‘Madness Abounds’ as Fake Candidates Confuse Wisconsin Recalls

[alp227]

Source: Bloomberg

Wisconsin voters will choose among real and fake Democrats this week to challenge six Republican senators in recall elections that may derail the agenda of Governor Scott Walker.

The primaries are the opening skirmish in a state at political war. The six districts in tomorrow’s races have Republicans running as Democrats, hoping to win the nomination and effectively render the Aug. 9 recall votes meaningless.

At a time when politics usually takes a break, voters will select candidates to run against Republicans who supported Walker’s efforts to curb collective-bargaining rights for most public employees. On July 19, there will be two primaries and a full-fledged recall aimed at Democratic senators who fled the state in February in hopes of blocking the measure, which touched off weeks of protests across the nation.

“It feels like madness abounds in our state, like Wisconsin is 65,000 square miles surrounded by sanity,” said Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a nonprofit that advocates openness in government.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-11/-madness-abounds-as-fake-candidates-confuse-wisconsin-recalls.html

[HereSince1628]

1. The election tactics say much about the Republican approach

and they truly do believe IOKIYAR

[Blue Owl]

2. Oh and it's all perfectly legit isn't it

Now why are these stories about the GOP never in the news, I wonder?

:eyes:

[Yon_Yonson]

3. NEOCON scum suckers

I expect no less from these NEOCON scum suckers! They will stop at nothing to lie, cheat, steal their way into office. Don’t matter ‘know how anyways’ because if they don’t like the voter outcome they will call out Clerk Kathy from Wisconsin Waukesha Country or some other BROWN SHIRT NEOCON loyalist to perform their special style of voter fraud. With the blessing of the GAB!

[Kingofalldems]

4. They lie about everything, haven't changed since Watergate.

[Yon_Yonson]

5. Lying is humans most universal weakness.

I think political lying goes way back at least to the Robber Barons Era but probally beyond that. The NEOCONS are bolder now because they are allowed to get away with it and they go unchecked.

[murielm99]

6. Are people up there going to figure it out,

or will news stories like these just create more confusion?

I would like to think that the people of Wisconsin are smart enough to know what to do.

[elocs]

7. The "fake" Democrats are perfectly legal. Republicans play to win,

Democrats should try and do the same.

We look at the fake Democrats the same way that Republicans looked at the Democratic senators leaving the state to avoid a quorum. It's politics and it's hardball and if you can't keep up or stay a move or two ahead of your opponent, or anticipate those moves then you lose.

The bottom line is if Democrats play by nice Marquis of Queensbury rules and Republicans play by street rules, we lose and we end up whining and crying about how mean and unfair those nasty Republicans are.

As far as the primary goes, I voted last Tuesday at my City Clerk's office and it took minutes. There is no excuse not to vote.

[sybylla]

11. There was talk about doing that, but then the Dems decided to take the high road.

Problem is that with the open primary, all the pukes can come and vote for the fake dem and boot our real dem off the ballot. Would have been nice if we had the fake puke on the ballot just to keep them honest.

[Muskypundit]

8. More nixonesque rat-fucking tactics from republicans.

[Trajan]

9. I notice one sad fact here ....

NO DUer has stated which of the candidates are 'real' Democrats, and which are the fraudulent candidates ....

There is a wailing and a gnashing of teeth .... There is a call to street fighting against street fighters .... But there is no transfer of facts in order to inform even DUers, who might be able to help weed out the false prophets and guide friends and family as they vote ....

Nuff said ....

[sybylla]

12. Those who are working the campaigns know.

Those who are involved Dems in the districts know. In SD 10, the fake Dem ran as a Puke in 2010 and in 2008. There's an 80+ year old retired Puke politician in SD 32. The same is true in all the other Fake Dem cases.

If you think this is some kind of ploy by the Dem Party to stack the deck, you're wrong. If you need details for friends and family in Wisconsin, it can be found in the Wisconsin forum.

I don't see any need to post details in every thread that discusses this just to appease the doubters - if that's where you're going.

[Trajan]

13. Well .... Sounds like you have it completely under control ....

Let me get out of here and stop bothering you ....

[Yon_Yonson]

15. This might help ...

League of Women Voters of Wisconsin Education Fund
Voter Guide
2011 Summer Elections
Recall Elections for 9 State Senate Districts and
Special Election for Assembly District 48
Nine state Senate districts will have recall elections this summer. In addition the 48th Assembly
District, in Dane County, will have a special election to fill the seat vacated by Joe Parisi. See detailed
information by the Government Accountability Board (http://gab.wi.gov/elections-voting/results).

http://www.lwvwi.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=b2DbZyx30QU%3D&tabid=41&mid=399

[sybylla]

10. Been calling all day on one of the recalls

I've found few people home, but I did have several people who were appalled by the fake candidates. Hopefuly, it will get more Dems out to the polls.

[mwooldri]

14. Might be time to have "card carrying membership" of a party.

I don't get this being able to join a political party without applying or getting an invitation to join. Just say you're a Democrat, or a Repuke, or whatever ... and you're in the party???

Having proper party membership, and party members nominating a party member to compete in a specific election would IMO greatly reduce the possibility of a "fake Democrat" from appearing on a ballot. It would also make for a more cohesive party because the members have money invested; they paid to be members. The downsides are that a) primaries can be eliminated, and b) party members are going to be more hardcore than the general electorate and may put forward candidates who may be wildly popular with the party membership but reviled by the wider electorate.

[boppers]

16. So, if you pay, you play?

What would the dues be, in order to be "allowed" to list a party?

...and doesn't that effectively rule out everybody who *isn't* able to raise lots of money from being a candidate? Wealthy candidates only?