The Recall frenzy is on in Wisconsin. Rightwing bandwidths are already humming with suggestions of violence. A conservative commentator, Kevin Binversie, who blogs at Lakeshore Laments, suggests via Twitter: “Or better yet Senate Miller, how about I “Castle Doctrine” a few guys coming to my house w/ recall petitions?” The "Castle Doctrine" was just passed into law by the Republican majority. It allows you to kill without liability if you feel threatened. A man's home is his castle, and if a stranger gets past the moats with alligators and the cauldrons of boiling oil from the cornices, we might indeed need to shoot without first hearing the doorbell ring. Mr. Binversie shrugs off his glib ignorant comment as "liberals just can't take a joke." In this case, is the punch line his rhetorical cleverness, or the idea of a recall gatherer getting shot? Be safe when you go out gathering signatures. While perhaps indeed our dear Mr. Binversie is being sardonic, hyperbole is generally rooted in reality.
On a related front, given the number of shams, scams and fakery that happened during our summer recall campaigns, it is not a surprise that a fake "anti-Walker" activist has jumped the line to begin the recall. A Muskego man, David Brandt, filed registration papers last Friday on behalf of the group "Close Friends to Recall Walker." It ends up that Mr. Brandt and his wife have given modest amounts of money to Walker in the past. But who knows? Maybe the Brandts underwent empathy reassignment therapy, after seeing (perhaps) their children's favorite teacher vilified by the policies of their erstwhile political darlings. Brandt said he was filing papers "To fulfill my friend's last request." I love the constant comedy that comes from the ethically desiccated!
Ultimately, this is mere chatter. State law allows politicians undergoing recall unlimited and undisclosed funds, and the premature ejaculation of Mr. Brandt lets Walker pick up his Koch Emergency Funding Phone ten days earlier than the real recall which begins November 15. Millions of dollars will be spent, and we'll see a flood of flickering fictions fabricated by the Clones of Koch pushed over the airwaves. My Tivo is set to "off."
Is the recall worth it? Yes. Emphatically, yes! We want strong independent leaders who pay attention to the State, not ventriloquist dummies for the wealthiest one percent. When over 100,000 people showed up in Madison last March, did Walker even care? No: he was too busy taking a phone call from someone he thought was David Koch. We might win, we might lose, but dammit, we aren't going to lie down supine for the rightwingers' scuffboots.
Here's a way to avoid recalls, Mr. Walker: instead of ridiculous redistricting and egregious disenfranchisement of poor and mobile communities, instead of schemes to require every signature submitted be notarized (which didn't pass) and running fake candidates, instead of all the cynical insanity… you could Listen To The People. You could Create Jobs. You could Accept Federal Funds that Help the State. You could Stop Attacking the Middle Class. You could Preserve Our Clean Air and Water. You could End your Assault on The Rule of Law...
RECALL PROTOCOLS: A USER'S MANUAL
Bookmark the following websites: www.wisdems.org and www.unitedwisconsin.com
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin (DPW), United Wisconsin, Labor and Grassroots organizations are collaborating on this massive effort. Wisconsin is divided into 8 regions, there are campus coordinators, 50+ paid organizers and 20+ offices throughout the state, with multiple satellite offices springing up. In the Milwaukee region, the offices are at 7984 West Appleton Avenue, 1370 S 74th Street and 3208 West National Avenue. This is where we will get the clipboards, petitions, and neighborhood assignments. If you need a partner to go out with (recommended) you can meet other volunteers at these locations. Find the location for offices near you on the wisdems website mentioned above.
A circulator can be anyone who is a U.S citizen, 18 or over, and not a felon "on paper." They need not be Wisconsin residents, though it is preferred if they are. We can circulate on any public place: that is the rule of law. There will be legal support, a legal hotline, and each circulator will be given a legal document stating rights and contact numbers. However, if you run into problems, be polite, peaceful, and move on. Our goal is to get as many signatures as possible, not fight over defining public access.
A signer needs to be a U.S. citizen, and an eligible voter in the state of Wisconsin, which means they have been a resident of Wisconsin for at least 28 days, are at least 18 years old by election day, and not a felon on paper.
The actual petition will have a box for the signer's name, their signature, address, municipality, and the date that they signed. The circulator must witness the signing. All information must be written out in full. The circulator may help fill out all information except for the signature. Corrections can be made by the circulator by scratching out misinformation (an incorrect date, for instance) and initializing. Every line (there are ten) per sheet need not be filled out, though each sheet must be signed and dated at the bottom by the circulators.
The Government Accountability Board will not look up the name of every single individual who signs. What they will do is make sure that the address is valid in the municipality that they provided, so it is very important that the address and municipality are correct. It is also important to note that the signer does not have to be registered to vote, they just need to be eligible to register to vote. Finally, a signer does not need to have a valid ID to sign the petition, even though they now need one to vote.
Don't "sit on" the sheets in order to gather a lot of them before submission to the organizational offices. Take them to the campaign office as soon as you can: nightly is best, as envelopes of the signature sheets will be sent out nightly to a secure location in Madison.
Dress for the weather: wear sturdy boots, warm socks, layers of clothes, hats, gloves. Have water. Go indoors if you get too cold. This is a marathon, not a sprint, so be careful with your emotional and physical health. While the offices will supply you with pens, I recommend having numerous extras: freezing pens were a real field problem last spring.
So we have work to do. Everyone contact your friends and family. The future of education is at stake. The future of the environment. The future of the middle class. The campaign that began in Wisconsin last spring has spread rhizomatically throughout the country. Now it is time to refocus our anger, and make this recall happen!
Pick up petitions at 6:30 a.m. on November 15.
High above Camp Randall for parent's weekend at the Badger's game yesterday
MILWAUKEE AREA EVENTS (that I know of right now!)
Nov 7, 6:30-8:30pm @ 2604 N. Booth, Milwaukee: United Wisconsin's Volunteer Kick Off. (give support and learn the logistics of the recall)
Nov 10, 11:00am-12:30pm @ Spaights Plaza, UWM: RIP Higher Education: Funeral March and Service
(The UW System is 7% of the State's Budget, but is shouldering 38% of the brand new budget cuts. Is the nail in the coffin?) Wear Black. Bring Noisemakers. Make Noise. Be there.
Nov 15, 4:30pm @ 68th and Bluemound: We Are Milwaukee Rally at The Walker Residence. (A big rally in Wauwatosa, with circulators present to gather signatures).
Nov 16, 5:00-7:00pm Recall Walker Kickoff Fundraiser @ Karma Bar and Grill, 600 East Ogden, Milwaukee (join Senators Chris Larson and DPW Chair Mike Tate for Recall Fun!)
Nov 17, 3:30pm @ North Avenue Bridge: Occupy Milwaukee's National Day of Action Against Austerity (not part of the recall effort, but related - and it will be BIG!)
Rise up, Resist! Go in Peace, Patience and Seek Wisdom through Action.
Artwork and image by Susan Simensky Bietila
UPDATE: Information about Recalling State Senators.
I received some clarifications from the DPW campus coordinator, and made those changes in the "nuts and bolts" part of the "circulator/signer" narrative. I was also told the following:
We will be attempting to recall three Republican State Senators as well: Senators Van Wanggard, Terry Moulton, and Pam Galloway. We expect activists to try to recall other State Senators, however the Democratic Party is only focusing on these three districts. There will be a second petition for the Lt. Governor as well, so that means that our volunteers will have two petitions with them. In the districts with the 3 State Senators, they will not carry the Lt. Governor petition, instead they will carry one for Walker and another for their State Senator.