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Forum Post: Massive Rally and a New Candidate Surfaces to Challenge Walker in Wisconsin

Posted 12 years ago on March 13, 2012, 12:11 p.m. EST by GirlFriday (17435)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

Walker is under increasing pressure as prosecutors—who have issued 15 felony indictments of his closest aides and associates for campaign-finance-related violations—draw closer to the governor himself.

....Several candidates have announced their intention to run against Walker.

These include Western Wisconsin dairy farmer and state senator Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, and former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.

Right after the Saturday rally, another possible candidate, Assembly minority leader Peter Barca, said he was close to a decision about whether to get in the race.

....Barca denounces the distorting effect of special interest money that pushes policies including voucher bills.

But he is not prepared to accept Ed Garvey's "tin cup" challenge and run a campaign that refuses to accept any corporate, union, PAC, or out-of-state money.

"You could do no corporate money," Barca allows. "I don’t think I’d rule out out-of-state money. People all over the country care deeply about the impact of what's happening here on other states." http://www.progressive.org/massive_rally_new_candidate_surfaces_to_challenge_walker.html

32 Comments

32 Comments


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[-] 4 points by bensdad (8977) 12 years ago

I know nothing about these potential candidates
BUT
I beseech them to co-operate to defeat walker
they must unite without butchering each other
they must take contributions from wherever they come THEN use their power to give Wisconsin back to the people.

[-] 0 points by incomeforall (64) 12 years ago

Back to the people? Don't you mean back to the unions?

[-] 4 points by pewestlake (947) from Brooklyn, NY 12 years ago

Union membership is at a 30-year low nationwide, including Wisconsin. Unions represent less than 3% of the total workforce in America, less than 8% of the public workforce. Don't look now, your talking point is showing.

[-] 2 points by incomeforall (64) 12 years ago

WOW! Makes you wonder where they got that 500 million they spent on Democrats in the '08 elections!

[-] -1 points by po6059 (72) 12 years ago

From forced union dues.

[-] 1 points by bensdad (8977) 12 years ago

who signs your pay check
david or charles

[-] 1 points by incomeforall (64) 12 years ago

LOL, I poke fun at you guys for the sheer pleasure of it, you're so easy! :)

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[-] -1 points by po6059 (72) 12 years ago

It's all about the unions using forced member dues to buy obama and other politicians.

[-] 0 points by fiftyfourforty (1077) from New York, NY 12 years ago

Union members expect their elected leaders to get results for them. Many do like to bitch and moan but they want results!

[-] 0 points by po6059 (72) 12 years ago

unions leaders dont give a crap about the people they are supposed to represent, but the leaders DO love the money and the power.

[-] 0 points by fiftyfourforty (1077) from New York, NY 12 years ago

It's not about what the union leaders think in their hearts. They are paid by their members to get results.

[-] 0 points by po6059 (72) 12 years ago

They aren't "paid", the union members are forced to pay the dues.

[-] 0 points by fiftyfourforty (1077) from New York, NY 12 years ago

They don't have to work in a union shop. Now, why do workers want to work in one?

[-] 0 points by po6059 (72) 12 years ago

. why do union leaders oppose right to work states? because workers don't have to join a union if they don't want to. it deprives unions leaders of money and power. in some states you don't have to belong to a union but are still forced to pay union dues.

[-] 2 points by fiftyfourforty (1077) from New York, NY 12 years ago

The idea is if a person gets a benefit from the union she ought to pay either a membership dues or a fee for the representation she gets. RTW mandates that a recognized union bargain for and enforce the contract for people who pay nothing. That ought to offend a real conservative- after all no one takes a gun to anyone's head and makes her take employment in a union shop.

The goal of RTW is to weaken and destroy not only unions but the pay, benefits and working conditions of the workers.

[-] 0 points by po6059 (72) 12 years ago

if it's all so wonderful why are unions OPPOSED to a secret ballot when voting for a union? can we say intimidation. The goal of wtk is to let and companies ( boeing) be free to run their business's how they want to. no one is forced to work for them.

[-] 2 points by fiftyfourforty (1077) from New York, NY 12 years ago

There's something to be said for casting a vote openly in front of your co workers and friends when you are making a decision that affects their well being. That's Union democracy and it's the sort of democracy that OW itself practices.

[-] 1 points by po6059 (72) 12 years ago

Voting should be confidential.How you vote is your business. Privacy is important.

[-] 2 points by fiftyfourforty (1077) from New York, NY 12 years ago

That's a matter of opinion.

[-] 1 points by po6059 (72) 12 years ago

No. its matter of privacy. how you vote is your own business. an open vote leaves a person subject to intimidation.

[-] -1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 12 years ago

people don't like open disagreement

[-] 1 points by shoozTroll (17632) 12 years ago

We always had secret ballots in my union.

It was never otherwise.

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[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 12 years ago

representatives don't vote in secret

[-] 1 points by shoozTroll (17632) 12 years ago

They do in my local.

It's UAW, so I don't know about the others.

[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 12 years ago

thanks

[-] 0 points by fiftyfourforty (1077) from New York, NY 12 years ago

Well, I've been a member of a few unions. this is what i have seen:

When the leaders want the members to vote conservatively (ie accept the contract) they do a secret mail ballot. When they want the workers to vote to strike they hold a meeting and have a vote by show of hands.

[-] 1 points by alexrai (851) 12 years ago

You obviously don't know any union leaders, I work with them daily (from the company side) and believe me they not only work hard for their money, but its not all that glamorous, they are not that well paid, and they put up with a lot of crap on a daily basis.

Most of them are also elected by relatively small memberships, or delegations, and if they don't keep people happy they tend to lose their jobs.

[-] 2 points by pewestlake (947) from Brooklyn, NY 12 years ago

The Dems better be careful not to water down their message with infighting. I don't care if Walker is ousted by a pomegranate, he just has to go.

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[+] -5 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 12 years ago

Walker UPDATE - 3/20/2012

http://site.pfaw.org/site/R?i=rt19Tjpe5bdTjPD-gmDLug

Dear Dan,

Once again the voters of Wisconsin are poised to send a message to right-wing elected officials who are doing the bidding of the extreme Far Right and powerful corporate interests over protecting the 99%. And People For the American Way will be there to do our part in this critical battle to recall Republican Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and remove more of his right-wing cronies from the State Senate, flipping control of the Senate to the Democrats.

Are you with us? Click here to let us know you support this effort.

More than a million Wisconsinites signed a petition to get Gov. Walker’s recall on the ballot. With your help, we can achieve the first major victory of 2012 against the Tea Party-controlled GOP.

Gov. Walker and his allies in the state legislature have waged a war on the struggling middle class and working families of Wisconsin. Their infamous attacks on public employees and workers’ fundamental right to bargain collectively, and their draconian cuts to education and vital programs, have been carried out at the behest of the Koch brothers and the other right-wing corporate special interests that funded their elections. They even passed one of the most restrictive voter ID laws in the country to intentionally disenfranchise eligible student and minority voters.

Last year, the people of Wisconsin decided the Right Wing needed to be held accountable. And we agreed.

In 2011, PFAW engaged in recall elections in Wisconsin to help remove Walker’s State Senate allies who were eligible for recall. The work of PFAW donors and activists, as well as our TV ads, direct mail pieces, robocalls and contribution to the field effort, was instrumental in successfully recalling from office two Republican state senators and coming extremely close to recalling a third.

Our victory sent shockwaves across the country and made far right-wing governors think twice about their extreme overreach. It gave progressives critical momentum to beat back a brutal attack on workers’ rights in Ohio -- a bill championed by that state’s right-wing governor that Ohio voters resoundingly overturned with a ballot initiative. With this year's Wisconsin recall elections, expected on June 5, we have a chance to help build much-needed momentum heading into the national elections in November.

Click to tell us if you are with us in this effort.

Last year, we cut the Republican majority to one in the Wisconsin Senate, slowing Gov. Walker’s aggressive ideologically-driven agenda. Now, another Republican state senator has announced her retirement, leaving the State Senate divided evenly between Democrats and Republicans.

This summer, we have the chance to flip the Senate to Democratic control -- to end the right-wing attacks on Wisconsinites’ rights and to give Democrats a say in the state’s incredibly important redistricting process. And we have a chance to RECALL one of the Tea Party’s favorite poster boys: Gov. Scott Walker.

Click here to let us know you support this work.

Thank you so much for all that you do.

Best, Michael B. Keegan signature

Michael Keegan, President

[-] 2 points by GirlFriday (17435) 12 years ago

Watching Walker Walk is going to be so much fun.

[+] -5 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 12 years ago

Hey GirlFriday. It will be a local celebration for sure.

[+] -5 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 12 years ago

Karma - sometimes it just needs a little nudge.

Thanks GirlFriday.