Saturday, September 19, 2015

Scott Walker as Braveheart


Make-up by Retiring Guy

Varied Pleas as Candidates Press Cases at Conservative Forum.  (The New York Times, 9/18/2015)

Wreaking havoc on recent Wisconsin political history.
Mr. Walker emphasized what he described as his battle-ready toughness, hyperbolically likening his fight with members of his own party in the Wisconsin State Legislature to the bloody Mel Gibson biopic.

Related post:
What a bald-faced ingrate!  (8/21/2015)
Scott Walker sez 'Get me rewrite' on Act 10.  (8/21/2015)

2016 match-up in 18th Wisconsin State Senate District



Mark Harris to challenge Rick Gudex for 18th District Senate seat.  (Capital Times, 9/17/2015)
"Now, I want to take that same common sense approach to the state Senate," Harris said in a copy of his speech provided in advance. "There, I’ll work to reverse the crippling education cuts that have devastated local schools, and re-invest in our kids and classrooms. I’ll work with local businesses and entrepreneurs to encourage job growth, giving middle class families a fighting chance to get ahead."

Rick Gudex (R-Fond du Lac) won a squeaker against Jessica King in 2012.



Cindy Archer inadvertently shines a light on Jim Villa


Photo credit:  University of Wisconsin System

On the Capitol: Investigators suspected Jim Villa, now top UW official, of misconduct.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 8/18/2015)
To justify the warrants, investigators wrote that they suspected Villa had broken several laws, including misconduct in public office and solicitation of public employees to commit misconduct. They presented evidence of Villa’s involvement in both an alleged bid-rigging scheme and a political action committee that Walker aide Tim Russell was suspected of doing work for while on county time.

Of related interest:
On Politics: Longtime Scott Walker confidant named to new UW System job.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 4/3/2014)

Jim Villa, a longtime friend and ally of Gov. Scott Walker, has been named vice president for university relations for the University of Wisconsin System. 
“I’m excited about this,” System President Ray Cross said Wednesday. “I’m really glad he’s going to be working with us.”  
Villa, 42, will earn an annual salary of $178,000 in the newly created position overseeing the System’s state and federal lobbying and communications efforts.  [emphasis added]

Scott Walker in retreat



As quoted in Amid dropping poll numbers, Scott Walker will retreat to focus on Iowa.  (Washington Post, 9/18/2015)
The Wisconsin governor also faces growing pressure from some financial backers to make staffing changes in an attempt to turn around his campaign. But in a brief interview with The Washington Post at the Los Angeles airport Thursday afternoon, Walker said he had just completed a conference call with about 80 major donors -- none of whom mentioned wanting staff changes.

But Little Johnny Crawford is skeptical.



Related posts:
Scott Walker is putting all his eggs in one basket.  (9/18/2015)
Scott Walker's poll numbers wreak havoc on campaign manager.  (9/18/2015)

Friday, September 18, 2015

Lutherans love lime Jell-O







Introducing ourselves to Delaney's (Madison, Wisconsin)



The restaurant's homepage proclaims....
Unmatched food. Unbeatable service. Unforgettable atmosphere.

All of the above.  Is true. 

Can't believe it's our first visit here in our 29 years of living in Dane County.

Scott Walker, Rick Perry, Rudy Giuliani: Polls go up, polls go down, game over.


Note the similar trajectories:


Source:  Real Clear Politics (2015) (2011-12)


Scott Walker as quoted in Reagan was behind in the polls, too.  (Politico, 9/18/2015)

As for Rudy.....Real Clear Politics doesn't start tracking until February 15, 2007.  We don't see his poll numbers going up, but we certainly see the slow slide through the summer and fall, followed by his falling off a cliff in February 2008.


And it's true that Reagan was behind in the polls in a 3-way race for the Presidency in 1980.  By the beginning of summer, however, he took and mostly maintained the lead.

He was nothing like 8 points behind 6 days before the election.

Source:  Wikipedia




Chumps for Trump


Donald Trump is Target of Conservative Ad Campaign.  (The New York Times, 9/15/2015)
The club is employing a two-pronged approach to try to discredit the candidate. It is utilizing Mr. Trump’s previous liberal policy views to argue that his campaign promises are disingenuous. And it is highlighting his use of eminent domain as a developer to suggest that Mr. Trump has a record of hurting middle class Americans to bolster his own business interests.



Transcript:
Which presidential candidate supports higher taxes, national health care, and the Wall Street bailout? 
It's Donald Trump. 
"In many cases, I probably identify more as a Democrat."  (Quote from 3/21/2004 CNN interview.) 
Trump wants us to think he's Mr. Tell-it-like-it-is. 
But he has a record, and it's very liberal.  
He's really just playing us for chumps.    
Trump.  Just another politician. 
"In many cases a probably identify more as a Democrat."  (CNN interview quote repeated)


Headline News: Debate-wise, CNN gets just what it wanted


All feisty posturing, all the friggin' time




Actually, it was more than 'hopes'.  Let's substitute the correct verb here:  'plans'.


Scott Walker puts all of his eggs in one basket



Photo by Retiring Guy



Scott Walker as quoted in 'All our eggs' on Iowa.  (MSNBC, 9/17/2015)

More campaign news from Iowa: 
Scott Walker tumbles to 10th place in latest Iowa caucus poll.  (9/11/2015)
Scott Walker reduced to fighting for Trump's and Carson's crumbs in Iowa.  (9/6/2015)
Will Walker's Presidential campaign survive until then?  (9/4/2015)
I gotta tell ya, Jamie, Rick Perry is nowhere near the battlefield.  (9/2/2015)
Rick Santorum's quixotic quest for an Iowa caucus victory.  (9/2/2015)
Dear Jeff, You might want to talk with Luther Olsen about Scott Walker.  (8/22/2015)
The Iowa bloom is definitely off the Walker rose.  (8/13/2015)
Dear Kathie Obradovich, the Rick Perry and Bobby Jindal study halls are over.  (8/11/2015)
Jeb Bush joins the "Behinders" in latest Iowa poll.  (8/11/2015)
Once again, Trump bests Walker in Iowa.  (8/10/2015)
Donald Trump leapfrogs over Scott Walker to take huge lead in Iowa
.  (8/3/2015) 
Donald Trump threatens Scott Walker's lead in Iowa.  (7/27/2015)
Scott Walker treads water in Iowa Republican presidential caucus polls.  (7/11/2015)
Donald Trump places 2nd, behind Scott Walker, in latest Iowa Republican caucus poll.  (7/1/2015)
Scott Walker maintains lead in Iowa Republican presidential caucus polling.  (6/15/2015) 
Likely Iowa Republican caucus-goers are still groovin' on Scott Walker -- but not nearly as much as they were in February.  (6/4/2015)
Scott Walker finishes 1st in latest Iowa poll, but his best numbers are more than 3 months behind him.  (5/31/2015)
Rick Santorum: You ain't goin' nowhere in this presidential race.  (5/28/2015)
Kristina, 27, like the idea of Donald Trump running for President.  (5/23/2015)
Will the results of the August 2015 Iowa straw poll embarrass Republicans again?  (5/21/2015)
The Iowa straw poll, a slow death by many small cuts.  (5/21/2015)
Dreamboat Dixie channels Heart.  (5/17/2015)
Hey, Tanya, if you like Carly Fiorina, you'll love Scott Walker.  (5/17/2015)
Walt Rogers hitches his star to a political flameout.  (5/17/2015)
This Saturday, Republican presidential "wannabes" descend on Des Moines for "the fourth major, multi-candidate cattle call of the caucus campaign".  (5/14/2015) 
Jeb hurts Iowans' feelings.  (5/13/2015)
Pandering to social conservatives, Scott Walker and his buddies continue to box themselves into a corner.  (4/26/2015)
Let the intramural sniping begin.  (4/26/2015)
Reporter shares his sharp, blunt, candid assessment.  (4/26/2015)
'Veteran Republican Strategist' sez goodbye to Scott Walker the day after 'hello'. (3/18/2015)
Clothes make the man: The Iowa Caucus edition.  (3/18/2015)
Liz Mair stars in Scott Walker's 'Les Miz'.  (3/17/2015)
Motor runnin', Scott Walker gives a shout-out to these Iowa communities.  (3/9/2015)
Scott Walker serves up a helping of red meat to audience at Iowa Agriculture Summit.  (3/8/2015)
The insignificance of the Iowa caucus.  (3/7/2015)
Scott Walker is already booked, naturally, for the last weekend in April.  (3/3/2015)
Quinnipiac poll: Scott Walker is the Tea Party favorite among likely caucus-goers in Iowa.  (2/26/2015)
Mike Huckabee retakes Iowa lead, Walker falls to 3rd in NBC News/Marist poll.  (2/17/2015)

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Dear Alberta Darling, Nobody at the Wall Street Journal uncovered anything; it's just a case of an editorial writer making wild, unsubstantiated allegations


[highlight added]


Little evidence suggests GAB out to get GOP.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 7/12/2015)
Alberta is late to the party.
Citing a Wall Street Journal editorial last week, Republican state lawmakers renewed and intensified their claim that the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board is politically biased and unfairly targeting conservatives. 
Little evidence supports such allegations.  
Moreover, GOP leaders are ignoring key facts about the GAB as they try to weaken if not disband the independent and nonpartisan watchdog agency that oversees campaign finance, elections, ethics and lobbying laws.
Related post:
Government Accountability Board audit: Republicans trot out press statements they've had in the can for onths.  (12/13/2014)

Chemistry professor literally shoots himself in the foot


Photo credit:  Idaho State University
As reported in the Idaho State Journal


'To shoot oneself in the foot' is an idiom meaning 'to act against one's own best interests', as defined by Merriam-Webster.

Sounds to me like Byron is 2 for 2.

Scott Walker quickly flames out in Michigan


And Ben Carson takes the lead.


The behinders in the pre-2nd debate, 9/9-14 Marketing Resource Group poll:
  • 3% - Carly Fiorina, Ted Cruz
  • 2% - John Kasich, Scott Walker, Rand Paul
  • 1% - Chris Christie
  • 0% - Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal

Ben Carson, Donald Trump top Michigan poll of Republican presidential candidates.  (mlive, 9/16/2015)

Scott Walker tells Donald Trump he didn't back down



As quoted in Scott Walker goes after Donald Trump in debate, but some say it wasn't enough to revive his campaign's fortunes.  (Madison.com, 9/16/2015)

If that's the case, why can't he go in and out of the Capitol like the Everyman he's supposed to be?

Walker comes and goes like “El Chapo”.  (The Isthmus, 7/17/2015)
So it’s a shame that he would be frozen out, but as we were chatting he reminded me that his experience isn’t unusual. He confirmed something I had assumed: Walker cannot walk through the Capitol. He is escorted in and out via Capitol tunnels.  [emphasis added]
[snip] 
If you’re a voter or reporter outside of Wisconsin and just getting to know our governor, give that some consideration. This is a man so polarizing and so intensely disliked in his home state that he can’t show his face in his own Capitol building. He has to be smuggled in and out like “El Chapo,” the Mexican drug lord who escaped from prison the other day through a drainage pipe. 

Mary Lou Slack Schumann Hotaling (1950-2015)


Warren Times Observer

*Mary Lou's photo does not appear in the '68 yearbook, nor is her name included in the graduation program.  She is listed in the '67 yearbook.

1966 Dragon yearbook

1967 Warren City Directory
1983 Warren City Directory


The popularity of 'Marylou' as a baby name.  (Probably doesn't include the double-name spelling of 'Mary Lou')


Other class of '68 members:
Dennis Leonard.  (2/7/2015)
Douglas Coates.  (12/29/2014)
Jennifer Robinault Morell.  (9/6/2014)
Jacquelyn Johnston Malone.  (7/31/2014)
Janet Vavala Smith.  (3/25/2014)

UPDATED: It's time for Scott Walker to say, "It's over".


Poll:  Who won the 2nd GOP debate?  (TMJ4, 9/16/2015)




With overnight vote tally


Your Iowa caucus voters don't want you anymore.




Enjoy this lonely sunset.

Related post:
Drudge readers have mercy on Scott Walker, but not much.  (9/16/2015) 
"The Right Scoop is a political and media blog interested in truth", and its followers think Scott Walker sucked in the 2nd debate.  (9/16/2015 )
The Telegraph readers say 'Walker stinks in 2nd debate'.  (9/16/2015)

UPDATED with 'overnights'. The Telegraph readers say 'Walker stinks in 2nd debate'


But then what the hell do they know?  They can't vote for him anyway.


Who won the Republican debate?  (The Telegraph, 9/16/2015)


Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Drudge readers have mercy on Scott Walker, but not much


He manages a 10th place finish in this online poll.



Related post:
"The Right Scoop is a political and media blog interested in truth", and its followers think Scott Walker sucked in the 2nd debate.  (9/16/2015 )
The Telegraph readers say 'Walker stinks in 2nd debate'.  (9/16/2015)

"The Right Scoop is a political and media blog interested in truth", and its followers think Scott Walker sucked in the 2nd debate


POLL: Who Won The CNN Republican Prime Time Debate?  (The Right Scoop, 9/16/2015)


Related post:
The Telegraph readers say 'Walker stinks in 2nd debate'.  (9/16/2015)

Summing up Scott Walker's 2nd debate performance


Scott Walker museum piece



I challenge you to find a person of color on Ben Carson's bus



The rest of the story.

During CNN debate, WI AFL-CIO reminds Twitterverse of the disaster that is Scott Walker's Wisconsin







And this series of tweets barely scratches the surface.

All I can say is that I'm happy to be retired



As reported in a USA Today article with an Onion-like headline, Study:  The key to happiness at work is free snacks.  (9/16/2015)

An ax to grind: The facile observations of Michael Barone


Oh, and there are a bunch of 'em.



Voters Are Rejecting the Last Seven Years.  (DC Examiner, via Real Clear Politics, 9/15/2015)

Barone's final flourish.
And so a president who came to office with relatively little experience has managed to tarnish experience, incumbency and institutions: a fundamental transformation indeed.
Seems to me the problems lie elsewhere.




Sounds to me like Scott Walker is going for divide-and-conquer tonight



As quoted in Scott Walker seeks to boost sagging campaign in Wednesday's debate.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/15/2015)

You don't get to a recall election by being a uniter.

Related posts:
In his latest campaign ad, Scott Walker shows off his divide-and-conquer bona fides.  (9/3/2015)
Scott Walker's failed divide-and-conquer strategy for Iron County.  (2/28/2015)
Divide and conquer: The foundation of Scott Walker's big and bold ideas.  (2/4/2015)

Donald Trump is losing steam in New Hampshire


And Scott Walker falls to 1%.


The behinders in the 9/12-14 WBUR poll:
  • 4% - Rand Paul
  • 2% - Marco Rubio, Chris Christie
  • 1% - Scott Walker, Mike Huckabee, Lindsey Graham
  • 0% - George Pataki, Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum
Other stuff:
  • Walker doesn't rate a mention in the summary.
  • Donald Trump as P. T. Barnum.  (“He’s not politically correct,” Trump supporter Theodore Martin said in a phone interview. “He says what he means and does what he means.”)

Related posts: 
Donald Trump continues to rock New Hampshire Republicans' world.  (8/26/2015)
Speaking of panic, I see that Scott Walker is now in 8th place in New Hampshire.  (9/13/2015)
The latest from New Hampshire: Outlier poll or more evidence that Scott Walker's numbers are ebbing.  (8/11/2015)
Donald Trump cruises to another win.  (8/4/2015)
Trump stomps the competition in New Hampshire; Kasich moves up to tie Walker for 3rd
.  (7/28/215) 
Donald Trump surges into 1st place in New Hampshire.  (7/27/2015)
Jeb Bush Experiencing Some Serious Slippage in New Hampshire.  (4/16/2015) 
Big spikes for Scott Walker, Donald Trump in most recent New Hampshire poll.  (4/13/2015)
New Hampshire Republican Presidential primary voters are having trouble making up their minds.  (3/31/2015)
Another day, another New Hampshire Presidential primary poll.  (3/28/2015)
New Hampshire: Jeb Bush holds slim lead among crowded GOP pack in NBC News/Marist poll.  (2/17/2015)

"The Middletown Library is still standing": Valley Fire spares Lake County branch


Photo credit:  Yelp

Middletown Library Closed.  (Lake County news release, 9/15/2015)
The Middletown Library is still standing but will be closed until further notice. The other branches of the Lake County Library in Lakeport, Clearlake, and Upper Lake remain open our usual hours and available if you need to check email or use our public computers to get in contact with loved ones. All open branches also have free wifi and power outlets if you need to charge your device. 
 All fines and fees for those affected by the Valley Fire will be waived.
Related post:
This must be what it's like to drive through hell.  (9/16/2015)