What’s an unpopular Strongman to do, when confronted with the prospect of losing his grip on power? Well, for Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott “Baseball Bat” Walker, rigging the rules seems to be the strategy!

Republicans try to rewrite recall rules
The goal: Give Gov. Walker a better chance at keeping his job
Ruth Conniff on Thursday 10/13/2011

Now that state Republicans have weakened Wisconsin’s campaign finance and disclosure rules and made it harder for students, poor people and minorities to vote, they are turning their attention to another urgent matter: getting control over the recall process for Gov. Scott Walker.
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As Sun Prairie Democrat Gary Hebl pointed out during the Thursday hearing, the Republicans are trying to turn the GAB from a watchdog into a lapdog. First, they proposed an “emergency rule change” to address the GAB’s decision. That’s handy for them, because while they can’t reverse GAB decisions, they can kill a rule.

Also handy: They just rejiggered the rule-making process so every administrative rule change has to go through the governor’s office, and the governor has full veto power.

In other words, the governor himself would have final say over the process for recalling him.
(more, here)

Can’t you just see ol’ Milhous Nixon smiling over THAT one??!?

So, why would ol’ “Baseball Bat” Walker need to rig the recall rules?

The Walker Recall: By The Numbers
Monday, October 24, 2011

Just weeks before the official kickoff to the Recall Walker movement, things aren’t looking too good for the puppet governor of Corporate America. The Democrats have just released the numbers related to a survey of Wisconsinites regarding Walker and his job performance.

Walker must be reaching for the industrial-sized bottle of antacid whenever he sees these numbers.

(more, at CognitiveDissidence)

And there’s little doubt ol’ “Baseball Bat” Walker will – WILL – be recalled; Milwaulkee’s AM620 WTMJ reports Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and former US Rep. David Obey were there and both names are being floated as possible candidates to depose GOPer Strongman Scott Walker – and end their report with this line: “Organizers plan to start heading door to door with recall petitions on November 15th.”

As well they should; GOPer Walker is but one example of why I always say “Republicans run on the platform ‘Government doesn’t work!’ – and once elected, they prove it.”

Oh – and be sure to link here For A Campaign Message From The Governor’s Office.

# # #

Here are the previous Strongman Reports:

(Strongman Report – 11 August 2011)

(Strongman Report – 14 April 2011)

(Strongman Report – 14 April 2011)

(Strongman Report – 30 March 2011)

(Strongman Report – 20 March 2011)

(Strongman Report – 08 March 2011)

(Strongman Report – 05 March 2011)

(Strongman Report – 01 March 2011)

Ol’ “Baseball Bat” Walker got spanked in court yesterday, AGAIN.

From the Milwaulkee Journal-Sentinel: Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi – “Apparently that language was either misunderstood or ignored, but what I said was the further implementation of Act 10 was enjoined. That is what I now want to make crystal clear.”

Pretty clear, eh? Well, not to GOPers:

But outside the courtroom, Assistant Attorney General Steven Means said the legislation “absolutely” is still in effect.

Just where do GOPers get that kind of nonsense/legal reasoning?

By channelling the ghost of Milhous Nixon – let’s look!!!

(direct link to YouTube)

Nixon: “When the president does it, that means it’s not illegal.”

Well, to be fair, GOPers think that when a GOPer president/governor/etc etc etc does it… that means it’s not illegal.

GOPers believed that then; they believe it now, and tomorrow won’t be any different, because Republicans Believe In The Rule Of Law (except when they don’t).

The first installment of this Strongman Report series was subtitled …Today’s Example of “Republicans run on the platform ‘Government doesn’t work!’ – and once elected, they prove it.”. Graphics and links for previous installments in this series follow.

(Strongman Report – 20 March 2011)

(Strongman Report – 08 March 2011)

(Strongman Report – 05 March 2011)

(Strongman Report – 01 March 2011)

(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)

At any rate, I could update the following, but I said this two years ago and I stand by it still. I think it’s important to remember; after all: “those that forget the lessons of history, tend to vote GOP.”

And it’s also a reminder, once again, of why it’s so important to work hard through election day. If we don’t, those that forget the lessons of history could possibly elect Tom “I don’t think you can call yourself a freedom-loving American and be a Democrat” Emmer as the next governor.

Thirty Four Years Ago, Tonight
Submitted by TwoPuttTommy on August 8, 2008 – 3:56pm.

I remember that August night, back in 1974. It was 34 years ago, tonight, that Richard M. Nixon addressed the nation from The Oval Office, and announced he was resigning. My father put his head in his hands, and said “Oh, my God – he IS a crook.” “Dad” I replied, “that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” Nixon resigned, 34 years ago, because good and decent Republicans had had enough.

Good and decent Republicans called their elected representatives in the GOP Party, and those good and decent elected Republicans told Nixon’s Administration that enough was enough; it was time for the corruption to stop. Make no mistake; it wasn’t the Democrats in Congress that ended the Nixon Presidency; it was the good and decent Republicans in Congress that ended the cancer in government that Nixon represented.

Unfortunately, that cancer has returned to government, as the misAdministration of Bush The Lesser clearly demonstrates. Also unfortunately, it’s the Republicans in Congress that have allowed that to happen. Republicans in Congress by and large have abdicated their oversight responsibility and placed the Executive Branch and Republican Party’s interests over the Legislative branch’s and America’s interests. I’ve had the duty as a parent, to tell my children, that when I was a kid, our country’s president, Nixon, was a liar and a crook – as is the president of their childhood, George W. Bush. And unfortunately, Bush will end his term without resignation or impeachment; because today’s good and decent Republicans are silent as to this President, as are today’s Republican Members of Congress.

Jim Ramstad is one of the most honest and ethical representatives to ever walk the halls and enter the chambers of the United States House of Representatives. For this, Republican Congressional Leadership rewarded him with back-bench status.

Now, one of the most partisan members to ever walk the halls and enter the chambers of the Minnesota State House, Erik Paulsen, seeks to replace Jim Ramstad – the good and decent Republican. I find it impossible to believe that not one good and decent Republican considered himself/herself worthy of replacing Ramstad. A congressional district where the winner of this year’s open seat can reasonably expect to serve a long career, as long as they serve honorably and ethically as Ramstad did, and Bill Frenzel before Ramstad, and Clark MacGregor before Frenzel, yet Paulsen goes unchallenged?

A lesson of Watergate and Nixon is that it was the good and decent members of the Republican Party that forced Nixon to resign. It’s too bad that lesson was lost, and today, on the 34th Anniversary of Nixon resigning, Erik Paulsen is the GOP candidate for Minnesota’s 3rd district. If you liked Richard Nixon; if you like George W. Bush and D*ck Cheney, you’ll love Erik Paulsen. The rest of us will be waiting for good and decent Republicans to reclaim leadership of that once “Grand Old Party.”

(cross posted at The Eden Prairie News)

(cross posted from MnProgressiveProject; comments welcome there)

Good and decent Republicans called their elected representatives in the GOP Party, and those good and decent elected Republicans told Nixon’s Administration that enough was enough; it was time for the corruption to stop. Make no mistake; it wasn’t the Democrats in Congress that ended the Nixon Presidency; it was the good and decent Republicans in Congress that ended the cancer in government that Nixon represented.

Unfortunately, that cancer has returned to government, as the misAdministration of Bush The Lesser clearly demonstrates. Also unfortunately, it’s the Republicans in Congress that have allowed that to happen. Republicans in Congress by and large have abdicated their oversight responsibility and placed the Executive Branch and Republican Party’s interests over the Legislative branch’s and America’s interests. I’ve had the duty as a parent, to tell my children, that when I was a kid, our country’s president, Nixon, was a liar and a crook – as is the president of their childhood, George W. Bush. And unfortunately, Bush will end his term without resignation or impeachment; because today’s good and decent Republicans are silent as to this President, as are today’sr Republican Members of Congress.

Jim Ramstad is one of the most honest and ethical representatives to ever walk the halls and enter the chambers of the United States House of Representatives. For this, Republican Congressional Leadership rewarded him with back-bench status.

Now, one of the most partisan members to ever walk the halls and enter the chambers of the Minnesota State House, Erik Paulsen, seeks to replace Jim Ramstad – the good and decent Republican. I find it impossible to believe that not one good and decent Republican considered himself/herself worthy of replacing Ramstad. A congressional district where the winner of this year’s open seat can reasonably expect to serve a long career, as long as they serve honorably and ethically as Ramstad did, and Bill Frenzel before Ramstad, and Clark MacGregor before Frenzel, yet Paulsen goes unchallenged?

A lesson of Watergate and Nixon is that it was the good and decent members of the Republican Party that forced Nixon to resign. It’s too bad that lesson was lost, and today, on the 34th Anniversary of Nixon resigning, Erik Paulsen is the GOP candidate for Minnesota’s 3rd district. If you liked Richard Nixon; if you like George W. Bush and D*ck Cheney, you’ll love Erik Paulsen. The rest of us will be waiting for good and decent Republicans to reclaim leadership of that once “Grand Old Party.”

(cross posted at The Eden Prairie News)

(originally published at MnBlue.com)

And he wasn’t kidding. From the bait ‘n switch “War Of Choice” and The RumsFailed Doctrine of “War On The Cheap” to ‘Berto “Americans don’t got no steenkin’ Habeas Corpus” Gonzo to Monica Goodling and Kyle Sampson’s escapades, to John Ashcroft hiding Lady Liberty to “Clear Skies Initiative” to Paul “Give That Girl A RAISE!!!” Wolfowitz, to ChickenHawks, to The Plame Game to “Kenny-Boy, I hardly knew ya” to GannonGate to Armstrong Williams to…. well, how much time to you have? Suffice it to say that until the misAdministration of Boy Blunder And The Plunderers, I never thought I’d see the day that I’d miss Richard Milhous Nixon.

And I really never thought I’d see the day, that Spiro T. Agnew wasn’t the worst VPOTUS.

January 20th, 2009 – The End Of An Error – can’t arrive too soon.

(this post originally published at MnBlue.com)