Updated January 24, 8:25 p.m. ET
Wisconsin Democrats held a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, to attack Gov. Scott Walker’s heavy fundraising numbers going into the recall.
Walker’s campaign announced earlier that he raised $4.5 million in just the period from December 11 through Jan 17, and has over $2.6 million on hand. Walker has been taking advantage of a key aspect of the state fundraising law for recalls — that until the election is officially triggered, the targeted incumbent can bring in unlimited donations. As a result, he he has been able to bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in individual donations.
State Democratic chairman Mike Tate declared: “With the new release of his recent campaign finance report, under Scott Walker Wisconsin is up for sale to the highest bidder. These just-released financed reports point to a conspiracy organized in places like New York and Texas and D.C., to upend the institutions that have created our middle class.”
Tate noted the six-figure donations from Texas businessman Bob Perry, who had previously financed the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth campaign of 2004, which spread false information about Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry’s war record. Also singled out were six-figure numbers from C. Boyden Gray of Freedomworks, and “a trio of extremists from Missouri”: David Humphreys, Sarah Humphreys Atkins, and Stanley Herzog.
Tate also turned up the already heated rhetoric in this polarized state, saying that Walker had attracted their support not because of results in office — noting continued job losses — but his vision of leadership is for “a plantation state of large corporation where low-wage, low-skilled, low-benefit workers have no rights.”
TPM asked Tate what resources the Democrats and their eventual candidate in the recall would be able to bring to the race. Tate said he could not speculate on an exact figure, but did say he expected “we will be outspent three or four to one when it comes to expenditures of resources.”
Tate was asked about a report in The Hill, saying that national Democrats such as Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) were worried about a drain of union money and resources into Wisconsin.
In response, Tate said that union members across Wisconsin were actively supportive of the state recall efforts. “I’m not too concerned with what Chuck Schumer is worried about. What we’re worried about is taking back this state for the working families who live here,” Tate said. He then paused, and commented in a somewhat humorous tone: “I probably just got on the Chuck Schumer Enemies List. That a bad list to be on.”
Late Update: Schumer spokesman Brian Fallon gave TPM this statement: “Senator Schumer has never expressed any reservations whatsoever about the recall effort in Wisconsin. In fact, he supports it.”
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
Boy, I sure hope this bankrupts those Koch boys.
Spanbauer, a moderate Republican assemblyman who voted against Walker's union killing bill last year, has decided against running for re-election. His stated reason was the current state of extremism. Maybe moderate Republicans in Wisconsin will be extinct like they nearly are in the Federal government.
The whole super-pac, unlimited spending thing seems to be backfiring. It's not like everyone doesn't know where the fat funds are coming from. It's offensive really, very offensive. The negative ads are a signal that the candidate is basically bought & paid for by outside the state special interest money which should piss off the voters en masse.. Wisconsin is the prime example of this as is Nute & his $10,000,000 dollar friend.
I don't believe for a second that one bad ad after another is really going to get people to stop wanting Scott Walker out of office. I despise him & would love the chance to vote him out & I've never even been to Wisconsin.
This fight is all about, the people v the wealthy, deep pocketed, heartless corporations. More money only makes it more obvious
leftflank
Yepper, been sayin' it for ears now! "ITS US AGAINST THEM"!! And I mean both parties. if you have any doubts about this look at the recent NDAA vote. Very few voted against it and their were Republicans in the bunch who voted no. Now how do you suppose their is such a divide among the parties on everything except when it takes away more of our rights and freedoms? GET IT NOW??
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission will go down as nadir of the Roberts Court. Activist Right Wing judges declaring that "corporations are people".
Also easier when someone drops a quarter....of a million.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/four-do...
Most people in Wisconsin have pride - or were once proud - of clean government. There used to be a lot of jokes comparing Wisconsin's politicians' naivite regarding payoffs and graft, but those ended with Tommy Thompson. Most here in dairy land want good progressive government back.
We Cheesehead's realize this recall election is the ONLY way Walker has created a Job in Wisconsin! His job creation numbers are the worst in the country but the TV and print companies are adding employees. Koch money was for not, keep sending money.....we need more jobs!
mkbattaglia DON'T assume you're speaking for all Wisconsinites. You are in a MINORITY.
union printing shops are doing great making recall yard signs and protest signs so there's that
Millions from out of state will only add more fuel to the injustice that will spur the Democrats resolve to get rid of this cretin.
We should listen to Shumer et al, because they did such a marvelous job leading Democrats to victory in 2010.
This is the beginning of the end for these lowlifes and a template will be established for the rest of the nation as well. To paraphrase Yamamoto after Pearl Harbor... the "sleeping giant" of Progressives and other decent Americans has finally been awakened and filled with a terrible resolve.
Not a moment too soon.
They were almost there, but the momentum is now being stymied by their perennial 'Achilles Heel'… overreaching and underestimating the breaking point of a populace that has little left to lose.
It’s uncanny.
With every new assault on the rule of law..
With every new action...
With every new mugging of the people..
With every new attempt to take their elected office and create a personal fiefdom so as to lie, cheat, con and use the citizens as chattel to manipulate, negate, expropriate and preempt as they wish..
With every utterance emanating from their mouths like a putrescent, green fog they only amplify their breathtaking contempt for the electorate and their willful ignorance.. and it only serves to illuminate their ingrained sociopathy.
With every, single step that they take, they are driving yet another nail into their own coffins... pounding them in harder with each blow… ready and eager to bury themselves and their entire, degenerate agenda with them once and for all.
The American People have finally been aroused to the reality of what these libertines truly stand for... nothing more than a gaggle of witless ideologues and schills for those who want to turn working people into a class of indentured servants.
None of the bagger Governors would have been elected had their constituents known that this was going to be the way that they were planning to "lead". Walker, Snyder, Kasich, LePage, Scott... not a single one would be in office if the elections were held today.... all of the polls are unanimous in this.
It is the job of each and every one of us to hoist the standards raised by our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin and remind voters and activists of this revolution everywhere and everyday until all of these traitors and seditionists are relegated back into the steaming dungheap from which they emerged. And until we prevail, we will all still be in danger.
The sooner the better.
SandyBerman Very well stated. As good a rant and call to battle as I have read.
Biglith
;)
BiglithSandyBerman
She rants on DKOS too. Worth the read. You can read it here first though :)
SandyBerman What a rant! What an articulate, rabble rousing foot stomping absolutely irresistible rant!
Mega donations from out of state is what got Walker elected in the first place. Yuk! Wisconsin is for sale .... just like all of America!
hollywood If I had millions, let's see, would I buy more adds for a Newt, a Romney, or a Walker?
I see we need a new version of Monopoly (tm).
"Tate was asked about a report in The Hill, saying that national Democrats such as Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) were worried about a drain of union money and resources into Wisconsin."
Suck it up Chuckles...your district is safe from this kind of crap. Wisconsin is not. I suggest you be a team player on this, or STFU. Because whining about where union money goes to support electoral races doesn't help the cause...get it??
!1 Months and millions of dollars can brain wash a lot of people with low attention spans. That's how we got the Tea Party. LOOK!! SHINY THING! Be Afraid!! Like that.
gwestdallas
We learned since then and the Kochs aren't going to win this anymore than they won the recalls of legislators or the quashing of the petition to jettison Walker.
SandyBerman Good to hear!! Give 'Em Hell Wisconsin! Lead the Way to Election 2012!!
Since Walker's already owned by the Koch bros. there comes a point where all the money in the world can't save you. I think Walker's already at that point of no return, literally!
canismajoris As a Wisconsinite, I sure hope you're right. As an American, ditto.
You go Wisconsin Dems.
“With the new release of his recent campaign finance report, under Scott Walker Wisconsin is up for sale to the highest bidder."
Say it loud and often, Dems. Just a preview of coming attractions in November nationwide.
Hoodathunk Hoodathunk. I see we both have learned how to live without an edit feature.
MerryMirth Pain in the bootockies, idnit? :)
Hoodathunk Yurp.
You guys can end-run the edit feature by hovering your mouse over your posting until the list with the "delete" button appears...you can then delete your post and re-post it with edits intact.
Sure, involves a bit of Control C - Control V etc. but it's at least a way to deal with a system that blows goats.
JJRothery Thanks. We we're just commenting that we caught each other doing exactly that.
JJRothery Thats what we did JJ. We played musical chairs with first posts until we got our spelling right.
I understand that in certain parts of Wisconsin's backwoods blowing goats is a cultural remnant of their scandinavian lineage.
How can he spend that much money effectively? What's going to win this recall is boots on the ground and I doubt Mr. Walker can buy enough of those to matter.
MerryMirth Attack ads on the eventual Dem nominee, I suppose.
Boidster I'd think anybody who might be swayed would be over-saturated quickly with tv adds and robocalls.
MerryMirth Or he can buy a lot of boots, but who's gonna fill them?
MerryMirth
That's my read on the situation. Union workers will be out in force in a get out the vote effort.
MerryMirth It has been said this election will be about convincing about 10% of the population. The other 90% is already firmly committed to a side. What a waste of money. My guess is that 10% will probably not even bother to vote.
C'mon, he'll need that money to go somewhere after the recall. I don't think he's going to have an easy time finding a relocation area, except maybe Texas.
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