Koch Brothers Hit the Airwaves in Support of Wisconsin Corruption Measures

The Koch-backed measures to eviscerate Wisconsin's limits on money in elections and neuter the state's election watchdog hit a stumbling block in the state senate recently, with a handful of Republican senators expressing concern that the measures go too far.

So the Kochs are going on the offensive.

David Koch's Americans for Prosperity is up with ads targeting constituents of GOP Senators Rob Cowles of Green Bay, Luther Olsen of Ripon, Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls, and Jerry Petrowski of Marathon, who have expressed reservations about the measures. The ads portray the nonpartisan Government Accountability Board (GAB) as a cold war-era agency "silencing free speech" and "raiding conservative's (sic) homes." AFP Wisconsin's director Eric Bott also said the group would be mobilizing its activists recently. AFP is the only group registered to lobby in favor of dismantling the GAB.

Wisconsin Club for Growth also launched a robocall campaign on Tuesday, with a recording of the Club's director Eric O'Keefe urging the wavering senators' constituents to demand the senators vote "yes" on the bill.

Wisconsin Club for Growth and Scott Walker were part of a $20 million scheme during the recall elections to evade the state's campaign finance laws and disclosure requirements, prosecutors believed. The GAB assisted in that investigation, sparking a legal and media counter-assault from the Club, with O'Keefe as its most visible proponent. The Wisconsin Supreme Court, whose majority was elected to the bench with at least $10 million in spending from the Club and other groups under investigation, shut down an investigation into the scheme earlier this year.

The Club has previously coordinated with Walker to support his legislative agenda. In 2011, for example, the Club ran ads supporting Walker's controversial union-busting Act 10 just days after it was introduced, and targeting moderate Republicans who were wavering in their support.

Citizen Opposition Slowed Bills' Progress

The bills to gut campaign finance laws and dismantle the GAB passed the Assembly last week, and seemed destined to quickly pass the Republican-controlled Senate. Voters from both the Republican and Democratic parties oppose more secret money in elections by wide margins, however, and a barrage of phone calls from concerned citizens has helped slow the bill's progress.

Some Republicans may be seeing through the rhetoric from their party leaders.

Although Walker and right-wing outlets closely associated with the groups under investigation have tried to smear the GAB as a partisan agency that used aggressive techniques during the John Doe probe, these allegations don't stand up to scrutiny.

"The reasons given for doing away with the G.A.B. are based on inaccurate, incomplete and, in many cases, completely false assertions by the proponents of this legislation," wrote GAB director Kevin Kennedy in a letter to Sen. Leah Vukmir, a leading critic of the GAB. He also submitted a response to her claims about the agency. "This point-by-point refutation of those specific assertions demonstrates that while the GAB. is not perfect, it is clearly not the 'failed experiment' that some claim it to be."

Some senators may also be wary of dismantling a nonpartisan board of retired judges that they voted to create just a few years ago, and replacing it with a board of partisan appointees that has proven ineffective in the past.

And, although Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says that court decisions like Citizens United require that the legislature erode disclosure laws and sanction coordination with outside groups, legal experts have proven these claims false.

The Brennan Center for Justice recently sent a letter to legislators noting that the bill's most egregious provisions "are not required by any recent federal or state court case; in fact, SB292/AB387 would leave Wisconsin with far weaker transparency protections than those upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in Citizens United v. FEC."

Senate leaders cancelled a floor session scheduled for Tuesday to try and wrangle their caucus. It remains to be seen whether the holdout Senators will yield to this Koch attack.

Koch Brothers Hit the Airwaves in Support of Wisconsin Corruption Measures

Gov. visits for wrong reason - Northern Star Online: Opinion

 

Gov. visits for wrong reason

Hayley Montalvo | Northern Star

Demonstration outside DCEDC event

Lynnea Erickson, Safe Passage abuse intervention services coordinator demonstrates outside of the Holmes Student Center where Gov. Bruce Rauner delivered the keynote address for the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation’s Annual Dinner and State of County event. “I believe it’s irresponsible of the governor to be doing anything in this climate besides sitting down and getting this budget passed especially when the most vulnerable in our community are fighting for their survival,” Erickson said.

 

Gov. visits for wrong reason Dennis Muxlow Northern Star

It was in poor taste for Gov. Bruce Rauner to attend a dinner celebrating the economic success of DeKalb while many in this community, including a large portion of students, are being hurt due to his and the General Assembly’s refusal to pass a budget.

Rauner gave the keynote speech at the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation annual dinner Thursday in the Holmes Student Center, Duke Ellington Ballroom. Business leaders from throughout the community assembled to celebrate their successes over the past year. But largely ignored from this conversation were the economic realities that many students and others in the community face because of the budget fight.

There were students who expected Rauner to discuss the impasse’s effect on funding for Monetary Assistance Program grants and other services during his visit to campus. These important issues were unfortunately barely mentioned in his address. Instead, business leaders discussed their accomplishments despite the tough economic times.

“2015 has been an outstanding year for economic development in DeKalb County,” said Paul Borek, executive director of the DCEDC.

Community members rallied outside to demonstrate against the lack of a state budget. Safe Passage, one of the only sexual and domestic violence shelters in the county, is beginning to have operational problems because of the impasse.

“Safe Passage is turning away 30 people a month due to a lack of resources and state funding,” said Safe Passage Director Mary Schaid.

Also rallying were students from several surrounding colleges and universities.

“This is the first time in five years I am worrying about my enrollment at NIU,” said Rainn Darring, Campus Activities Board president and a MAP grant recipient.

Many students who blamed Rauner for the impasse chanted, “Governor Rauner, do your job,” during the rally; however, it seemed these students and the issues that matter most to them were simply an afterthought to the governor.

“I hate that we aren’t giving scholarships for kids that need support,” Rauner said.

Rauner will not support a budget that raises taxes without reforms from his Turnaround Agenda. While he continues to hold his ground by only passing a budget that is accompanied by what he calls “common sense reforms,” college students and victims of domestic violence are being hurt in the process.

These reforms include term limits, redistricting reforms and pension reforms, among others.

Instead of celebrating the success of business leaders, Rauner should instead focus on how he can compromise with the state legislature and vice versa so organizations like Safe Passage can continue to help victims of domestic violence and so students don’t have to worry about whether or not they will be able to attend school next semester.

Gov. visits for wrong reason - Northern Star Online: Opinion