In the last two years, Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler has made voter fraud prevention a top priority. His efforts have included working to stop county clerks from sending absentee ballots to inactive voters, lobbying for a controversial voter ID law and leading an unprecedented effort to determine whether non-citizens are voting in the state.
In the eyes of the American public, Wichita-based Koch Industries is coming to stand more for right-wing string-pulling than for its blockbuster oil and gas business. For years, David and Charles Koch spent millions mostly behind the scenes to advance anti-environmental and anti-labor policies and to attack Democratic candidates for office. In the last two years, however, their expenditures have routinely made news. In the wake of the high-profile standoff in Wisconsin– where Gov Scott Walker was caught explaining to a prank caller impersonating David Koch his plans to break public employee unions– Koch Industries has dedicated time and money to mitigate fallout from the politics of the men in charge. The company’s website includes an op-ed and a video defending Koch politics. Today comes news that the company has been buying up anti-Koch web addresses as part of its new brand-management strategy.
Today, Wisconsin is holding the greatest recall election in U.S. history. Six Republican senators are on the block, a result of Governor Scott Walker’s sweeping anti-worker’s rights proposals and the legislative maneuvering he engineered to pass them, which managed to offend Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike. Amid a deep jobless recession, the brief Wisconsin campaigns have reportedly drawn roughly $40 million in spending. The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza describes them as “special elections on steroids,” but adds that it’s hard to draw any conclusions about what the unique showdown means
More than halfway through a panel discussion before Republican rainmakers in Aspen, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, while extolling his own foreign policy credentials, referred to himself “as the president.” Recognizing his mistake, he repeated it, this time with a head-bobbing cackle straight out of former President George W. Bush’s playbook. Then he shot the crowd a knowing look and corrected himself.
Barack Obama’s reelection campaign is off to a strong start, thanks in no small part to Aspen Skiing Company managing partner Jim Crown, who raised tens of thousands of dollars for the president.
Progressive politics coalition Campaign for a Strong Colorado says state Treasurer Walker Stapleton should follow the advice he provided to the U.S. House Ways and Means committee this week when he argued in favor of the Public Employee Pension Transparency Act. “Greater transparency and better information is important for the fiscal health of our states and for our taxpayers,” he said. Strong Colorado agreed and urged Stapleton to bring his point home to the taxpayers he serves by opening up his full current employment records so the Colorado public can see how he’s earning his money and spending his time.
According to TPM, with all precincts reporting, incumbent conservative Justice David Prosser trails liberal-backed challenger Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg by roughly 300 votes out of 1.5 million cast. The incredible tally makes a recount certain in an election that effectively put the hard-charging anti-union politics of Governor Scott Walker to a vote.
The Wisconsin supreme court election held yesterday is still too close to call. At 9 a.m. this morning Colorado time, conservative Justice David Prosser reportedly led liberal opponent Joanne Kloppenburg by 800 or so votes. An hour later, AP has Kloppenburg ahead of Prosser by 200 votes. (10:30 a.m. update: With 84 percent counted Kloppenburg leads by 35,000 votes). Whether Prosser wins or loses, Wisconsin voters have sent a clear message rejecting Governor Scott Walker’s uncompromising pugilist political style if not his anti-union agenda.
The hundred-thousand-plus crowd that filled downtown Madison, Wisconsin, this weekend is being touted as an answer to the Tea Party rallies that cropped up around the country last year. The pro-labor Madison crowds were larger than any of the Tea Party rallies last year, including the one hosted by Fox personality Glenn Beck in Washington on 12 September 2009.
A new Bloomberg News poll indicates that nearly 8 in 10 Americans believe that legislators should reach a compromise on the federal budget in order to avert a government shutdown.
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