A Little Good News: Scott Walker’s Fate
Firefighters caused a run on the M&I Bank which was a major funder of Scott Walker’s campaign. Awesome!
and there is this…
Paul Maslin: ‘VICTORY’???!!! Pyrrhus Had Nothing on Scott Walker.
I was Gray Davis’ pollster from 1993 through his two gubernatorial victories and his ultimate defeat to a recall movement and Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003.
Make no mistake, the union-busting strategy whose true nature was finally completely unmasked by the junta-like power play at the State Capitol in Madison last night will lead to Walker’s premature ouster from office. He has been trapped by too many lies and the punk nature of the attempted suspension of democratic principles (Lincoln had an actual war to fight when he suspended habeas corpus; Walker is trying to beat up on elementary school teachers) by him and his cronies. Whether or not we succeed in ousting enough Senators from office this year, and Wisconsin politics will be dominated for the next several months by those recall campaigns, the ultimate fate for Walker is sealed: he will be recalled from office as soon as legally possible.
Every move he has made in this farcical and sad Napoleonic play has dug himself deeper into a base that will not be strong enough to save him as the middle grows more and more angry at his actions. The “Koch” call (“Thanks a million”) exposed him as someone willing to talk to billionaires, unwilling to negotiate with duly-elected legislators. It was the first absolute evidence of a disturbing pattern: the same people who consider sending thugs into demonstrations to cause trouble are the same people who demonstrate juvenile behavior by withholding pay from legislators, fining them for their absence, and, ultimately, tricking the people of Wisconsin with a vote on the most heinous of their proposals after no debate with no Democrats present.
I was Tom Barrett’s pollster in the gubernatorial campaign which Walker won—under false pretenses, it turns out. Never in those two years did Walker ever mutter a word about destroying the collective bargaining rights of public employees. If he had, he would have lost then and spared the state and nation the ugliness and pettiness of his real beliefs.
I can’t tell you how much I love the M&I bank story. This is where you hurt them. I have not been a fan of boycotts in the past but selective targeting with big symbolic actions does work. Plus I hope that this makes other businesses decide that throwing all that money in politics isn’t the best idea.
I’m curious about that Maslin piece – is this just his opinion or does he have poll numbers? I’m skeptical that ther will be a recall of Walker because they have to wait another year. Would the recall proponents be able to carry the passion over an entire year, especially with a presidential and Senate campaign to distract attention?
The M&I story is great. If the middle class gets a grasp of its economic power along with its political power, we could see some positive changes.
I don’t know the poll numbers, but I think that Wisconsin is dying to recall Walker. The presidential and Senate campaigns could create a kind of synergy is the President goes into campaign mode sometime.
I love the M&I story too, but realistically I think it was just two guys pulling out their savings. I hope we get some numbers on more money coming out.
There’s more about this boycott effort here.
It won’t just be this bank. But it is interesting to note that this bank got a TARP bailout that they have not paid back. This is the kind of thing that could rebalance the table here — if a corporation is a person with free speech rights, then they can be held completely accountable for said free speech.
“Slavery was the legal fiction that a person was property. Corporate person-hood is the legal fiction that property is a person.”-Joan Edwards + Molly Morgan WILPF
There was the story about Target and their donations to MN governor candidate Emmer and Michele Bachmann. The LGBT community raised a big issue about it and got Target to apologize for donating to anti-LGBT politicians, especially since that was not the image Target wanted to project.
Re-read this every morning when you wake up, and every night before you go to sleep:
Then go review your expenses to see what checks you are writing to your political opponents.
Every move to defund Planned Parenthood should be matched by a poison-pill amendment to defund Halliburton, or some such. Don’t hold your breath.
The “move your money” people are on the right track. Apparently it is too much to ask our Democratic leaders to defund the extreme right, even as they defund us. So we will have to act on our own.
Uh-oh:
and…
“The only thing the Republicans care about is money. The only way you can touch them is through their revenue.”
So true. “Americans for Prosperity for a Very Small Number of Americans” are in the minority when it comes to numbers and disposable income.
iPhone-loving Tea Party-haters:
“Hang up on the Tea Party!”
Wht lbtrdd crp. h n, th sk s fllng! Brgnng rghts hv bn frbddn. Tchrs nd thrs mst p lttl mr. Lt’s byctt th wrld. Lt’s hrt th lttl g b bycttng lgtmt bsnsss nd dmg thr blt f ths jb hldrs f sd stblshmnts t rn dcnt lvng n th nm f dmcrc. Lt’s snd mr t th nmplymnt ln b/c Wlkr pssd bll n W. hv bttr d thn yr ‘s styl hpp whnng. pt t f mrc nd cst yr lt wth Hg Chvz.
The idea is to send Walker to the unemployment line, but you got very close this time. That’s an accomplishment that you can be proud of!
It won’t just be this bank. But it is interesting to note that this bank got a TARP bailout that they have not paid back. This is the kind of thing that could rebalance the table here — if a corporation is a person with free speech rights, then they can be held completely accountable for said free speech.
rwnj md sm ntrstng pnts. hv bttr d, lt s nt b n GM r Chryslr crs nd trcks th mnth f mrch bcs th gt blt mn t. lt s byctt vr bsnss whr t prt prsn wrks. tht wll shw m. GM stll ws th gvt ( – txpyr) $ mlln. r vn bttr yt, lt s hlt th lctn prcss fr pltcns ltgthr. lt s nt b cncrnd bt pltcns lvng thr stts t vd dmcrc. lt s jst mk ll dmcrts n chrg b dflt. dmcrc sn’t tht mprtnt thng nyw, s t? cll m cpt. bvs, bt lt s gt rl. s dmcrc th w t ws rgnll ntndd. n prsn – n vt. dn’t lk th pltcn? vt thm t s sn s pssbl.
Holding companies accountable for where they donate or advertise is entirely reasonable.
I still don’t shop at Home Depot not do I buy Nestle products…
It’s reasonable to direct your funds according to your political views. Punish companies for bad behavior.
“Punish companies for bad behavior” — does that mean that companies and small businesses should be free to not hire those whose political views they don’t like? Be careful where you’re headed.
And, for all the outcries, do people even really understand what happened????? There is STILL collective bargaining over wages and benefits for public employees in Wisconsin. They only lost collective bargaining rights for non-wage issues. And, don’t think the votes weren’t there to strip all collective bargaining rights; but that’s not what the governor proposed.
The shrill wingnut freakout in these comment testifies to the fact that these economic sanctions are a great idea.
“Punish companies for bad behavior”
actually pubis, this is the free market philosophy. if companies abuse those who allow them to operate in their home town, those people get to “vote” them out but taking their money. are you suggesting we just let companies do whatever they want with no recourse? be careful where you’re heading
We certainly know where sb is ‘heading’ – to Venezuela with his idol. He’s probably also a card-carrying member of the Sean Penn fan club.
Freedomfighter, you have already been warned about sock puppetry. Please pick a name and stick with it. Thank you.
How did RWR get back on this site?
And can someone please explain to me how LITTLE one would have to do with one’s life to be anon trolling a Delaware political blog.
Thanks for watching them, pandora et al.
I dont want unelected rich people buying my democracy so i am Chavez…… very intelligent logic.