Tom Barrett

Barack Obama And The Wisconsin Recall Election

Ronald 1 Comment

President Obama made a major mistake by avoiding the Wisconsin Recall election, which takes place tomorrow.

Obama campaigning for Mayor Tom Barrett of Wisconsin in person would have been an electrifying event, which would have brought out more support for Barrett, in a state where the unemployment rate is below the national average.

If Barrett loses tomorrow, which seems likely at this point, based on polls, Obama will share the blame for the loss, and it will be a telling sign to the Republican Party for the Fall elections.

Obama needs to show his fighting spirit, and had an opportunity to do so this weekend, and let it pass, disappointing many.

Is Obama going to be Harry Truman in 1948 or Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936? Or is he doomed to be Jimmy Carter in 1980?

Bill Clinton went into Wisconsin to campaign for Barrett against Governor Scott Walker, and Obama, able to find time to visit Minnesota and Illinois, should have done the same!

The Crucial Wisconsin Recall Election Next Tuesday June 5: It Could Affect The Fall Elections!

Ronald 2 Comments

Next Tuesday, June 5, “Bully” Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin faces a recall vote after only 17 months in office, only the third time in American history that a governor has faced recall, the other two times in North Dakota in 1921 (Lynn Frazier) and in 2003 in California (Grey Davis), with both of them being recalled.

This recall election is much more crucial, as Scott Walker has run a corrupt government, a government which has taken away labor rights and favored the wealthy over the average Wisconsin citizen, and allowed himself to be influenced by right wing interests led by the Koch Brothers.

If Walker wins, it will be a major setback to the progressive movement, embolden conservatives, including the Tea Party Movement, and the other “Bully Governors”, and could affect the state vote and the national vote for President and Congress in November.

This election is not to be taken lightly, and it endangers the fight against the extremists on the right, so we must push everyone who understands the dangers to get out there and vote, or else the price paid will be heavy!

Mayor Tom Barrett of Milwaukee is worthy of the support of the national party and President Obama much more directly than has occurred so far. Bill Clinton may go out and campaign, and President Obama needs to take a stronger stand, and possibly his presence, in the next few days in Wisconsin.

This is the home of Robert La Follette, Sr.; his sons Robert Jr. and Philip La Follette; William Proxmire; Gaylord Nelson; Russ Feingold; and many others who have contributed to progressive reform in the past century.

Better to fight and lose, than sit back and allow regressive policies to be emboldened and affect the nation as a whole! We must not cave in, but instead, continue to fight for basic principles of fairness and equity!

Finally! Democratic National Committee Provides Support For Tom Barrett In Scott Walker Recall Election In Wisconsin!

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It has been a long haul to get the Democratic National Committee to recognize that they must provide funds and ground support to the massive effort to help Mayor Tom Barrett of Milwaukee unseat Governor Scott Walker in the recall election in Wisconsin on June 5.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the DNC Chair, announced such support yesterday, a crucial element in the upcoming Presidential election, as if this recall election is lost, it will be a major blow to the Obama re-election campaign.

It is not as if that loss, if it occurs, is a guarantor of trouble in November, but it would be a major setback for progressive forces, as Scott Walker represents the worst of the “Bully Governors” and the Tea Party Movement, which has been the major negative force since the midterm Congressional and state elections of 2010.

The labor movement, the role of education, the effect on women, the role of powerful special interests (including the Koch Brothers), and so many other strands of politics are tied together with the Wisconsin recall race, only the third time there has been a recall election in the history of the United States.

The other two times, in North Dakota in 1921, and in California in 2003, the cause for recall was far less serious than the case is in Wisconsin, but both efforts succeeded.

A victory by Walker would show the power of the wealthy special interests to corrupt our system of government and make life more comfortable for the “one percent” against the “99 percent”, and would set Wisconsin back to before the time of Governor Robert La Follette, Sr., who made “progressivism” a cause that would impact the state and the nation numerous times over the next century.

The battle for progressive reform, and to keep it strong, is a never ending battle, but it is good that the DNC has finally entered the fray!

The Second Most Important Election Of 2012: The Recall Election In Wisconsin On June 5th

Ronald 1 Comment

Obviously, the most important election of 2012 is the choice between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for President in November.

But a likely forecast of what will happen in November is the Wisconsin Governorship recall race to be held on June 5, five months earlier.

Republican Governor Scott Walker, who has warred on the citizens of Wisconsin, set out to destroy labor unions, and cut education funding dramatically, while giving tax breaks to the special interests, and accepting campaign help from the Koch Brothers and other wealthy conservative interests, will face Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, his opponent in the 2010 gubernatorial race, who he defeated by about five points.

Considering that about a million votes were gathered to force this recall race in the middle of the term, only the third recall election in US history, it is inspiring people to believe that Walker can be kicked out of office by Democratic nominee Barrett.

The money flowing is amazing, with much of it coming from outside for Walker, as Republicans see this as a chance to validate their approach toward public affairs, and Walker has become a rallying point for other “Bully” Governors, including Chris Christie of New Jersey, Paul LePage of Maine, Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania, Rick Scott of Florida, John Kasich of Ohio, and Rick Snyder of Michigan, among others.

Labor and progressive forces are fighting to retire Walker, and put Mayor Barrett into office, and if this effort fails, it would be a major dampening of hopes of progressives to overcome the Tea Party influence, which has seized control of the Republican Party in a deleterious manner!

Wisconsin Moves Toward Recall Election Of Governor Scott Walker: La Follette Progressivism’s Return!

Ronald 1 Comment

The state of Wisconsin, the home of the great Progressive Republican leader Robert La Follette, Sr a century ago, is on the way to a recall election against Conservative Republican Governor Scott Walker, who has worked to destroy public sector unions in the Badger State, and has taken other actions in league with the Republican legislature to harm education and other social services, areas Wisconsin has always been a leader among the states of the Union.

Wisconsin introduced the recall method, and it has succeeded in bringing about much more support in voter signatures than anyone would have ever imagined, and the date for the primaries for Governor and other state offices is May 8, followed by the election of either Walker or his Democratic opponent on June 5.

The former Dane County Executive (Madison), Kathleen Falk, is favored to be the Democratic nominee, although she is being challenged in the Democratic primary by the former Democratic opponent of Scott Walker in 2010, Mayor Tom Barrett of Milwaukee, as well as other possible challengers.

The important thing is for the Democrats, progressives, and the labor movement in Wisconsin to remain united, and take advantage of the opportunity to recall Governor Walker and other Republicans in the state legislature, due to this rare and unique “second chance” given the people of Wisconsin, something almost never available in most states, and rarely successful in American history.

The only successful times were in North Dakota in 1921 and in California in 2003. Governor Lynn Frazier in North Dakota and Governor Gray Davis in California have been the only Governors successfully recalled, but neither had abused their position nor had been so confrontational and belligerent as Scott Walker has been.

If there was ever a time for a wholesale removal of political leaders in the legislature and the Governorship, it is NOW in Wisconsin. We will be cheering on the effort, hoping for a successful result on June 5!