Phone banks and canvassing are in high gear with a massive effort through election day at multiple sites. Your humble diarist is working the GOTV effort as usual, grateful again for retirement that allows even more hours to be devoted to these efforts. We're excited.
This is the first time we can send a clear message at the ballot box to those who now rule FitzWalkerStan that they have gone too far (and the end - for them - is near). We are working to ensure that the message reverberates across the state even louder than the drum circles of the Madison protests.
We're getting early good news.
Early voting numbers in Democratic areas are so high already that additional ballots are being ordered. Early voting is being encouraged in GOTV efforts. This was anticipated to be a low turnout election.
Not election related, but damning of King Walker and his Fitzgerald Brothers Tag Team nonetheless, are the results of an open records request on the $7.5 million damage estimates from the Capitol protests. Those figures were based on a single handwritten notebook page hastily written before courtroom testimony. While the state hasn't yet produced a firm cost, Walker officials have been backpedalling the costs since their first estimate produced statewide laughter. With RW candidates Jeff Stone and David Prosser being shown to be Walker clones in ads, bad news for Walker is bad news for them, as well.
Of course, Walker is now finally backing down on his illegal union stripping bill after sharp reprimands by Judge Sumi (please see the excellent diaries and front page story on this matter). We have a long history in Wisconsin of fairness, strong ethics and clean government. This sordid affair has done even more damage to the GOP than they realize just days before an election.
Walker is being met at every event by protesters. Seems like he can't go anywhere without receiving a "warm" welcome.
We're not celebrating. Or resting. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, particularly in the days ahead, with no guarentees of success. Then we have recalls to finish. Prosser and Stone signs are everywhere, but ads are running to show people who these guys really are and what they represent and even our lazy conservative leaning media isn't immune to the truth.
The most important races are the Wisconsin State Supreme Court where we are working to get Kloppenburg elected to replace Prosser. In that single election, we can swing a 4/3 RW court. Since Walkers union stripping and other important messages will be heard by the court in the future, ensuring that the court will be fair is essential. As things stand now, ideology will trump any facts.
The other important message that can be sent to Scott Walker is to deny his previous job as Milwaukee County Executive to his pal, Jeff Stone. Electing Chris Abele to that position will put Milwaukee County on a better path than the 8 destructive years of Scott Walker.
I hate to post and run, but I have some calls to make (see my intro). You know how it goes. I'll be back in a few hours to to check back in. Thanks again for all the Kossack love and support. I'll keep you posted.
PS - Yeah! Diary edit works again. Thank you. Now if the tech gods and goddesses can get Search to work, I'd be happy, happy, happy!
Update: I Don't Make Calls During Dinnertime Edition: I'm back. I learned a long time ago that you don't get the "ears" you want when food is getting cold on the table, so I don't make calls at dinnertime. Frankly, you don't care about that, but I needed a title for this update and thought that would get attention.
Scott Walker has re-introduced some parts of the original Budget Repair Bill (the stuff that actually "repairs" the budget) and leading Dems say they'll likely support the measure - adding that this was what he should have done the first time around rather than going after collective bargaining (ya think?).
More importantly, the non-partisan Wisconsin Government Accountability Board has said that recallers can gather signatures 10 feet or more away from polling places. While most of the efforts will be on GOTV, recallers will be able to gather signatures as people go to the polls.
This is important since all "political" (campaign) activity must stay much farther away from polling places (I believe 100 feet or more) and even exit pollers must keep a larger distance to interview voters and gather data.
Now I'm off to view and respond to all the excellent commentary you have written. Thanks again for all the support.
Update: Important Links Edition: Thanks to Eman for posting some important links. AnnieJo also posted information on virtual phone banking for Kloppenburg (which also got sent to Top Comments).
Update: Back to the Phone Banks Edition: Like MacArthur, I shall return (later).
Update: Holy Cow Edition: I'm just back home after a bite to eat and immediately saw Eman's message to me with a link to exciting news. / Former Democratic Governor Pat Lucey has left David Prossers campaign where he served as Honorary Co Chairman and endorsed JoAnne Kloppenburg.
Lucey said he has resigned as the honorary co-chairman of Prosser's campaign, and he is endorsing Kloppenburg for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
I must say I was shocked to learn that Pat Lucey had served in that capacity with an obviously partisan Supreme Court Judge, but happy he's seen the light of day. The other co-chair was former Governor Tommy Thompson, a 12 year plague on Wisconsin until he became a cabinet secretary under George W. Bush.
It looks like there are already a couple of diaries on the subject and more information is likely available there, but I wanted to mention it here.
This is being reported now locally in Milwaukee and also in Madison in the State Journal adding a few more details.
Update: Even More Good News Edition: H/T to marigold who posted a comment on the Green Bay Press Gazettes endorsement of JoAnne Kloppenburg. This is a hard right newspaper in a red area of Wisconsin.