman's been championing will be more severe for his home district.

But it's Grothman's ideas, the way he thinks, the vision he has for our America--a country built on freedom and equality--that should make the stoutest American truly shudder.  In a little video at an August Tea Party Rally he espouses how our country's "committing suicide" through "gals" having kids out of wedlock (because it's financially advantageous to not marry), through immigrants walking around on with a "chip on their shoulder" waiting for government handouts, and how big companies are routinely promoting women over more qualified men (what Grothman calls the "war on men").

This sounds like a parody of Wisconsin's infamous 1950's,communist-hunting, Senator Joseph McCarthy, or a skit from SNL, but it's not.  It's my State Senator in 2011. 

It would be nice to think he'd be justly recalled, but in this very conservative district, it must be he's preaching to the choir (in 2008, he pulled in over 80% of the vote).  However, there are recall petition events set up and great sites such as the Glenn Grothman Watch (aka, What did GG get wrong this week?) to stay on top of this guy. 

Hopefully, it will do some good.

WHO won't steal the election?

In an interview with Newsmax.com, Governor Walker vows that union leaders won't steal the election from David Prosser. (1) 

Huh?  Which candidate has more reason to question voting irregularities?

Governor, how about "We know there were some questions with the clerk's handling of votes in Waukesha County, so we'll make sure everything is above board?" 

Nope.  My governor, yet again, jumps right over conciliatory to combative.

And Walker maintains in the interview that "it is clear" that Republicans did not violate the open meetings law to pass budget repair which, of course, he is confident the Supreme Court will uphold (which includes Prosser who just happens to be the candidate Walker's administration said would be essential to further their agenda). (2)

I'm guessing, then, they haven't been even entertaining other possibilites.  For what it's worth, my senator, Grothman, e-mailed me April 5, regarding my question as to whether they'd be re-passing budget repair that "discussions were underway." (3)

But now Walker and his colleagues won't have to worry about that.  They'll just have to worry about keeping the possibility of "union thugs" in the headlines, to divert attention from their own "irregularities."

ADDENDUM: The Newsmax interview also intimates that Kloppenburg received an inordinate amount of outside campaign money.  Politifact estimated that Prosser spent 38% more such money than did she. (4)

(1) Governor Walker Vows..., Newsmax.com, http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/scott-walker-prosser-election/2011/04/10/id/392402
(2) Walker agenda could be stopped, if Prosser is defeated, JS Online, 4/5/11, http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/119285829.html
(3) Personal e-mail correspondence from Sen. Glenn Grothman, 4/5/11
(4) Politifact, JS Online, http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2011/apr/10/charlie-sykes/charlie-sykes-says-joanne-kloppenburg-had-3-1-adva/