Ginny, Madison Tea Partier. I promise not to tread on you if you please, please don't tread on me
As this excruciating 2-year election season comes to a close (1-20-09, never forget!), we’re all excited for these mid-term elections to be over so that Congress can get back to grandstanding and naming roads. In the next two weeks, GW will profile some of the more intriguing races.
WISCONSIN - A unique state that has elected progressive heroes such as Robert LaFollette and Russ Feingold, as well as Joseph McCarthy, a hero to sweaty, fear-mongering bigots. One thing remains certain – the election will probably turn on the ’2-spin’ Female demographic – a “big” part of WI’s electorate.
INCUMBENT - Feingold is seeking his 4th term, and is truly a unique breed – but not because of his jewwwwishness. Prior to his political career, Feingold was a poor attorney, making him (supposedly) one of the Senate’s few non-millionaires. Furthermore, he often displays an independent streak, as evidenced by him being the “1″ in the Senate’s 99-1 vote to pass the ironically named Patriot Act. He also worked with ‘pre-08 McCain’ on a landmark campaign finance bill that was recently rendered meaningless by the Roberts’ Court’s decision in Citizen’s United, which lets multi-national corporations fuck democracy in the ass. And speaking of sex acts, Feingold cast the sole Democratic vote to continue Clinton’s Fellatio trial.
His independent spirit and willingness towards bipartisanship are exactly what many voters have been clamoring for. So he’ll probably lose.
Not Fun Fact - The average donation to Feingold’s campaign is $53. That’s a little more than 2 visits to Madison’s Plasma Clinic (which paid @ $25 a pop in 2000.)
CHALLENGER - Ron Johnson is one of the handful of teabagger-friendly candidates currently running in this horrific election cycle. He’s a self-made man who has pulled himself up by his Elk Ridge hunting bootstraps through a combination of federal grants and marrying well. He also testified on behalf of the Green Bay Diocese’s right to shuffle child molesters around and not get sued. This piety is derived from the Founders, so he’s clearly more American than your pinko ass.
Not Fun Fact - Johnson thinks scientists who believe Global Warming is attributable to man-made causes are “crazy” and the theory is “lunacy.” Not-A-Scientist-Johnson thinks, “It’s far more likely that it’s just sunspot activity or just something in the geologic eons of time.” or some shit like that…could be anything…but DEFINITELY not man-made.
PREDICTION - From Eau Claire to Janesville (gross), tea “partiers” will be celebrating like lubricated Packers fans. Russ makes it close, but enough hefty Wisconsinites will be able to squeeze into the voting booths and squeeze out a victory for Rascal Scooter users everywhere. At the end of the day, the Senate loses its true “maverick.” Thanks a lot, Wisconsin…and learn how to fucking drive.
(Johnson by 2.)
It really saddens me that the Senate will probably lose one of the very few decent legislators it has. Fuck you, Wisconsin.
I’m from Wisconsin and I love Wisconsin, but lately it has been such a disappointment for me. I’m beginning to think that meth might be a true epidemic in this state. I mean, I look at my neighbors and think, “Who are you people and what kind of f*@#ed up dreamworld are you living in where you think Ron ‘won’t reveal his ideas’ is actually a ‘good idea’?”
I have personally met Russ twice and he has always been friendly, genuine and generous with his time. I love that he actually reads and that he doesn’t just vote for or against something because someone tells him he has to. Wisconsin loves to paint itself as a forward and free thinking state and Russ is the poster child of that ideal.
So what the hell, Wisconsin?!
Russ Feingold is my senator, a decent guy. But even after calling his offices and asking him not to vote for the stimulus package, where most of the money went to the New York financial district and six months later was used to pay million dollar bonuses, Russ voted for it anyway. It would have been a stimulus check to each and every taxpayer of at the very least $7,000 had the government sent the money to the people who pay the taxes in the first place. Some would have received checks of more than $11,000 based on their income. Now that would have stimulated the economy like you wouldn’t believe. Schools could use that money. The roads need serious repair. Instead, the money mostly went to banks and other financial institutions in one or two states, money from the entire country!, and was concentrated to the very people Russ often says he does not support. It makes you wonder.
But even more concerning is the BCRA, the bipartisan legislation he basically wrote in 2002 to control campaigns. It was supposed to stop what we are enduring now. I like Russ. But if there is anyone who says one thing and something else entirely happens, it would appear it is Russ Feingold. It would appear he is one of the best at doing just that in fact.
http://williamthien.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/campaign-finance-reform-a-plague-of-democracy/
I think you need some basic fact checking skills, guy.
The stimulus bill had nothing to do with Wall Street. Most of the stimulus bill went to infrastructure spending, aid to state and local governments, and TAX CUTS. OVER $246 BILLION IN TAX CUTS TO INDIVIDUALS were part of the overall stimulus package. Please tell me why you oppose a bill including tax cuts of that magnitude. Especially one that is estimated to have saved at least a million jobs.
The money that went to Wall Street that you claim to be so upset about was the bailout passed by President Bush. If you hate the bailout so much, why do you want to put the people responsible for it back in power, and vote out the people who passed a tax-cutting, infrastructure-improving stimulus package? Are you really that dumb?
Keith (who doesn’t offer us his last name) does a pretty good stand-up routine. He seems to think the extra three dollars I get on my paycheck every other week as a tax cut is “stimulating”. Perhaps he doesn’t have a job. Anyone commenting online at that time of day probably doesn’t work or doesn’t have a real job.
I’m probably paying for Keith’s health care now so he can argue with me about minor details. Since I’m paying for his health care, I should be able then to choose what type of health care he gets. Perhaps Keith needs to see a psychiatrist.
I’m not certain what type of car he drives, but around here you need a military style four wheel drive to avoid the craters in the roads if you want your auto to last longer than a couple of years, the roads that are more navigable anyway. Wow, what infrastructure improvements! How exciting! Yet, all estimates indicate that the stimulus money, which is borrowed money, will take decades to recover. Furthermore, much of the infrastructure improvements he speaks of are on hold…indefinitely. So we are borrowing the money and not making the improvements. So we are borrowing the money and doing nothing with it while the interest grows exponentially. Keith, your plan is brilliant! For your beneift, Keith, let me explain that I’m being sarcastic.
Even more importantly, and something I don’t discuss in my reply is that the democrats believe in centralized taxation. Tax the citizenry to death and then give some back (The Stimulus Bill), much like the U.S.S.R., the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics did during the height of communism, as if it is “stimulating.” Keith probably isn’t old enough to remember The U.S.S.R. Judging from his response, he probably supports that type of governmental behavior. In fact, believing they can get themselves elected through promise of a system of entitlements and centralized taxation, the democrats have left us with a dysfunctional economy and a citizenry starved of their own wages, unable to afford products made right in their own country, a seriously flawed and economically unsustainable plan. Keith’s master plan, I’m sure.
As for Keith’s girlish quip, we could meet someplace. But I doubt he would be so bold then.
What is more interesting is that Keith seems to know who I want to put in power. I hope he is not one of those Democratic Party operatives following people around as during the Congressional Election when Rep. Gwen Moore’s son slashed a bunch of tires of Republican Party Campaigners. Doesn’t sound like democracy at all that Keith is talking about to me. Sounds like communism.
I don’t troll the net looking to call people names or suggest anything about their character. Since his comment was not moderated to make it more civil (which can be done on WordPress), this must be the last time I post to this site. In fact, Keith is probably in leagues with the site manager and this posting may never be added. It would seem that way from the allowable tone of his reply.
Good luck.
william – thanks for posting. A couple things.
1. Taxes have not been raised. The president supports extending these (temporary) ‘Bush’ cuts for people making under 250k. Congress has failed to act. Look for more of that ‘failure to act’ when the GOP takes the House.
2. The “stimulus” can roughly be broken down into 1/3 tax cuts; 1/3 to states for their income shortfalls; 1/3 direct govt. spending. yes. much of the latter has not been spent. However, I do think caution with grants/projects is not necessarily a bad thing, particularly considering the money that flat out vanished from our most draining nanny state- Iraq. As someone who’s not an economist, but am a student of history, I too believe more spending for our decaying infrastructure should’ve been included in a much larger stimulus. But who do you think was fighting comprehensive investment in infrastructure? Do you think Johnson will “fill the pot holes?”
3. Also, I don’t view the USSR comparison as apt. During the height of the Cold War, the Russians spent recklessly to build their military-industrial complex, and little else. This is spending Reagan subsequently mirrored, on the way to tripling the deficit and ushering in the era of wide income disparity. Tax cuts, bailing out states so they could keep teachers, police officers, etc. is not the same thing. I thing casually throwing around the word “communism,” like “Hitler” or “Nazi” of “Fascism,” takes a little punch away from your argument, as it’s not a fair descriptor.
To blame “democrats” for the troubles of the economy is to ignore the proponents of the deregulation and privatization that have contributed to the widest income inequality since 1929. The middle class is crumbling while tax evading corps commandeer our govt. Be honest in your recognition of who has been in power for most of the last 30 years, the period during which this policy shift took place. A lot of Dems have been complicit in tilting the playing field to produce even more favoritism to the top-2%ers, but I don’t think it has really been Feingold or Obama.
4.Using an isolated incident of juvenile Dem violence isn’t a fair representation. The GOP thrives on voter suppression, as can be seen with the Amer Center for Prosperity’s “caging” efforts to deny voters in and around Madison. Not to mention the disturbing pattern of right wing violence for the past few years, with ideologically-motivated murders in DC, Ausitn, Pittsburgh, Memphis, Witchita, etc. The vitriol from the demagogues on the Right has fueled this. Though irrational hatred also comes from the Left, it does not tend to manifest itself in the same way, and constant efforts by the MSM to equate the 2 are exercises in “false equivalency.”
5. I’m not going to defend Keith. He’s a big boy. But I do know him and your rush to judgment that your “Paying his health care” is not only false, but an unfair stereotype, as we all know self-identified liberals (of which I am, and you’d have to ask keith) make more money than self-identified conservatives.
6. Finally (and most importantly), I don’t see any effort to make a case for Johnson. Purely voting “anti-incumbent” seems a simplistic way to go about it. If you want a Wisconsin version of Jim DeMint, that’s your prerogative. To me, he’s a radical right winger with (an admitted!) dangerously low grasp of the issues. Not to mention his “self-made” image is bullshit, considering the govt. money that helped start his business.
Vote as you will, but I don’t see a case for Johnson. take care