The other "R" word surfaces again in WI

Recall Jim Doyle?

Perhaps it is a stretch, and a bit early, but the "r" word was in the air Sunday when 200 people rallied to decry the Wisconsin governor's recent decision to veto Republican lawmakers' proposed limits on property tax increases.

"I would like to get rid of the man as soon as possible," Carolyn Casser, 73, of Wauwatosa said of the Democratic governor.

Several participants said Doyle had lied to them when he promised during his campaign that he wouldn't raise taxes, and that he had merely "passed the buck" to local officials instead. A few even held signs that called the governor "Gray" Doyle, a reference to embattled California Gov. Gray Davis, who faces a recall in his financially troubled state, where the projected deficit is $38 billion.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/jul03/158184.asp

Ahem.
Jim Doyle vetoed legislation that would have put a freeze on local and county property taxes. He did not sign something REQUIRING localities and counties to raise taxes -- he just decided that the state shouldn't be in the business of telling local governments how to conduct their financial affairs.
In fact, his office is encouraging local bodies to resist the tax-increase urge.

Are people this dumb? (This is a rhetorical question.)

Thanks for the post, I missed that (mainly because I cancelled my subscription to the Central Wisconsin right wing rags)

Where did this so-called protest take place?

Scott Walker (who got his County Exec position after a recall) and a new assemblyman (a R, who got his position after a D got elected to the Senate) also attended...

The WI Repukes are still fuming over their loss to Jim Doyle. As you say he is not raising taxes but is leaving it up to local governments as to what action they will take. We had Repuke leadership in WI for 14 years that drove us into the big financial hole we are now in. The Repukes are afraid the Dems will pull us out of this hole and make them (the Repukes) look like the losers they are. It seems the Repukes no longer believe in allowing people to elect their government. Why should anyone bother to vote if those we elect are recalled by a minority? This tactic by the Repukes is another way to circumvent the elective process.

all us Wisconsin DUers take the repubs to task for this. If this recall noise gets any bigger, I, for one, will be out on the streets.

He is not the most popular man right now but he is respected and most people here understand that he came into office with a big job to fix and has done his best and did balance the state budget without raising taxes or making as drastic cuts as the GOP wanted.

I'm also from Wi and what scares me is the ability of the repubs on the state and local level to start stampedes in almost any direction. I will remain watchful and pledge my support to fight this if it gets to that point.

It sure didn't take me long to get more than my fill of those two prime repuke assholes John Gard (assembly majority leader) and Bob Welch (egomaniacial state legislator and challenger for Russ Feingold's senate seat). Their self-aggrandizing grandstanding bullshit is really pissing me off, and this property tax freeze nonsense is most likely just a distraction for some other shit they are pulling. We Wisconsin dems need to cultivate a strong voice to get the truth out - perhaps Ed Garvey or John Nichols?

The only crisis Welch will eever care about (not deficits, not local gov't funding, not education) is if there is a nation-wide shortage of HAIR SPRAY!

Damn do I dislike that guy!!!

Fightin' Bobfest at Baraboo this fall.

Speaking of which, we need to get a DU presence there. Maybe get our own little booth or something.

n/t

The hubby and I will be there with our Fighting Bob and DU T-shirts. Last year's was phenomenal. Methinks Jackpine is right, this year should be very interesting with all the political machinations going on here.

I'll try my damnedest to be there.

Accoriding to the spouse, job hunting comes first but I'll mark my calendar anyway.

I still wouldn't put it past the desperate, pathological Wisconsin Repugs to try a recall. Their brains are turning inside out at the thought that we have a competent Dem gov and they appear desperate to do anything to stop the pain.

In california at this moment they are basing their recall effort on the one the conservatives did in Milwaukee.

Right or not they learned through the power of right-wing radio, a quickly made recall orginization, and stirring ignorant peoples anger that they can be successfull.

Believe me, they'll abuse the recall and go after Doyle. It will start on AM620 and AM1130. Once they create the net again, they'll rely on group tactics to snare signitures.

They'll do it.

the republicans want smaller government..so they got their wish,didn`t they. so the big ,bad state can`t tell the local government what to do,now the local repubilicans have to raise taxes or cut services...

is the same as it would be for any other Governor without a (R) in front of his name. One trait common among repugs is that they will NOT accept sharing... they want the WHOLE pie, dammit. It galls them no end that we have a democratic governor. They will do anything they can over the next years to smear him, trap him, and otherwise frame him as a "tax-and-spend" democrat.

By the way, as a professor in the UW system, I can tell you that about the only thing the repugs hate more than a democratic elected official is a UW employee. I have more than a vested interest in seeing the 'pugs NOT re-take the governor's mansion.

Nice to see another Wisconsinite join in the fray here at DU.

:toast:

Can you hold an anti-recall by getting enough signatures to state that they do not want a recall election?

Would that work?

We have to also destroy the myth that Citizens for a Responsible (Conservative) Government is non-partisan. They are a state GOP front orginization just waiting to sink their teeth into another recall campain.

Recalls happen so seldom that I am very unfamiliar with the proceedures. I'm sure someone at the state party hq would have an answer.

As far as Citizens for a Responsible Government, there are several "non-partisan" front orgs out there. Taking them down would amount to taking their tax-exempt status away. For that, you'd have to do loads of research and document everything they print and everything their reps say. I wish I had that kind of time.

Perhaps it is a problem that can be tackled like Bev Harris' Diebold voting machine issue. We could get a group of Wisconsin DUers interested in doing the research and keeping tabs on these shadow conservative organizations, pooling our resources and data and then putting out press releases. It worked well for her.

I nominate Homer12 to be team leader.

I think finding out more about this option would be more appropriate with the use of time.

In fact their actually is time to orginize and find out our options, since Doyle can't be recalled for at least a year since he was elected.

A lot can happen til then, maybe they won't even try one if Doyle can regain some strength. They've been bashing and beating on him since the day he has got in office.

They'll onlny go for the throat and recall if Doyle is weak.

Anybody else want to help?

If it comes to this, you know where to find me!

Wisconsin repubs hate the University System in general because they think the system is raising the next generation of democrats by teaching such radical things as critical thinking and (gasp) History.

They also hate the State Employees who, for the years of the Thompson Admin were considered to be the "government in exile."

one edit: Welcome :toast:

I'm both an ex-academic staff type in the UW system & a current state employee, & sure know what you mean.

What campus, if I might ask? (I taught at UW-Milw & UW-Superior).