Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nicklaus says she forgot to hit the "save" button on her computer.
It was Nicklaus' human error now gives conservative incumbent Justice David Prosser with a more than 7,000 vote lead over liberal-leaning Assistant Attorney General JoAnne in the Wisconsin state supreme court race.
"It is important to stress that this is not a case of extra votes or extra ballots being found. This is human error, which I apologize for," Nicklaus said.
It has been a roller coaster ride since the polls closed, with the vote count flipping back and forth. If the 7,000-vote margin holds, it makes it unlikely that a recount will be necessary, but an army of lawyers on both sides will sort that out in coming days.
Showing posts with label collective bargaining agreements. Show all posts
Showing posts with label collective bargaining agreements. Show all posts
Friday, April 8, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Wisc. Supreme Court Race Early Proxy on Walker
Updated 10:15 p.m. edt
It is a close race and it will be a long night if the trend holds. Here is a link to results from Today's TMJ4. Refresh for updates.
end update
---[
Never has a state supreme court election drawn so much attention, but the highly charged judge's race in Wisconsin has become a referendum on Gov. Scott Walker and his anti-worker legislation that stripped collective bargaining rights from public employees.
The incumbent GOP judge on the high court, David Prosser, should have been a slam-dunk for re-election, but he is a close associate of the increasingly unpopular Republican governor. So Prosser has become a punching bag for Wisconsin workers, who are bent on throwing out the current crop of conservatives over the collective bargaining fight.
Assistant Wisconsin Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg has painted herself as nobody's puppet in an effort to cast Prosser as Walker's guy on the court. No one knows how it will turn out tonight, but you can bank on CNN and MSNBC following the vote count closely after they polls close.
“Before this campaign began, David Prosser was polling ahead of JoAnne Kloppenburg,” said Stephanie Taylor of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a group that’s been heavily involved in the race. “So if Prosser loses today, this will signal a real rejection of Republican policies by Wisconsin voters,” Taylor told Rachel Weiner of The Washington Post's The Fix blog.
Many conservatives believe it is unfair for voters to take their anger at Walker out on Prosser, but the state is torn and it is harder to find anyone who does not come down on one side or the other.
"In any other election in any other year, Prosser wouldn’t even be able to see Kloppenburg in his rear-view mirror. But in the past few months, Prosser’s life has turned into a horrifying Hilaire Belloc children’s story: 'David, the Justice Who Was Conservative and Was Devoured by the Public Employee Unions.' The calendar has sunk its fangs into him. And it alone may chart the future of Wisconsin," Christian Schneider, a senior fellow at the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, wrote on National Review Online's The Corner blog.
Some liberals feel the opposite. They say Prosser is an ideologue who has shown he will do Walker's bidding.
"Prosser has departed from the state’s best judicial values and traditions to identify himself as a conservative who will make decisions based on his political ideology and his political associations—particularly his association with Governor Walker—rather than the law," John Nichols writes in the liberal bible, The Nation. "His opponent, veteran Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg, has done the opposite, positioning herself as a rule-of-law contender who would serve as an independent jurist rather than an ally of the governor."
The Wisconsin Supreme Court could ultimately decide whether Walker's bill passes constitutional muster. A lower court judge has temporarily blocked implementation of the collective bargaining rules. Those rules were approved in a legislative procedural maneuver that went around Democrats in the state Senate, who had been hiding out in Illinois to avoid a vote on the measure. The Wisconsin Supreme Court tilts conservative by one vote, so tonight's results will potentially play out beyond the petty politics of the moment.
It is a close race and it will be a long night if the trend holds. Here is a link to results from Today's TMJ4. Refresh for updates.
end update
---[
Never has a state supreme court election drawn so much attention, but the highly charged judge's race in Wisconsin has become a referendum on Gov. Scott Walker and his anti-worker legislation that stripped collective bargaining rights from public employees.
The incumbent GOP judge on the high court, David Prosser, should have been a slam-dunk for re-election, but he is a close associate of the increasingly unpopular Republican governor. So Prosser has become a punching bag for Wisconsin workers, who are bent on throwing out the current crop of conservatives over the collective bargaining fight.
Assistant Wisconsin Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg has painted herself as nobody's puppet in an effort to cast Prosser as Walker's guy on the court. No one knows how it will turn out tonight, but you can bank on CNN and MSNBC following the vote count closely after they polls close.
“Before this campaign began, David Prosser was polling ahead of JoAnne Kloppenburg,” said Stephanie Taylor of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a group that’s been heavily involved in the race. “So if Prosser loses today, this will signal a real rejection of Republican policies by Wisconsin voters,” Taylor told Rachel Weiner of The Washington Post's The Fix blog.
Many conservatives believe it is unfair for voters to take their anger at Walker out on Prosser, but the state is torn and it is harder to find anyone who does not come down on one side or the other.
"In any other election in any other year, Prosser wouldn’t even be able to see Kloppenburg in his rear-view mirror. But in the past few months, Prosser’s life has turned into a horrifying Hilaire Belloc children’s story: 'David, the Justice Who Was Conservative and Was Devoured by the Public Employee Unions.' The calendar has sunk its fangs into him. And it alone may chart the future of Wisconsin," Christian Schneider, a senior fellow at the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, wrote on National Review Online's The Corner blog.
Some liberals feel the opposite. They say Prosser is an ideologue who has shown he will do Walker's bidding.
"Prosser has departed from the state’s best judicial values and traditions to identify himself as a conservative who will make decisions based on his political ideology and his political associations—particularly his association with Governor Walker—rather than the law," John Nichols writes in the liberal bible, The Nation. "His opponent, veteran Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg, has done the opposite, positioning herself as a rule-of-law contender who would serve as an independent jurist rather than an ally of the governor."
The Wisconsin Supreme Court could ultimately decide whether Walker's bill passes constitutional muster. A lower court judge has temporarily blocked implementation of the collective bargaining rules. Those rules were approved in a legislative procedural maneuver that went around Democrats in the state Senate, who had been hiding out in Illinois to avoid a vote on the measure. The Wisconsin Supreme Court tilts conservative by one vote, so tonight's results will potentially play out beyond the petty politics of the moment.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Recalls Are Workers Play in Wisconsin
Stunned workers and their supporters in Wisconsin asked the courts to reverse Gov. Scott Walker's union-busting law, but they admit that recall elections aimed at ousting state senate Republicans is their priority.
The law, written into the state budget, goes on the books this afternoon, seriously curtailing collective bargaining rights for about 175,000 state and local workers. It passed in the legislature on a procedural move, bypassing the 14 Democratic senators who fled to illinois to avoid having to vote on the bill.
"This is not over," said former SEIU President Andy Stern.
"It did not ends as perfectly as unions had hoped, but it's not over," Stern said on MSNBC today. "It's an American moment."
The workers and their allies have at least one case pending in the courts, but as the Courthouse News Service reports, it is long-shot challenge to Walker's law, at best.
The law, written into the state budget, goes on the books this afternoon, seriously curtailing collective bargaining rights for about 175,000 state and local workers. It passed in the legislature on a procedural move, bypassing the 14 Democratic senators who fled to illinois to avoid having to vote on the bill.
"This is not over," said former SEIU President Andy Stern.
"It did not ends as perfectly as unions had hoped, but it's not over," Stern said on MSNBC today. "It's an American moment."
The workers and their allies have at least one case pending in the courts, but as the Courthouse News Service reports, it is long-shot challenge to Walker's law, at best.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Wisconsin Democrats Ask Walker for Meeting
Updated 2:20 p.m. est
As far as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is concerned there is to be no playing nice.
Walker and state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald rejected an appeal to negotiate that came earlier today from the leader of the Senate Democratic caucus, calling the letter penned by state Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller "absolutely ridiculous."
"Sen. Miller is misleading the public, just like he misled us," Walker said at a news conference in Madison. "The problem is Sen. Miller."
end update
----[
Wisconsin state Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller is asking for a face-to-face meeting with Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald to see if there is a way got negotiate a settlement over the issue of stripping workers of collective bargaining rights.
Miller wrote the GOP leaders today requesting talks "to reach a bipartisan solution to our differences," Reuters reports.
But do not think Miller's goodwill gesture is a signal that it is time for a group hug in Cheeseville, as Greg Sargent reports. The state Democrats want an ethics investigation into Walker's conversation with a prank caller that raised questions about the governor's political agenda and intent.
As far as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is concerned there is to be no playing nice.
Walker and state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald rejected an appeal to negotiate that came earlier today from the leader of the Senate Democratic caucus, calling the letter penned by state Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller "absolutely ridiculous."
"Sen. Miller is misleading the public, just like he misled us," Walker said at a news conference in Madison. "The problem is Sen. Miller."
end update
----[
Wisconsin state Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller is asking for a face-to-face meeting with Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald to see if there is a way got negotiate a settlement over the issue of stripping workers of collective bargaining rights.
Miller wrote the GOP leaders today requesting talks "to reach a bipartisan solution to our differences," Reuters reports.
But do not think Miller's goodwill gesture is a signal that it is time for a group hug in Cheeseville, as Greg Sargent reports. The state Democrats want an ethics investigation into Walker's conversation with a prank caller that raised questions about the governor's political agenda and intent.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Will Walker Grenade Blow Up GOP?
It is thumbsucker Sunday in the universe of Wisconsin labor disputes, meaning there is a featurey feel to the coverage, rather than a lot of hard news to report.
Gov. Scott Walker remains the focal point in the local and national press, where the question du jour is:
Has the GOP governor re-ignited the American labor movement and restored our deep-rooted respect for the groundbreaking battles against greedy and selfish owners and bosses that have led to better wages, benefits and health and safety regulations (which, of course, non-unionized workers have cashed in on, as well).
“The challenge for us is to take this moment and turn it into a movement,” Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, tells The New York Times.
But Harry C. Katz, dean of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, says in the Times' story that he thinks the odds are stacked against a union comeback. “I would worry more about whether unions can hold off the onslaught than whether they can get a big snapback,” Katz said.
A survey of all the polls taken in Wisconsin over the nearly three-week standoff between the workers and the Walker-led state GOP shows the governor is losing the public relations battle for the hearts and minds of independent, centrist swing voters.
Craig Gilbert writes in the Journal Sentinel, "In other words, opinion has sharply polarized around Walker within two months of his taking office, with staunch opponents now outnumbering staunch supporters."
The damage already may be spreading for Walker to other states, where his overreach may make him a Republican pariah, Rick Ungar blogs for Forbes.
Gov. Scott Walker remains the focal point in the local and national press, where the question du jour is:
Has the GOP governor re-ignited the American labor movement and restored our deep-rooted respect for the groundbreaking battles against greedy and selfish owners and bosses that have led to better wages, benefits and health and safety regulations (which, of course, non-unionized workers have cashed in on, as well).
“The challenge for us is to take this moment and turn it into a movement,” Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, tells The New York Times.
But Harry C. Katz, dean of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, says in the Times' story that he thinks the odds are stacked against a union comeback. “I would worry more about whether unions can hold off the onslaught than whether they can get a big snapback,” Katz said.
A survey of all the polls taken in Wisconsin over the nearly three-week standoff between the workers and the Walker-led state GOP shows the governor is losing the public relations battle for the hearts and minds of independent, centrist swing voters.
Craig Gilbert writes in the Journal Sentinel, "In other words, opinion has sharply polarized around Walker within two months of his taking office, with staunch opponents now outnumbering staunch supporters."
The damage already may be spreading for Walker to other states, where his overreach may make him a Republican pariah, Rick Ungar blogs for Forbes.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Walker Divides Wisconsin Families
When Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker set out to be a tool of the Tea Party he probably never intended to become an anti-family values Republican at the same time.
But apparently that is just where his union-busting bill has taken him, according to one GOP state senator from Wisconsin.
“It’s tearing up families. It’s tearing up friends,” state Sen. Tom Larson told the local Chippewa newspaper.
Democratic state Sen. Mark Miller told The Wall Street Journal (the biggest anti-union paper in America) that Walker's decision to lay off 1,500 people was "a new level of hostility," adding that the governor "is using human beings as political pawns."
Walker has given workers an ultimatum: Give up their collective bargaining rights or else he will start firing people.
But apparently that is just where his union-busting bill has taken him, according to one GOP state senator from Wisconsin.
“It’s tearing up families. It’s tearing up friends,” state Sen. Tom Larson told the local Chippewa newspaper.
Democratic state Sen. Mark Miller told The Wall Street Journal (the biggest anti-union paper in America) that Walker's decision to lay off 1,500 people was "a new level of hostility," adding that the governor "is using human beings as political pawns."
Walker has given workers an ultimatum: Give up their collective bargaining rights or else he will start firing people.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Walker Treads on Future of His GOP Brethren
There are signs Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has begun to look for a face-saving way to dig out from what a majority of people believe was a colossal overreach to abolish collective bargain rights.
But there is a long way go to go before the epiphany.
Even as Walker put in motion today the process of laying off 1,500 public employees over the unions' refusal to accept his anti-labor edict, he is beginning to look for a compromise that might spare his GOP colleagues some tough races amid the public relations debacle he has caused for the Republican Party in Wisconsin.
“It has come to a point where there could be a breakthrough,” state Sen. Chris Larson, on of 14 Democrats who fled the state to avoid a vote on the union issue, told The New York Times.
Walker continues to say the layoffs can be avoided, but only if workers give up their rights. "While these notices start the process needed to [fire] state employees, if the Senate Democrats come back to Wisconsin, these notices may be able to be rescinded and layoffs avoided," said a statement released by Walker's office.
The unions have long believed that Walker would sink center-right Republicans with a draconian approach to public employees' job security in a bad economy.
"As you can imagine, it’s no surprise that folks think (Republican) senators may abandon Walker, as the polling numbers show – including even Rasmussen – are driving them off a cliff," AFL-CIO spokesman Eddie Vale said in an email.
Meanwhile, protesters are complying with a judge's order to clear out of the Capitol at night.
But there is a long way go to go before the epiphany.
Even as Walker put in motion today the process of laying off 1,500 public employees over the unions' refusal to accept his anti-labor edict, he is beginning to look for a compromise that might spare his GOP colleagues some tough races amid the public relations debacle he has caused for the Republican Party in Wisconsin.
“It has come to a point where there could be a breakthrough,” state Sen. Chris Larson, on of 14 Democrats who fled the state to avoid a vote on the union issue, told The New York Times.
Walker continues to say the layoffs can be avoided, but only if workers give up their rights. "While these notices start the process needed to [fire] state employees, if the Senate Democrats come back to Wisconsin, these notices may be able to be rescinded and layoffs avoided," said a statement released by Walker's office.
The unions have long believed that Walker would sink center-right Republicans with a draconian approach to public employees' job security in a bad economy.
"As you can imagine, it’s no surprise that folks think (Republican) senators may abandon Walker, as the polling numbers show – including even Rasmussen – are driving them off a cliff," AFL-CIO spokesman Eddie Vale said in an email.
Meanwhile, protesters are complying with a judge's order to clear out of the Capitol at night.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Walker's Deal: Take It or 1,500 Layoffs
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is promising his showdown with state and local workers comes tomorrow, standing by his ultimatum to fire 1,500 government employees if the unions don't forego collective bargaining rights.
"I can't take any of that off the table," Walker said of his demands in an interview with the Associated Press.
The battle over workers rights have continued to escalate since both sides began arming for what is expected to be a viscous round of recall elections.
In another siogn of the bad blood, Wisconsin state Senate Republicans slapped a mostly symbolic $100-a-day fine on Democrats refuse to allow a vote on GOP Gov. Scott Walker's plan to take away state and local workers' rights to collective bargaining.
The GOP senators also want Wisconsin state police to cross into Illinois and take into custody the 14 Democrats who are hiding out. A police union official scoffed at the idea of using cops to wrangle the state lawmakers.
"The thought of using law enforcement officers to exercise force in order to achieve a political objective is insanely wrong and Wisconsin sorely needs reasonable solutions and not potentially dangerous political theatrics," said Wisconsin Professional Police Association Executive Director Jim Palmer.
"I can't take any of that off the table," Walker said of his demands in an interview with the Associated Press.
The battle over workers rights have continued to escalate since both sides began arming for what is expected to be a viscous round of recall elections.
In another siogn of the bad blood, Wisconsin state Senate Republicans slapped a mostly symbolic $100-a-day fine on Democrats refuse to allow a vote on GOP Gov. Scott Walker's plan to take away state and local workers' rights to collective bargaining.
The GOP senators also want Wisconsin state police to cross into Illinois and take into custody the 14 Democrats who are hiding out. A police union official scoffed at the idea of using cops to wrangle the state lawmakers.
"The thought of using law enforcement officers to exercise force in order to achieve a political objective is insanely wrong and Wisconsin sorely needs reasonable solutions and not potentially dangerous political theatrics," said Wisconsin Professional Police Association Executive Director Jim Palmer.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Protesters Ready for Civil Disobedience in Wisconsin
Updated 7 p.m. est
Police sympathetic to Wisconsin's state and local workers so far are declining to arrest demonstrators who are staging a sit-in at the state Capitol over collective bargaining rights.
Under orders from beleaguered Gov. Scott Walker, police are being asked to clear the Capitol of Wisconsin of workers and their supporters so the building can be cleaned. The two-week occupation of the Capitol in Madison is a result of Walker's unpopular decision to take away the right of workers to negotiate collective bargaining agreements.
Union leaders began spreading the word earlier today that some of the police are not happy with Walker's order, but have no choice to carry out the unpopular directive. The building was closed at 4 p.m. local time and Walker ordered the State police in to clearer out the protesters.
"At 4:00pm they were told to leave. Some did, but many others including clergy, police and firefighters said they would not leave and would engage in peaceful civil disobedience if they tried to remove them," said AFL-CIO spokesman Eddie Vale. "They were not removed. They will not be removed tonight. The people of Wisconsin held their Capitol building against the governor."
End update
---[
“Law enforcement working at the Capitol has been impressed with how peaceful and courteous everyone has been,” Wisconsin Professional Police Association Executive Director Jim Palmer said in a statement.
“The fact of that matter is that Wisconsin’s law enforcement community opposes Gov. Walker’s effort to eliminate collective bargaining in this state, and we implore him to not do anything to increase the risk to officers or the public. Security cannot come at the cost of conflict,” Palmer added.
In response, many of the workers plan to engage in civil disobedience, refusing to leave the building while agreeing to go peacefully should police decide to physically remove the demonstrators.
“First Gov. Walker tried to take away workers’ rights, now he is trying to take away our Constitutional right as Americans to peacefully assemble,” steelworker Roy Vandenberg said in a statement. “I have a message for Gov. Walker, your plan to silence us won't work. We are not going away, and we will not be silenced.”
Even Walker, when pressed this morning on NBC's "Meet the Press" news program, admitted the workers have been peaceful and orderly.
"We've had, you know, a week ago, 70,000 people, we had more than that yesterday, and yet we haven't had problems here. We haven't had disturbances," Walker said. "We've just had very passionate protesters for and against this bill, and that's OK. That's a very Midwestern thing."
Police sympathetic to Wisconsin's state and local workers so far are declining to arrest demonstrators who are staging a sit-in at the state Capitol over collective bargaining rights.
Under orders from beleaguered Gov. Scott Walker, police are being asked to clear the Capitol of Wisconsin of workers and their supporters so the building can be cleaned. The two-week occupation of the Capitol in Madison is a result of Walker's unpopular decision to take away the right of workers to negotiate collective bargaining agreements.
Union leaders began spreading the word earlier today that some of the police are not happy with Walker's order, but have no choice to carry out the unpopular directive. The building was closed at 4 p.m. local time and Walker ordered the State police in to clearer out the protesters.
"At 4:00pm they were told to leave. Some did, but many others including clergy, police and firefighters said they would not leave and would engage in peaceful civil disobedience if they tried to remove them," said AFL-CIO spokesman Eddie Vale. "They were not removed. They will not be removed tonight. The people of Wisconsin held their Capitol building against the governor."
End update
---[
“Law enforcement working at the Capitol has been impressed with how peaceful and courteous everyone has been,” Wisconsin Professional Police Association Executive Director Jim Palmer said in a statement.
“The fact of that matter is that Wisconsin’s law enforcement community opposes Gov. Walker’s effort to eliminate collective bargaining in this state, and we implore him to not do anything to increase the risk to officers or the public. Security cannot come at the cost of conflict,” Palmer added.
In response, many of the workers plan to engage in civil disobedience, refusing to leave the building while agreeing to go peacefully should police decide to physically remove the demonstrators.
“First Gov. Walker tried to take away workers’ rights, now he is trying to take away our Constitutional right as Americans to peacefully assemble,” steelworker Roy Vandenberg said in a statement. “I have a message for Gov. Walker, your plan to silence us won't work. We are not going away, and we will not be silenced.”
Even Walker, when pressed this morning on NBC's "Meet the Press" news program, admitted the workers have been peaceful and orderly.
"We've had, you know, a week ago, 70,000 people, we had more than that yesterday, and yet we haven't had problems here. We haven't had disturbances," Walker said. "We've just had very passionate protesters for and against this bill, and that's OK. That's a very Midwestern thing."
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Workers Air New Walker Prank Call Ad
The latest pro-worker spot to hit the Wisconsin battle over employees' rights:
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Scott Walker's Really Bad Day
Updated 10 p.m. est
The Wisconsin AFL-CIO wasted little time making a TV ad showing an embarrassing side of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, highlighting an anti-worker agenda and his loyalty to fat cat GOP financiers the Koch Brothers.
Meanwhile, yet another poll shows that Wisconsin's tradition of standing by working people appears to be holding: 56 percent of respondents say workers should have collective bargaining rights (and, as Talking Points Memo pointed out late today, this is a right-wing shop that conducted the poll).
And, just to top off the day, here is a wicked editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that says in part: "What wasn't funny was the revealing look the incident provided behind the veil of the Walker administration."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)