One Wisconsin Now

Wispolitics.com reported that the as-yet-unfrogmarched Karl Rove, apologized to Wisconsin's delegates at a Republican National Convention event this morning for "getting weepy."

He wasn't crying to atone to God and man for being the hack architect for this god awful endless war in Iraq that has caused so many deaths and so much misery. And it wasn't because he violated the law by compromising the security of an undercover CIA agent to punish her husband. And it wasn't for debasing our national discourse with his slash-and-burn character assassination brand of politics.

Ah, the point when someone goes from being just a jerk to be an all-out comic book villain. Today's entrant: John McCain health care adviser John Goodman.                               

"The next president of the United States should sign an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any American -- even illegal aliens -- as uninsured... So, there you have it. Voila! Problem solved."

-- John Goodman, a health care adviser to Sen. John McCain, quoted by the Dallas Morning News.

The Government Accountability Board is weighing in on a proposed rule change which, according to the non-partisan League of Women Voters, would disenfranchise voters and cause ending chaos at polling places across Wisconsin.

Wisconsin League Executive Director outlined the serious problems with the proposed rule being considered by GAB today. The rule places additional unnecessary burden on people who simply wish to cast their legal ballot and exercise their constitutional right to vote in Wisconsin. Among her critical points:

Pro-corporate soulmate Supremes Mike Gableman and Annette Ziegler get closer by the day.

The latest revelation, Gableman’s going to pull a Ziegler and rule on cases where Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce is involved – despite WMC dumping nearly $2 million during his run to get on the high court.

Ziegler earned front page headlines after she provided the deciding vote and wrote the opinion on the WMC-backed Mensha Corp. case – costing taxpayers $265 million and making WMC’s $2 million investment in Ziegler’s ascendency to the top court a worthwhile investment.

Now Gableman tells wispolitics.com that he makes distinctions between those special interests which filled his campaign coffers and those special interests which dumped $2 million in smear ads. Sounds like WMC is getting let off the hook on a technicality. And we know how they hate technicalities.

Sen. John McCain used to make no secret of his support for a privatized Social Security run by his investment donors on Wall Street. He backed off of that this summer, but now he's come roaring back on the privatizing wagon.

In 2006, McCain voted convert Social Security surpluses into a private account, but then in mid-June of this year, he told a New Hampshire audience, "I am not for quote 'privatization of Social Security.'  I never have been, never will be.”

Working America –- the AFL-CIO’s grassroots organization for workers who don’t have unions on the job -— is holding a press briefing and door-to-door canvass Monday in Racine starting at 3:00 p.m. to strengthen the voice of Wisconsin working people.

“We meet single mothers, seniors, college students, manufacturing and service workers and everyone in between. What we hear over and over again is that people want to be involved. They want to help solve the economic crisis we’re facing in Racine, Wisconsin and the nation,” said Working America Canvass Director Christina Jens. “Working America reaches out to folks who don’t have a union on the job, and together, we can take action to make life better for our families.”

As a top advisor to predatory lenders, as well as John McCain ex-Texas Senator Phil Gramm has been taking heat for calling people concerned about the tanking economy and the loss of the homes, jobs and futures as “whiners” experiencing a “mental recession.”

Having studied the career of Gramm as part of a research paper I had to write in the mid-90s, it was like a trip down memory lane when I heard the Huffington Post had posted something about Gramm investments in a couple failed Russ Meyer-inspired soft-core porn flicks.

To be certain, in the hypocrite hall of fame, Gramm’s got his wing. The smaller government, except when it comes to giving taxpayer money to my corporate clients, Gramm made a career of railing against “guvment” spending.

Two weeks ago, Jesse Helms began what will hopefully be a long and unimpeded period of not existing.

Elizabeth Dole, who succeeded Helms after his welcomed retirement, ascended to his seat after a long career of executive appointments and wrecking Bob Dole's first marriage.

Yesterday in the Senate, she tried to name an AIDS/HIV prevention bill after Helms. Helms would be the same hate-filled, racist who, when trying to block funding for the Ryan White AIDS bill, blamed victims of the disease for their  "deliberate, disgusting and revolting conduct"

Mrs. Dole has some bad, bad karma coming her way for this repulsive pandering. Nothing as pathetic as, say, having to watch her husband shill erection pills on television, but something like that.

U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms (R-What's Wrong With You Sick, Frothing Morons?) is finally dead. Happy birthday, U.S. of A.

Helms was a hate-slathered cretin, whose campaigns and governing showed American democracy at its worst. "White people, wake up before it is too late. Do you want Negroes working beside you, your wife and your daughters, in your mills and factories? Frank Graham favors mingling of the races," thundered just one of many Helms' attacks over the decades.

Conservatives are saddened by the news. "Ol' 27 percent" George W. Bush was soiling his White House crying towel, calling Helms "kind," "decent" and "humble."

And while he had some admirers in Wisconsin, most notably Supreme Court Justice-Elect Mike Gableman's ad-writing team, Helms was a racist thug and the world mourns, simply because it took him so, so long to exit the world he befouled for over eight decades.

For my dough, I'm hoping Wonkette Editor Ken Layne has penned in "Jesse Helms: American Garbage," what will be a waterfall of appropriate tributes.

Feel free to add even better ones to the comment portion of this blog. Helms deserves it for all he did to people of color, gays, the poor and this nation's sense of decency. 

As ruthless as F. Jim Sensenbrenner ruled while the GOP ran Congress, it's hard not to take some satisfaction in his plummeting influence. But then he goes an does something that warrants mentioning, despite his eroding relevance to the national debate.

The midwest has suffered greatly during the recent floods. Since late-May 24 deaths are blamed on the weather and 40,000 have been displaced from their homes.

Yesterday, the Congress passed a modest $2.65 billion midwest flood relief plan. Twelve members showed utter indifference to the victims and those in need by voting against the bill.

Sensenbrenner, you guessed it, was one of the 12.

Unbelievable.

George Lightbourn, former head budget guru for Gov. Scott McCallum and current pro-corporate shill at the right wing Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, is attacking the $2-billion-saving "Healthy Wisconsin" plan to provide access to affordable and quality health care for all.

George Lightbourn's central thesis that Medicare and Medicaid were bad ideas is as bankrupt as his previous work with Gov. Scott McCallum to sell off the $6 billion that would have come to the state from the tobacco settlement for pennies on the dollar.

History reminds us that as Gov. McCallum's top budget aide, Lightbourn's last major undertaking was to dig us into a historic budget deficit. For the people of Wisconsin, we can breathe easy knowing that at least now his failed economic analysis is only paid for by the pro-corporate forces funding his research, not us taxpayers.

Lightbourn's assertion that reducing the state's health care bill by $2 billion, as Healthy Wisconsin does, is financially imprudent, is the same logic that says tax cuts for the rich help working families and more tax breaks for Big Oil will reduce gas prices.

It doesn't add up.

Gazillionaire Kotex heir F. Jim Sensenbrenner spent today doing his best to keep Wisconsinites who have lost their jobs because of the endless Bush economic policies he has supported away from extended unemployment benefits.

Sensenbrenner, famously characterized by Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone as…well, read the story here, was the only member of the Wisconsin House delegation to vote against a plan to extend unemployment benefits for workers by 13 weeks.

This despite the jobless rate skyrocketing by the largest percentage in over 20 years and despite the fact 325,000 jobs have been lost so far due to the failed Bush economy.

F. Jim’s birthday is this Saturday. How appropriate his message to Wisconsin’s unemployed is “let ‘em cake.”

Millionaires Paul Ryan and John McCain have a prescription for $4-a-gallon gas prices for working families: Nearly $4 billion in tax cuts for Big Oil.

Ryan reiterated his support for the disatrous McCain Big Oil tax cut on a conference call today in which he praised McCain for "economic discipline."

Ryan and McCain already provide $5 billion to Big Oil in just the last two years, so it's not surprising they're in lockstep on this one, too.

OWN has called for Ryan to distance himself on this ridiculous $4 billion Big Oil bonanza. If you haven't had the chance yet, click here to sign our petition telling Paul Ryan enough with big tax cuts for Big Oil.

It was appalling to see Sen. John McCain in Louisiana to try and distance himself for the horrors of George W. Bush and the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. Considering how McCain voted to shield Bush from accountability for this national disgrace, he might have thought twice. Consider McCain’s record protecting Bush and abandoning those in need when it comes to Katrina.

McCain Twice Voted Against a Commission to Examine Government Response to Katrina. In 2005 and 2006, McCain voted against creating a congressional commission to examine the federal, state and local response to Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Region.  Both motions failed. [H.R. 2862, Vote #229, 9/14/2005; H.R. 4297, Vote #6, 2/2/2006] 

The more than 100 percent hike in gas prices under the Bush administration continues to take a devastating toll on Wisconsin families -- the latest casualties are 2,600 family-supporting jobs at Janesville's General Motors plant.

According to the Capital Times, "The unprecedented rise in gasoline prices helped put 2,600 General Motors employees out of work in Janesville." The Janesville plant was first opened in 1919 and will close as early as the end of 2009.

No word yet John McCain, who visited Wisconsin last week, if he will end his support to give another $3.8 billion in tax breaks for big oil. This is on top of $5 billion in tax breaks for big oil he already supported while serving as a rubber stamp for the failed economic policies of the Bush administration.

Perhaps Janesville's Paul Ryan, the McCain-Bush cheerleader featured so prominently last week, will hear from his constituents about just how effective those tax cuts for big oil have been. But considering the message from all these Washington insiders is "stay the course," none of the workers, nor their families who are being shown the door because of $4-gallon gas prices should hold their breath.

The State Senate took the lead today to end the loophole that lets Wal-Mart and other big corporations evade $15 million annually by exploiting the state tax law (and the taxpayers).

Under the tax evasion scheme, tells the Institute for Wisconsin's Future, Wal-Mart would have one part of its business pay another part of the biz for rent allowing it to "reduce" its Wisconsin profits and consequently, reduce the amount of money it's required to provide the taxpayers of Wisconsin.