I've got some info for you from FitzWalkerKochStan that should satisfy your need for the latest news.
Unfortunately, I don't have updated recall numbers from this weekends massive push for signatures, and I'm not sure updated numbers will be forthcoming. Early numbers did come from the State Senate recalls, but later the numbers were not published to keep the information from getting into the wrong hands or spurring the opposition into doing truly stupid things.
So, here's the latest and greatest:
Scott Walker is A Big Fat Liar
No, that's not really news in itself. After all, this guy lied himself straight to the Governors Office. However, he's now getting caught in his lies.
He lied so badly recently he even got called out by the RW leaning Milwaukee Journal Sentinal because of his repeated statement that despite his drastic ($1.8 billion) education cuts, the largest cuts in the nation, that school districts actually added staff. This was in response to a survey of school district administrators across Wisconsin that showed increased class size and lower numbers of staff.
Walker disputed the data and claimed that school districts have gained staff. Politifact pointed out, however, that Walkers numbers carefully left out one very important number: retirements. As I noted in an earlier diary, there were massive retirements of public employees in Wisconsin prior to the start date of union stripping and the mandatory massive increase in the amount employees would have to pay into their insurance and pension plans. Walkers omission of retirements allowed any new replacement teachers, teacher aides, and other staff to be counted as additions to the size of school staffs. This made the numbers he used show that school district staffing had been increased rather than the actual decrease.
Scott Walker is Still A Big Fat Liar
Once again whining that the state "can't afford" recall elections, Walker is touting a new shiny $10 million dollar price tag as the cost of a recall election against him. Lt. Governor Kleefisch has been repeating a $7.7 million dollar price tag. Sheesh, you'd think they could get their fake "facts" to coincide. Of course, this was the same bunch that predicted that protests at the Capitol caused $7.5 million in damages (actual cost was over $200,000 and most of the damage was caused by tape used by the media to secure camera cables).
Maybe the next "estimate" will be eleventy billion dollars. Stay tuned.
Walker is in Aggressive Campaign Mode
Walker is already working hard to keep the job he lied to get.
Walker is running television advertising defending his record during his first 11 months in office.
Yeah, a $300,000 television ad buy for the Thanksgiving weekend is just the start. Must be nice to have the Koch Brothers money for such a lavish buy.
Walker's backers are trying to take lessons from the only two successful gubernatorial recalls in U.S. history - against California Gov. Gray Davis in 2003 and North Dakota Gov. Lynn Frazier in 1921.
Those governors were too slow to fight back, said David Schecter, a political scientist at California State University, Fresno, who has studied recall campaigns. Their races were mostly lost before the signatures were submitted.
Already there are 2 ads running, one of which I already called out as BS.
Here's the latest:
Of course, like his first ad, the "teacher" is a Republican activist and Walker supporter from a Kenosha choice school who continues the misleading response to his recall.
GOP Cultists Hard at Work
There have been several incidents where recall petitions have been destroyed including one personally witnessed and diaried by Kossack stcroix cheesehead.
An incident even occurred in a college in Madison despite the fact that:
Destroying or defacing a recall petition is a felony, according to the state Government Accountability Board, which runs state elections.
Of course, the cultists show up at events (vastly outnumbered), but always get equal time on the media to push the meme that recall activists are demonstrating "sour grapes" and that "the election was fair so Governor Walker should be allowed his full term". Unfortunately, those claims get reported without the important fact that Walker and his GOP allies were elected on The Big Lie of "jobs jobs jobs". They never campaigned on their real agenda of union stripping, cutting school budgets, cutting Medicaid and Badger Care, concealled carry of firearms, abstinence only sex education, and, most importantly, cutting the taxes of the wealthy and corporate by peeling away from the wages and benefits of public employees.
We're Winning and They're Whining
The recalls are everywhere
The recall drive is rolling around Wisconsin, with petition circulators holding everything from midnight parties to this curbside collection effort. Scores of drives statewide have been held on some days, focusing on everything from Black Friday retailers to deer-cleaning stations, sporting events and holiday parades.
There was a big push over the Thanksgiving weekend. I'm not sure if numbers of signatures are going to be publicized or those numbers will be withheld to prevent information from getting out to Walker supporters. Numbers close to what are needed might increase the number of incidents of nutbaggery that the Republican side will use to thwart a successful petition drive.
That's All I Have For Now
Anyway, this weekend I give thanks for my fellow recall volunteers and for all of you who have supported our efforts.