Wisconsin Recalls and Big Labor Money

The MacIver Institute reports that big money for the recall elections is flowing into Wisconsin from national liberal groups and individuals.

In the first eight days of July nearly three million dollars has been sent to Wisconsin by national liberal organizations and individuals, with more than two million dollars coming from large national las key operatives coming from out of state.

Big Labor has now sent more than six million dollars to finance recall efforts in Wisconsin according to a review of campaign finance reports conducted by the MacIver News Service. The figures only account for disbursements reported to the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board; these organizations do not have to report expenditures made for efforts to communicate with their own membership.

The contributions can come in the form of monetary contributions like wire transfers and checks or in-kind contributions. Wisconsin statutes define “in-kind” contributions as a disbursement by a contributor to procure a thing of value or service for the benefit of a registrant who authorized the disbursement.

All told, Big Labor has spent more than $6,419,000 in the recall efforts this year, having delivered $2.2 million to the state since July 1.

The AFL-CIO sent $3,884,170 to the “We are Wisconsin” Super PAC in six monetary disbursements since May, the last one being for $778,431 on July 5.

As previously reported by MNS, The deceptively-named “We are Wisconsin” effort has a decidedly non-Wisconsin infrastructure, with well in excess of 90% of its funds and many of its key operatives coming from out of state.

I don't like the fact that national groups are pouring millions of dollars into Wisconsin.

This is our state government we're talking about, not the U.S. Senate.

Will all this outside influence and cash alter the outcomes of the recall elections?

I don't think so.

True, Big Labor has big influence with Democrats, including Obama.

But all that matters is how the people of Wisconsin vote.

The big money and organizers from out-of-state didn't get JoAnne Kloppenburg elected. They failed.

Next month, Wisconsinites have to go to the polls again to make sure that out-of-state, Leftist interests don't determine our future.

Wisconsin taxpayers need to send a message to Big Labor and the other national Leftist groups infiltrating our state.

The party is over.
________________

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports: Democratic incumbents bring in big bucks.

The Democratic Party, which supplied the information on the Democrats' campaign finance totals, did not furnish details on where the money came from or was spent. That likely will be available Tuesday from the state Government Accountability Board, which has not yet posted the full reports.

Gee, I wonder where the Dems' big bucks came from.

Kloppenburg Concedes

And we have a winner of the 2011 Wisconsin State Supreme Court election...

Justice David Prosser.



From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg said Tuesday that she was conceding the Supreme Court race to Justice David Prosser, ending what had been a contentious campaign that culminated in a rare statewide recount.

Kloppenburg made the concession at a Madison news conference just over a week after the state's Government Accountability Board reported that final count numbers showed Prosser with 7,006 more votes.

She said she had run a campaign that was respectful, honest and fair.

Her decision to concede is expected to pave the way for Prosser to begin a new, 10-year term on Aug. 1.

If Kloppenburg had challenged the recount, Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson would have had to name a reserve judge to hear Kloppenburg's court challenge. Court observers say it is likely that Abrahamson and the reserve judge would move as quickly as possible to consider the appeal.

Kloppenburg asked for the taxpayer-financed recount - the first statewide recount in two decades - after losing by 7,316 votes in the April 5 election. Waukesha County, a key stronghold for Prosser, finished its recount last.

Kloppenburg's team had said in advance of Tuesday's decision that they would analyze the election evidence and the law before making their decision.

Though the April 5 election was officially nonpartisan, the campaign had all the feel of a partisan race: conservatives tended to support Prosser, while liberals backed Kloppenburg.

Wisconsinites knew Prosser was the winner weeks and weeks ago. We knew that before hundreds and hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars were pissed away.

Today, JoAnne Kloppenburg conceded, she gave in to reality and admitted that she lost the election.

However, she did it in the most graceless way imaginable, whining about the mountain of "anomalies and irregularities and more" that allegedly tainted the results.

I suppose the whining was necessary to justify her demand to put the state through the idiotic recount.

I'm surprised her announcement came as early in the day as it did. I expected her to remain true to form and speak at around 4:00 PM, waiting until the last minute to meet the deadline on challenging the recount results.

Did Kloppenburg think the late morning announcement would make her appear more reasonable and less politically-motivated than staging another late afternoon drama?

It didn't.

I thought it was interesting that during the Q & A of her news conference she answered a question that wasn't asked.

Kloppenburg stated that she wasn't a union puppet, that she made her own decisions and was not doing the bidding of the union thugs.

Maybe she's not their puppet. Maybe her commitment to their extreme Leftist agenda is deeply entrenched.

Whatever.

Bottom line: She was content with sticking it to Wisconsin taxpayers for her ridiculous statewide recount but was not willing to foot the bill to challenge those results.

She did concede.

The election is over but this Kloppenburg news conference will live on in Wisconsin political history.

Let it be a lesson to other candidates.

"Wisconsin voters have spoken and I am grateful for, and humbled by, their confidence and trust."

"I'm ecstatic. My supporters are ecstatic, and I'm looking forward to becoming a justice on August 1st."

"We ran a campaign that was focused on being positive and respectful and, and winning; and we did win, and we're confident that the margin will hold."

"You know, the numbers showed that we won and we are gratified to have that victory in hand."

--JoANNE KLOPPENBURG

Kloppenburg Deadline

The clock is ticking.

The deadline for JoAnne Kloppenburg to file a lawsuit challenging the final results of the absolutely senseless recount in her loss to Justice David Prosser in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race is today.

What will she do?

Will she call Justice Prosser and finally concede?

Does Kloppenburg have the decency to do the right thing?

Short answer: NO.

I would love to say I'm wrong. Later today, I would love to say I was wrong about Kloppenburg.
______________

UPDATE: Kloppenburg concedes.

Technically, I'm wrong.

Kloppenburg did have the decency to concede.

However, she did it in the most graceless way imaginable, whining about the mountain of "anomalies and irregularities and more" that allegedly tainted the results.

I suppose the whining was necessary to justify her demand to put the state through the idiotic recount.

At least she did concede.

Prosser Declared Winner

Justice David Prosser has won the election for Wisconsin Supreme Court - AGAIN.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

State elections officials on Monday certified the results of the recount of the April 5 election for state Supreme Court, declaring that Justice David Prosser has been re-elected to another 10-year term on the court by 7,004 votes.

"I look forward to taking the oath of office and continuing to serve in a fair and independent manner as a member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court," Prosser said a statement.

Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg asked for the recount after narrowly losing to Prosser.

She now has the option of suing over the results if she wants to contest the election. Any legal action must be started by May 31.

Kloppenburg campaign manager Melissa Mulliken last week said Kloppenburg would spend the coming days deciding what to do. Kloppenburg has portrayed the election as including widespread anomalies.

In certifying the recount, Government Accountability Board Chairman Thomas Barland disputed that characterization.

“It was not a surprise that minor mistakes were discovered, investigated and corrected,” he said. “This happens in all elections.”

It's time to pull out the JoAnne "I'm Ecstatic" Kloppenburg victory speech.

Kloppenburg's decision to declare victory was one of the worst moves ever.

It showed she lacks any sense of good judgment and possesses no gravitas whatsoever.



Then came the absolutely futile recount.

Now, with the certified results of the recount essentially the same as the certified results of the election, Kloppenburg has another decision to make.

Will she and her allies continue to stick it to the taxpayers and drag down the state of Wisconsin?

Will she obstruct the will of the people?

Does Kloppenburg have the decency to finally concede?

If her past behavior is any indication, then no, she won't concede.

It will be beyond disgraceful if Kloppenburg sues, in effect attempting to disenfranchise over 7,000 voters in the hope of manufacturing a victory.

Bottom line: Kloppenburg's concession speech is long, long overdue.

If she won't concede, let's hope she's clueless enough to flee the state, thinking that would be an appropriate way to handle her defeat.
_________________


STATEMENT OF SUPREME COURT JUSTICE DAVID PROSSER, JR:

"I am grateful that the final results of the April 5th election have been confirmed today. I want to thank the good people of Wisconsin for their confidence in me. I look forward to taking the oath of office and continuing to serve in a fair and independent manner as a member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

I also want to thank the literally hundreds of local election officials and volunteers across the state's 72 counties who spent thousands of hours of their time in this recount. Their dedication went well beyond their normal "call of duty" and I know the state's residents who they serve share my appreciation for their great efforts in producing an accurate final result."

Will Kloppenburg challenge the "accurate final result"?

Not if she has an ounce of integrity.

Jonathan Steitz

Jonathan Steitz has launched his campaign in the recall election of Robert Wirch as state senator.

Kenosha, WI - Jonathan Steitz, attorney and former small business owner, announced his candidacy to serve as State Senator for the 22nd District today before a packed room of over 100 residents at the Holiday Inn in Pleasant Prairie.

Steitz, 37, received his J.D. and M.B.A from Northwestern University in 2007 after previously owning his own event management and production company. He is actively involved in the community with his local church as well as local athletic teams. Steitz mentioned, "This community is where I have chosen to raise my family, and I could not be prouder to be a resident here."

The young Pleasant Prairie resident, who works for a leading international law firm, asserted that, "It is time for a new direction in the 22nd District. We need lower taxes, less government regulation, and common-sense policies that will encourage economic growth for our area." Steitz also remarked that a change in leadership is necessary and that he believes, "Leadership begins with service, and ends with accountability."

"My private sector experience, along with firm grounding in the community, has taught me that we have so much to be proud of in Senate District 22 and throughout the Kenosha area. I intend for my campaign to be a referendum on Bob Wirch's service, and to have a serious dialogue about how to grow our local economy."
__________________

You are invited to attend a press conference regarding Jonathan's candidacy

Wednesday, May 18, 6:00pm
Holiday Inn Express Pleasant Prairie
7887 94th Ave
Pleasant Prairie WI 53158

Of course, Robert Wirch was one of the 14 AWOL Democrat Wisconsin state senators who fled to Illinois rather than serve their constituents.

From March 9, 2011, watch Wirch and his AWOL comrades spew their venom on MSNBC.

This is a long, torturous video clip. The Dems appear at 3:15.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

ROBERT WIRCH: This is a day of infamy for Wisconsin workers. Tomorrow, they're second class citizens thanks to the Republicans who took that terrible vote tonight.

It was a day of infamy for Wisconsin government when the 14 DEMOCRAT state senators ran away, shirking their responsibilities to serve.

Voters should strip Wirch of the privilege to serve as a state senator since he has shown himself to be such a disgrace in office.

Vote for Jonathan Steitz on July 12.

Kloppenburg, Concede!

JoAnne "I'm ecstatic" Kloppenburg has wasted the taxpayers' money by dragging Wisconsin through a ridiculous recount. It was a selfish act.

The woman did not have the good judgment nor the strength of character to stand up to the Democrats and her union allies and refuse to participate in this senseless, joke of a recount.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

With the recount in the April 5 Supreme Court race now complete in every county but Waukesha, JoAnne Kloppenburg has sliced a mere 355 votes off Justice David Prosser's lead of 7,316 votes, underscoring the extreme odds against Kloppenburg emerging victorious in the fiercely contested judicial contest.

In effect, Kloppenburg would have to gain 6,962 votes in one county - Waukesha - after gaining a tiny fraction of that in the recount of all the state's other counties.

In those 71 counties recounted so far, Kloppenburg has made a net pick-up of one vote for every 3,873 votes cast.

In Waukesha County, which Prosser won overwhelmingly, she would have to make a net pick-up of one vote for every 18 votes cast.

And that math actually understates the improbability of a successful outcome for Kloppenburg because about 30% of Waukesha County has already completed the recount process. So far, there's a net gain of 18 votes for Prosser, according to the latest figures posted Monday night by the state's Government Accountability Board.

As for the Waukesha recount changing the outcome at this point, "the probability is not close to zero - it is zero," said Ken Mayer, a University of Wisconsin political scientist who is a consultant to the Prosser recount team. "It just isn't going to happen."

The Kloppenburg campaign said Monday that judgment is premature.

Oh, good Lord!

This is insane.

JOANNE KLOPPENBURG LOST. JUSTICE DAVID PROSSER WON.

I wonder what Kloppenburg's concession speech will be like.

She can't concede with grace. That possibility went out the window when she made taxpayers' foot the bill for her utterly pointless recount. Her accusations of "anomalies" and "irregularities" couldn't be sleazier.

"I get the math," said Melissa Mulliken, who ran Kloppenburg's campaign. But she said the Kloppenburg campaign believes there are enough serious questions about the way ballots were handled - she called them "significant anomalies" - that it will make a decision after the recount is over about whether to pursue a legal appeal.

...[Prosser attorney Daniel] Kelly said he was concerned Kloppenburg would challenge the results no matter what, leading to months of appeals. Prosser's seat on the court will become temporarily vacant if a winner isn't declared by Aug. 1. There are six other justices on the court, and they are often evenly split over the most contentious issues.

Kloppenburg said it was premature to say whether she would challenge the results of the recount in court.

"Premature"?

I will be so pissed if Kloppenburg appeals the results. I am preparing to be pissed.

THAT IS NOT WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE.

Imagine the news conference when Kloppenburg announces she will appeal. Picture her at a podium crowded with microphones. Can you see her face and hear her voice as she says she will not give up AGAIN?

Oh, my God!

Although I'm sure Democrats and union bosses are pulling puppet Kloppenburg's strings, I still blame her for this waste. SHE is responsible for the circus. SHE showed terrible judgment. SHE lacks decency. SHE is not wise.

It does prove Wisconsin voters made the right choice. Without a shadow of a doubt, Kloppenburg is not fit to sit on the State Supreme Court.

Kloppenburg, Stop This Recount!

Kenneth R. Mayer, PhD., professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a consultant to the Justice David Prosser Recount Team, writes that it's time for JoAnne "I'm ecstatic" Kloppenburg to put an end to the recount.

The recount is nearing completion in the contested Wisconsin Supreme Court election between incumbent David Prosser and challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg. The initial canvas showed Prosser ahead by 7,316 votes, out of nearly 1.5 million cast. More than three-quarters of the state has completed its recount, and the net change has been only 225 in Kloppenburg’s favor, using data compiled by the Prosser campaign. The GAB’s own data shows that with nearly 80% of the vote recounted, Prosser is ahead by more than 25,000 votes. It is time to recognize that there is no point in continuing.

It has actually been clear from the beginning that the recount would not change the result: Prosser’s lead in the initial count was 30 times larger than any margin that had been reversed in any statewide election that I have been able to find in the last 30 years. The initial margins in the 2004 Washington Gubernatorial Election and the 2008 Minnesota Senate election – both of which were reversed after a recount and litigation – were, respectively, 261 votes and 215 votes. Every statistical model of recounts has concluded that the chances of a reversal depends, more than anything, on the margin of victory. Absent the kind of irregularities that simply have not happened in this election, a reversal of a 7,000+ margin would be historically unprecedented.

There are, so far, a handful of wards (what Wisconsin calls precincts) that have produced anomalous changes: one ward where Kloppenburg picked up 67 votes because of an omission in the initial count; one town where the absentee ballots of 18 cloistered nuns were tossed because they were not properly witnessed; one ward where 79 ballots were accidentally left in a clerk’s office; one ward where Prosser picked up 15 votes when the original totals for both candidates were adjusted.

But nearly all of the wards – more than 70% --show either no change at all or a net change of 1 vote or less – more than 90%. It is simply not possible for Kloppenburg to pick up enough votes to change the result. The average change has been about 0.1 votes per ward. Again, this has been clear from the beginning, but with more than three-quarters of the votes recounted, the possibilities are so remote that a reversal, by itself, could be evidence of a significant irregularity.

As of today, Kloppenburg would have to reverse more than 7,000 of the remaining votes to win. This is a rate hundreds of times greater than the error rate so far, which has been steady at about 1 change per 4,000 votes.

Kloppenburg may be pinning her hopes on challenging votes from the City of Brookfield, where a failure to report 15,000 votes on election night led to an initial (and wholly unofficial) Associated Press calculation that Kloppenburg had won by 204 votes. She held a press conference where she declared victory. But there was in fact no real anomaly here: it was simply a human error in which vote totals were not conveyed to the county election official on election night. Once the votes were reported, and counted, it was clear that the AP report was simply an error. To claim fraud here would be an impossible stretch, elevating press reports to an official status that they do not, and cannot, have.

Kloppenburg asked for a recount because she said it was important to have confidence in the electoral process. What the recount process has shown is that the election process in Wisconsin, for all of the potential for human error, is extremely accurate.

And the advantage of stopping the recount now, is that we can go back to making jokes about elections in Illinois.

As Mayer says, IT'S OVER.

Kloppenburg Rejects Nuns' Ballots

JoAnne Kloppenburg and her campaign are disenfranchising nuns. NUNS!

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The recount for the state Supreme Court race has come to this: Votes from nuns have been thrown out.

The twist in the race between Justice David Prosser and challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg came during the recount in Sauk County. There, ballots of Cistercian nuns from the Valley of Our Lady Monastery in Prairie du Sac were rejected.

The nuns live a contemplative, monastic life and support themselves by baking and distributing altar breads, according to their website.

On Friday, during the recount, it was noted that witness signatures were missing from 18 absentee ballots from the Town of Sumpter, where votes from the monastery are counted.

"Eighteen applications did not have a witness signature," said Alene Bolin, assistant corporation counsel for Sauk County. "I don't think all 18 were from the monastery. I think it has turned into, there were 18 nuns but I do remember one of the ballots was not from the convent."

"They're cloistered nuns," Bolin said. "So the clerk (Donna Ziegler) dropped off an envelope with all the absentee ballots and applications with them. On the day of the election, she picked them up and dropped them off at the polling place. The absentee ballots were opened there and counted. During the recount it was discovered that there was no witness signature."

Because canvassers were unable to match the actual ballots to the voter, they took all 24 absentee ballots from the Town of Sumpter and randomly drew 18, which were then set aside and not counted. Of those ballots, Prosser had 14 while Kloppenburg had four.

The Prosser campaign made two appeals to have the ballots counted, including early Wednesday, but they were turned down by the board of canvassers, Bolin said.

Will tossing the votes of the nuns change the outcome of the election?

No, but that's not the point.

Considering the Democrats are always yapping about counting every vote and insisting that measures like voter photo ID are an unreasonable burden it looks horrible for them to reject the votes of the cloistered nuns.

Does Kloppenburg really want to be remembered for throwing out the nuns' votes?

I suppose it could be worse. I assume the nuns weren't harassed or threatened by Kloppenburg's allies, the union thugs. Their ballots were discarded but no physical intimidation took place.

The case of the Cistercian nuns from the Valley of Our Lady Monastery in Prairie du Sac is just another proud moment for JoAnne "I'm ecstatic" Kloppenburg.

Isn't it great our tax dollars are being spent to toss out the ballots of nuns in this idiotic recount?

Wonderful.
________________

UPDATE:

Statement of Brian Schimming, director, Justice Prosser's Recount Effort, regarding the disenfranchisement of votes of 18 nuns from the Valley of our Lady Monastery in Prairie du Sac, Sauk County:

"While we have been reluctant to make public comments during the recount period, the Kloppenburg campaign's attack on the votes of 18 nuns from the Valley of our Lady Monastery in Prairie du Sac is wrong at best and totally reprehensible at worst.

"This recount is costing Wisconsin taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars already. There is to date not one shred of evidence whatsoever that it will change the outcome of the election. To make this extremely costly and sorry spectacle even worse by challenging the legitimate votes of 18 nuns at a monastery is a breathtaking abuse of the recount process."

"I would simply ask Ms. Kloppenburg to act at the most basic level of decency; apologize to the 18 nuns who reside at the monastery for her campaign's interference with their right to vote, withdraw her objection and ask that the ballots be reinstated."

It's a legitimate and appropriate request.

Unfortunately, to date, Kloppenburg has not exhibited the character or the class that would lead me to believe she will do the right thing.

Voter ID Bill Includes Other Changes

Finally, now that Wisconsinites elected Republicans to control both houses of the State Legislature, and now that Wisconsinites elected Scott Walker to be governor, there's hope that safeguards will be put in place to thwart voter fraud.

There's hope Wisconsin will no longer be a haven for fraud and faith in its elections will be restored.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The latest version of a bill requiring voters to show photo ID at the polls would make sweeping changes to Wisconsin elections - moving the September primary to August, tightening rules on absentee ballots and ending straight-ticket voting.

A hearing on the bill is slated for 10 a.m. Wednesday, and Republicans who run the Assembly will meet in private later in the day to discuss any changes to the measure.

Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Horicon) said his caucus is largely behind the latest version by Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale), but may want to tweak it. He said he hopes to pass the bill in May and forward it to the Senate.

Stone's bill leaves in place the ability of people to register at the polls. Some Republicans have wanted to eliminate election-day registration, but Stone said he did not believe they needed to take that step.

"This is going to go a long way to restoring confidence in elections," Stone said of his bill.

Rep. Tamara Grigsby (D-Milwaukee) decried the plan, saying the photo ID measure and changes to absentee voting laws would make it harder to vote while not preventing voter fraud.

"This is just consistent with what we've been seeing all session - extreme overreach in trying to take away people's rights," she said. "It's another assault on average Wisconsinites, but particularly on those most vulnerable."

Democrat Grigsby's remarks are to be expected. She recently accused Republicans of being afraid to be in Milwaukee after dark.

She'll say anything. She has no qualms about disparaging the character of others.

Putting her hysterics aside, I'm happy to see that efforts to clean up Wisconsin's elections are being made.

I'm not at all happy with same-day registration. It is an open invitation to disenfranchise Wisconsin residents - we, the taxpayers. But, Republicans do realize that voter ID alone isn't enough to eliminate fraud.

Read about other changes included in the bill.

There are still problems but we're headed in the right direction.

The status quo is unacceptable.

Everyone - Democrat, Republican, or whatever - has a stake in ensuring that the outcome of Wisconsin's elections are legitimate.

I don't like that recall elections will invite fraud. I'm very uneasy about that, but at least the 2012 elections have promise of being somewhat cleaner.

Don't steal my vote, bro!

Vote Changes in Statewide Recounts

The MacIver Institute offers this chart of "Vote Changes in Statewide Recounts in the United States Since 1980 and Margin in Prosser v. Kloppenburg 2011."



What is JoAnne Kloppenburg thinking?

She and her union allies certainly can't think this joke of a recount is going to endear the Leftists' agenda to Wisconsin taxpayers.

What a massive waste of resources!

This recount is so outrageous that the classless Kloppenburg joins Brett Favre in becoming a verb.

For example, the verb "favre":

When lead character Cleveland Brown, a baseball star when he was in high school, gives his retired #9 jersey to his son, Cleveland Jr., the elder Cleveland takes a shot at Brett Favre.

CLEVELAND BROWN JR.: Wow! Number 9! I thought when you left they retired it for good.

CLEVELAND BROWN: I'm Brett Favre-ing it, except I'm not being a public jag off about it.

It took Favre years to become a verb, going in and out of retirement repeatedly.

Kloppenburg managed to achieve that level of notoriety in just weeks. Quite an accomplishment.

Kloppenburg and Judicial Code of Conduct

Media Trackers asks: Did Kloppenburg Violate The Wisconsin Judicial Code of Conduct?

During JoAnne Kloppenburg's press conference last Wednesday, she accused Justice David Prosser of meeting with Governor Scott Walker after the April 5, 2011, Supreme Court election.

According to Media Trackers, that may violate the Judicial Code of Conduct.

Kloppenburg made the allegation during her press conference to announce her intention for a state-wide recount, but she provided no evidence to back it up. Both Walker and Prosser deny the meeting took place.

Kloppenburg’s campaign spokeswoman, Melissa Mulliken, said she had “been in touch with two or three people with knowledge of the meeting.” However, she refused to name names.

The irony is rich. During the campaign leading up to this election the news media and the Left continued to draw focus on the 2008 controversy around Justice Michael Gableman for what was at worst a misleading campaign ad written by campaign staffers. But Kloppenburg campaign’s apparent overt factual falsehood received scant media attention, and no one seems to be raising the question of whether Kloppenburg violated judicial rules.

...Is Kloppenburg still a judicial candidate? By requesting a recount she maintains that status.

Prosser outright denies her assertion that he met with Walker, as does Walker.

Kloppenburg has not repudiated the claim, nor provided evidence to prove it.

So how does the SRC 60.06(3) not apply?

It begs the question of why the Judicial Commission is not investigating the Kloppenburg matter. Where is the media? Where are the complaints? Where is the scrutiny?

Good questions.

Kloppenburg: Statewide Recount (Video)

Here's the full video of JoAnne Kloppenburg's statement announcing her decision to request that the taxpayers of Wisconsin pay for a recount in her failed election bid against Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser.



Nauseating.

Even the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board takes a surprisingly reasonable stance on Kloppenburg's call to waste the state's resources.

JoAnne Kloppenburg certainly had the right to ask for a statewide recount on Wednesday.

But we had hoped that she wouldn't - and the state would be better off if she hadn't.

We understand the motivation. The final county-by-county canvassing of the state Supreme Court election revealed that Justice David Prosser won a narrow victory, a reflection of how polarizing the new governor and his policies have become. The heat generated by the controversy over those policies most likely spurred the significant turnout for a spring nonpartisan election and a 7,316-vote win for Prosser - less than 0.5% of the 1.5 million votes cast.

That's slim, but it's not likely that a statewide recount will change the outcome. Were it a margin in the hundreds of votes, perhaps, but Kloppenburg has to recognize that it's not.

The state Government Accountability Board says it is ready for a recount; the board had anticipated that one would be requested. But it is already requesting some $40,000 extra to deal with a possible 16 recall elections anticipated as a result of some senators leaving the state to avoid a vote on Gov. Scott Walker's collective bargaining proposals and other senators voting for them.

Earlier, the GAB said a statewide recount in the Supreme Court race might cost as much as $1 million. Given that the state is already scrambling in its current budget to make ends meet and that the next budget won't be any prettier, this is an expense the state can ill afford.

...Kloppenburg might have simply narrowed her recount request to Waukesha County.

But, again, this is her right. We urge the GAB to conduct the recount openly, transparently and in such a fashion that there is no room for doubt. And we urge all the parties involved to allow the GAB to do its job efficiently and without undue interference.

Kloppenburg's decision to burden the state with the cost of what the Journal Sentinel calls an "unnecessary" recount, meaning the Democrats/unions' decision to burden the taxpayers, is utterly irresponsible.

Think of all the ways that money could be better spent.

Kloppenburg's incredibly poor judgment is on display.

It was there when she made her laughable victory speech. Here it is again.

It's unfortunate that Kloppenburg doesn't have the strength of character and the decency to do the right thing.

Having the right to do something doesn't make it right.

Taxpayers of Wisconsin, please join me in a resounding "SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!"

KLOPPENBURG: STATEWIDE RECOUNT

JoAnne Kloppenburg will call for a STATEWIDE RECOUNT.

The Wisconsin taxpayers DO NOT thank you, Kloppenburg.

What a waste of resources!

Kloppenburg is a union puppet. And we know the unions don't care about Wisconsin's taxpayers.

She's either spineless and doing the bidding of the unions, or she's utterly irrational and out of touch with reality.

"Today my campaign is asking the Government Accountablity Board to conduct a statewide recount."

Disgusting.

"A recount benefits everyone involved in this election."

WHAT?

It sure as hell doesn't benefit the taxpayers!

7,316 votes! That's a huge margin.

Dragging the taxpayers through this makes me sick.

Kloppenburg yapping about fraud is a joke. Leftists have done all they can to permit voter fraud in Wisconsin.

Long lines at the polls, photocopied ballots, blah, blah, blah.

When Kloppenburg was asked if she still felt that she won the election, she paused for a long time. She finally said she felt like a winner in a number of ways. Really lame.

Video.



Transcript

REPORTER: Last time you had a press conference, you indicated you were the winner. Do you still feel that you are the winner of the election?

KLOPPENBURG: (15-second pause, staring off into space) How I feel? I feel that I have, um, been a winner in any number of ways. Whether I will have earned the most votes in this election is something to be determined by the recount.

What a disgrace! Truly a disgrace!

Kloppenburg could not have handled her response to that question more awkwardly.

Her supporters had to be thinking, "This is uncomfortable."

Kloppenburg said when she was ahead by a couple hundred votes, her opponent's campaign cried "voter fraud!" She said she has never suggested there was fraud.

Then why have a special investigation? Of course, she's talking about fraud.

The woman contradicts herself within the same news conference.

This is just pissing away tax dollars.

If the unions and the Leftists are looking for a way to fire up the taxpayers of Wisconsin, they've found it.

I predict Obama will lose Wisconsin in 2012.

Prosser: Victory Speech

UPDATE: Here's the full video of Justice Prosser's victory speech.


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Video, from the MacIver Institute:



More on Justice Prosser's victory, from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Justice David Prosser and his campaign are saying a recount of this month's election is unwarranted and would be costly for taxpayers.

"Admittedly the election was uncomfortably close," Prosser said at a Capitol news conference. "My opponent ran a very effective campaign. But now that all 72 counties have completed their canvasses, the result of the election is not in doubt."

...Prosser spoke for 25 minutes, but did not take questions. Troupis and other advisers addressed the media afterward.

"I presume this is my last campaign and that my fifteen minutes of celebrity will soon be over. Greta has stopped calling," said Prosser, referring to Fox News host Greta Van Susteren.

Prosser, 68, would be seated for a new 10-year term on the court on Aug. 1.

...Prosser said his election could have gone either way and that his ultimate victory was "an affirmation of my 30-plus years of public service."

He called for continuing to elect judges, amid cries from some to appoint the judicary. "Wisconsinites should not surrender this important right because of periodic frustrations about the messiness of democracy," he said.

Prosser also criticized an ad against him by the liberal Greater Wisconsin Committee that attacked him for his handling of a priest sex abuse case when he was Outagamie County district attorney more than 30 years ago.

"The blowback from that advertising helped to assure my re-election," he said. "The people of Wisconsin are too smart and too decent to base their votes on personal smears."

The victims in that case, Troy and Todd Merryfield, appeared in another third-party ad to support Prosser. The justice thanked them by name Monday, saying he had not talked to them in 33 years but hoped to do so soon.

Prosser also thanked GOP former Gov. Tommy G. Thompson, who first appointed Prosser to the court in 1998 and this year served as the honorary chairman of his campaign.

He further thanked three colleagues on the court - Justices Patience Roggensack, Annette Ziegler and Michael Gableman. He singled out Gableman, calling him "tireless, indefatigable and brilliant."

Recall Dave Hansen: Office Burglarized

If a break-in took place at the headquarters to recall a Republican Wisconsin state senator, the media would be apoplectic.

Ed Schultz, MSNBC, would probably swoop in to do live reports.

But because the "Recall Dave Hansen" office was burglarized, it's not a big deal. Hansen is a Democrat, one of the AWOL Dems who fled the state and left his constituents without representation for weeks.

The criminals are the good guys.

From NBC26:

Speculation swirling after a burglary at the Recall Senator Dave Hansen Headquarters in Green Bay. Those with the recall campaign say police are now involved after someone smashed a window, swiping everything from dozens of recall signatures to a computer. The organizer of the effort is accusing one group of committing the crime.

"There were some petitions stolen, our computer is missing, some of the recall signs and they cleaned us out of all our recall T-shirts," says Hansen recall organizer, David Vander Leest.

Vander Leest says he's angry and has reason to believe a certain group is responsible because the vandals only stole things connected to the recall. "Well I think it shows that the opposition to recalling Democratic Senators will stop at nothing and it shows kind of where people's minds are in all of this," says Vander Leest.

...Green Bay police are investigating the break in. For now, Vander Leest says despite the stolen signatures the crooks weren't successful at stopping their recall efforts. "In this case they're a little bit short and it is going to happen, so that's where we are at," says Vander Leest.

Meanwhile, Senator Hansen says he's not worried about a recall election. "We understood, when we did what we did, but sometime in your life you have to stand up for what you believe in and we did," says Senator Hansen.

...Vander Leest says only about 150 signatures were taken and even without those names they still have enough to file their recall Hansen petition.

Perhaps the Democrats/union thugs are getting concerned about Hansen surviving a recall election.

Results of the April 5th election don't bode well for Hansen.

Hansen's district went solidly for Justice David Prosser.

Prosser Wins

(Image credit/Unknown) I'd like to credit the individual.

Milwaukee County finally finished its canvass.

As expected, Justice David Prosser has defeated JoAnne Kloppenburg.

Prosser topped Kloppenburg by 7,316 votes.

That's very close, but not close enough for Kloppenburg to flip the results.

I will be seriously ticked off if Kloppenburg doesn't graciously concede now. She should not stick the taxpayers will the cost of a senseless recount. Sticking it to the taxpayers and dragging this thing out would serve to hurt the Left in the long run.

Don't request a recount.

In any event, my guess is Kloppenburg isn't so "ecstatic" anymore.



Ouch!

The video of this news conference is an instant classic in Wisconsin election history.

"Wisconsin voters have spoken and I am grateful for, and humbled by, their confidence and trust."

"I'm ecstatic. My supporters are ecstatic, and I'm looking forward to becoming a justice on August 1st."

"We ran a campaign that was focused on being positive and respectful and, and winning; and we did win, and we're confident that the margin will hold."

"You know, the numbers showed that we won and we are gratified to have that victory in hand."

What a terrible judgment Kloppenburg made when she declared victory with the minuscule margin of 204 votes!

Congratulations, Justice Prosser!

Ten more years!
__________________

UPDATE: Prosser declares victory.

A spokesman for Justice David Prosser this afternoon declared victory this afternoon, saying the "will of the electorate is clear" with the final canvass now in.

"Justice Prosser extends his appreciation and respect to Joanne Kloppenburg and her spirited campaign," Brian Nemoir said. "With certified results in-hand, Justice Prosser hopes that a shared respect for the judiciary allows the campaign to move to a positive conclusion."

Nemoir said Prosser looks forward to thanking voters and expects to make a public address soon.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Daily Kos, Forbes - Facts Wrong!

Leftists and the liberal media so often seem to disregard reality, preferring to create their own.

If the truth doesn't fit, make it up. Such is the case with Waukesha County and election results.

Clearly, they aren't happy that more Wisconsinites voted for Justice David Prosser than JoAnne "I'm ecstatic" Kloppenburg.

When it comes to Waukesha County's election history, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Daily Kos and Rick Ungar, contributor to Forbes, latched on to an unreal reality.

Media Trackers explains:

It’s the first rule of journalism: Check the facts and then check them again. So how did the national liberal blog Daily Kos and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel both get it so wrong? Both news outlets published stories that attempted to raise doubts about Waukesha County’s votes in the April 5 election based on past election results that are posted on the Waukesha County Clerk website. The results showed more votes than ballots cast in past races.

What the blog and newspaper failed to tell readers was that the reason for the gap was widely known at the time it occurred – and had nothing to do with failings by Kathy Nickolas or nefariousness that would call the races into question.

Indeed, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel itself explained the discrepancy back in 2006. The problem occurred because two Waukesha County communities used new voting machines that year that resulted in the two towns inability to report all votes electronically. Although there was frustration with slow returns as a result, the election results weren’t questioned, and did get completely reported to the state. The Daily Kos’ “big gap” is a complete non-story, and the Journal Sentinel, missed basic journalism 101 (looking up its own archives) by covering it as such.

Media Trackers goes on to detail the FACTS and concludes:

Despite all archived facts, the Daily Kos, one of the most biased and prominent liberal blogs in the country, still ran this story, even demanding that the Department of Justice investigate. The Journal Sentinel attacked Van Hollen, tying him to Gov. Scott Walker, and implying that the election might have been rigged in Van Hollen’s favor.

Wisconsin liberal blogs picked up the narrative, perpetuating the story, and for some reason the Journal Sentinel highlighted it all. For no reason and with complete disregard to the facts.

It's really disgusting that the Journal Sentinel would disregard its own past reporting.

It's embarrassing for the "professional" journalists of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to be on the same page as the extremists of Daily Kos. Forbes should be embarrassed for allowing Ungar to regurgitate falsehoods this blatant and post them on its website without a disclaimer.

Hey, PolitiFact!

There are PANTS ON FIRE over here.

Report the FACTS.

Scott Walker - Florida Trip

It's no surprise that the liberal media are hammering away at Governor Scott Walker. Their relentless spin is predictable, but that doesn't make it more palatable.

That which isn't worth mentioning becomes newsworthy.

Union member and "willing partner" Dan Bice, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, asks the burning question:

Do you know where in the world your governor is?

Bice continues:

Turns out he and a campaign staffer were making the national rounds on the conservative circuit.

According to a Sunday piece on the right-wing website News- Max, Gov. Scott Walker had dropped by its headquarters in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Friday. The story said the trip was part of "a nationwide tour to drum up support for a new effort, FrontlineWisconsin.com, that seeks to defend eight Wisconsin GOP senators from a massive recall campaign that now is under way."

Various groups have launched recall efforts against 16 senators - eight Republicans and eight Democrats - for their positions on Walker's controversial budget-repair measure.

"What I've been doing is going around the country and making the case, given my position in Wisconsin, reaching out to folks across the country to say, 'Help us out,' " Walker told the online publication.

Walker "quietly" went to Florida.

What should he have done? Held a news conference to announce his trip?

What's wrong with Walker speaking in support of his agenda and Republicans?

I think he should try to help Republicans facing recall elections, to counter all the cash being dumped by the unions and out-of-state Democrats into the coffers of Dem state politicians.

Obama has been fundraising like crazy.

Do Dems/union bullies/liberal media criticize him?

At the end of March, Obama was raking in dough in New York. Today, Obama is in Chicago for fundraising events.

Personally, I think the president should be focusing on the monumental mess he's made at home and abroad rather than running around bringing in cash for his 2012 bid at taxpayers' expense. Air Force One isn't a cheap ride.

But Walker goes on a commercial flight to Florida and that's supposed to be inappropriate or sneaky or somehow wrong in some way.

Ridiculous!

Walker also spoke frankly to the publication about a number of other issues, including Supreme Court Justice David Prosser's re-election bid. (Full disclosure: No Quarter doesn't write about the court or that race because of a conflict of interest.)

So where is Walker going as part of this national tour? Who went with him to Florida? Did he hold any fundraisers for his own campaign while there?

Katie McCallum, a spokeswoman for the Republican Party and Walker's campaign, was initially tight-lipped about the Florida trip and national tour, providing just a bland statement that said the first-term Republican governor is defending the Senate Republicans for supporting his bill.

Later, McCallum explained that Walker had been invited by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, to speak on fiscal responsibility at a Florida event.

Heritage is a regular recipient of funds from the Milwaukee-based Bradley Foundation, which gave the Washington, D.C., outfit $478,000 in 2008 and '09, the last years for which data is available. Walker's campaign chairman, Michael Grebe, is the president of the Bradley Foundation.

"Governor Walker continues to do interviews in Wisconsin and around the nation with reporters and talk show hosts, and continues to deliver remarks at events promoting www.frontlinewisconsin.com," McCallum said in an email.

Walker and a campaign staffer traveled to Florida by commercial flight, not a state plane, McCallum said. The expenses, she said, were picked up by his campaign.

At a news conference earlier this week, Walker defended his unpublicized, out-of-state trip.

"I said you've got big government union money coming in from Washington," he told reporters after the Journal Sentinel disclosed the trip online. "I think grass-roots activists from across the state and across the country are needed to be able to counter it. So over the weekend, I made that case."

Oooooh! Walker's campaign was "tight-lipped" about the Florida trip and "national tour."

"National tour"?

Give me a break!

Walker goes to Florida and that's a crime.

Fourteen Democrat Wisconsin senators flee the state to bring the government to a halt and that's heroic.

Yeah, right.

This is a non-story and Bice is treating it like some important exposé. Kind of pathetic.

Also, Bice writes:

(Full disclosure: No Quarter doesn't write about the court or [Supreme Court Justice David Prosser's re-election bid] because of a conflict of interest.)

It's not full disclosure if Bice doesn't explain what the conflict of interest is.

Tell us, Dan.

Milwaukee County Canvass and Recount

UPDATE:

From the MacIver Institute:

NEWS-Milw County canvass will NOT be completed today afterall.

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Milwaukee County will complete its canvass today.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

With every vote being scrutinized in the state Supreme Court race in the wake of the so-called "Brookfield bombshell," the Milwaukee County Election Commission is expected to complete its canvass of vote totals and send the results to state officials on Thursday.

Milwaukee County Election Administrator Lisa Weiner said Wednesday that commission workers were proofing and double-checking their work related to the April 5 vote.

Weiner and Deputy Election Administrator Suzette Emmer said no significant discrepancies have been found during the canvass.

Although Milwaukee County's canvass remained incomplete late Wednesday, its current Supreme Court race totals when tallied with other counties' totals reported to the state's Government Accountability Board show that incumbent Justice David Prosser continues to lead challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg by about 7,300 votes.

...Milwaukee County, the state's most populous county, is typically the last to certify its results.

Friday is the deadline to turn in canvass results to the state. "The state's not rushing us," Weiner said.

...The deadline for requesting a recount is Tuesday.

Either candidate in the Supreme Court race can ask for a recount, but not until the canvass is complete.

If the margin between the candidates is less than 0.5% of the total ballots cast, the state charges nothing to conduct the recount.

Kloppenburg is hovering near the margin of a state-funded recount.

This statement is extremely misleading.

If the margin between the candidates is less than 0.5% of the total ballots cast, the state charges nothing to conduct the recount.

That's not true.

The state wouldn't charge a candidate for the cost of a recount, but it's not as if the state would charge nothing.

A recount wouldn't be free.

Nothing the government does is free.

The Journal Sentinel should be clear. Taxpayers will foot the bill if the margin between the candidates is less than 0.5%

Either JoAnne Kloppenburg and her allies in Wisconsin and around the country will pay or we, the taxpayers of Wisconsin, will.

If the unions and Kloppenburg want to drag the state through a recount, I hope they have to cover the cost.

Victor Weers: Kathy Nickolaus - RESIGN

UPDATE: Nickolaus rejects calls for resignation.

Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus issued a statement Tuesday afternoon rejecting calls that she resign.

"I will serve the remainder of my term," Nickolaus said. "I understand why people are upset and I am taking this matter seriously. Again, I am sorry for my mistake."

"I have immediately begun the process of reviewing my procedures," with the Government Accountability Board and Waukesha County auditor, she said.

The statement comes the same day a Waukesha County Democratic Party leader called on Nickolaus, a Republican, to resign immediately in light of her performance in reporting results from last week's election and the fallout since.

Read Nickolaus' statement:

STATEMENT OF WAUKESHA COUNTY CLERK KATHY NICKOLAUS REGARDING CALLS TO RESIGN

Waukesha, WI - "I will serve the remainder of my term. I understand why people are upset and I am taking this matter seriously. Again, I am sorry for my mistake. I have immediately begun the process of reviewing my procedures. I have also asked the Government Accountability Board and the Waukesha County Auditor to assist my office in a review and implementation of improved practices and procedures to make sure the process is more transparent and this mistake does not happen again. I will use the remainder of my term to restore the voter's confidence in me."

________________

Victor Weers, Waukesha County DEMOCRAT party leader, wants Kathy Nickolaus to resign.



Read his complete news release: "Waukesha Democrats: Time for Kathy Nicholaus to resign."

Good grief. Weers could have taken the time to spell Kathy NICKOLAUS' name correctly. It's misspelled four times.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

A Waukesha County Democratic Party leader has called on Republican Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus to resign immediately in light of her performance in reporting results from last week's election and the fallout since.

Party Chairman Victor Weers said in a news release Tuesday that not only has the clerk's vote-counting and reporting process produced problems, but "Ms. Nicholaus (sic) has willfully ignored pleas to repair her broken reporting process in an open and technologically reliable way."

He said, "We must have a county clerk that we can trust to do this important work of the people with competence, security and openness. Waukesha must have a new county clerk now."

Nickolaus plans to respond this afternoon.

A staff member in Nickolaus' office said Nickolaus planned to make an announcement this afternoon, but the staff member did not know exactly when Nickolaus would be making a statement.

Nickolaus made a huge mistake.

I understand why she might want to step aside immediately, to get out of the spotlight and take shelter. I'm sure the union thugs and other assorted loons are harassing her.

However, I don't think she should be forced out against her will, especially by pressure from a guy who can't spell her name.

Democrats don't ask their own to resign when they make honest mistakes and not so honest mistakes. They reelect them.

Ted Kennedy.