You mean an election with major consequences for the future of American democracy occurs in four days?
Surely the media must be all over that story.
::crickets::
To get yourself up to speed, here’s a good high-level rundown of the Wisconsin recall election process at WaPo’s The Fix, to which I would normally refrain from linking — but fortunately this piece is written by Rachel Weiner.
There’s been shenanigans aplenty, from ignoring court orders, to meddling with voter ID requirements, to GOPers running fake Democrats to force primaries, to allegations of multiple felonies for campaign collusion, but it all culminates in two successive Tuesdays of recall elections.
What can you do right now to make a difference?
You can, if you’re in or near Wisconsin, get out there this weekend, knock doors and talk to people face-to-face about why their vote matters. Not sure where to go? The fine folks at OFA have dozens of events scheduled across the state in the next few days and you can sign up to volunteer via WI Democratic Party at their registration page.
And the unions and other progressive organizations are united behind We Are Wisconsin, where you can get locations of canvassing events this weekend as well.
Not close enough or fit enough for that? You can call Wisconsin voters from the comfort of your home. We at ABLC recommend that you click here to sign on with the WI Democratic Party virtual phonebank. Or check the OFA listings for a phonebank near you, or contact your local Democratic Party to see if they’re making calls.
Did I mention that the criminal complaint filed by the Wisconsin Democratic Party against GOPer Alberta Darling also names the Koch-brothers front group Americans For Prosperity?
Darling’s campaign and political operation is alleged to have benefited directly from groups that are part of a loose “coalition” that is funneling millions of dollars into Wisconsin in defense of her and Scott Walker’s agenda.
Do you need any more encouragement to get involved now?
I’m heading up to Milwaukee tomorrow with some other OFA volunteers to canvass for Sandy Pasch, who is in a neck-and-neck race with GOPer Alberta Darling. Will let you know how it goes!
Kerry Reid eats EmoProgs for breakfast. GOTV!
And yeah, that “Darling” surname is grimly ironic.
Updated the post to include an excellent direct link to the WI Democratic Party virtual phonebank.
First thing to report: Wisconsin folks are so nice — hard to believe it’s the same state that gave the world Joe McCarthy and Scott Walker.
I was assigned to canvass in Shorewood, a very cute and diverse suburb north of Milwaukee. I was in a group of four others who came up from Chicago — there were about 12 of us altogether. Lots of DFA folks and OFA folks out today. Shorewood is pretty much 70% for Pasch, so mostly it was leaving flyers, confirming people knew their polling place, etc. Only one person told me she wasn’t voting for Pasch, because she didn’t plan to vote at all. Cute old Italian man offered me a soda (I declined — he should’ve said “pop” — Ha!). I suspect (we all did, actually) that some people were home but not answering the door because they’ve been canvassed to death, but at least one person thanked me for volunteering. And the feeling is that Pasch can pull this off. I met her at the volunteer office and she’s a lovely woman — nurse, wife of a physician, special interest in funding for programs that benefit the mentally ill as well as other social safety-net programs.
I think if nothing else it’s a great tonic for anyone who can do so to get out and walk a precinct and see the signs and talk to people. It is — to use a word I often mock — empowering. We’re not defeated. We’re still working to overturn the errors. And there is more to unite us than to divide us if we just decide to stop bellyaching and take action.
Of course, by tomorrow I’ll be back to pointless kvetching. Tonight, though, I feel good. Go Badgers!
Thanks for the dispatch from the front lines.
The thing that has floored me about the GOP takeover in Wisconsin is how mean and nasty the Republicans have behaved. That is SO out of character for WI and is the part that is probably contributing the most to the backlash. They have such a long tradition of civility, of clean and open governance, that all the maneuvering and sleazy tactics are simply repulsing the majority of nice, decent Badgers.
I agree, Allan. I have a friend who is going up to WI from Chicago on Tuesday to do poll-watching, because I do fear more dirty shenanigans after what happened in the State Supreme Court Race a while back. But I am also hopeful. I think the momentum is on the side of the Dems — the Republicans have to play defense here and it’s telling that Scott Walker has been very absent from the trail. Stan Cates posted a great video on Twitter of Walker getting booed at the State Fair: http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/2011/08/06/video-wisconsinprotesters-confront-scott-walker-tea-party/
I think that tells us that the ball is in the Dems’ court. So let’s play hardball!
I hope that this works out for the Democrats. People lke walker and those other GOPs need to be returned to private life.
People in WI are nice and decent. Walker and his ilk are neither.
My sister and her husband had a weekend place in WI. They have friends who have been skeptical about the public employee unions — until Walker killed collective bargaining. In their view, the unions made concessions on paying more for health insurance, etc — and the GOP still decided to squash them. So they are very unhappy about the GOP takeover, even though they are concerned about the state budget.
Of course, in my view, people who bitch about public employee benefits could have chosen to take jobs in public education, etc. — but I tend to think they realized that education is one of the few places where you need a masters degree to break in and you still make crappy salaries for years and years with no profit sharing or bonuses to make up the difference. And as one teacher who was at an OFA event with me on Wednesday pointed out, a lot of people STILL think public school teachers “double dip” and get pensions PLUS Social Security, which isn’t the case. They’ve paid into their pensions during their careers. That is all they have for their retirements.
what do you mean by double dipping,i was a public employee for thirty years paid social taxes since i was sixteen,worked in private and public sector ding the same type of work in both sectors earned a pension that i paid towards while in the public sector as well as a certain amount toward my health insurance.i hate to hear it when people call it double dipping.no one forced any one to work in private or public sector,i was hired because i had a skill that many people that bitch about public workers that they could not make it by any means public or private.so please shut up i am a tax payer like you.