Matt Rothschild comments on last week's special elections fight, and the big election coming next Tuesday, April 3.

MADISON - I spent much of the last week writing about, speaking about, and testifying on the brazen effort by Walker and Fitzgerald to get around the law requiring special elections in Assembly District 42 and Senate District 1.

Here’s the testimony I gave at the State Capitol yesterday:

Testimony against GOP proposed change to special elections law

Then this morning it became clear that Walker and Fitzgerald were throwing in the towel, so here’s what I wrote in celebration of this win:

Sweet victory for democracy in Wisconsin!

I’d like to remind you that there’s a big election this coming Tuesday, April 3.

One of the races is for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and here’s what the candidates themselves have raised this year:

High court candidates raised $1.2M+ since Jan. 1

There’s also the big statewide referendum to eliminate the office of the State Treasurer. Please vote NO on this one:

Vote no on state treasurer referendum

And there are 9 local referendums around the state to amend the U.S. Constitution to overturn Citizens United and proclaim that corporations aren’t persons and money isn’t speech:

It’s on the ballot in Green and St. Croix counties.

It’s also on the ballot in the cities of La Crosse, Marshfield, Rice Lake, and Sun Prairie.

It’s on the ballot in the villages of McFarland and Wittenberg.

And it’s on the ballot in the town of Sand Creek in Dunn County.

Please vote in favor of it.

See you at the polls!

Best,

Matt Rothschild
Executive Director
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Walker forced to call special elections, preview next week’s Spring Election on Tuesday, Vote No on eliminating the State Treasurer, Foxconn news, and more...

Elections for vacant seats could have taken place weeks ago says Bowen.

MADISON – This morning, after a third judge repudiated Governor Walker’s effort to ignore his legal obligation to call special elections in vacant districts, Republicans officially dropped plans for an extraordinary session to keep 200,000 Wisconsin taxpayers without representation. Rep. David Bowen (D-Milwaukee) issued the following statement:

“The governor and Republican leaders are calling these elections ‘too expensive’ and ‘meaningless,’ yet the governor easily could have put these elections on the same schedule as he did the special election for the 10th Senate District, which took place two months after the seat became vacant,” said Bowen. “Fearing another rejection at the polls, the governor placed a bet that he could convince conservative judges to let him get away with violating his legal obligation, but even his allies on the bench rejected this abuse of power.

“Today marks three months since SD-1 and AD-42 became vacant, and citizens of those districts must now wait until June 12 – nearly half a year – to have representation again,” said Bowen. “That is the real cost of Governor Walker neglecting to do his job.”

*****

Walker’s “Would-If-I-Could” Attitude on Special Elections Deeply Troubling says Senator.

MADISON – In response to today’s announcement that Governor Walker will hold the special elections to fill vacant legislative seats and the cancellation of the Senate’s extraordinary session next week, Senator Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) released the following statement:

“With the majority that Republicans hold in the state legislature, they have the ability to pass any legislation they want. For a governor of any party to work with the legislature to undermine a judicial ruling, is outrageous. Their plan would have set a precedent that could have grave long-term consequences.”

“My office has received calls from people as far away as New Jersey that were concerned about the Governor’s actions. Ultimately, Walker has now consented to hold the special elections, but this window into how far Republican legislators are willing to go to retain power is both scary and simply unbelievable.”

MADISON - This week State Representative Daniel Riemer (D - Milwaukee) speaks on the two legislative seats Governor Walker has held vacant since December and the 200,000 Wisconsinites left without representation.

Audio File of Radio Address

Hello, this is State Representative Daniel Riemer with this week’s Democratic Radio Address.

“No taxation without representation.” The rallying cry of the American Revolution stood for a simple but powerful idea—that no free person should be governed without an opportunity to have their say in the way their government is run.

That high ideal has grown over the centuries, enfranchising Americans with the right to vote regardless of their economic position, their race, or their gender.

What took root in America is visible in budding republics around the globe. Those who remain unrepresented aspire to it in their ongoing struggle for freedom.

All 5.8 million Wisconsinites are represented in our State Legislature by both a representative and a senator.

When vacancies occur in the state legislature the Governor has the sole responsibility to call for special elections to allow voters to choose their representative.

For three months, two legislative seats have been vacant. Governor Walker has refused to call for special elections in these seats, leaving 200,000 Wisconsinites without representation for more than a year in a desperate, partisan attempt to maintain his grip on power.

Last week, a judge appointed by Governor Walker, ordered that the Governor hold special elections to fill the vacant legislative seats.

Rather than honor the decision of the judge he appointed, Scott Walker and the Republican-controlled legislature plan to undermine the basic principles of American government by fundamentally changing Wisconsin’s election laws to allow the governor to avoid calling for special elections.

Wisconsin Democrats stand with all Wisconsinites. We stand for American values. We remain committed to ensuring that regardless of political affiliation, the people of Wisconsin are represented in the State Capitol.

“No taxation without representation” is not a dead slogan, it remains alive and well as long as we fight for it.

Thank you.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/voter-us-elections-s5.jpgThe referendum question on next Tuesday’s ballot asks voters if they wish to amend Wisconsin’s Constitution to eliminate the Office of the State Treasurer. Sen. Vinehout shares some information about the functions of the office which should be helpful to voters.

MADISON - When Scott Walker pulled a 180 on the Lake Michigan Marine Sanctuary, I wondered who got to him. Here’s what I found out:

Koch volunteer of the year helps sink Wisconsin marine sanctuary

As the legislature wraps up, here is some of the dirty work it just did:

GOP Senate approves landlord dream bill

Senate approves Sheldon Adelson’s anti-BDS bill

And in these next three posts, you can see how the GOP has a tremendous advantage in the money race:

Corporate contributions to state parties, legislative committees topped $1M in 2017

GOP lawmakers led Dems in fundraising, cash on hand in 2017

GOP legislative campaign committees outraised Dems 2:1

On the good news front, a grassroots movement is gaining steam here in Wisconsin to reclaim our democracy by tossing out the legal fallacies that corporations are persons and money isn’t speech:

9 Wisconsin communities voting April 3 to overturn Citizens United

If you know anyone in these nine communities, please urge them to vote YES on this crucial referendum. Forward to a Friend

Best,

Matt Rothschild
Executive Director
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

P.S. Early voting has already started, so go to your clerk’s office if you can. You can find your clerk and see what is on your ballot here. And please vote NO on the referendum to get rid of the State Treasurer’s office. I’ll be writing more on that next week. Thanks!

Can you pay lower property taxes by simply saying no one lives in your neighbor’s house? Under Wisconsin’s “Dark Store” loophole, large corporate retailers can.

Rep. Amanda Stuck discusses her effort to invest in Wisconsin’s paper industry in a smart and progressive fashion in this Battleground Wisconsin broadcast.

STATEWIDE - We welcome State Representative Amanda Stuck to discuss her effort to invest in Wisconsin’s paper industry in a smart and progressive fashion, in stark contrast to Scott Walker's Foxconn boondoggle. We also discuss breaking news in week’s special legislative session, Sen. Kathleen Vineout’s surprising vote on gun safety, and we recap Saturday’s governor candidate forum in Wausau. Finally, we assess the failure of Leah Vukmir’s bill to expand prison spending and dramatically increase incarceration rates in Wisconsin.

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Citizen Action Press Clips

MADISON, WI – Senator Janet Bewley (D-Ashland) offered the weekly Democratic radio address Thursday.

The audio file of this week’s address can be found here:

A written transcript of the address is below:

“Hi, this is State Senator Janet Bewley. After weeks of public sparring, the Speaker of the Assembly and the Leader of the Senate agreed on a series of bills that will be taken up by both houses of the legislature in what is almost certainly the end of the 2017-18 legislative session.

“And who are the winners? Landlords, who got a bill that many believe tilts the playing field against tenants. Steel and iron manufacturers and processors, who got a bill they wanted that could end up increasing exposure to hazardous wastes. And advertising agencies who will expand an ad campaign marketing our state to millennials, an ad campaign that millennials in Chicago tell us is a waste of taxpayer money.

“And who lost? Hardworking taxpayers who were left behind when Republicans refused to take up the dark store bill to prevent what could be a 900 million dollar property tax shift onto the backs of homeowners. Rural Tavern League members who were promised some sort of protection from unlicensed competition, they lost. And local control, which used be one of the tenants of the Republican Party, took yet another hit. Republicans in charge of the legislature continued their assault on local control by preempting local ordinances regulating employment discrimination, wage claims and collections, hours and overtime, scheduling of work hours and employment benefits.”