WisPolitics Election Blog: SSDC exec director says Wanggaard recount request a waste of money

“He knows, every Republican I talk to knows there’s no way he’s going to overcome an 800-vote gap,” Kramer said. “I can only assume this is some sort of political game that Republicans want to play, which is funny it’s the same week Scott Walker claims he wants to move past it and get along.”


WisPolitics Election Blog: SSDC exec director says Wanggaard recount request a waste of money

Political divide may take more than a meal to heal

The recall election is over, and so is the beer-and-brat legislative summit in Madison... What's next?

Political divide may take more than a meal to heal

2 lawmakers mum on who is paying voter ID legal work - JSOnline

Madison - Two state lawmakers are trying to intervene in a lawsuit over the state's stalled voter ID law, but they are refusing to say how they are paying for it.


2 lawmakers mum on who is paying voter ID legal work - JSOnline

Judge Says 10,000 American Airlines Workers Can’t Hold Union Vote

SEPAC Note: While this blog entry speaks of anti-union action in the private sector it is very important to realize the continued attacks on "organized" workers and in this case, attempting to silence the voice of more than 10,000 workers, and ask yourself, "am I going to allow the majority rule in Wisconsin to silence my voice and trample on my rights and dignity or am I going to stay with my fellow organized workers and fight back for my rights, dignity and economical benefits that I enjoyed when I was a part of the Union."

I want to REJOIN THE FIGHT!
[https://wseu.wisconsinunionstrong.org/]

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A federal judge in Texas today blocked an election by 10,000 American Airlines passenger service agents that the National Mediation Board (NMB) last week ordered to begin June 21. Last month, American filed suit against the NMB’s decision to allow the workers to vote on joining the Communications Workers of America (CWA).
Judge Says 10,000 American Airlines Workers Can’t Hold Union Vote

Wanggaard Petitions for a Recount in the 21st Senate District

Wanggaard Statement on Request for Recount


For Immediate Release
June 15, 2012
Contact: Justin Phillips, 262‐617‐3893

From the moment the elections results were announced on June 5th, I have had dozens of people beating down my door demanding that I ask for a recount immediately. While doing so may have pleased many of my supporters, especially those in my party, I have never done something just because it was demanded of me.

Over the past week, I have thought long and hard about what is in the best interests of the 21st Senate District. I have spoken with voters, supporters and elected officials seeking their input. Unanimously, they have supported a recount.

One of those voters reminded me of my late friend, Judge Dennis Barry. That voter reminded me how Judge Barry was once down on election night by 700‐some votes, and asked for a recount. In the end, Judge Barry won by more than 90 votes. I had forgotten that story about my friend. For variety of reasons, not all related to the election results, the story warmed my heart.

I also heard, unsolicited, from many, many others ‐ people I have never met. Like many, they are passionate about the recent elections. Overwhelmingly, and for a variety of reasons, they believe their votes were disenfranchised on election night. And they are asking for a recount.

I do not seek a recount as a delaying tactic. Like many of you, I too want to move on from the bitterness that has divided this state as a result of the recall elections. This is not about maintaining power or denying Democrats power. There are no “secret plans” for a special legislative session during this recount, and no votes scheduled.

But I also recognize that in the absence of a voter ID law and so many people suspicious of the election result, bitterness and division will only grow if the results are not recounted.

The recount I am requesting on behalf of more than 35,000 supporters has a simple philosophy behind it ‐ “Trust but Verify.” Everyone, even those who voted for my opponent, should want to end the schisms caused by the recalls. I hope that a trusted and verified result of the election will finally allow us to move forward.

# # #

Wisconsin GOP lawmaker to decide on recount option | News - Home

State Sen. Van Wanggaard is expected to announce whether he wants a recount in last week's recall election. The outcome determines the majority party in the state Senate.


Wisconsin GOP lawmaker to decide on recount option | News - Home

Wave of Wisconsin public-sector retirements slows | News - Home

There was a wave of public-sector retirements last year after Gov. Scott Walker introduced sweeping collective bargaining changes. That wave has slowed this year, although the number of retirement applications is still up from 2010.


Wave of Wisconsin public-sector retirements slows | News - Home

Voters Without ID in Wisconsin - Pew Center on the States

The battle over voter ID continues, and in Wisconsin, it is being fought in the courtroom. Two judges recently blocked the state’s law requiring photo ID at the polls from taking effect. Plaintiffs opposing the law retained researchers to examine the rates of possession of accepted photo ID among the voting eligible population (VEP) and registered voters in Milwaukee County, the state’s most populous county. Based on survey results, 9.5 percent of the county’s VEP—slightly more than 63,000 eligible voters—and 8.7 percent of registered voters were found to lack the proper ID.


Voters Without ID in Wisconsin - Pew Center on the States

AFL-CIO Pulling Funds From Obama Campaign - Washington Whispers (usnews.com)

The AFL-CIO has been at odds with the president before Wisconsin on issues such as the public health insurance option and renewing the Bush tax cuts.


AFL-CIO Pulling Funds From Obama Campaign - Washington Whispers (usnews.com)

Democrats appear to have gained control of Wisconsin Senate | Hudson Star-Observer | Hudson, Wisconsin

A ballot canvass in Racine County Tuesday confirmed State Sen. Van Wanggaard's recall election defeat from a week ago. The canvass showed that Democrat John Lehman won by 834 votes, 55 more than last Tuesday night’s count.

Democrats appear to have gained control of Wisconsin Senate | Hudson Star-Observer | Hudson, Wisconsin

Walker Won In Wisconsin, But So Did Labor

Yes, labor lost its attempt to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, one of the most virulent labor opponents anywhere. But as AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka declared, the heated election campaign was "not the end of the story, but just the beginning.


Walker Won In Wisconsin, But So Did Labor

30 Seconds: About the recall election in Wisconsin - New Philadelphia, OH - The Times-Reporter

Walker win in Wisconsin. Corporations gave him $60 million to buy the election. I wonder how many more elections the corporations will try to win? We now have a government of the rich, by the rich and for the rich. We have no democracy anymore.


30 Seconds: About the recall election in Wisconsin - New Philadelphia, OH - The Times-Reporter

Framed: How Redefining Direct Democracy as Anti-Democratic Won Wisconsin | The Nation

Now that the dust has settled following last Tuesday's Wisconsin recall election, the most remarkable line of spin to have gained traction is the notion that Scott Walker won in large part because Wisconsinites did not like direct democracy.


Framed: How Redefining Direct Democracy as Anti-Democratic Won Wisconsin | The Nation

UW-Madison announces plan for targeted pay raises - JSOnline

Select faculty and staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will receive raises under a plan announced Tuesday by the university aimed at retaining top-tier employees.


UW-Madison announces plan for targeted pay raises - JSOnline

AFSCME | Romney, Allies Target Public Service Workers

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney recently launched a new rhetorical attack on public workers and the vital services on which millions of American families rely.


AFSCME | Romney, Allies Target Public Service Workers

AFL-CIO Mounts Voter Registration Drive in Wake of Wisconsin Defeat : Roll Call Politics

Less than a week after failing to oust Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), unions and their allies announced a voter recruitment program aimed at countering a spate of new voter identification laws and restrictions on voter registration. The AFL-CIO has launched an “unprecedented” campaign to register 500,000 new union voters in the key states of Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada, Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker said today. The goal, she said, is to raise union member turnout from 70 percent to 75 percent in November.


AFL-CIO Mounts Voter Registration Drive in Wake of Wisconsin Defeat : Roll Call Politics

AFSCME | AFSCME’s McEntee: “Daniels Wants a Return to the Spoils System”

Statement of AFSCME Pres. Gerald W. McEntee regarding Gov. Mitch Daniels’ remarks on Fox News Sunday about public sector unions: “Mitch Daniels says ‘government works better without unions.’ Do we need any more proof that Daniels and other anti-union governors want to return to the days of the spoils system, where elected officials could fire workers whenever they wanted to?

AFSCME | AFSCME’s McEntee: “Daniels Wants a Return to the Spoils System”

Walker grills for lawmakers as helicopter circles : Madison.com Madison WI news sports entertainment

The two dozen protesters outside the gates included those who have hounded Walker for months, along with Marty Beil, executive director of the state's largest public employees union. Beil dismissed cookout as "nothing more than a PR gig."
If Walker were serious, he would meet privately and more discretely with lawmakers rather than throw a cookout for hundreds, Beil said.

Walker grills for lawmakers as helicopter circles : Madison.com Madison WI news sports entertainment

More Evidence Private Prisons Don’t Work

A recent report dismantles claims by private prison industry and its backers—including the extremist American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—that private prisons are a better deal than publicly run facilities. “Prison Bed Profiteers: How Corporations Are Reshaping Criminal Justice in the U.S.,” from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD), demonstrates that many common claims of private prison companies have been repeatedly disproven and the private model often survives off low-paid, poorly trained staff, which can lead to compromised levels of safety for staff and inmates, as well as the general public.


More Evidence Private Prisons Don’t Work

State employee union leaders rebuff irked workers' bid to depose them

This is what democracy looks like within a labor organization, members having the right to disagree with their leadership and then being able to freely attempt change at the ballot box. It is totally Union Members electing Union Members.

State employee union leaders rebuff irked workers' bid to depose them