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All Politics Watch

  • New poll: Governor’s race a toss up

    The election for governor is a year away, and a poll released on Friday shows it’s a close race. Also, the candidates remain largely unknown, with the exception of former Gov. Tommy G. Thompson, who hasn’t announced his intentions, but has flirted with the idea of running for public office again. The [...]
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    Posted: November 27, 2009, 1:52pm EST

  • Feingold on Fox today

    Sen. Russ Feingold appeared on Fox News this morning talking about a bill he's pushing that he says would slash the deficit by $500 billion in the next decade. See the clip here. [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 11:55am EST

  • Doyle to sign public financing bill Tuesday, group says

    Madison -- Gov. Jim Doyle will tweak a bill to provide public financing for state Supreme Court races and then sign it, according to a group advocating campaign finance reform. Common Cause in Wisconsin released a statement Wednesday that Doyle would sign the bill Tuesday after making "technical corrections... to ensure [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 10:29am EST

  • Poll shows Doyle with 57% disapproval rating

    Madison -- Outgoing Gov. Jim Doyle faces a disapproval rating of 57%, according to a poll released Wednesday. Twenty-nine percent said they approved of Doyle's job performance. The poll of 767 Wisconsin voters was conducted Friday through Sunday by Public Policy Polling of North Carolina. The poll has a margin of error [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 10:12am EST

  • Obey keeps talking about a "war surtax"

    From the Wall Street Journal: The White House says domestic politics is irrelevant to its pending Afghanistan decision, but domestic politicians beg to differ. "There ain't going to be no money for nothing if we pour it all into Afghanistan," the liberal warhorse David Obey told ABC's Jonathan Karl, before threatening' [...]
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    Posted: November 24, 2009, 1:37pm EST

  • New poll says Feingold would beat Thompson in hypothetical Senate match up

    Sen. Russ Feingold would beat former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson 50-41 in a hypothetical contest for the Senate next year, according to a new poll by Public Policy Polling. Look at the results here. [...]
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    Posted: November 24, 2009, 1:15pm EST

  • Henry Sanders to run for lieutenant governor

    Madison -- Add Dane County businessman Henry Sanders to the list of candidates for lieutenant governor. In a statement, Sanders said he would seek the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. Current Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton is not running again and has decided against running for the open governor's seat. Sanders ran unsuccessfully [...]
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    Posted: November 24, 2009, 9:51am EST

  • 3 Milwaukee aldermen eye mayoral bids

    Three Milwaukee aldermen have confirmed speculation that they are considering a run for the mayor's office if Mayor Tom Barrett is elected governor. Common Council President Willie Hines Jr., Ald. Michael Murphy and Ald. Willie Wade all said they were thinking about entering the race. If Barrett wins the 2010 gubernatorial [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 4:01pm EST

  • Pavement and politics

    There seems to be no shortage of amateur road planners second-guessing the Department of Transportation and its decision to rebuild I-94 south of Milwaukee before reconstructing the Zoo Interchange. Certainly, the $12 to $22 million the state says it now will have to spend on emergency bridges - and temporary ones [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 2:10pm EST

  • Typo fuels false rumor of Milwaukee council pay raise

    Oh, what a difference a line makes. Because of the online equivalent of a typographical error, some members of Milwaukee's largest city employees union apparently are spreading the rumor that aldermen voted themselves a pay raise while union members were agreeing to contract concessions. It's not true. In fact, for 2010, the [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 7:44pm EST

  • Vets Board to again review Scocos

    Madison -- Just five weeks after the state Veterans Affairs Board considered Secretary John Scocos' job performance in a closed meeting, the board has scheduled another special meeting on the issue. Scocos called the October meeting productive, but has since shaken up his staff, The Associated Press has reported. Scocos supporters have' [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 10:54am EST

  • Neumann says he would cap state spending

    Madison -- As governor, former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann says he would cap state spending at 1% below inflation. That would result in eventual tax cuts, the Republican candidate argues in a wonky campaign video. "Capping spending overall will actually lead to a surplus that we can use for actually reducing taxes," [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 10:32am EST

  • Republican joins push for oversight hearings on stimulus jobs

    Rep. Phil Montgomery (R-Ashwaubenon) has joined with Rep. Rich Zipperer (R-Pewaukee) in calling for the Joint Committee on Finance to hold an oversight hearings on the stimulus job reporting. Zipperer and Montgomery have been pushing for legislative oversight of the stimulus spending results since the data became available in early October. Earlier [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 5:30pm EST

  • Lawyer calls Butler editorial racist

    Madison -- A Wisconsin lawyer is accusing the Wall Street Journal of racism for referring to an African-American judicial nominee as "the White House butler." A Thursday editorial rips President Barack Obama for appointing former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Louis B. Butler Jr. to the bench. The editorial took issue with [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 3:11pm EST

  • Wall Street Journal takes a jab at former Wisconsin Supreme Court judge

    A Wall Street Journal editorial today slams the Obama administration for nominating former Wisconsin Supreme Court Judge Louis Butler to the federal bench. From the Wall Street Journal: "As consolation prizes go, Louis Butler can't complain. After being twice rejected by Wisconsin voters for a place on the state Supreme Court, the' [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 1:17pm EST

  • Public financing is constitutional, group says

    Madison -- A group backing a bill providing more public funding for state Supreme Court races says the plan is constitutional and has been vetted by experts in campaign finance law. Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, sent a letter Thursday to Gov. Jim Doyle detailing the legal [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 12:34pm EST

  • Domestic partner benefit measure sidetracked

    The Milwaukee County Board Wednesday deferred action on a veto by County Executive Scott Walker of a measure to develop domestic partner health insurance coverage for county employees. The board voted 19-0 to refer the issue to the board's Personnel Committee for further study. Supervisor Christopher Larson, the author of the measure, [...]
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    Posted: November 18, 2009, 8:28pm EST

  • Group warns Doyle on public financing bill

    Madison -- A group that fights campaign finance restrictions warned Gov. Jim Doyle in a letter Wednesday that a bill before him may be unconstitutional. It's the first sign the bill to boost public financing for state Supreme Court candidates -- which Doyle has pledged to sign -- could lead to [...]
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    Posted: November 18, 2009, 12:25pm EST

  • Moore asks Obama to talk about Darfur during China visit

    Rep. Gwen Moore is among dozens of members urging President Barack Obama to bring up the situation in Sudan’s Darfur region during his visit to China. Moore (D-Milwaukee) was among 44 members of Congress who have signed on to a letter asking Obama to push the Chinese to do more about [...]
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    Posted: November 17, 2009, 3:33pm EST

  • Thompson for gov?

    Does Tommy Thompson want one more chance at the governor’s mansion? The former Wisconsin governor says he is definitely thinking about running for governor -- or even senator -- next year. “I haven’t said no,” he said. “I’m looking at it. I’m looking at governor, I’m looking at senator and I’m [...]
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    Posted: November 17, 2009, 2:49pm EST

  • Falk won't run for lieutenant governor

    Madison -- Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk won't run for lieutenant governor. Falk's name had surfaced as a possible candidate for governor or lieutenant governor as Democrats scrambled to keep control of the Capitol's east wing. Gov. Jim Doyle is not seeking a third term. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett announced Sunday he' [...]
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    Posted: November 17, 2009, 2:10pm EST

  • Dems knock Ryan for health care vote

    The Democratic National Committee plans to kick off on Tuesday a new radio ad campaign critical of 32 House Republicans for voting against health care reform legislation this month. The commercials target Republicans in congressional districts that went to Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. Reps. Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) and [...]
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    Posted: November 16, 2009, 4:01pm EST

  • Madson executive makes it official: Will not run for governor

    Madison business executive Kevin Conroy confirmed speculation Sunday that he would not run for governor after Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett declared his candidacy at his home at noon on Sunday. Conroy said he supports Barrett. “I think that Tom has the requisite integrity and courage to face the hard problems that [...]
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    Posted: November 15, 2009, 4:58pm EST

  • Barrett makes it official: Milwaukee mayor running for governor

    Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett made it official Sunday, announcing his candidacy to become Wisconsin’a governor in 2010. With his family at his side, Barrett stood in front of his west side home and declared, “I’m running because I love my family, I love my state and I’m concerned about its future.” [...]
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    Posted: November 15, 2009, 2:41pm EST

  • Wauwatosa man arrested for harrasing Sen. Herb Kohl

    A Wauwatosa man has been charged with placing a series of harrasing phone calls to Sen. Herb Kohl's office, according to Wauwatosa Now. Read more about the arrest here. [...]
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    Posted: November 11, 2009, 5:52pm EST

  • Barrett to decide on run for governor this week

    Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett will decide by the end of the week whether to get in the race for governor. Democrats have no major candidate in the race to replace Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, who is not seeking a third term. Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton bowed out of the race last [...]
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    Posted: November 10, 2009, 3:03pm EST

  • Health care vote spurs ad wars

    Two labor-backed liberal interest groups have launched a series of television ads thanking potentially vulnerable House Democrats for supporting their party’s health care reform bill. The ads, financed by Health Care for America Now and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, began airing in 20 House districts Tuesday. [...]
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    Posted: November 10, 2009, 2:41pm EST

  • Wisconsin lawmakers attend Fort Hood ceremony

    Several members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation will join Gov. Jim Doyle Tuesday at a Fort Hood memorial service for the victims of last week’s shooting at the Army base. Sens. Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl as well as Rep. Tom Petri and Tammy Baldwin plan to attend the afternoon ceremony. President [...]
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    Posted: November 10, 2009, 12:38pm EST

  • Wheel tax, most outsourcing ditched by County Board

    The Milwaukee County Board adopted a precariously balanced 2010 budget early Tuesday that sets aside nearly all of County Executive Scott Walker’s privatization efforts, ditches a proposed “wheel tax” and raises the property tax levy 3.8%, or nearly $10 million, to $267 million. The budget approved by the board included a [...]
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    Posted: November 10, 2009, 2:46am EST

  • Arts groups win, 4th of July parties lose in Milwaukee city budget

    Art trumped patriotism in the Common Council arguments for small-ticket items in Milwaukee's 2010 city budget. But neither issue was quite that black-and-white. In council floor action last week, supporters of the arts rallied to defeat Mayor Tom Barrett's recommendation to cut city funding for grants to arts groups from $160,000 [...]
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    Posted: November 09, 2009, 5:18pm EST

  • Calls swamp County Board switchboard

    Numerous calls to the Milwaukee County Board switchboard Monday followed an appeal by County Executive Scott Walker. Walker issued a notice Monday morning urging callers to contact supervisors to support his budget and oppose any tax increases. "Please be pleasant but firm and express your concerns about the creation of a wheel [...]
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    Posted: November 09, 2009, 3:46pm EST

  • Kind travels to Pakistan to study counterterrorism efforts in region

    Rep. Ron Kind is on his way to Pakistan as part of a small congressional delegation to examine U.S. counterterrorism efforts in South Asia. Kind, a La Crosse Democrat, is one of four House Democrats on the week-long trip. The group plans to study regional perspectives on the military and civilian [...]
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    Posted: November 09, 2009, 3:37pm EST

  • MADD pushing Assembly to take up OWI bill

    Madison -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving is pushing state representatives to take up a bill to stiffen drunken driving laws on Thursday instead of weeks or months from now. The Senate unanimously passed the bill Thursday, which differs slightly from a bill the Assembly unanimously passed in September. It's unclear if [...]
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    Posted: November 05, 2009, 3:27pm EST

  • Barrett met with White House political director

    During President Barack Obama's visit to Madison on Wednesday, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett met with White House political director Patrick Gaspard. The meeting was reported by Politico. Also, on Thursday, Gov. Jim Doyle met with Gaspard in Washington, D.C., in addition to having meetings with Obama, Senior White House Advisor David Axelrod [...]
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    Posted: November 05, 2009, 2:38pm EST

  • Walker makes direct budget pitch

    Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker made a direct pitch to the County Board's finance committee Wednesday, urging reconsideration of his privatization plans for next year. Walker noted the county could save nearly $6 million by going along with him on outsourcing 222 county housekeeping, security, social worker and computer technician jobs. "Nearly [...]
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    Posted: November 04, 2009, 6:40pm EST

  • Walker says appearances with Neumann already happening

    Madison -- Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker isn't taking up former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann's challenge to hold twice monthly debates starting in January, saying the two already are frequently appearing together. The two are seeking the Republican nomination for governor. "Scott and Mark Neumann have had and continue to have joint' [...]
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    Posted: November 04, 2009, 10:51am EST

  • Hearing on expelling Wood may not come until after new year

    Madison -- A committee looking at expelling Rep. Jeff Wood (I-Chippewa Falls) from the Assembly likely won’t make a recommendation until after the new year. The Special Committee on Ethics and Standards of Conduct met for the first time Thursday to begin exploring removing Wood from office because he’s been charged [...]
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    Posted: November 04, 2009, 10:40am EST

  • UPDATE: Walker comments decried by supervisors

    MIlwaukee County Executive Scott Walker's radio comments this week that he ordered layoffs of 180 county employees as a means to leverage other budget cuts were criticized by five county supervisors. According to a statement by County Board Chairman Lee Holloway and Supervisors John F. Weishan Jr., Christopher Larson, Theo Lipscomb [...]
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    Posted: November 04, 2009, 10:19am EST

  • Neumann wants twice monthly debates with Walker

    Madison -- Former Congressman Mark Neumann challenged Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker to two debates a month starting in December as the two seek the Republican nomination for governor. "There is no better time than now to begin speaking directly with folks across Wisconsin, in the communities we want to serve [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 6:27pm EST

  • Beil accuses Walker of wrecking state services

    Madison -- The leader of the state's largest union said Milwaukee County Scott Walker would "wreck services" if he became governor because of his pledge to cut wages and benefits for state workers. "His prescription for Milwaukee County has been to wreck services so badly that the state has had to [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 6:06pm EST

  • Walker defends CRG, criticizes newspaper

    Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker Tuesday came to the defense of Citizens for Responsible Government, the anti-tax watchdog group that hosted an Oct. 4 rally in support of Walker's 2010 budget. Walker said the Journal Sentinel had not reported on the rally, while the newspaper had prominent coverage of the County [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 5:32pm EST

  • OWI bill will raise fees on some but not all suspended licenses

    Madison -- The drunken driving bill the Senate will take up Thursday would increase fees on drunken drivers but not other people who have their licenses suspended or revoked. Sen. Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa) announced last week that senators were dropping a plan to raise the liquor tax as part of the [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 5:15pm EST

  • Walker says layoffs were a strategy

    Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker tells a Madison radio talk show host he pulled the trigger on county employee layoffs briefly last week as a strategy aimed at encouraging the County Board to come up with alternative savings. "I needed to get their attention to show how serious we were about [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 1:53pm EST

  • Ryan to take part in online chat today

    Rep. Paul Ryan plans to participate in an online chat on Politico.com about health care, spending and the national debt. The discussion will start at noon Central time. Here's a link to the chat : http://www.politico.com/arena/ [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 11:20am EST

  • Supervisors clash over CRG

    Now extending into its second week, Milwaukee County Supervisors Patricia Jursik and Joe Sanfelippo continue a dispute over Sanfelippo's Oct. 4 appearance at an anti-tax group's rally. The back and forth was documented in a series of e-mails between the two. Jursik objected to Sanfelippo's remarks at that rally. She called them [...]
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    Posted: November 02, 2009, 5:41pm EST

  • Walker says he would cut taxes in first budget

    Madison -- County Executive Scott Walker said Monday he would cut state employee wages and benefits so he could roll back taxes if he becomes governor. In a conference call Monday with reporters, Walker said his first budget would undo tax increases approved this year by the Legislature and implement cuts [...]
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    Posted: November 02, 2009, 1:37pm EST

  • Senate will take up drunken-driving bill Thursday

    Madison -- The Joint Finance Committee will not take up the bill to toughen drunken driving laws Tuesday, but the full Senate still plans to pass it Thursday. The bill will then go back to the Assembly, which could also pass it Thursday and forward it onto Gov. Jim Doyle. Assembly leaders [...]
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    Posted: November 02, 2009, 11:55am EST

  • Obama to visit Madison middle school, Doyle hints

    Madison -- Gov. Jim Doyle hinted President Barack Obama would visit Wright Middle School when he stops in Madison Wednesday. "I don't know if I'm supposed to say this, but Wright might have a very interesting visitor next week," Doyle said Friday when he talked to students about the Wisconsin Covenant. In [...]
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    Posted: October 30, 2009, 12:16pm EDT

  • Ziegelbauer signs pledge on drunken driving; others yet to respond

    Madison -- State Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer (D-Manitowoc) has signed a pledge that he will resign from office if he is convicted of drunken driving. A group of Weston high school students sent Gov. Jim Doyle and all 132 legislators e-mails asking them to sign such a pledge, according to the Wausau [...]
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    Posted: October 29, 2009, 10:00am EDT

  • Bioscience CEO mulls run for governor

    Madison -- After two high-profile Democrats have bowed out of the race for governor, a new potential candidate is starting to emerge Kevin Conroy, CEO of Exact Sciences Corp. in Madison, is actively considering getting in the race, said Joel Brennan, Conroy's brother-in-law and a former campaign manager for Tom Barrett's' [...]
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    Posted: October 28, 2009, 6:57pm EDT

  • "Young Guns" not so young

    Turns out you don’t have to be so young to be considered a potential “Young Gun” by the National Republican Congressional Committee. The committee, which works to elect Republican House members, announced it added 32 candidates to its “Young Guns” recruitment program Tuesday. Three of the candidates are from Wisconsin and [...]
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    Posted: October 27, 2009, 6:32pm EDT

  • Wood's treatment program may delay expulsion hearing

    Madison -- The chairwoman of a new ethics committee said she will provide Rep. Jeff Wood (I-Chippewa Falls) an opportunity to prevent his defense in person as some lawmakers try to expel him from the Legislature. That could delay a hearing on whether he should be expelled because Wood is enrolling [...]
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    Posted: October 27, 2009, 5:56pm EDT

  • Hike sales tax before Walker's elected guv, says Diliberti

    Milwaukee County Treasurer Dan Diliberti said Tuesday the last, best chance of gaining state authority to raise the local sales for transit is now. Why? Diliberti said County Executive Scott Walker has "a very good chance" of being elected governor in 2010 and Walker would never approve a sales tax increase. "It's' [...]
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    Posted: October 27, 2009, 3:12pm EDT

  • Kind gets attention for role in health care reform

    Rep. Ron Kind (D-La Crosse) is getting noticed for his work on the Democrats' health care reform bill in the House. The Hill newspaper, an inside the beltway publication, featured Kind Tuesday in a story headlined "Killing them with Kindness." "Through this diplomatic approach to bucking Democratic leaders, the earnest centrist has' [...]
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    Posted: October 27, 2009, 2:06pm EDT

  • Lawton in recent days indicated she planned to run

    Madison -- Democrats say Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton gave every signal that she still planned to run for governor in conversations as recently as Friday and Saturday. Her camapaign appeared to be plugging away as usual last week. On Wednesday she held a fund-raiser. On Thursday, she announced the endorsement of [...]
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    Posted: October 26, 2009, 4:15pm EDT

  • Ed Thompson to run for state Senate

    Madison -- Ed Thompson -- brother of former Gov. Tommy G. Thompson and the 2002 Libertarian candidate for governor -- will run for the state Senate next year as a Republican. Senate Republican Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) told reporters Monday that Thompson will announce later this week he is running against [...]
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    Posted: October 26, 2009, 2:05pm EDT

  • Gableman sits in on arguments despite recusal request

    Madison -- State Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman participated in arguments in a case Wednesday without directly responding to a defense attorney’s request that he step aside because of what she called an appearance of bias. "This matter is set for oral argument, and that’s what I’m prepared to do," said [...]
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    Posted: October 22, 2009, 10:34am EDT

  • Doyle demures when asked about Lawton

    Madison -- Gov. Jim Doyle is not exactly giving a ringing endorsement to the only major Democrat in the race to succeed him. Asked Wednesday about Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton's campaign for governor, Doyle said: "Look, I'm not going to get into -- I really have worked hard to try to' [...]
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    Posted: October 21, 2009, 5:57pm EDT

  • Paul Ryan's rock hard abs

    Paul Ryan has great hair. Apparently he’s got killer abs too. Politico writes Wednesday that a growing number of members of Congress have embraced the P90X workout, a highly intense military-style regimen whose underlying principle is to mix up training to confuse muscles. Said Kevin Brady, a Texas Republican: “When I saw [...]
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    Posted: October 21, 2009, 10:37am EDT

  • Walker would target public employee costs as governor

    Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker said Tuesday he'll seek curbs on public employee costs to stabilize state spending, if he's elected governor next year. "I'm not going to be the most popular with some of the public employee unions," Walker said during a speaking appearance at the Milwaukee Rotary Club. Walker [...]
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    Posted: October 20, 2009, 6:00pm EDT

  • Feingold: proposal would reduce the national deficit

    Washington – Sen. Russ Feingold is proposing a series of spending cuts and other provisions that he says would reduce the deficit by $500 billion in 10 years. Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat who serves on the Senate Budget Committee, introduced legislation Tuesday that would, among other things, return any unspent federal [...]
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    Posted: October 20, 2009, 4:28pm EDT

  • Jauch blasts Time Warner for not carrying WisconsinEye

    Madison -- A state lawmaker blasted Time Warner on the Senate floor Tuesday for not broadcasting legislative proceedings. “It’s shameful conduct that is putting profit ahead of people,” Sen. Bob Jauch (D-Poplar) said. “They’re returning democracy to the darkness.” Jauch made his comments before the Senate unanimously adopted a resolution praising the [...]
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    Posted: October 20, 2009, 11:29am EDT

  • Sullivan calls Assembly Dems "weak kneed" on drunken driving

    Madison -- The legislative fight over a liquor tax is turning Democrats against one another. The latest broadside came Monday from Sen. Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa), who accused Democrats who run the Assembly of being "weak kneed" on drunken driving reform because they have indicated they won't go along with a hike' [...]
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    Posted: October 19, 2009, 6:03pm EDT

  • Lawton, Geske urge passage of "impartial justice" bill

    Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton called for passage of legislation that would provide public funding for Supreme Court races. Lawton was joined by former Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske, Rep. Fred Kessler (D-Milwaukee) and Bill Kraus, a Republican political operative and co-chairman of Common Cause of Wisconsin. At a news conference at the [...]
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    Posted: October 19, 2009, 4:29pm EDT

  • Gableman recusal issue could boil over Wednesday

    Madison -- State Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman's 2008 campaign and pending ethics case appear to be dividing the other justices and could come to a head Wednesday. Three justices on Thursday issued a statement that the court should delay arguments in a criminal appeal scheduled for Wednesday because it has' [...]
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    Posted: October 16, 2009, 10:37am EDT

  • Sheridan doesn't want to expel Wood

    Madison -- Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan (D-Janesville) said Thursday he was reluctant to oust Rep. Jeff Wood (I-Chippewa Falls) from the Legislature because of his recent arrests. “I think we have to be real careful of going down that road,” Sheridan said. “To me, it’s kind of like Pandora’s box. Where [...]
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    Posted: October 15, 2009, 4:06pm EDT

  • Pfaff to manage Neumann's campaign

    Bruce Pfaff, who ran Scott Walker's unuccessful campaign for governor in 2006, has gone to work for Mark Neumann. Neumann, a businessman and former congressman, and Walker, the Milwaukee County executive, will oppose each other in the Republican primary next year. Pfaff said Thursday afternoon he was hired as campaign director and' [...]
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    Posted: October 15, 2009, 3:20pm EDT

  • Doyle defends stimulus numbers

    Madison -- Gov. Jim Doyle defended the federal stimulus package Thursday, saying it has created more private-sector jobs than a recent report from his office shows. Doyle reported Tuesday the stimulus had created or retained 8,284 jobs in Wisconsin so far. Three-quarters of them were government jobs that were saved by [...]
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    Posted: October 15, 2009, 2:41pm EDT

  • Three payday lending officials exceeded campaign limits, report says

    Madison -- Three payday lending officials and 11 other political donors appear to have exceeded annual campaign contribution limits last year, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign reported Thursday. Donors aren't allowed to give more than $10,000 a year to Wisconsin campaigns under state law, but the political watchdog found 14 who gave' [...]
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    Posted: October 15, 2009, 2:16pm EDT

  • Legislature sees low turnover rate, report says

    Madison -- State legislators have lost elections just 5.3% of the time since 1963, giving them one of the lowest turnover rates in the country, according to a new study that advocates term limits. The Wisconsin Assembly has the fifth lowest turnover rate in the country and the Wisconsin Senate has [...]
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    Posted: October 15, 2009, 5:00am EDT

  • Legislature sees low turnover rate, report says

    Madison -- State legislators have lost elections just 5.3% of the time since 1963, giving them one of the lowest turnover rates in the country, according to a new study that advocates term limits. The Wisconsin Assembly has the fifth lowest turnover rate in the country and the Wisconsin Senate has [...]
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    Posted: October 15, 2009, 5:00am EDT

  • David Duke Web site claims Duke re-educated Scott Walker

    Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke is swatting back at Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, who pushed to keep Duke off the Republican presidential ballot in Wisconsin during a 1992 debate. The '92 session was brought up last week by Walker, in response to a remark from County Board Chairman' [...]
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    Posted: October 14, 2009, 12:57pm EDT

  • Worker pay freeze deal rejected by Milwaukee County Board

    The Milwaukee County Board on Wednesday shot down a tentative pay-freeze contract agreement with its largest union, a move that could set the stage for labor concessions - or protracted legal wrangling. The board voted 11-6 to defeat the tentative contract with District Council 48 of the American Federation of State, [...]
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    Posted: October 14, 2009, 11:57am EDT

  • Milwaukee aldermen oppose aid office move

    The Milwaukee Common Council is urging the state Building Commission to block a planned move of Milwaukee County’s public assistance office. State officials are trying to relocate the office from the county-owned Marcia P. Coggs Center, 1220 W. Vliet St., to a privately owned building at 2151 N. King Drive. City [...]
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    Posted: October 14, 2009, 11:48am EDT

  • Baldwin says "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal gaining momentum

    Rep. Tammy Baldwin said Monday that gay rights leaders are gaining momentum for the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that bans gay service members from going public about their sexuality. Interviewed on MSNBC just days after a major gay rights speech by President Barack Obama, Baldwin said she [...]
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    Posted: October 13, 2009, 7:30pm EDT

  • Automated online record system for Milwaukee County gets preliminary OK

    Official actions of the Milwaukee County Board would be easier and quicker to track, under an automated records program given preliminary approval Tuesday by the board's finance committee. The panel voted 6-0 to include nearly $134,000 in the 2010 budget to purchase and install an electronic system "that completely automates the [...]
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    Posted: October 13, 2009, 4:58pm EDT

  • Effort to unseat Wood will start Wednesday

    Madison -- Rep. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) plans to formally introduce a resolution Wednesday to expel Rep. Jeff Wood (I-Chippewa Falls) from the Assembly because of two arrests in the last year on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Nass said in a statement Tuesday he is introducing [...]
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    Posted: October 13, 2009, 4:03pm EDT

  • Students protest congressman's appearance at anti-illegal immigration event

    Students and immigrant rights activists are marching outside Rep. Paul Ryan’s Racine office Tuesday afternoon in protest of his recent appearance at an event sponsored by a controversial anti-illegal immigration group. The group, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, has been listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law [...]
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    Posted: October 13, 2009, 4:03pm EDT

  • Wisconsin woman introduces president

    Madison -- A Wisconsin woman introduced President Barack Obama on Friday -- the day he won the Nobel Peace Prize -- as he introduced a new federal agency to protect borrowers. Patricia Nelson of Waukesha was chosen to introduce the president in Washington, D.C., because of the financial difficulties she faced [...]
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    Posted: October 12, 2009, 2:05pm EDT

  • Walker to County Board: Let's make a deal

    Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker on Monday repeated his offer to the County Board to negotiate on his proposed 2010 employee concessions -- as long as supervisors don't resort to raising the property tax levy. "I am open to alternative ways to pursue reform," Walker said in a statement. "We can' [...]
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    Posted: October 12, 2009, 12:50pm EDT

  • Wood told trooper he hadn't taken medication

    State Rep. Jeff Wood told police twice he hadn???t taken any medication just before he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of anti-anxiety drugs and cold medication, a video of his arrest shows. [...]
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    Posted: October 12, 2009, 12:18pm EDT

  • '92 Walker-Duke debate to be re-aired on MPTV

    Milwaukee Public Television will rebroadcast a 1992 debate between Scott Walker and David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan leader and Louisiana legislator. The clip will be played on "Interchange," which airs Friday at 6:30 p.m. on Ch. 10, repeats Saturday at 12:30 a.m. on Ch. 36 and again on Sunday [...]
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    Posted: October 08, 2009, 6:15pm EDT

  • '92 Walker-Duke debate to be re-aired on MPTV

    Milwaukee Public Television will rebroadcast a 1992 debate between Scott Walker and David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan leader and Louisiana legislator. The clip will be played on "Interchange," which airs Friday at 6:30 p.m. on Ch. 10, repeats Saturday at 12:30 a.m. on Ch. 36 and again on Sunday [...]
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    Posted: October 08, 2009, 6:15pm EDT

  • Feingold, Kohl urge Senate leaders to support "public option"

    Sens. Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl were among 30 senators urging Democratic leaders in a letter Thursday to include a public insurance option in any health reform legislaton that moves in the Senate. The group sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid expressing their support for the provision, [...]
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    Posted: October 08, 2009, 4:37pm EDT

  • Liquor tax hike would cost 1,250 jobs, distillers say

    Madison -- A proposed liquor tax would result in 1,250 job cuts, says a report by distillers. A state Senate committee this week approved hiking the liquor tax 50 cents per liter, or 58%, to help pay for tougher drunken driving laws. The full Senate is expected to pass the measure later [...]
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    Posted: October 08, 2009, 4:03pm EDT

  • Holloway: Walker not a Duke pol

    UPDATE Milwaukee County Board Chairman now says County Executive Scott Walker is not a David Duke-type politician. “I don’t really think (Walker) is a David Duke,” the county board chairman said late Wednesday. [...]
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    Posted: October 08, 2009, 9:10am EDT

  • More surgery ahead for Barrett

    Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett will likely need a second operation on his injured right hand, Barrett’s top aide said Wednesday. Barrett was beaten with a tire iron, shattering his hand and knocking out several of his teeth, when he intervened to help a West Allis woman who was calling for help. [...]
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    Posted: October 07, 2009, 6:31pm EDT

  • Wisconsin senators oppose Obama on "shield law"

    Wisconsin’s two Democratic senators say they oppose the Obama administration’s proposals to weaken legislation designed to protect reporters from revealing their sources. Sens. Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl say they have long supported a so-called federal “shield law” and hope that Congress will soon enact strong protections for reporters on [...]
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    Posted: October 07, 2009, 6:18pm EDT

  • Milwaukee police, fire unions to rally against Barrett budget cuts

    Milwaukee’s police and firefighter unions will join a south side alderman in a rally against proposed public safety spending cuts in Mayor Tom Barrett’s 2010 city budget, Ald. Bob Donovan announced Wednesday. The rally is set for 1 p.m. Sunday at Serb Hall. The Milwaukee Police Association, the Milwaukee Professional Firefighters [...]
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    Posted: October 07, 2009, 6:02pm EDT

  • DOT, Corrections say they cooperated with Staskunas

    Madison -- Two state agencies are pushing back against Rep. Tony Staskunas (D-West Allis) after he said they didn’t cooperate with him on determining the costs of a bill to toughen drunken driving laws. The Assembly last month passed the bill believing it would cost about $13 million a year. But [...]
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    Posted: October 07, 2009, 11:25am EDT

  • Walker rebuts Duke charge

    [...]
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    Posted: October 06, 2009, 7:03pm EDT

  • Tax delinquencies in Milwaukee County suburbs increase

    Property tax delinquencies in Milwaukee County suburbs continued to rise in 2009, and reflects the effects of the recession, Milwaukee County Treasurer Dan Diliberti said Tuesday. “Delinquent taxes in Milwaukee County suburbs rose 13% this year, from $13.5 million to $15.4 million. This increase brings the total four-year increase since 2005 [...]
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    Posted: October 06, 2009, 5:48pm EDT

  • Gwen Moore says health bill would help women

    Health reform legislation moving through Congress would end the “gender discrimination” inflicted on American women by health insurance firms, Rep. Gwen Moore said Tuesday. The Milwaukee Democrat spoke at a press conference organized by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to drum up support for health reform legislation. Moore said women often pay [...]
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    Posted: October 06, 2009, 2:34pm EDT

  • Wisconsin Republican appears in new Michael Moore film

    Rep. Paul Ryan makes a brief appearance in the new documentary by liberal rabble rouser Michael Moore. The film, Capitalism: A Love Story, shows the Janesville Republican making a forceful pitch on the House floor for a $700 billion bank bailout that Moore sees as a government handout for financial [...]
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    Posted: October 06, 2009, 2:07pm EDT

  • Walker, 2 supervisors fault Holloway for race remark

    Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway's remarks comparing County Executive Scott Walker to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke drew criticism Tuesday from Walker and two supervisors. Walker issued a statement calling Holloway's comments "remarkable." "His comments about race seem to reflect an abandonment of an argument for an alterntative budget [...]
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    Posted: October 06, 2009, 1:53pm EDT

  • Wisconsin doctor among group at White House Monday

    A surgeon from Neenah, Wis., was among the group of doctors who visited the White House Monday to hear President Barack Obama speak about health care reform. Dr. Jan Sarnecki, an orthopedic surgeon, said he and the other doctors at the Rose Garden traveled to Washington, D.C., from all 50 states [...]
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    Posted: October 05, 2009, 5:44pm EDT

  • Thompson joins former Democratic leader to push for health reform

    Washington – Former Bush health secretary Tommy Thompson has teamed up with former House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt to push for health care reform. Thompson, a Republican who served as governor of Wisconsin before joining the Bush administration, said in a joint statement with Gephardt Monday that “failure to reach an [...]
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    Posted: October 05, 2009, 5:24pm EDT

  • Supes want to deep six Walker pool plan

    A group of Milwaukee County supervisors Monday called for dumping County Executive Scott Walker's plan for a new south side aquatics center in favor of expanding Noyes and Pulaski indoor pools. Walker's $11.5 million price tag for building a new aquatic center is too pricey and has not been sought by [...]
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    Posted: October 05, 2009, 12:05pm EDT

  • All Children Matter gets $500 fine after 19 months

    Madison -- A 19-month-long investigation by campaign finance regulators has resulted in a routine $500 forfeiture. Strict laws limiting their ability to speak publicly about their work prevented officials with the Government Accountability Board from explaining why the investigation took so long. “Laws enacted by the Legislature could possibly put us in [...]
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    Posted: October 02, 2009, 5:18pm EDT

  • GOP Chairman Steele campaigns for Walker

    Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele makes two appearances in the state this weekend. Steele is a headline speaker Friday night for the Republican Party of Waukesha County dinner. The event starts at 6:30 p.m., at Seven Seas Restaurant in Hartland. Steele appears again Saturday at the First Congressional District GOP Annual [...]
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    Posted: October 02, 2009, 11:05am EDT
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