tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114574652011-12-14T20:49:10.052-06:00Administratornoreply@blogger.comBlogger33211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-73873206758085123902010-03-24T18:14:00.001-05:002010-03-24T18:24:41.536-05:00

This blog is now located at http://thexofffiles.blogspot.com/. You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here. For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to http://thexofffiles.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-58125253172687299002007-08-26T17:45:00.000-05:002007-08-26T17:47:00.133-05:00

Xoff is doing some blogging at Uppity Wisconsin.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162860718863572922006-11-07T08:40:00.000-06:002006-11-07T08:46:02.740-06:00

This will be the final word on The Xoff Files.What more appropriate time than Election Day to pull the plug?When I started writing for this enterprise in March 2005, I barely knew what a blogger was. Next thing I knew, I were one.Now, Blogger says I've posted 3,380 items. The counter says there have been 375,000 visits to this blog since we turned it on last May. A drop in the ocean.I once

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162832208338394712006-11-06T10:53:00.000-06:002006-11-06T10:59:03.426-06:00

State Sen. Tom Reynolds is home-schooling his kids. Let's hope that his wife is the one teaching math, since Senator Moonbeam seems a little numerically challenged. No wonder he couldn't get his campaign address right. Gretchen Schuldt is on the case.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162829470771822082006-11-06T10:08:00.000-06:002006-11-06T10:11:10.780-06:00

AP reports on a Green campaign stop in Pewaukee:Among those appearing with Green was state Rep. Scott Gunderson, R-Waterford, the author of a proposal that would lower the hunting age to 8.Asked later about that proposal, Green declined to say if he would support it. He said such issues should be discussed after the election.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162829043464041932006-11-06T09:59:00.000-06:002006-11-06T10:04:03.483-06:00

If you don't vote, don't bitch, they say.It's just the opposite in Muskego, where two-thirds of the people who signed petitions to recall the mayor didn't vote in the mayor's election. The Journal Sentinel found 25% of signers weren't even registered to vote, and that Muskego isn't unique in Recall World.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162827764024112942006-11-06T09:33:00.000-06:002006-11-06T17:42:39.686-06:00

We used to joke about doing a 3 a.m. get-out-the-vote phone bank, saying we were calling from the Republican Party to remind you that the polls opened in four hours.But the GOP is actually using a similar tactic, with repeat robo-calls irritating voters, who think the calls are coming from the Dems.Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo has been following it. Here's one of his posts that

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162784239988936322006-11-06T08:26:00.000-06:002006-11-06T08:36:25.636-06:00

I know there's no Fairness Doctrine for radio any more, but doesn't this corporate-sponsored billboard seem a little over the top? It's not about right wing vs. left wing or liberals vs. conservatives. It is totally partisan. (In case you can't tell, that's a donkey getting its ass kicked by the elephant.)Questions: Is this legal? (Probably.) Why would you want to discourage anyone, even

xoffnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162773460569049682006-11-05T18:24:00.002-06:002006-11-05T18:37:40.580-06:00

This greeted George Bush at a Colorado campaign stop. ProgressNowAction has more.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162747747878687772006-11-05T11:24:00.000-06:002006-11-05T20:53:00.783-06:00

Michael J. Fox, the guy who made Rush Limbaugh go off his meds, will be in Milwaukee for a rally with Gov. Jim Doyle on Monday morning in Milwaukee. [UPDATE: Did I mention it's in Milwaukee?]It's at Serb Hall, 51st and Oklahoma, and doors open at 9:30 a.m.If you want to see Fox firsthand and judge whether he's a faker or really has serious symptoms of Parkinson's disease, call 1-877-646-2006 or

xoffnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162691318732054852006-11-05T11:00:00.000-06:002006-11-06T10:16:56.533-06:00

The Journal Sentinel endorses J.B. Van Hollen for attorney general.Synopsis: We disagree with him on just about every issue you can think of -- concealed weapons, the death penalty, voter ID. He's just plain wrong on everything.But the AG isn't a legislator, and Van Hollen says he'll just be the top cop, so we endorse him -- although we think Kathleen Falk would do a fine job, too.Van Hollen's a

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162695837853214872006-11-04T20:53:00.000-06:002006-11-05T20:58:13.340-06:00

Patrick McIlheran sizes up the candidates for gov on integrity and ethics and -- surprise! -- decides he prefers Congressman Mark Green, whom he's preferred all along.Doyle, he says, has some ethical issues. Can't prove anything, just a bad feeling.But Green? [The Democrats']main charge is that Green often voted like a Republican and that his donors were Republican-type donors. Thus he voted for

xoffnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162666406465914642006-11-04T12:48:00.000-06:002006-11-04T15:48:30.836-06:00

Cindy Sheenan will speak at a rally sponsored by Peace Action and other groups at 5 p.m. today at 4th and Wisconsin in downtown Milwaukee. A referendum on the war is on the ballot Tuesday in Milwaukee and nine other communities, including South Milwaukee, Wauwatosa and Fox Point.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162665999993966072006-11-04T12:43:00.000-06:002006-11-04T12:46:40.010-06:00

Congressman Mark Green almost made it through the whole campaign without having to talk about his vote and mindless cheerleading for the war in Iraq. Someone must have finally asked him a question. WISC-TV reports:Green Defends Vote To Go To War In IraqGreen Says War Has Been Successful WISC TV, November 4, 2006EAU CLAIRE, Wis. -- U.S. Rep. Mark Green said his vote in favor of the war in Iraq

xoffnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162655521363529012006-11-04T09:35:00.000-06:002006-11-04T11:03:34.190-06:00

In one of his last acts on his way to the unemployment line, Paul Bucher throws out a pre-election partisan stink bomb: The JS reports:Bucher sees violation by Elections Board DA won't file charges before Tuesday's voteSaturday, November 4, 2006Waukesha County District Attorney Paul Bucher said Friday he has evidence four members of the State Elections Board violated the open meetings law when

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162602487961979702006-11-03T19:05:00.000-06:002006-11-03T19:08:08.076-06:00

AP via WashPost:Rep. Ney of Ohio Resigns From CongressBy DAVID HAMMER, Associated Press, November 3, 2006WASHINGTON -- Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio, who pleaded guilty last month in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling investigation resigned his seat in Congress on Friday.The Ohio Republican, who had been pressed to quit by fellow lawmakers, sent a letter of resignation to House Speaker Dennis Hastert,

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162579804033681362006-11-03T12:40:00.000-06:002006-11-03T12:50:05.030-06:00

I suppose it was inevitable. I just hope this blows up in his face.Green claims he hasn't seen the anti-gay piece and won't comment on it, but it is from his campaign, not some outside group.That means Mark Green is responsible for it. The buck stops with him, not Steve King or Juliane Appling or James Dobson. This is Mark Green himself bashing gays. The Capital Times:Green flier: Wisconsin is

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162568469430902642006-11-03T09:40:00.000-06:002006-11-03T21:33:54.383-06:00

Congressman Mark Green's been assuring us that his inability to spend about $468,000 in illegal interest money won't hurt his campaign. They have enough to execute the campaign plan, even without that money, he's said repeatedly.He said it again to WKOW-TV in Madison. But with a twist: Maybe he'll challenge the election results if he loses. Here's the story:Green said his campaign has not

xoffnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162565231743637252006-11-03T08:42:00.000-06:002006-11-03T09:08:35.420-06:00

Today's NY Times:Insulting Our Troops, and Our IntelligenceBy THOMAS L. FRIEDMANGeorge Bush, Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld think you're stupid. Yes, they do.They think they can take a mangled quip about President Bush and Iraq by John Kerry -- a man who is not even running for office but who, unlike Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney, never ran away from combat service -- and get you to vote against all

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162528056188882692006-11-02T22:25:00.000-06:002006-11-03T08:32:45.076-06:00

"So what's the spin, man? An independent poll by a reliable firm, done for a media outlet, and taken the last three days, has Doyle 6 points up? What does Zogby say about this?""Not to worry. We'll keep it out of the newspaper."UPDATE: "I thought you said you'd get the story spiked. I read in the Journal Sentinel this morning that Doyle's 6 points ahead.""If you did, it's because you read down

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162527692904305822006-11-02T22:15:00.000-06:002006-11-03T09:52:23.366-06:00

Another day, another setback for the litigious team of Tom Reynolds-Bob Dohnal-J.J. Blonien, whose favorite campaign technique is to file complaints and threaten lawsuits against anyone who takes Reynolds' name in vain.Dohnal, who publishes something called the Wisconsin Conservative Digest and picks fights on Reynolds' behalf, was frothing at the mouth last week about how the DA had found

xoffnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162480284567542462006-11-02T09:07:00.000-06:002006-11-02T09:26:30.216-06:00

You may have heard or read about the campaign treasurer for a Republican Assembly candidate in Oshkosh who resigned over the negative campaign being run against the Democrat, Gordon Hintz.Here is the lie-filled, mean-spirited piece of mail that triggered it.The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern reported:Republican Assembly candidate Julie Pung Leschke's campaign treasurer has resigned, citing her

xoffnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162442402168526122006-11-01T22:35:00.000-06:002006-11-01T22:40:02.686-06:00

One more of the wild charges thrown about by State Senator Tom Reynolds demented "brain trust" bites the dust before the election. JS Daywatch:WEDNESDAY, Nov. 1, 2006, 1:36 p.m.By Annysa JohnsonTosa clerk cleared in voting probeAn allegation that Wauwatosa Clerk Carla Ledesma illegally altered a voting record on behalf of city alderman and 5th District Senate candidate Jim Sullivan has been

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162441534124491452006-11-01T22:23:00.000-06:002006-11-03T15:26:07.210-06:00

"I can't overstress the importance of a great education. Do you know where you end up if you don't study, if you aren't smart, if you're intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush." -- Sen. John Kerry's prepared remarks, which he stumbled over and blew. Kerry has apologized. When will George Bush apologize for the lives he's ruined?UPDATE: Mike

xoffnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162429088901448732006-11-01T18:53:00.000-06:002006-11-01T18:58:08.923-06:00

A reader asks: How did Doyle lose this endorsement?Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Wisconsin: Mark Green Is Latinos' Choice for Governor of WisconsinThe mission of the RNHA is to build a membership organization to foster the principles of the Republican Party in the Latino community; to provide Latino Americans with a forum to play an influential role in local, state, and national

xoffnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162417247368546382006-11-01T15:36:00.000-06:002006-11-01T15:40:47.800-06:00

At Caffeinated Politics, Deke Rivers wonders why Tommy Thompson hasn't joined the other former govs, from both parties, and Tommy's brother Ed, to oppose the gay discriminatioin amendment to the state constitution.Ed, you'll recall, said he couldn't support Mark Green because of Green's support for the amendment. But Tommy's all over the Green campaign, even pretending Green supports stem cell

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162411325940913782006-11-01T13:53:00.000-06:002006-11-01T14:02:05.960-06:00

Steve King, the guy who tried to save John and Martha Mitchell's marriage during Watergate -- Martha said by roughing her up to keep her off the phone and away from reporters -- is now trying to save ours:Conservative group gives $385,000 to support gay marriage banRYAN J. FOLEYAssociated PressMADISON, Wis. - A group headed by the former chairman of the state Republican Party has given $385,000

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162410528138680262006-11-01T13:47:00.000-06:002006-11-01T22:19:34.036-06:00

The AP report on a Tommy Thompson-Mark Green rally in Milwaukee includes these lines:"Under Green, you'll see the eagles soaring, the (Green Bay) Packers scoring and the Harleys roaring." [Tommy Thompson, of course.]Green said he wants to return Wisconsin to the prosperity it enjoyed under Thompson."I hear companies like Harley-Davidson and Menard's saying it's too expensive to do business in

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162408735851458562006-11-01T13:14:00.000-06:002006-11-01T13:44:24.310-06:00

Congressman Mark Green talking out of both sides of his mouth? Wanting to have it both ways on the amendment to ban gay marriages and civil unions?Shocking? No, just par for the course the way Green plays politics.One Wisconsin Now has the goods.If you agree with Mark Green, vote no.UPDATE: A reader says there's another question we should ask Mark Green: what other sentences of the state

xoffnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162408335473362402006-11-01T13:07:00.000-06:002006-11-01T13:13:06.170-06:00

Would a guy who's surging in the gov's race and says he's now ahead run a commercial attacking Jim Doyle on a position he took on a crime bill 12 years ago?Despite the Greenies' brave talk, they obviously don't believe Mr. Zogby either.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162402568268372092006-11-01T11:34:00.000-06:002006-11-01T11:36:08.283-06:00

HEADLINE: Abortion Ad Targets Women VotersStory.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162392264738691002006-11-01T08:33:00.000-06:002006-11-01T08:46:04.806-06:00

Front page political coverage by the Journal Sentinel focused on the gov's race and rallies with Obama and Tommy T.And it managed to work in the "fact" that the race is tightening, and cite the highly dubious Zogby poll that shows Mark Green up by .5% (yes, that's point five per cent. These Internet polls are precise.)But in all this fuss over the gov's race, they missed the big story.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162355856613210122006-10-31T22:31:00.000-06:002006-10-31T22:37:36.830-06:00

Bill Clinton's coming to Milwaukee on Friday, and you can forget the $500 ticket. It won't even cost you 5 bucks. Details:Bill Clinton to Rally Voters in MilwaukeeMILWAUKEE - President Bill Clinton will rally voters to elect Democrats at a public event on Friday, November 3 in downtown Milwaukee. The rally will be held at the Milwaukee Theatre at 500 W. Kilbourn Ave. Doors open at 2

xoffnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162332758894624812006-10-31T16:10:00.000-06:002006-10-31T16:12:38.920-06:00

-- Working for Change. (Click on cartoon to enlarge)

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162323131168453382006-10-31T13:21:00.003-06:002006-10-31T13:32:11.176-06:00

Bruce Murphy of Milwaukee Magazine has spotted a slight contradiction in Congressman Mark Green's description of just where that $467,000 in illegal special interest money resides: In a Sunday story, Mark Green told the media he planned to finish his campaign without spending the $467,844 in federal campaign funds he transferred to his campaign. Both the state Elections Board and a Dane County

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162322341638237532006-10-31T13:08:00.000-06:002006-11-01T13:02:32.400-06:00

There's a new Zogby poll that says the governor's race is tied - or, if you listen to the Green campaign, that Mark Green "leads" by one half per cent. That's some pretty precise polling from a firm that doesn't even do interviews with voters, but uses an automated survey. [Correction: It's an interactive Internet survey. See below. I knew better but was too hurried.]Before anybody gets too

xoffnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162313884448898142006-10-31T10:55:00.000-06:002006-10-31T10:58:04.963-06:00

Not only is he not in jail where he belongs, but former Assembly Speaker and convicted felon Scott Jensen is helping to fund legislative campaigns. One Wisconsin Now reports.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162307759205764942006-10-31T09:08:00.000-06:002006-10-31T09:15:59.220-06:00

Jim Doyle gets both Madison papers, a rare feat. Today's Capital Times: Editorial: Doyle for governorOver the past four years, no governor in the United States has more consistently and effectively challenged the agenda of the Bush administration, its congressional allies and their amen corner in the state legislatures than Wisconsin's Jim Doyle.When the Bush administration and its allies in

xoffnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162307080665585972006-10-31T08:55:00.000-06:002006-10-31T09:23:15.490-06:00

Family ties demand that I plug this, since our son is a field producer for the G4 network and is working on this extravaganza which takes place tonight, live from Menomonee Falls.Mark and Mike of "American Movie" fame will be hosting Halloween from their lawn in Menomonee Falls. They will be grilling out polish sausages, talking with locals, dealing with zombies, and at the same time, trying to

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162261992558571012006-10-30T20:29:00.000-06:002006-10-30T20:40:40.890-06:00

I've known Bill Hetland, one half of the couple featured in this column, for almost 40 years. I knew him as a talented journalist who revitalized a lot of smaller daily newspapers in his travels around the Midwest; he's since had a career change. I've only met Phil Anderson, his partner, in the last six months. They have one of the most caring relationships I've ever seen. Anyway, this is one

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162255519341861752006-10-30T18:44:00.000-06:002006-10-31T08:04:12.803-06:00

Can't take credit for this video, and don't know who did it, but enjoy.UPDATE: I'm told the video is from Matthew and Peter Slutsky of DoubleSpeak Their website describes what they do as an online radio show. They say: "This show aims to penetrate through the Republican noise machine and give the Democrats a forum that will resonate with the American people." The website covers their road

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162250669925731202006-10-30T17:21:00.000-06:002006-10-30T18:12:33.943-06:00

An Xoff correspondent sent this from Saturday's Journal Sentinel, with a comment: "Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Green on Friday continued to try to defuse stem cell research as a campaign issue, saying he supports 'all the research that's taking place in Madison - all of it.' "Later, however, Green said he wasn't aware of new, privately funded research in Madison that destroys human

xoffnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162185257451349722006-10-29T23:07:00.000-06:002006-10-29T23:14:17.466-06:00

In Madison, where the State Journal and Capital Times have spent decades smiping at each other and taking opposite sides on almost every issue, people take notice on the rare occasions when a political candidate is endorsed by both papers.Here's the first:State better off with DoyleA Wisconsin State Journal editorial, Sunday, October 29, 2006Wisconsin is better off than it was four years

xoffnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162141966057919442006-10-29T23:00:00.000-06:002006-10-29T23:06:06.823-06:00

Journal Sentinel headline on its editorial on the gay marriage/civil unions amendment:Overly broad, dangerous, unfair and simply unnecessary

xoffnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162141143794696322006-10-29T10:54:00.001-06:002006-10-29T17:50:33.056-06:00

Green Bay Press Gazette: Local Marine killed in Iraq Zimmerman is area's first war casualty since '04By Nathan PhelpsGreen Bay Press GazettePeople who knew Luke Zimmerman say he was a hard worker, an upstanding individual who always had a smile and had long aspired to be part of the U.S. Marine Corps.On Friday, friends and family got the news the 24-year-old Marine from the town of Green Bay was

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162091532757625042006-10-28T22:04:00.000-05:002006-10-28T22:12:12.776-05:00

Different strokes applied to different folks: Judge says Thompson can't remain free during her appeal By RYAN J. FOLEYAssociated Press WriterMADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A federal judge has denied a former state employee's request to stay out of prison while she appeals her conviction on charges she steered a travel contract to a donor of Gov. Jim Doyle.In a ruling released Friday, U.S. District Judge

xoffnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162067199111603512006-10-28T15:24:00.000-05:002006-10-28T15:26:39.126-05:00

"We're going to have a Republican House and a Republican Senate and a Republican governor in the state of Wisconsin..." -- Karl Rove, in Waukesha. Let's play this one back in 10 days.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161998705795557652006-10-28T15:16:00.000-05:002006-10-28T15:46:55.940-05:00

Here are some excerpts from a letter to the editor of the Capital Times. Eugene Hahn, I regret to say, is the incumbent Republican state rep in Columbia and Sauk Counties:Dear Editor:When asked in last week's Lodi candidate forum to provide views on stem cell research, Eugene Hahn stated several times that he didn't know much about stem cell research, adding: "When I'm not certain, it's better

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162066239696591082006-10-28T15:09:00.000-05:002006-10-28T15:10:39.713-05:00

Does this look presidential to you?

xoffnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1162007467010053972006-10-27T22:45:00.000-05:002006-10-28T10:23:16.846-05:00

It appears the concerted Republican effort over the last several years (some would say decades) to intimidate minority voters or put up barriers to keep them from the polls is beginning to pay off. The NY Times: Democrats' worries are backed up by a Pew Research Center report that found that blacks were twice as likely now than they were in 2004 to say they had little or no confidence in the

xoffnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161998437584459172006-10-27T20:18:00.000-05:002006-10-27T20:20:37.663-05:00

"They take a prominent Republican and use that as a means to try and make mainstream conservative Republicans like myself look out of the mainstream." -- "Mainstream" GOP State Sen. Tom Reynolds, after prominent GOPers Frank Urban and Kate Bloomberg endorsed his Democratic opponent, Jim Sullivan.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161915049654578112006-10-26T20:54:00.000-05:002006-10-26T21:25:30.056-05:00

I know Sen. Barack Obama has rock star status among Dems right now, but this set me back: Too many people coming to accommodate at Turner Hall? At 9 in the morning? On Halloween?Rock on, Senator: Due to the overwhelming response, we have moved the Barack Obama rally to a new location: PERE MARQUETTE PARKJoin U.S. Senator Barack Obama, Governor Jim Doyle, Senator Herb Kohl, Congresswoman Gwen

xoffnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161869194324131272006-10-26T08:24:00.000-05:002006-10-26T08:29:53.816-05:00

"You know your opponent is scared when his main opposition against you is, 'My opponent likes girls.'" -- Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr., in response to a racially-charged Republican TV spot in his Senate race.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161833498799603072006-10-25T22:17:00.000-05:002006-10-25T22:33:53.520-05:00

I don't know if this has been announced yet; I haven't seen anything in the media.Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan, the woman who ruined George Bush's three-month summer vacation, will be in Milwaukee on Saturday, Nov. 4, for a Bring the Troops Home rally. That should give McSykes and their army of sycophants enough material to be outraged for at least a week. Extra blood pressure meds all around.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161831914336324872006-10-25T22:02:00.000-05:002006-10-25T22:05:14.406-05:00

The WashPost:Bush Is Reassuring on Iraq But Says He's 'Not Satisfied' By Peter BakerWashington Post Staff WriterThursday, October 26, 2006; Page A01President Bush declared yesterday that the United States is winning the war in Iraq despite the deadliest month for U.S. troops in a year, but he added that he is not satisfied with the situation and vowed to press Iraqi leaders to do more to

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161808037905613322006-10-25T14:56:00.000-05:002006-10-25T15:27:17.923-05:00

-- Scott Stantis, Birmingham News, via Cagle.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161786905285709142006-10-25T09:08:00.000-05:002006-10-25T09:35:05.320-05:00

Jim Hightower's been roaming the country, promoting lefty causes and candidates, and checks in with what he's observed. His AlterNet column even has a Wisconsin angle, with a Fighting Bob Fest reference. His conclusion: The people of America are soooooo much bigger than the politics that are being served up to us by the elites. I find that people everywhere are fed up with the red-state/

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161736842135534992006-10-24T19:35:00.000-05:002006-10-26T20:52:57.650-05:00

David Montgomery in WashPost:Possibly worse than making fun of someone's disability is saying that it's imaginary. That is not to mock someone's body, but to challenge a person's guts, integrity, sanity.To Rush Limbaugh on Monday, Michael J. Fox looked like a faker. The actor, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, has done a series of political ads supporting candidates who favor stem cell

xoffnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161697562550326462006-10-24T08:43:00.000-05:002006-10-24T08:46:02.616-05:00

The White House says that not only is "stay the course" not our Iraq strategy, but it never has been. Think Progress begs to differ.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161697150738431832006-10-24T08:37:00.000-05:002006-10-24T08:39:10.746-05:00

"Wisconsin doesn't need a district attorney; it needs an attorney general, and Falk is the right person for the job."-- The Appleton Post Crescent, in an endorsement editorial.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161696929409540012006-10-24T08:26:00.000-05:002006-10-24T08:35:29.456-05:00

Jessica McBride has a new litmus test for how you tell if a Democrat is a moderate: You ask a conservative.If it's Jim Doyle you're asking about, you don't just ask any random conservative. Jessica turns to an objective source -- her husband, Paul Bucher, the failed AG candidate.SATURDAY, Oct. 21, 2006, 10:55 p.m.Sunday's slanted stories on the governor's raceIn big A-1 Sunday stories, the

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161655457725469952006-10-23T20:56:00.000-05:002006-10-23T21:04:17.743-05:00

Rep. F. Jim Sensenbrenner is making an investment to try to remain a part of the majority in the House. He's like to chair a committee again, no doubt.The tight-fisted Sensenbrenner has given the National Republican Congressional Committee $100,000. Of course, it's from his campaign account, not his wallet. Still, it's a sign he wants to try to buy a spot in leadership if the Rs happen to

xoffnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161638507563791252006-10-23T16:15:00.000-05:002006-10-23T16:32:29.636-05:00

GOP legislators in the Eau Claire area have found a new excuse to duck forums with their opponents -- claim bias by the sponsors.This is an even higher standard than the one which suggests that the governor can never meet with anyone who has contributed to his campaign or approve a state contract with any donor, or anyone who might donate later. That's the strangers-only clause.Now the GOP have

xoffnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161631096547706652006-10-23T14:14:00.000-05:002006-10-23T14:43:22.600-05:00

You wouldn't know it if you listen to Congressman Mark Green or the business groups like WMC that support him, but Wisconsin has done well -- much better than many Midwestern states -- in adding manufacturing jobs under Gov. Jim Doyle.That doesn't fit the Green-WMC matrix, of course, so they continue to spread gloom and doom. Paul Soglin sets the record straight.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161627342858671542006-10-23T13:10:00.000-05:002006-10-23T13:31:52.466-05:00

Although I am often accused by the wingnuts of being a complete water carrier for Jim Doyle and the Democrats, I don't think I have ever just printed Dem releases or columns.Today's the exception.When I read the Journal Sentinel story claiming that there is little difference between Jim Doyle and Mark Green on health care issues, I was flabbergasted. Health care is actually one of the defining

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161577382225310542006-10-23T07:44:00.000-05:002006-10-23T12:28:06.613-05:00

In a campaign season in which the Wisconsin news media have given prominent play to horse-race stories, and have fallen all over themselves to report on every poll to come along -- including many that deserved to be ignored -- how do you explain this:A professional statewide poll, which asked objective questions on the governor's race, issues of concern to Wisconsinites, and people's views of

xoffnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161574460010975402006-10-22T22:23:00.000-05:002006-10-22T22:34:20.030-05:00

State Sen. Tom Reynolds' ham-handed attempt to squelch criticism from blogger Gretchen Schuldt, who described him as a half-baked clown (does he know truth is a defense?) has prompted a short piece on a national site, OpEdNews. It's written by Michael Leon, a Madisonian.This is a fight Reynolds may wish he never picked. Every time his lawyer makes another threat, Schuldt just gets feistier.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161573479698852562006-10-22T22:15:00.000-05:002006-10-22T22:20:12.156-05:00

"I have not read one book about me ... You know, I just -- I feel uncomfortable reading about myself... [it is] weird to be reading books about yourself when you're still trying to be the President."-- George W. Bush, of course, on ABC's This Week. He said he couldn't learn anything from those books anyway.Hat tip: Think Progress.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161486673034222152006-10-21T22:07:00.000-05:002006-10-21T22:13:14.170-05:00

WashPost reports:Bush: No Iraq Pull Out Until 'Mission is Complete'President Bush met today with his top advisers and military commanders on Iraq, but he offered no indication of change in strategy in his weekly radio address where he vowed not to pull U.S. troops out until "the mission is complete" and said one of the causes of the increased violence in Iraq is the enemy's desire to break

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161465710612061262006-10-21T16:14:00.000-05:002006-10-21T16:21:50.790-05:00

I'm not sure this is true, and it could bring a defamation suit, but I heard this story about the Robinsons, of Boots and Sabers.One day Owen decided to wash his sweatshirt. Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to Wendy, "What setting do I use on the washing machine?""It depends," she replied. "What does it say on your shirt?"He yelled back, "Go Aggies!"Hat tip: Jack Lohman.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161455172911095552006-10-21T13:23:00.000-05:002006-10-21T14:37:28.776-05:00

I didn't watch Round 3. Doyle won me over in the first two. I'm not undecided any more.Fortunately, the Mathias family watched, and reading their report is like sitting in their living room during the debate.Enjoy.UPDATE: NO KNOCKOUT! The AP sounds surprised: After three governor's debates, no clear victor emerges By SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press, October 21, 2006MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- After

xoffnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161399829103991532006-10-20T21:58:00.000-05:002006-10-20T22:12:03.563-05:00

Journal Sentinel's ad check of recent Doyle ad, by Steve Schultze:The ad states:* Doyle "helped create 170,000 new Wisconsin jobs." But the 170,000 figure uses seasonally unadjusted numbers to bolster the tally. Though the count is technically true, by using January 2003 -- generally a low point for employment during the year -- as his starting point and comparing it to last August -- generally

xoffnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161399418362005302006-10-20T21:55:00.000-05:002006-10-20T21:56:58.373-05:00

10 good reasons to vote NO on the amendment to ban gay marriages and civil unions, courtesy of The Shepherd Express

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161398890027776212006-10-20T21:08:00.000-05:002006-10-22T12:42:01.700-05:00

The Journal Sentinel recently asked, apparently rhetorically, Which suitor would be business' best match?There's even been talk that Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce was sitting out the governor's race.Welcome to reality and WMC's October surpriseThe message -- which Democrats should take to heart and remember for more than a week -- is that no matter what efforts they make to reach out and

xoffnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161378654744051212006-10-20T16:09:00.000-05:002006-10-20T16:10:54.766-05:00

-- Matt Davies via Cagle.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161376793827470932006-10-20T15:34:00.000-05:002006-10-20T15:39:53.846-05:00

"The principle sin of the neoconservatives is overbearing arrogance. It is not so much that they have been wrong. It is that nobody has ever convinced them that they have ever been wrong." -- David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union and Fort Atkinson's contribution to the right-wing leadership.For a lot more great quotes and story on GOP infighting, go here and click on link to

xoffnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161374999363993262006-10-20T15:01:00.000-05:002006-10-20T15:19:30.173-05:00

This one does not seem to require any comment from me: During National Character Counts Week, Bush Stumps for PhilandererBy Dana MilbankFriday, October 20, 2006; Page A02LA PLUME, Pa., Oct. 19-- So it has come to this: Nineteen days before the midterm elections, President Bush flew here to champion the reelection of a congressman who last year settled a $5.5 million lawsuit alleging that he beat

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161355850656230782006-10-20T09:07:00.000-05:002006-10-21T16:36:01.516-05:00

State Sen. Tom Reynolds -- or at least the people pulling his strings -- seems to think you can win a political campaign in the courtroom, by filing or threstening to file lawsuits and complaints, and by issuing pugnacious statements.Robert Dohnal and J. J. Blonien, Reynolds' campaign guys, spend far more time and energy on bluster and threats than they do running any kind of real campaign,

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161267286930618632006-10-19T09:07:00.000-05:002006-10-19T09:18:27.413-05:00

AP:Poll puts Doyle lead at 13 percent; Green disputes it By JAMES A. CARLSON Associated Press WriterMILWAUKEE (AP) -- Gov. Jim Doyle leads Republican challenger Mark Green by 13 points in a new poll released Thursday that was immediately disputed by a Green campaign spokesman as "flat out wrong."The lead is more than double that shown in a survey released earlier this month.The latest poll done

xoffnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161263910958310492006-10-19T07:58:00.000-05:002006-10-19T23:10:43.486-05:00

The State Senate Democrats' plan to take back the majority certainly contains no secrets.Despite the front-page placement of the JS story, the TOP SECRET document, stolen by Republicans six months ago but kept quiet for a last-minute dirty trick, is elementary.The campaign plan: Win enough seats so there are more Ds than Rs in the Senate. Focus on the seats that Democrats have the best chance

xoffnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161232256278362112006-10-19T07:12:00.000-05:002006-10-19T09:11:43.256-05:00

Congressman Mark Green has a line he loves to use lately, whether in the recent debate or in his new TV spot.If you want blah, blah, blah, he says, I'm not your guy. There are several variations; the TV commercial says something about if you want higher taxes, I'm not your guy.Since Green also says in his new ad that he wants to be positive, not "negative like Jim Doyle," you'd think he wouldn't

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161232858137746622006-10-18T23:37:00.000-05:002006-10-19T23:04:29.416-05:00

This from the guy who is starting to make State Senator Tom Reynolds seem sane by comparison:Wacky WEAC LiarsBy Bob Dohnal, PublisherWisconsin Conservative Digest It is really hard to understand how the people that teach our children can tolerate the lies being told about people that are actually their friends, with their own money. I am talking about the commercials being aired by WEAC

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161238064174999922006-10-18T23:14:00.000-05:002006-10-19T01:25:58.520-05:00

Here's the story of one water policy drama that played out behind-the-scenes at the Waukesha Water Utility, where a team of consultants and government officials is working hard to win a diversion of Lake Michigan water:As the debate over whether Lake Michigan water should be piped to suburbs beyond the Great Lakes basin heated up in 2004, the utility received a memo from a Milwaukee law firm that

Jim Rowennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161177926635493702006-10-18T08:16:00.000-05:002006-10-18T12:14:59.720-05:00

Governor Jim Doyle leads Congressman Mark Green 47%-41% in a poll done for One Wisconsin Now last week, and OWN says voters' beliefs that Doyle will do a better job on health care issues is working to his benefit. (Update: Among "definite" voters it's 48-41, which is where the headline came from.)The poll of 708 likely voters was done by Abacus Associates, a reputable national firm.Respondents

xoffnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161149232586773232006-10-18T00:25:00.000-05:002006-10-18T00:27:12.616-05:00

-- Rex Babin, Sacranento Bee, via Cagle.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161145570531646642006-10-17T23:16:00.000-05:002006-10-17T23:26:10.540-05:00

An alert reader, who chooses to go nameless, notes that our friend Congressman Mark Green has posted his campaign spots and videos on a site called dailymotion.It's sorta, kinda of a wannabe YouTube. But it has a ways to go.For one thing, it's littered with porn. Go to the site to watch Mark Green on video talking about his positions, and you could end up learning about all sorts of entirely

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161143259397874882006-10-17T22:42:00.000-05:002006-10-18T00:34:59.133-05:00

This sounded vaguely familiar. Wednesday's Journal Sentinel: Regulators contribute to candidates Some on Elections Board deny campaign support is a conflictBy STEVEN WALTERSMadison - State Elections Board members regularly give to partisan candidates, even though they regulate campaigns and the election process.Four of the nine members of the board have written campaign checks while serving on

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161136078933836922006-10-17T20:33:00.000-05:002006-10-17T20:47:59.176-05:00

As often happens, Seth Zlotocha has posted a commentary on something that I'd been ruminating about but hadn't gotten around to -- the Harley giveback blackmail.Nothing surprising that the company asked the workers to amputate their own limbs, sell out future co-workers with a two-tier wage scale, and swallow some poison brew. That's par for the course these days.The surprising thing is that in

xoffnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161120731545385322006-10-17T16:31:00.000-05:002006-10-17T16:32:11.566-05:00

-- Working for Change. (Click on cartoon to enlarge)

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161120503773548972006-10-17T16:18:00.000-05:002006-10-17T19:52:18.010-05:00

Journal Sentinel readers must have been a little perplexed by Monday's seemingly conflicting stories on just how loyal Congressman Mark Green has been to his leader, The W.A front page story said Green supports Bush 90% of the time, and made it clear that the 10% certainly didn't qualify as any major issues. Whether it's starting a war in Iraq, limiting stem cell research, or running the

xoffnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1161085941330320632006-10-17T06:46:00.000-05:002006-10-17T23:09:34.776-05:00

Voters in a dozen Wisconsin communities, from Milwaukee to Boscobel, will have a chance to express themselves on Nov. 7 on the war in Iraq. Referendum questions on withdrawing US troops are on the ballot. Two dozen similar ballot questions passed in April.Three weeks before the vote, this from Political Wire:Support for Iraq War at All Time Low A new CNN poll finds support for the war in Iraq at

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1160969270621193932006-10-15T22:19:00.000-05:002006-10-16T08:15:41.856-05:00

This from the Journal Sentinel's Katherine Skiba, charged with reporting Tommy Thompson's every utterance and innermost thought: Political analysts say Tommy G. Thompson faces long odds if he tries for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. Filed under: Duh!UPDATE: JS columnist Mike Nichols offers some insight into why people run for offices they can't possibly win.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1160966578245276632006-10-15T21:35:00.000-05:002006-10-15T22:33:08.346-05:00

... who's the most negative of all?Could it be the person who penned this about Jim Doyle and Mark Green: it has become clear that neither major-party candidate for governor is fit for public office. Or the one who said the negative campaign is compelling evidence of their moral turpitude.Is it at all ironic that someone writing on behalf of Common Cause, in the guise of bemoaning negative

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1160889858046031222006-10-15T00:20:00.000-05:002006-10-15T00:24:18.063-05:00

Scott Milfred of the Wisconsin State Journal fantasizes about a Russ Feingold-Tommy Thompson matchup.

xoffnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1160832366351349532006-10-14T08:18:00.000-05:002006-10-14T09:56:29.633-05:00

A complaint has been filed against All Children Matter, the school choice group that talks about everything but school choice during this election cycle, saying the group broke state elections law.All Children Matter mailed an attack piece against State Rep. John Lehman, who's running for the State Senate, which included the words "vote against John Lehman."To do that legally, the group would

xoffnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1160831324918187292006-10-14T07:54:00.000-05:002006-10-14T08:14:59.083-05:00

Hotline doesn't think Mark Green is helping himself by pressing the court case to keep $468,000 in special interest money that the Elections Board said was illegal. From this week's list, where Wisconsin slipped from 10 to 11 on the list of hot races: Chuck Todd's Race Ranking: 11"Until there's one solid week where the local press doesn't have an update about Green's attempt to keep some of his

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1160788402888938852006-10-13T20:07:00.003-05:002006-10-13T20:39:33.013-05:00

"Bob Ney has brought shame to himself and disgraced the Congress by betraying the bond entrusted to him as a public official. No one - Democrat or Republican - should remain a Member of the People's House after being convicted of criminal conduct while in office. Bob Ney should resign immediately and not remain in Congress a moment longer." -- Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner, Wisconsin

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1160771033208200352006-10-13T15:23:00.000-05:002006-10-13T19:10:55.523-05:00

AP:MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- There was nothing improper about by partisan operatives' contact with members of the state Elections Board before a key vote on donations to gubernatorial candidate Mark Green, the state Ethics Board declared Friday.An attorney for Gov. Jim Doyle's re-election campaign, Michael Maistelman, and the executive director of the state Republican Party, Rick Wiley, both

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1160762242738136472006-10-13T12:52:00.000-05:002006-10-13T12:58:20.896-05:00

Congressman Mark Green has heard, somewhere, that there is too much crime and violence in Milwaukee.Fortunately, he has a plan. Every time there is a multiple homicide, or a particularly gruesome or tragic case, he will put out a press release. If he happens to be in town, he might even hold a news conference.I feel better already.But Cory Liebmann of One Wisconsin Now is a little more

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11457465.post-1160761782587656942006-10-13T12:45:00.000-05:002006-10-13T12:50:15.386-05:00

NOW, will Congressman Mark Green finally call on his good buddy Ney to resign? Based on past performance, don't count on it -- although Green usually follows Hastert so closely that if Hastert stops too quickly Green might break his nose. AP: Rep. Ney Pleads Guilty; GOP Vows OusterBy PETE YOSTThe Associated PressFriday, October 13, 2006; 1:07 PMWASHINGTON -- Rep. Bob Ney pleaded guilty Friday

xoffnoreply@blogger.com0